Sororicide (from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

''soror'' "sister" + ''-cide'', from ''caedere'' "to cut, to kill") is the act of killing one's own

sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

. There are a number of examples of sororicide and

fratricide Fratricide (, from the Latin words ' "brother" and the assimilated root of ' "to kill, to cut down") is the act of killing one's own brother. It can either be done directly or via the use of either a hired or an indoctrinated intermediary (a ...

in adolescents, even pre-adolescents, where

sibling rivalry Sibling rivalry is a type of competition or animosity among siblings, whether blood-related or not. Siblings generally spend more time together during childhood than they do with parents. The sibling bond is often complicated and is influenced ...

and resulting physical aggression can get out of hand and lead to the death of one of them, particularly when a potent weapon is available or one is significantly older than the other and misjudges their own strength.

Known or suspected examples

Berenice IV Berenice IV Epiphaneia ( grc-gre, Βερενίκη; 77–55 BC, born and died in Alexandria, Egypt) was a Greek princess and Queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty. From 58–55 BC, Berenice IV ruled Egypt during the political exile of her father Ptole ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

is believed to have poisoned her sister

Cleopatra VI Tryphaena Cleopatra VI Tryphaena ( el, Κλεοπάτρα Τρύφαινα) or Cleopatra Tryphaena II (died c. 57 BC) was a queen of Ptolemaic Egypt who ruled alongside Berenice IV, who was either her sister or daughter. Although called ''Cleopatra VI Try ...

in 57 BC. She was later beheaded on the orders of her father, Ptolemy XII. *

Cleopatra VII Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler. ...

of Egypt requested the execution of her sister, Arsinoe IV, (who was guilty of treason) which was carried out under the orders of her husband, then lover,

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the ...

, in 41 BC. * Roman emperor

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanic ...

, according to historian

Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; c. AD 69 – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is a set of biographies ...

, killed his sister Drusilla after learning that she was pregnant with his child in AD 38. Most historians now believe that she probably died of fever. * Roman emperor Commodus ordered his older sister

Lucilla Annia Aurelia Galeria Lucilla or Lucilla (7 March 148 or 150 – 182) was the second daughter of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and Roman Empress Faustina the Younger. She was the wife of her father's co-ruler and adoptive brother Lucius Veru ...

to be put to death in AD 182, after she was implicated in plots with members of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

to overthrow him. * Italian poet Isabella di Morra was killed by her brothers around 1546 for a suspected affair with a married nobleman, whom they also murdered. * Ronald DeFeo Jr. shot his two sisters, Allison and Dawn, in 1974. Their murders became the inspiration for

the Amityville Horror ''The Amityville Horror'' is a book by American author Jay Anson, published in September 1977. It is also the basis of a series of films released from 1979 onward. The book is based on the claims of paranormal experiences by the Lutz family, ...

books and films. *

David Brom David Francis Brom (born October 3, 1971) is an American mass murderer. He killed his parents, brother and sister with an axe in February 1988 in Rochester, Minnesota, after an argument with his father earlier. Crimes In the early evening of Feb ...

murdered his sister with an ax, alongside his brother, mother, and father in 1988. * Canadian serial killers

Karla Homolka Karla Leanne Homolka (born May 4, 1970), also known as Karla Leanne Teale, Leanne Teale, and Leanne Bordelais, is a Canadian serial killer who acted as an accomplice to her husband, Paul Bernardo, taking active part in the actual rapes and murde ...

and

Paul Bernardo Paul Kenneth Bernardo (born August 27, 1964), also known as The Scarborough Rapist and The Schoolgirl Killer, is a Canadian serial killer and serial rapist. He is known for initially committing a series of rapes in Scarborough, Ontario, a sub ...

raped, then killed Karla's sister

Tammy Homolka Tammy Lyn Homolka (January 1, 1975 – December 24, 1990) was a Canadian murder victim who was killed by her older sister Karla Homolka and Karla's partner Paul Bernardo. On December 24 1990, a week and one day before Tammy's 16th birthday, Karla ...

in 1990; allegedly, the killing was accidental. *

Martin Peyerl Martin Peyerl (11 August 1983 – 1 November 1999) was a German student who, on 1 November 1999 (the day of All Saints), fired from his bedroom window, killing four people and wounding seven others before committing suicide. Biography Born to ...

killed his sister Daniela in the Bad Reichenhall Shooting's. * Hatun Sürücü was murdered by her brother in Germany in 2005. * Yuki Muto murdered his sister

