History Main / ChainedToARock

* ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982'' features three examples. When Conan first encounters his future sidekick Subotai, he is chained to a rock to be eaten by wolves as punishment for various crimes. Later, Conan himself is tied to a tree to be eaten by vultures. Finally, the DamselInDistress gets this treatment by the heroes when they lay a trap for the BigBad's war party, though in this case it was more as bait than to kill her.

* In ''OrlandoFurioso'', two princesses are chained to rocks at different times: Angelica and Olympia. Although both are rescued, neither one ends up marrying the rescuer.

* In ''TheSilmarillion'', Maedhros is chained to a cliff by his right wrist. There is no monster; there is no need for one, since he is chained there for ''years''. By the time his cousin comes to rescue him, he is [[MercyKill begging to be killed]].

[[quoteright:267:[[GreekMythology http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Gustave_Moreau_Prometheus_7331.jpg]]]]

* The ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' set Theros (based on GreekMythology) features a card named [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=373521 Chained to the Rocks]] that, flavor-wise, removes one of your opponent's creatures from play by chaining it to a mountain.

* In ''DeadRising'', if you are late to Kent's appointment he knocks you unconscious, takes your clothes, and chains you to a mall fountain to be eaten by zombies. The resulting barehanded boss fight against Kent and the zombie horde is one of the hardest in the game.

* Played straight in Literature/TheLastApprentice series, when as a young woman, the main character's mother is chained to a rock [[spoiler: The chain used was silver, which burnt her due to her being a lamia witch, and she was also harmed by sunlight for similar reasons.]] And they nailed her hand to the rock, although she pulled it free with no effort once rescued. rather than a monster, however, she was left to suffer for several days before her enemies would return to drain her of blood. Predictably, the person who rescued her became her husband. The silver chain was eventually given to her son, who used it as a weapon from the second book onwards.

* The myth of Andromeda (see below) is the backstory of Bronze Saint Andromeda Shun from ''SaintSeiya''. In the final test for acquiring the Bronze Cloth of Andromeda, the candidate is chained to the rock pillars at the bottom of a chasm; as the tide rises, they must hold back the water with the force of their [[BattleAura Cosmo]] alone, or drown.

* This happened in ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' to Shiori disguised as Asuna in [[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/mahou_sensei_negima/v31/c283/10.html chapter 283 during her interrogation]].

* The movie ''Film/ClashOfTheTitans'' distorts the mythic Greek original somewhat, showing the rock-bound Andromeda being rescued from the Kraken by Perseus. (Honestly, that's ''far'' from the ''only'' way the movie "distorts the mythic Greek"...)

** This was also Andromeda's plight when her mother's arrogance, and claims that she was more beautiful than the Nereids, angered Poseidon. She was saved by her future husband, Perseus.

* In ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanDeadMansChest'', Elizabeth Turner chains Jack Sparrow to the mast of the Black Pearl to deliver him to the Kraken.

[[caption-width-right:267:"Prometheus was punished by the gods for giving the gift of knowledge to man. [[DisproportionateRetribution He was cast into the bowels of the earth]] [[VideoGame/{{Portal 2}} and pecked by birds..."]]]]

A character (more often than not: young, female, [[VirginPower virgin]], [[BeautyEqualsGoodness attractive]], [[RoyalBlood royal]], and wearing a revealing outfit or sometimes nothing at all) is chained to a rock, wall, or hard surface, with the intention that she will be [[HumanSacrifice eaten by a monster/alien/whatever]]. The reasons vary, but the usual explanation is that she is being sacrificed to appease the monster or whoever sends it, so that the monster will consume only her and spare the rest of the people.

* Ranma from ''[[RanmaOneHalf Ranma 1/2]]'' once had to pin Ryouga to a statue by wrapping him in chains, just to [[NoSenseOfDirection keep him from getting lost again]].

* In ''Anime/YuGiOh'', Kaiba is chained to a rock when testing his virtual game thing for no apparent reason. other than the one given in [[WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries The Abridged Series]]: "It gives the [[FanService fan girls a chance to see you]] [[BoundAndGagged in chains"]].
* This happened in ''MahouSenseiNegima'' to Shiori disguised as Asuna in [[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/mahou_sensei_negima/v31/c283/10.html chapter 283 during her interrogation]].

* ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982'' features three examples. When Conan first encounters his future sidekick Subotai, he is chained to a rock to be eaten by wolves as punishment for various crimes. Later, Conan himself is tied to a tree to be eaten by vultures. Finally, The DistressedDamsel gets this treatment by the heroes when they lay a trap for the BigBad's war party, though in this case it was more as bait than to kill her.

