History Main / VowOfCelibacy

* ''Literature/ThisSideOfParadise'': As part of his role as a Catholic priest, Monsignor Darcy has sworn a vow of celibacy, thus he refrains from having sex. This contributes to Darcy seeing Amory Blaine as a son because he isn't allowed to sire children.

* The ''Literature/KushielsLegacy'' series has the Cassiline Brotherhood, an order of elite {{Warrior Monk}}s whose vows include celibacy. This follows the example of the archangel Cassiel, who unlike the other angels that followed the d'Angelines' precursor Elua did not lie with mortals. Phedre's first bodyguard was in training for the order but was disqualified for sleeping with a farm girl, while her second bodyguard, Joscelin, eventually [[BodyguardCrush falls in love with her]] and is declared anathema by the head of the order after he's broken his vows with her. They spend the rest of their lives as a couple.

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': "[[Recap/FireflyE14ObjectsInSpace Objects in Space]]" indicates that Shepherd Book's religious order is expected to be celibate, though we only hear about half the conversation since the opening sequence of the episode is mostly told from [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness River's rather warped perspective]]. We do hear Jayne wonder if Book is a eunuch, but Book answers, "No, I'm more or less intact; I just direct my energies elsewhere."
-->'''Jayne:''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint What, like masturbating?]]

* ''Franchise/StarWars'': The Jedi frown on having strong attachments, and Anakin Skywalker is not able to continue his relationship with Padmé Amidala openly. Although WordOfGod is that the prequel-era Jedi ''are'' allowed to have casual sex, as it's possessive emotions and wanting to control their partners that leads to the DarkSide (presumably the Jedi found threading the needle generally too difficult). In the novelization of ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', Anakin tells Padmé that he plans to leave the Jedi Order once the CivilWar is over so he can be with her openly.

* From ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'': Sir Galahad is known as "Sir Galahad the Pure", but the many women at Castle Anthrax eventually convince him to forget it.

** He's rescued ([[UnwantedRescue very unhappily]]) by Lancelot before actually violating it though.

* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': Company chaplain Rev. Theo Fobius [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2001-02-22 has a vow of chastity]] and tries to draw a distinction from a vow of celibacy. But after spending 18 hours [[ElevatorFailure trapped in an elevator]] with the [[BuxomIsBetter very well-endowed]], former exotic dancer chief medical officer Edward Bunnigus, he realizes that for all practical purposes they're the same thing. [[spoiler:They become a couple soon after.]]

* Even where celibacy isn't required for priests, it is generally considered fairly fundamental to the concept of monasticism, both in the West and in the East, as one component of a generally ascetic, self-denying lifestyle.

* In [[NamesTheSame another (but completely different) film called]] ''Film/{{Priest 2011}}'', the titular priests (who are more like warriors than priests as commonly understood, but are still associated with the Church) are required to be celibate. The main character left his lover and newborn daughter behind when he joined.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' allows paladins to take an Oath of Chastity, which works like an archetype (i.e. subclass): the paladin adds a ban on engaging in romantic activities or sexual acts to their [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility code of conduct]], and gains resistance to charm effects and critical hits, and additional spells.

* ''LightNovel/AscendanceOfABookworm'':

** Between a recent purge within the nobility that resulted in noble-born blue-robes getting called back home by their families and the practice of selling gray-robes to nobles as servants, priests, and shrine maidens leaving the temple for positions in which they are no longer expected to celibate is fairly common. Ironically, some blue-robes have been forbidden from properly joining noble society precisely because they had exploited the "a SexSlave is okay" loophole.

* In the Chinese classic ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'', the monk Xuanzang has a considerable number of opportunities to reject the celibacy that is expected of him, including several offers from [[HornyDevils supernatural sources]], but he doesn't do so.

* The same gag is used for Lara Means in the ''Series/Millennium1996''. When she first started having visions of angels it was suggested that she become a nun, but as [[HormoneAddledTeenager she'd started to become interested in boys]] she wasn't impressed by the idea.

* ''LightNovel/RecordOfGrancrestWar'': Mages are not allowed to marry while contracted to a Lord, though that doesn't stop many from falling in love--often with the Lord themself, as in the case of OfficialCouple Theo Cornaro (Lord) and Siluca Meletes (Mage). Lord Villar Constance, Earl of Altirk, makes a practice of releasing his mages from their contracts when they turn 25 for this reason, as he doesn't want them to be kept from romantic relationships permanently. This causes a self-inflicted StarCrossedLovers scenario when he and his mage leader Margaret Odius fall in love, but he's kept by his MommyIssues and her vows from advancing it beyond CourtlyLove.

* {{Parodied}} in ''LightNovel/TheFarawayPaladin''. When Will gets pressed about his love life by his adoptive grandfather Gus in the two years he's been away from home, he tries to deflect it by citing his oath to the goddess Gracefeel. Gus sees right through him and calls him a loser who can't get a date.

