Essay On Spartan Religion

Religious and Funerary Practices were thought of as extremely important by the citizens of the city-state of Sparta, in fact, their beliefs reached such an extreme that the other city-states mocked the Spartans. The three principal sub-elements that affected religious and funerary practices in Sparta are, the Gods/Goddesses worshipped, the festivals celebrated and solemnized, and the myths and legends passed through the generations.

Religion was important to the populace of Sparta as it helped support the ideals of a militaristic utopian society, as Socrates states, “Those who honor the gods most finely with choruses are best in war”. The gods that the Spartans worshipped most prominently were Apollo and Artemis Orthia, both of whom explicitly demonstrate the militaristic nature of Sparta, as they are associated with victory, wisdom, and skill in battle. Religious festivals were also held in honor of the gods, and Xenophon states, “Religious festivals were occasions of public display”, during these festivals, all political and governmental affairs were put on hold; this indicates significance to religion, and funerary practices as many festivals

were held in honor of deaths.
Apollo, traditionally god of the sky, but was worshipped by the Spartan proletariat as a master archer and an athlete, so much so that there was a throne of Apollo on which a statue of the god perched, inside the altar of the Spartan prince Hyakinthos.
Hyakinthia is the name of the three day festival celebrated in honor of Hyakinthos, who, as myth suggests, was a lover of Apollo; the festival is celebrated in summer, and mourns the Prince’s death, which was caused when Apollo “accidentally” threw a discus at his head. There are two stages to the festival, the first stage is of rites of mourning in honor of the prince; there was a ban on wearing wreaths, singing joyous songs, and eating bread and cakes. A special funeral meal was eaten by all, and this was followed by a day of ritual grief; during this stage offerings were placed on the tomb of the prince, to honor and worship his love, and to mourn the loss of a potential protector. The second stage was one of rejoicing, wreaths were worn, and joyful songs sung, festive meals made, and processions to Amyklae, in which the highlight was a choir of boys with flutes and lyres. The modern historian J.T. Hooker, interpreted the festival as “a festival of the dead on one hand, combined with thanksgiving for life on the other”.
Gymnopaedia, which translates roughly to “the Festival of the Unarmed Boys”, was another festival held in honor of Apollo. It was a five day festival unique to Sparta, and was held in the Agora during the hottest month of the year, July. Gymnopaedia was also held in honor of the slain at the ancient battle of Thyrea against Argos in 550BC; both young and old males took part in the violent activities, though both usually performed at different times. The festival has been interpreted as an initiation of young soldiers into the life of physical excellence, which includes enduring pain for the state. Surprisingly, unmarried men above thirty, or married men without sons, organized the festivities but weren’t permitted to participate, perhaps because the state felt they hadn’t made an important contribution to society.
Artemis Orthia is a combination of Artemis, the goddess of fertility and childbirth, and the guardian of young women, and Orthia, an ancient Spartan goddess about whom little is known; together, the two produce a goddess of the hunt and wild animals.

The cult of Artemis Orthia was the most prominent cult in Sparta, and a sanctuary had been created near the Eurotas River, outside the center of Sparta. The festival of Artemis Orthia consisted of young boys trying to steal cheese from the altar, defended by the elders of Sparta. The ritual is said to be a test of courage, and according to Pausanias, the goddess was not satisfied until her altar was soaked with blood of the cheese thieves. The festival also included colossal celebrations, lead figurines, terracotta masks, lyres, and bone flutes have been found in proof of

this.
Other gods and goddesses worshipped included Aphrodite, the goddess of love, whose statue was created in armed state, the statue showcased the Spartan’s equality towards women. Phobos, the god of fear, was also worshipped, as the Spartans believed in ghosts, spirits, and werewolves. Another was Athena, who they worshipped because she supposedly founded Sparta; Karneia was a festival celebrating the founding of Sparta; held in August/September and consisted of feasting, sacrifices, and competitions. Two main rituals were executed, firstly, there was a procession of model rafts, and lastly, a runner was adorned with wool, he prayed to the gods and then ran away – if caught, it was considered a good omen for the city, of not, the coming year was considered doomed. Poseidon, god of the sea and fresh water, was another to be worshipped, earthquakes and other natural disasters were attributed by the Spartans to Poseidon’s mood changes; famous Spartan hero, Lysander even dedicated a military victory to Poseidon.
There were many myths and legends passed down in the legendary city of Sparta; it is said that the Spartans even used some of these myths and legends to justify their claims of leadership in the Peloponnesian league, and in all of Greece. Two legends which are majorly eminent, are Lykurgus, and the Dioskuri.
The controversy surrounding Lykurgus is prodigious; the question raised is whether he is a man, a god, or if he even exists. Lykurgus is the mysterious figure who supposedly provided Sparta with its political and social institutions, these include: the Great Rhetra, the Agoge, and the severe Spartan lifestyle. Although the ancient sources describe him as real, many modern scholars are skeptic, for example, Andrews wrote, “The perpetuation of his (Lykurgus’s) name was one of the most successful frauds in history”.
The legend of sons of Spartan Queen Leda, Kastor, son of Tyndareus, and Polydeukes, son of Zeus, is as follows; legend says that at death they were apotheosized due to their generosity and kindness to mankind. At first only Polydeukes was offered this gift, but he wouldn’t accept unless his brother was also lionized, Zeus complied and from then on they became known as the Dioskuri. The Dioskuri were brothers of Helen of Sparta, descendants of Herakles, and associated with the two Royals of Sparta, which is a substantial reason the Spartan’s considered their Kings godlike; the Dioskuri assisted Sparta in times of danger, and were considered protectors of the state.
Many other myths and legends include; legend surrounded the military excellence of the Spartan army and the agoge, which was a rigorous education and training system for all male Spartan citizens – an example of military excellence was the 300 Spartiates of Leonidas, whom fought bravely against the overwhelmingly high number of Persians. Another myth was that the Spartan Kings claimed to be descended from the semi-divine Herakles, who supposedly returned to Lakonia with the Dorian invaders. The king were the most important priests, and were regarded as gods; interestingly they held office for as long as the gods pleased, every nine years, the Ephors looked in the skies for signs from the gods. If disaster struck Sparta, the kings were held responsible.
Funerary customs in Sparta were contrasting, they believed that death was a natural part of life and were encouraged not to fear death. The bodies were either cremated or buried intact in single graves. Males were given graves only if they died for the state, and females were given graves only if they died at childbirth. Soldiers were usually buried while wrapped in read cloaks and had olive leaves placed around. Females conducted funerary rituals, and a strict period of mourning was enforced; 11 days of sorrow and on the 12th day, a sacrifice to the goddess Demeter marked the end of grieving, note, during this period all political issues would cease. If a king died, a statue would be constructed and there would be a procession attended by all classes of Spartan society, because, as modern historian H.W. Parker smartly put, “Spartans held their kings as demi-gods, worthy of a hero’s funeral”.
As is evident, the gods/goddesses, festivals, and myths and legends had a crucial impact on the religious and funerary practices of Spartan society, so much so, that the Spartans would stop war, as when they denied help to the Athenians during the Greco-Persian wars, cease all political activities, and completely immersed themselves in the festivities.