* Played straight in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', of all shows. Buffy, Cordelia and another [[DistressedDamsel damsel in distress]] are chained to a dungeon wall and about to be fed to a giant monster, then rescued by the rest of the gang in the nick of time. Also bizarrely, this turns out to be all leading up to one of a series of "drinking kills" [[AnAesop aesops]].

* Loki, the [[NorseMythology Norse]] trickster god from the Literature/{{Edda}} and father of Miðgarðsormur, Fenrir the wolf and the death goddess Hel. Was chained to a rock with the entrails of his murdered sons, and a snake hanging over him dripping poisonous acid into his face. Whenever his wife went outside to empty out the bowl she was holding up to catch the drops, Loki's pain made him writhe in his bonds, which created earthquakes. The prophecy was his chains would fail when Ragnarök start. Will be killed in the FinalBattle between the gods of Ásgarðr and their enemies.
* In Greek mythology, the Trojan princess Hesione was ChainedToARock to appease a sea monster set loose because the king of Troy had cheated the gods of their payment for building the walls of Troy. Hercules rescued her. (Whereupon the king of Troy [[DudeWheresMyRespect tried to cheat him]], and Hercules sacked Troy.)

* The ''MagicTheGathering'' set Theros (based on [[GreekMythology Greek mythology]]) features a card named [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=373521 Chained to the Rocks]] that, flavor-wise, removes one of your opponent's creatures from play by chaining it to a mountain.

* In ''KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'', [[{{TheDragon}} Braig]] chains Master Xehanort to a pole in Radiant Garden and uses him to lure [[{{AntiHero}} Terra]] into a trap. [[spoiler: It's later revealed to have all been an act to further force Terra to rely on the Darkness, though it costs Braig one of his eyes as a result]].

* In the second Carmilla story of the Literature/WhateleyUniverse, Carmilla ends up chained to a flat rock with magical cuffs to suppress her abilities, so that Bloodworm can sacrifice her to a dark god to gain a boon. To say that things don't go too well for him would be [[AFateWorseThanDeath a serious understatement.]]

* In one episode of ''JusticeLeague'' Aquaman is chained to the bottom of an erupting undersea volcano along with his infant son by his usurping brother. Somewhat subverted when he [[spoiler: [[BreakingTheBonds breaks one chain]], then pulls a sharp implement off of his belt and ''hacks his own hand off at the wrist'']] to save the both of them.
* [[LampshadeHanging Lampshade hung]] in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', where it happens to Leela. For good measure, the leader rips her top to expose more cleavage.

* In the second Carmilla story of the WhateleyUniverse, Carmilla ends up chained to a flat rock with magical cuffs to suppress her abilities, so that Bloodworm can sacrifice her to a dark god to gain a boon. To say that things don't go too well for him would be [[AFateWorseThanDeath a serious understatement.]]

[[caption-width-right:267:"Prometheus was punished by the gods for giving the gift of knowledge to man.[[DisproportionateRetribution He was cast into the bowels of the earth]] [[VideoGame/{{Portal 2}} and pecked by birds..."]]]]

* The movie ''ClashOfTheTitans'' distorts the mythic Greek original somewhat, showing the rock-bound Andromeda being rescued from the Kraken by Perseus. (Honestly, that's ''far'' from the ''only'' way the movie "distorts the mythic Greek"...)
* ''Film/KingKong''

* In ''PiratesOfTheCaribbean: Dead Man's Chest'', Elizabeth Turner chains Jack Sparrow to the mast of the Black Pearl to deliver him to the Kraken.
* According to Heather's documentary speech in ''TheBlairWitchProject'' (before things start getting freaky) Coffin Rock became infamous for being used as the altar in the ritual murder of five locals: they were tied to the rock, facially disfigured, and finally disembowelled.

* ''ConanTheBarbarian'' features three examples. When Conan first encounters his future sidekick Subotai, he is chained to a rock to be eaten by wolves as punishment for various crimes. Later, Conan himself is tied to a tree to be eaten by vultures. Finally, The DistressedDamsel gets this treatment by the heroes when they lay a trap for the BigBad's war party, though in this case it was more as bait than to kill her.

[[caption-width-right:267:[[FelonyMisdemeanor "Prometheus was punished by the gods for giving the gift of knowledge to man.]] [[DisproportionateRetribution He was cast into the bowels of the earth]] [[VideoGame/{{Portal 2}} and pecked by birds..."]]]]

* The ''MagicTheGathering'' set Theros (based on [[GreekMythology Greek mythology]]) features a card named [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=373521 Chained to the Rocks]] that, flavor-wise, removes one of your opponent's creatures from play by chaining it to a mountain.

* [[http://www.oglaf.com/princess/ Horribly subverted]] in {{Oglaf}} (SFW, but entire site is {{NSFW}})

Sometimes [[EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses the princess]] is the first woman put up for slaughter; other times she is only the latest of a long line of sacrificial maidens. Why a hero never stepped up to save ''them'' is a question not worth asking.

