"Why live like a man?"

[ksmith]

Perhaps as counterpoint to the previous story...a fascinating story in today's Trib about "Albania's sworn virgins":

When the Albanian journalist and author Elvira Dones was traveling in the mountains of northern Albania, she asked for directions from someone she thought was a man walking his mule through a village, rifle on shoulder.

After the exchange, her guide whispered, "That is one of them."

Dones had just met an adherent of an ancient northern Albanian tradition in which women take an oath of lifelong virginity in exchange for the right to live as men. The process is not surgical. Rather, sworn virgins cut their hair and wear baggy men's clothes and take up manly livelihoods as shepherds or truck drivers or even political leaders. And those around them treat them as men.


Registration required, with the usual workarounds applying. It's a fascinating story.

Comments

[chris-gerrib.livejournal.com]

Although Albania is more open about it, women living as men is not unique to that country. At least a hundred women served in combat in the US Civil War as men. Most only got caught when they were wounded.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I've read some of the Civil war stories, but I think the formalization of the Albanian custom sets it apart.

I don't understand why they have to remain virgins, though. If one of them had sex with a man, would the man be considered homosexual? What price would be paid?

[chris-gerrib.livejournal.com]

Maybe the virgin thing is just to keep out the riff-raff, so to speak. It does require a certain, well, dedication.

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

Would you believe I just got home from a crit session wherein our conversation devolved onto exactly this topic?

Well, Albanian sworn virgins, "trader wives" in some African culture the person couldn't remember, twin-souled people in certain Native American tribes, and other third-gender examples. Plus examples we started brainstorming.

Really.

[sleary.livejournal.com]

I saw something about them on TV, maybe a year ago... must have been on either Discovery or Travel. Anyway, it was fascinating to see them.

[kalligraphy.livejournal.com]

It happens in quite a few cultures. Thai, Native American, Russia , Mexico and some tropical Island as well. There are stories through out history of people living as the opposite gender and some cultures have a tacit support for it. It's mostly Western Civilization that has worked to deny that Gender Dysphoria is real and has been around for a very long time.