We all look forward to the day that we are presented with a marriage proposal by our true love. By the one man that will honor us, cherish us, and love us till death do us part. We have visions of flowers, what our brides maids will wear, the color theme we want, and Oh yes, our beautifully flowing gown. The joy we will share with family and loved ones on that most important day in our lives. The Spartan Woman’s wedding ritual left her scared, alone and not knowing her her husband would even be. These ancient women had to have strength, courage and be unattached to things around them just to survive, so please, join me as I take you through the Wedding Ritual of the Spartan Woman.
Women of Sparta
Have you seen the “movie 300“? If you haven’t now may be a good time. The strength displayed in the movie was not far off from the actual truth. But what about the women of Sparta. What were they like? Well, I thought I would do a little research on who were they were, what made them different and what kind of strength they had? What you are about to discover will amaze you.
From infancy, girls were given almost the same treatment as the boys. In their society girls were as much a part of the Spartan strength as the boys. When a new Spartan was born she or he was given their first bath in wine. This was to detect the strength of the baby. If the baby was weak it would die soon after. If the baby lived, it was then taken to the council for a visual inspection so to speak, and yes, just like in the movie, if the baby was insufficient or had imperfections it was tossed over the cliff.
This was a very strong nation by choice, and although their actions may seem strange and harsh to us, it was these very actions that ensured the strength of their nation. In my eyes, the Spartan women had to have the strength of a bear on the inside. I mean, I would have jumped down the cliff after my child no matter what the deficiency was. But I’m a little crazy like that. I’m big on kids.
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