y" for a month beforeshe was sacrificed. In fact, "virginity" signifies dying before marrying and,particularly, without offspring. Ophelia's "virgin crants" were apparently hungin the church during her requiem. This suggests a need in the community tobelieve her a virgin. Those who read Hamlet as a Reformation chronicle detectglances at the BVM here. You might see an article, "Ophelia's Maimed Rites."Hope this helps.Jephthah returned to Gilead and in Mizpah they made him commander overthe army and the head or leader of Gilead. Jephthah then set up negotiationswith the Ammonites but they would not listen to anything he had to say. (TheAmmonites were the descendants of Lot's son, and inhabited a tract of countryeast of the river Jordan and had always been hostile towards the Israelites.) So as he marched into battle against the Ammonites he made a vow; "If You willindeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatevercomes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from thepeople of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord's and I will offer it up as a burntoffering." Jephthah secured a great victory "..from Aroer as far as Minnith --twenty cities -- and to Able Keramin." It was a very bloody battle with muchloss of life and many great prizes were captured and the Ammonites "..weresubdued before the children of Israel." Upon Jephthah's return home his daughter came dancing and singing fromthe house to honour her father and to celebrate his great victory. But,Jephthah, seeing this said to his daughter, "Alas, my daughter, you havebrought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given myword to the LORD, and I cannot go back on it." Jephthah's daughter agreed that the vow must be carried out but beggedto be given two months, "...that I may go and wander on the mountains andbewail my virginity, my friends and I." Jephthah permitted this and when thetwo mont...
