ABSTRACT
Virgin sacrifice is a type of ritual killing rather than a proper sacrifice. Identifying virgin sacrifice as a type of ritual killing differentiates it from other kinds of killings, such as executions, murder, or death in battle. The Greeks did not have a phrase for "sacrificial virgin", although this term has been used commonly in literature and scholarship to refer to both Iphigeneia and Polyxena. Sacrifice is the fundamental act of Greek religion, yet the relation between human and animal sacrifice is difficult to untangle. The Greeks did not invent the idea and practice of blood sacrifices, either animal or human. This comes from the religions of the Near East. Iphigeneia is not the only daughter who faces sacrifice because of her father's actions. Jephthah's daughter also must pay with her life for a vow her father makes, and her sacrifice is the closest parallel for a virgin sacrifice in the ancient Near East.
