A gift or present is the transfer of something, without the need for compensation that is involved in trade. A gift is a voluntary exploit which does not require anything in return. Even though it involves possibly a social expectation of reciprocity, or a return in the arrangement of prestige or power, a gift is meant to be free.
Sacrifice can also be seen as a gift from a deity: Lewis Hyde remarks in The Gift that Christianity considers the Incarnation and later casualty of Jesus to be a "gift" Gift Baskets to humankind, and that the Jakata contains a tale of the Buddha in his incarnation as the Wise Hare giving the ultimate alms by offering himself up as a meal for Sakka.
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