History Main / ChastityDagger

* In the ''{{Belgariad}}'' and sequels, Nadrak women have about four of them handy anytime.

The Chastity Dagger is the favored weapon of delicate, civilized young ladies in fantasy and historical works. It is almost always used as a means of self-defense when in danger of being raped, robbed or kidnapped, but a FemmeFatale may also use it in conjunction with her feminine charm to assassinate a male character while he is distracted. A more modern variation is the LittleUselessGun.

* Discussed & subverted a couple of times in the ''Literature/{{Gor}}'' series; in ''Beasts of Gor'' Tarl strips a free woman and makes her comb her hair, where she has a poisoned needle hidden. At least one other time Tarl talks to a free woman about it too, saying she'd better not have a hidden dagger or it won't go well for her with her captors.

* Subverted three times in the SienkiewiczTrilogy. The first woman chooses to stab herself instead; the second one gets easily disarmed, only for a henchman she had saved earlier to brain the villain with a blunt object; and the third has no dagger but uses a pistol as an improvised blunt weapon and deals a hit that costs the villain an eye.

* Shae carries one in ''Series/GameOfThrones'' on the night King's Landing is attacked by Stannis's fleet, insisting she won't be raped if the castle is taken.
** Catelyn Stark draws a knife when attacked by the Mountain Clans, though it's not sure if this is a last-ditch defense or to kill herself rather than face rape and a likely brutal death.

* Princess Aleta has one of these in ''PrinceValiant'', and she uses it to great effect on numerous occasions, whether to free herself from ropes or to stab an unsuspecting villain.

* While not a dagger, Casca from ''{{Berserk}}'' uses a chastity stick in order to [[EyeScream plunge it into the eye]] of her would-be rapist.

The villain is [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty trying to have his way with the beautiful princess]]. He lifts up her dress and things look bad... but what's this? The maiden has quietly pulled a knife from her garter! She stabs him, putting an end to his evil ways once and for all.

* A device invented in South Africa during a time when rape crimes were especially common was a combination of this and a ChastityBelt.

* In old Spain, women used to carry a knife literally called "salvavirgo".

* Combined with FanDisservice in Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove: Yzma pulls up her skirt, causing the protagonists to recoil in terror. Turns out she keeps her dagger there.

* In the Literature/VorkosiganSaga, Barrayaran ladies traditionally carry "Vorfemme blades" (ornate concealable knives) for exactly this purpose.

* In ''Film/SherlockHolmes'', thugs attempt to rob Irene Adler at knifepoint. Irene takes out a concealed knife and [[CrowningMomentOFAwesome robs the robbers]].

* A double subversion in ''RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves''; The Sheriff of Nottingham gives Maid Marian a dagger for protection. However she can look after herself and donates it to Robin's cause. Then, in the final battle [[spoiler: when the Sheriff's in full on IHaveYouNowMyPretty mode, Robin turns up and (after being disarmed) ultimately uses the dagger as a weapon of last resort to save her.]]

* VideoGame/{{Touhou}}: Sakuya keeps a mind-boggling number of daggers in two bandoliers around her thighs.

The Chastity Dagger is the favored weapon of delicate, civilized young ladies in fantasy and historical works. It is almost always used as a means of self-defense when in danger of being raped, robbed or kidnapped, but a FemmeFatale may also use it in conjunction with her feminine charm to assassinate a male character while he is distracted.

* ''RomancingTheStone''[='s=] FakeOutOpening ends this way.

* {{Touhou}}: Sakuya keeps a mind-boggling number of daggers in two bandoliers around her thighs.

* Shae carries one in ''GameOfThrones'' on the night King's Landing is attacked by Stannis's fleet, insisting she won't be raped if the castle is taken.

* The ''StarTrek'' MirrorUniverse episodes heavily implied that this is one reason all of the women in the MirrorUniverse carry daggers in those BareYourMidriff outfits; Uhura in particular uses one to fend off Mirror Sulu's lecherous advances on her at one point.

* A double subversion in ''RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves''; The Sherrif of Nottingham gives Marrion a dagger for protection. However she can look after herself and donates it to Robin's cause. Then, in the final battle [[spoiler: when the Sherrif's in full on IHaveYouNowMyPretty mode Robin turns up and (after being disarmed) ultimately uses the dagger as a weapon of last resort to save her.]]

The villain is trying to have his way with the beautiful princess. He lifts up her dress and things look bad... but what's this? The maiden has quietly pulled a knife from her garter! She stabs him, putting an end to his evil ways once and for all.

-->"Unappalled by the calm dignity of blameless womanhood, your minion has torn me from my spotless home, and dragged me, blindfold and shrieking, through hedges, over stiles, and across a very difficult country, and left me, helpless and trembling, at your mercy! Yet not helpless, coward sir, for approach one step -- nay, but the twentieth part of one poor inch -- and this poniard shall teach ye what it is to lay unholy hands on old Stephen Trusty's daughter!"

* In ''[[SwordOfTruth Stone of Tears]]'', Kahlan kills a would-be rapist with a ceremonial knife carved out of a human bone. She was half dead from poison at the time, and the book implies it wasn't her killing him, but the spirit of the man the bone used to belong to.

* In ''Film/SherlockHolmes'', thugs attempt to rob Irene Adler at knifepoint. Irene takes out a concealed knife and robs the robbers.

!!!Examples:

!!{{Film}}

* RomancingTheStone's FakeOutOpening ends this way.
* In ''Film/SherlockHolmes'', thugs attempt to rob Irene Adler at knifepoint. Only Irene [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome takes out a concealed knife and robs the robbers]].

!!{{Literature}}
* [[ConanTheBarbarian Conan the Buccaneer]] has another version - all the virgins of Zingara carry small knives to kill themselves (they value chastity a bit too highly).
* Discussed & subverted a couple of times in the ''{{Gor}}'' series; in Beasts of Gor Tarl strips a free woman and makes her comb her hair, where she has a poisoned needle hidden. At least one other time Tarl talks to a free woman about it too, saying she'd better not have a hidden dagger or it won't go well for her with her captors.
* In ''{{Ruddigore}}'', when Robin as Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd has Hannah kidnapped, she pulls a small dagger with which she menaces him in swashbuckling style. She releases it only to pick up a much larger sword and continues to advance on him as he cries for mercy.

* Subverted three times in SienkiewiczTrilogy. The first woman chooses to stab herself instead, the second one gest easily disarmed, only for a henchman she had saved earlier to brain the villain with a blunt object, and the third has no dagger but uses a pistol as an improvised blunt weapon and deals a hit that costs the villain an eye.
* In [[SwordOfTruth Stone of Tears]], Kahlan kills a would-be rapist with a ceremonial knife carved out of a human bone. She was half dead from poison at the time, and the book implies it wasn't her killing him, but the spirit of the man the bone used to belong to.

* In the {{Vorkosigan Saga}}, Barrayaran ladies traditionally carry "Vorfemme blades" (ornate concealable knives) for exactly this purpose.