Assess the role of religion and festivals in Spartan society

Paul Cartledge has linked this practice to the worship of Apollo, associated with the worship of Hyacinthus, "a beautiful adolescent boy, whom Apollo loved (including sexually), whom he … killed by an accidental cast of a discus"¹. Cartledge points out that apparently, there were no religious festivals confined to women only, but that they did play a big part in religion and festivals. The Spartans were "monumentally superstitious" about military affairs, and in fact almost everything they did - this is illustrated by the fact that they did not attend the Battle of Marathon (490BC) because the phase of the moon was read as being unfavorable. Likewise, if the signs revealed by a sacrificed animals entrails were discouraging, then the Spartans may have postponed or perhaps even terminated an impending military battle. Young unmarried girls sang and danced in competitive choruses, married women "sang songs of scorn around an altar to shame reluctant Spartan bachelors into … taking a bride"¹. ty politically, militarily and even shaping their values, attitudes and outlooks on life.

The role of religion and festivals is Spartan society was unmistakably one of the most important aspects of the Spartans lives - it governed their system of government and the military, upon which they focused so much energy on, could be put on hold if there was a negative "sign", or if there was a religious festival at the same time. It is thought that this transition occurred because the Spartans realised what it was that they had - a powerful and effectively run state - and went to all costs to protect their way of life, which meant stricter rules, harsher penalties and more rigid requirements to become, or indeed, to stay a citizen. This practice formed an integral part of the young boys rearing - his lover was responsible for him financially, shared his triumphs and failures and helped shape his character. Women's cults focused on "female beauty, health, and, most of all, fertility"³; according to Sarah Pomeroy in her book Spartan Women. This was indeed true, especially when it came to military matters. The political system in Sparta gradually changed from "swinging" Sparta, to "barrack" Sparta - a military state run by the elite warrior class.

The custom of adult male warriors taking young adolescent boys as lovers, and in turn, the boys taking the older men as mentors, "a father, a tutor and commander of each boy"², was encouraged as the right thing to do, indeed it was considered a respectable and honourable occurrence in Sparta. In fact, the very founder of the Spartan way of life, Lycurgus, was called "dear to the gods" and "a god rather than a man", as stated in Plutarch on Sparta², which leads us to believe that he may never have even existed, and could just be a "projection of Apollo, under whose divine guarantee 'his' laws were placed"², thus illustrating their devotion and piety to the authority of the gods - the founder of the Spartans government may not even have existed, yet they still devoutly followed his laws, after all, their system was god-given.