* ''Film/{{Dragonslayer}}''. Subverted a bit because [[spoiler:she rejects rescue and ends up baby dragon kibble.]]

Sometimes [[EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses the princess]] is the only woman put up for slaughter; other times she is only the latest of a long line of sacrificial maidens. Why a hero never stepped up to save ''them'' is a question not worth asking.

A character (more often than not: young, female, [[VirginPower virgin]], [[BeautyEqualsGoodness attractive]], [[RoyalBlood royal]], and wearing a revealing outfit or sometimes nothing at all) is chained to a rock, wall, or hard surface, with the [[FetishFuel intention]] that they will be [[HumanSacrifice eaten by a monster/alien/whatever]].

This DamselInDistress will more often than not be saved by a handsome hero. Indeed, many a desperate king has made a plea for someone, anyone to rescue the princess, and so [[EngagementChallenge win the princess's hand in marriage.]] (Not that you can count on [[DudeWheresMyRespect his carrying out his part]].)

Sometimes, any number of women have been sacrificed prior to the lot falling on [[EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses the princess]]. Whereupon the hero will arrive to save the princess.

* Not surprisingly, there's one of these in ''{{Shadowgate}}''. Even less surprisingly, [[EverythingTryingToKillYou she kills you if freed]]. So much for VideoGameCaringPotential . . .

* The Russian protagonist in ''The Beast of War'' (1988) is tied to a rock [[AHouseDivided by his own comrades]] and booby-trapped for the Afghan rebels to find. When he's attacked by wild dogs and the grenade slips from under his head, some frantic wriggling is required to let the grenade roll out from under him, over the edge of the rock where it detonates (fortunately driving off the dogs). Convincing the Afghans [[HonorBeforeReason not to cut the throat]] of this served up infidel is another matter.

* In ''Orlando Furioso'', two princesses are chained to rocks at different times: Angelica and Olympia. Although both are rescued, neither one ends up marrying the rescuer.

* In "One Good Knight", by Creator/MercedesLackey, the Acadians chain their sacrifices to a stake despite an ample supply of rocks in Acadia. No rescuers come to save the virgins until the princess herself is chained there, but [[spoiler:the dragon was intelligent and noble and carried them all safely away instead of eating them.]]

* Loki, the Norse trickster god from the Literature/{{Edda}} and father of Miðgarðsormur, Fenrir the wolf and the death goddess Hel. Was chained to a rock with the entrails of his murdered sons, and a snake hanging over him dripping poisonous acid into his face. Whenever his wife went outside to empty out the bowl she was holding up to catch the drops, Loki's pain made him writhe in his bonds, which created earthquakes. The prophecy was his chains would fail when Ragnarök start. Will be killed in the FinalBattle between the gods of Ásgarðr and their enemies.

* Possible Subversion. In the ''Series/StargateSG1'' DirectToDvd movie, StargateContinuum, the supposed final [[AffablyEvil Ba'al]] ([[SendInTheClones its a long story]]) is secured by alien chains to a sandstone-textured wall awaiting his execution. The possible subversion? The Monster is the symbiote, the removal of which will save Baal's innocent host-body from his millenia long imprisonment.

Compare ChainedToARailway, BreakingTheBonds, BoundAndGagged.

* The ''TabletopGame/{{Talisman}}'' board game's Sacrifical Stone card has artwork depicting a young woman chained to a rock. Players encountering the Sacrifical Stone must draw an adventure card, and if the card drawn is a dragon their character is outright killed, making them the sacrifice in this scenario. This card can be especially dangerous in conjunction with effects that move cards from the top of a dragon deck to the top of the adventure deck, drastically increasing the chances that the next card drawn will in fact be a dragon.

* The ''TabletopGames/{{Talisman}}'' board game's Sacrifical Stone card has artwork depicting a young woman chained to a rock. Players encountering the Sacrifical Stone must draw an adventure card, and if the card drawn is a dragon their character is outright killed, making them the sacrifice in this scenario. This card can be especially dangerous in conjunction with effects that move cards from the top of a dragon deck to the top of the adventure deck, drastically increasing the chances that the next card drawn will in fact be a dragon.

* The ''TabletopGames:{{Talisman}}'' board game's Sacrifical Stone card has artwork depicting a young woman chained to a rock. Players encountering the Sacrifical Stone must draw an adventure card, and if the card drawn is a dragon their character is outright killed, making them the sacrifice in this scenario. This card can be especially dangerous in conjunction with effects that move cards from the top of a dragon deck to the top of the adventure deck, drastically increasing the chances that the next card drawn will in fact be a dragon.