Spartan Marriage: Kidnapping the Bride
A Spartan bride gets her hair shaved off, dressed in a man’s cloak—and then kidnapped by her new husband.
Unknown — "Cassone (one of a pair)" (second half 16th century), public domain
The Shaved-Bride Kidnapping
In ancient Sparta, a new bride’s hair was cut to stubble and she was dressed in a short cloak and sandals—like a young man. Ceremony done, her husband would pretend to kidnap her and slip away into the night.
A Secret Start to Marriage
The groom didn’t move in right away. For months, he visited his bride in secret, often after dark, dodging older men. These rituals, described by Plutarch, marked a sharp break from childhood and—Spartan legend had it—toughened couples for the city’s harsh life.
Marriage for Spartans started with ritual abduction and a buzz cut. The couple might not even live together at first—he snuck visits at night, dodging elders. This rite wasn’t just theater. It set the couple apart from childhood, and, some say, built Spartan endurance from the wedding night onward.