Azumi Muto was a pin-up model and aspiring actress for an agency in Tokyo, Japan. She was murdered by her 21-year-old brother (born 1985) on December 30, 2006. Her death aroused the tabloids' notice for the circumstances surrounding the crime. Life an ...

on December 30, 2006 in Japan. * Sadia Sheikh was murdered by her brother in 2007 in Belgium. * Aqsa Parvez was murdered by her brother in 2007 in Canada. * Morsal Obeidi was murdered by her brother in 2008 in Germany. * Saima Khan, a 34-year-old carer and mother of three, was killed by her 27-year-old sister, Sabah Khan, on 23 May 2016 in Luton, Bedfordshire.

In fiction

Mythology

* The story of the

Horatii In the ancient Roman legend of the kingdom era, the Horatii were triplet warriors who lived during the reign of Tullus Hostilius. The accounts of their epic clash with the Curiatii and the murder of their sister by Publius, the sole survivor ...

involves a sororicide: after a set of Roman triplets, the Horatii, defeat a set of

Alba Longa Alba Longa (occasionally written Albalonga in Italian sources) was an ancient Latin city in Central Italy, 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Rome, in the vicinity of Lake Albano in the Alban Hills. Founder and head of the Latin League, it w ...

n triplets, the Curiatii, in

single combat Single combat is a duel between two single warriors which takes place in the context of a battle between two armies. Instances of single combat are known from Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The champions were often combatants who repre ...

to keep Rome from Alba Longan rule, the Horatii's sister was killed by the surviving Horatius for mourning the death of one of the Curiatii, to whom she was engaged. The Roman courts condemned the Horatius to death for the murder despite his service, and it was only his father's appeal to the people that saved him.

Literature

* In

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane a ...

'', Goneril poisons her sister

Regan The family name Regan, along with its cognates O'Regan, O Regan, Reagan, and O'Reagan, is an Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Riagáin or Ó Ríogáin, from Ua Riagáin. The meaning is likely to have originated in ancient Gaelic ''ri' ...

in their struggle for power. * In Raymond Carver's ''Furious Seasons'', Lew Farrell kills his sister, Iris, after learning she is pregnant as a result of their incestual relationship.

Anime

* In the manga series '' Reiko the Zombie Shop'', the main antagonist Riruka attempts to kill her sister Reiko out of jealousy over Reiko gaining the responsibility of inheriting their family's title of the "Zombie Shop". * In the

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

Blood+ Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in th ...

'', Chiropterans have a biological hive system. Two twin Queens are always born from cocoons in one of the preceding Queen's womb. When the blood of one Queen mixes with her sister's, it violently crystallizes. In ''Blood+'', Saya kills her twin sister Diva in a 123-year-old war between them. * In the anime ''

Death Note ''Death Note'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2003 to May ...

'', Light Yagami considers killing his sister, Sayu when she ends up being captured by Mello and his gang in an attempt to retrieve the titular Death Note. * In the anime ''

Code Geass , often referred to simply as ''Code Geass'', is a Japanese anime television series produced by Sunrise. It was directed by Gorō Taniguchi and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, with original character designs by Clamp. ...

'', Lelouch Lamperouge kills his half-sister Euphemia li Britannia in order to stop a massacre that he accidentally ordered her to start. * In the '' Angel Sanctuary'' OVA, Rosiel is shown happily saying he will murder Alexiel, who is currently inhabiting Setsuna's body, if she does not return his love. * in the anime '' Akame ga Kill!'', the two sisters Akame and Kurome spend most of the series trying or plotting to kill each other. * In the

'' Case Closed'' (''Detective Conan''), specifically episodes 128–129 "The Forgotten Bond Parts 1 and 2", Maya Garrett (Mina Aoshima) apparently tapes herself inside a bathroom and slits her own wrist. Heavy suspicion comes down on Mindy Garrett (Masayo Aoshima), the victim's older sister, who is seen hysterically laughing over Maya's death.