* {{Implied}} with the Iron Sisters order in ''Series/{{Shadowhunters}}'': Izzy, who is (mildly) an EthicalSlut, remarks when they're first mentioned in "Dust and Shadows" that she dreamed of joining them until she found out she'd have to give up boys.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* ''LightNovel/TheFarawayPaladin'': Invoked by Will and subverted in the same conversation. When Will gets pressed about his love life [[spoiler:in the two years he's been away from home]], he tries to deflect it by saying that he's sworn to Gracefeel. Gus sees right through him and calls him a loser who can't get a date.
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* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
** The Jedi frown on having strong attachments, and Anakin Skywalker is not able to continue his relationship with Padmé Amidala openly. Although WordOfGod is that the prequel-era Jedi ''are'' allowed to have casual sex as it's ''emotion'' that leads to the DarkSide.
** It's implied that the ProudWarriorRaceGuy Mandalorians practice this as well, as in ''Literature/TalesOfTheBountyHunters'' [[BountyHunter Boba Fett]] states that premarital sex is immoral and in ''Series/TheMandalorian'' it's stated that a Mandalorian can only ever allow their spouse to see them without their helmet. In fact, they're [[FamilyValuesVillain fanatically family-oriented]], as they consider getting married and raising children into the Mandalorian life as a sacred tenet of their religion.

* As in its literary counterpart, in ''Series/GameOfThrones'', vows of celibacy are required by several religious and military orders, including the Night's Watch, the Kingsguard, the septons / septas of the Faith of the Seven, and the maesters of the Citadel. Night's Watch members, [[TradingBarsForStripes many of whom aren't there willingly]], are prone to breaking the oath in a nearby brothel, and the High Septon is humiliated while partaking of Lord Baelish's establishment at the start of the Sparrows arc. The ExactWords of the Night's Watch oath are [[RulesLawyer examined closely]] by [[GenreSavvy Samwell Tarly]]: the brothers vow to "take no wife" and "father no children," but sex itself is not specifically forbidden. Note that this world includes a well-known and apparently-safe [[FantasyContraception birth control herb]], and also that characters seem to believe that the pull-out method is far more effective than modern science has shown it to be in our own world. [[spoiler:In season three, Jon Snow breaks his vow (and his cherry) with Ygritte, a Wildling woman he falls in love with while infiltrating Mance Rayder's army for the Watch. It's partly to maintain his cover but he returns her affection.]]

* The ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsThirdEdition'' supplement ''Book of Exalted Deeds'' has this as one of several "Vow of X" feats. It requires the user to abstain from both marriage and sex and grants the user a +4 bonus against charm and phantasm effects. As with its sister feats, breaking the vow intentionally costs you the benefits permanently; breaking it because of MindControl requires an Atonement spell to be cast to regain the benefits. Vow of Celibacy is a class required to take the Beloved of Valarian PrestigeClass, which lets you get a unicorn as a mount.

** The Sith Warrior's companion Vette somewhat nervously reveals late in her RomanceArc with male [=PCs=] that her mother made her promise to save herself for marriage. Vette is a Twi'lek, the main GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe species of the ''Star Wars'' universe, and has been enslaved at least twice, so her virginity comes as a bit of a surprise.

* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': Company chaplain Rev. Theo Fobius [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2001-02-22 has a vow of chastity]] and tries to draw a distinction from a vow of celibacy. But after spending 18 hours TrappedInAnElevator with the [[BuxomIsBetter very well-endowed]], former exotic dancer chief medical officer Edward Bunnigus, he realizes that for all practical purposes they're the same thing. [[spoiler:They become a couple soon after.]]

[[AC:Anime and Manga]]

* In ''Series/FatherTed'', Bishop Brennan apparently has a mistress and a son, as shown in a holiday videotape found in his bag. The main characters use this tape as blackmail when Brennan threatens to [[ReassignedToAntarctica reassign them somewhere even worse]].
* As in its literary counterpart, in ''Series/GameOfThrones'', vows of celibacy are required by several religious and military orders, including the Night's Watch, the Kingsguard, the septons / septas of the Faith of the Seven, and the maesters of the Citadel. Night's Watch members, [[TradingBarsForStripes many of whom aren't there willingly]], are prone to breaking the oath in a nearby brothel, and the High Septon is humiliated while partaking of Lord Baelish's establishment at the start of the Sparrows arc. The ExactWords of the Night's Watch oath are [[RulesLawyer examined closely]] by [[GenreSavvy Samwell Tarly]]: the brothers vow to "take no wife" and "father no children," but sex itself is not specifically forbidden. Note that this world includes a well-known and apparently-safe [[FantasyContraception birth control herb]], and also that characters seem to believe that the pull-out method is far more effective than modern science has shown it to be in our own world. [[spoiler:In season three, Jon Snow breaks his vow (and his cherry) with Ygritte, a Wildling woman he falls in love with while infiltrating Mance Rayder's army for the Watch. It's partly to maintain his cover but he returns her affection.]]
* ''Series/ThreesCompany'': in one episode Jack makes a bet with the girls to refrain from having relations with girls for a certain amount of time. The girls then try to find ways to make him lose the bet.

* In ''Series/EmeraldCity'', the women of Glinda's order make a vow to remain chaste and unattached in order to devote all their energies to serving the Wizard. One of them breaks this by having an affair and gets pregnant.

* The same gag is used for Lara Means in the ''Series/Millennium1996''. When she first started having visions of angels it was suggested that she become a nun, but as [[HormoneAddledTeenager she'd started to become interested in boys]] she wasn't impressed by the idea.

* ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice: A rare non-religious example. If a man wishes to attempt Portia's EngagementChallenge he must beforehand swear to never again court or marry any other woman for the rest of his life if he is unsuccessful. This was created by Portia's father to keep away men of questionable integrity. It's effective as out of her nine suitors only three attempt the challenge. Her favorite, Bassanio, wins and gets to marry her. Whereas the other two, The Prince of Morocco and the Prince of Arragon, fail. They leave not only empty-handed but bound to a life of celibacy as well.