ABSTRACT
Jung was interested in sacrifice primarily from a psychological point of view; however, for him the concept also had a religious significance. The English word sacrifice is derived from the Latin sacer, meaning “sacred, dedicated, holy, accursed.” Similarly, the English victim is derived from the Latin, victima, which was originally used to refer to the animals that were offered up in sacrifices to the gods. There is, indeed, an intimate association between victimhood and sacrifice. More specifically, the trauma associated with being a victim is inherent in the offering of sacrifice, whether in the religious or the psychological sense.