Films

* In the ''Halloween'' film series,

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

Michael Myers relentlessly pursues and slays both his older sister, Judith Myers in the first movie and its remake, and his younger sister, Laurie Strode in the eighth movie. * In the 1962 movie '' What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'' (as well as the 1991 TV movie '' What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?''), sisters Blanche and Jane mistreat and attempt to kill each other out of jealousy and hatred. * In the 1993 film '' Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday'', while possessing Creighton Duke's body he warns Diana that mass murderer

Jason Voorhees Jason Voorhees () is a character from the ''Friday the 13th'' series. He first appeared in ''Friday the 13th'' (1980) as the young son of camp-cook-turned-killer Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Mill ...

will come to get her and her daughter Jessica. Indeed, after transferring to Josh's body Jason kills his half-sister

Diana Kimble ''Friday the 13th'' is an American horror franchise that consists of twelve slasher films, a television show, novels, and comic books. The main villain in the series is Jason Voorhees, who drowned at Camp Crystal Lake as a boy due to the negli ...

with a knife on her back. * In the 1993 movie '' The Good Son'', Henry Evans tries to kill his younger sister, Connie. * In the 2002 movie ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

'', Velma Kelly kills her husband and sister after she sees them "doing the Spread Eagle". * In the

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apo ...

Catacombs Catacombs are man-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place is a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etymology and history The first place to be referred ...

'', a deranged Victoria kills her sister Carolyn in a rage after being yelled at over the accidental killing of Jean-Michael. * In the 2000 movie ''

Scary Movie ''Scary Movie'' is a 2000 American slasher parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Marlon and Shawn Wayans (who both also star), alongside Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Starring Anna ...

'' Doofy Gilmore, as Ghostface, decapitates his sister Buffy with a cleaver he hid in his cloak. * In '' The Evil Dead'', Ash Williams killed his sister by burning the book. * In ''Frozen'', Elsa almost killed her sister Anna as a result of striking her with her ice powers in the head while playing as children. Years later, she does it again when in a bout of panic, this time she accidentally strikes her sister in the heart, causing the latter to freeze painfully from the inside out until she ultimately becomes a solid block of ice and revived seconds later with her sister's love toward the end of the movie. * In the 2016 film '' A Wedding'', the main character, Zahira Kazim, is murdered by her brother Amir, in an

honor killing An honor killing (American English), honour killing (Commonwealth English), or shame killing is the murder of an individual, either an outsider or a member of a family, by someone seeking to protect what they see as the dignity and honor of ...

, after she walks out of a

forced marriage Forced marriage is a marriage in which one or more of the parties is married without their consent or against their will. A marriage can also become a forced marriage even if both parties enter with full consent if one or both are later forc ...

Songs

* In

Child Ballad The Child Ballads are 305 traditional ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, anthologized by Francis James Child during the second half of the 19th century. Their lyrics and Child's studies of them were published as '' ...

#10, " The Twa Sisters", or "The Dreadful Wind and Rain", the older sister murders the younger sister over the love of a man, and the younger sister's bones are found by a wandering musician who makes an instrument (either a harp or a fiddle, depending on the version) out of them and strings it with her hair. The instrument then tells the story of how she died, usually resulting in a gruesome death for the older sister. * In 2017, Indie Pop Artist, Raffaella created and released her single titled "Sororicide". Her Music video was released in March 2018, wherein she depicts sororicide in a scene where her supposed sister walks around the library with a book called ''Please Kill Me'' and she kills her in the end.

Video Games

* In '' Banjo-Tooie'', Gruntilda the witch kills her two sisters Mingella and Blobbella when they lose the Tower Of Tragedy quiz to Banjo and Kazooie. * In the ''

God of War A war god in mythology associated with war, combat, or bloodshed. They occur commonly in both monotheistic and polytheistic religions. Unlike most gods and goddesses in polytheistic religions, monotheistic deities have traditionally been por ...

'' video game series, Kratos accidentally murders

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...

, where he learns she's Kratos's half-sister because it was revealed that

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion, ...

is his birth father. * In ''

No More Heroes No More Heroes may refer to: Music * ''No More Heroes'' (album), a 1977 album by The Stranglers ** "No More Heroes" (The Stranglers song), the title track * "No More Heroes", a song by Westlife from the album ''Where We Are'' Video games * ...

'', Travis Touchdown kills his half-sister Jeane to avenge the death of his family, an event Jeane herself was responsible for. * In '' Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Trials and Tribulations'', Dahlia Hawthorne kills her stepsister Valerie Hawthorne in the fourth case of the game when Valerie threatened to expose the truth behind a fake kidnapping that Dahlia and her boyfriend plotted five years ago in order to steal a rare

diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...

. Also, the second case of the series's first game sees Maya Fey, assistant of the titular protagonist, accused of sororicide. * In one of the endings of the video game ''

Trapt Trapt is an American rock band formed in Los Gatos, California. Eight studio albums have been recorded to date: ''Amalgamation'' (1999), '' Trapt'' (2002), ''Someone in Control'' (2005), ''Only Through the Pain'' (2008), '' No Apologies'' (20 ...

'', Allura kills her half-sister, Rachel, for the final sacrifice to revive Malphas after becoming possessed by the aforementioned demon. Also, Finnegan kills his older sister Ada in an act of betrayal after being corrupted by the desire to obtain Allura's power for himself. * In the ''

Tekken is a Japanese Media mix, media franchise centered on a series of fighting game, fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The franchise also includes film and print adaptations. The ...

'' series,

Nina Nina may refer to: * Nina (name), a feminine given name and surname Acronyms * National Iraqi News Agency, a news service in Iraq * Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, on the campus of Norwegian University of Science and Technology * No incom ...

and Anna Williams are assassins and sisters who have an immensely bitter, sororicidal sibling rivalry. * In ''

Fable Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a particular mor ...

'' and '' Fable: The Lost Chapters'', after defeating Jack of Blades, the Hero is faced with the option of killing his sister Theresa and receiving the Sword of Aeons, or tossing the sword into the vortex and ridding the world of its evil forever. * In ''

Dragon Age II ''Dragon Age II'' is a 2011 action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts (EA). It is the second major game in the ''Dragon Age'' series and the successor to '' Dragon Age: Origins'' (2009). Set in the wor ...

'' depending on player's decisions, Fenris can kill his sister Varania for her treason by helping his master Danarius to capture him for becoming his pupil. * In '' Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly'', the village forces twin sisters to partake in a ritual in which one sister strangles the other. In the canonical "bad ending",

Mio Amakura ''Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly'', is a Japanese survival horror video game developed and published by Tecmo in 2003 for the PlayStation 2. It is the second installment in the ''Fatal Frame'' series, and features an independent story with ...

does indeed strangle her twin sister Mayu to death (the other documented instance of sororicide is when Azami Kiryu kills her sister Akane). * In ''

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege ''Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege'' is an online tactical shooter video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on December 1, 2015; the game w ...

'' you are able to either kill Ela Bosak as Zofia Bosak or vice versa. Doing this rewards the player with extra points for sister rivalry. * In Aqua's scenario in ''

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios for the PlayStation Portable, serving as the sixth installment in the '' Kingdom Hearts'' series. The game was re ...

'', after

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

tries on the glass slipper and wins the Prince's hand in marriage, she gets attacked by an Unversed called the Cursed Coach, which is summoned by her

sociopathic Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been u ...

stepsisters out of hatred and rage. Thanks to Aqua's interference, Cinderella survives unharmed; the stepsisters are incinerated alive by the Coach in front of her, which Aqua points out was because their wickedness "overtook them".

Soap operas

* In the

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's Flagship (broadcasting), flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News ...

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

'' EastEnders'' (2014), Lucy Beale ( Hetti Bywater) was

murdered Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the ...

by her younger half-brother

Bobby Beale Robert Hughes Beale (8 January 1884 – 5 October 1950) was an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in Maidstone, Kent, he played in the Southern League for Brighton & Hove Albion and Norwich City before joining Football League ...

(Eliot Carrington). * In ''EastEnders'' (2016), Gavin Sullivan ( Paul Nicholas) killed his sister Margaret Midhurst ( Jan Harvey) by pushing her over a balcony during a scuffle.

Television

* In the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

series ''

Orange Is the New Black ''Orange Is the New Black'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''OITNB'') is an American comedy-drama streaming television series created by Jenji Kohan for Netflix. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir '' Orange Is the New Black: My Year in ...

'', Barbara and Carol Denning murdered their younger sister, Debbie Denning, by trapping her in an automobile and pushing it into a lake. * In the

series '' Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'', Zelda Spellman repeatedly kills and resurrects her sister Hilda Spellman. * In the

BBC America BBC America is an American basic cable network that is jointly owned by BBC Studios and AMC Networks. The channel primarily airs sci-fi and action series and films, as well as selected programs from the BBC (such as its nature documentary ...

Series ''

Orphan Black ''Orphan Black'' is a Canadian science-fiction thriller television series created by screenwriter Graeme Manson and director John Fawcett and starring Tatiana Maslany. The series focuses on Sarah Manning, one of several genetically identical ...

'', Helena kills several of her Leda clone sisters.

References

{{Reflist Femicide Sibling rivalry