Functional societies distinguish between childhood and adulthood.
Each culture has its own traditions derived from its history, geography, and values. Coming-of-age rites prepare children for their culture's demands on adults while signaling to society that the person has met the demands of those preparations.
This is the first entry in a series covering some of the Coming-of-Age practices historical societies expected from their sons.
The bulk of this material is taken from HistoryCollection.com's 18 Memorable Coming-of-Age Rituals from History.
In the ancient Greek city state of Sparta, boys were prepared for manhood from a very early age. In fact, as soon as they were born, a baby would be bathed in wine. How the infant reacted to this determined their path in life. If they showed courage and strength, they were destined to become a Spartan warrior. If the baby cried and showed signs of distress, they were deemed to be a future helot, or Spartan slave. Then, at the age of 7, the ‘warrior class’ of boys would be sent to the Agoge, a special school dedicated to turning them into not just men but into the most loyal and fearsome fighters of the ancient world.
The biggest test came at the age of 12. Then, a boy would be given nothing but a spear and a blanket and sent out into the wilderness. The aim was to survive for a whole month. Many boys failed, returning to their schools tired and hungry after just a week. They were dismissed from the Agoge and would live the life of the Spartan Periecia¸ or middle classes. Boys who survived a whole month were welcomed back as men. They would become full Spartan citizens and permitted to take a wife and have children.
The very best young men in Spartan society would undertake a special rite of passage, one designed to transform them into cold-blooded killers. If a student at the Agoge really shone, he would be selected to attend the Krypteia. This state-run institution was aimed at creating a secret military elite. The graduates of this school were deployed not just as special forces warriors against Sparta’s many external enemies. They were also used as a kind of secret police. Above all, it was their job to keep the helot slave population in check – by any means necessary.
To graduate from the Krypteia, young men would be ordered to go out and kill as many Helots as possible. More specifically, they were ordered to target the strongest male slaves and those who looked the most likely to rebel. Moreover, they were assessed on the ruthlessness of their kills, with extra bonus points for covert actions. Young male students might kill a Helot in his sleep or when he was relaxing with his family. If a student was caught, they could expect severe punishment. However, if they went on a successful killing spree, they would emerge from the Krypteia as adult male citizens and members of the Spartan elite, destined to hold high political office one day.
While this was a terrible way to run a society it was effective. Sparta was a major power in the Ancient Mediterranean and its military accomplishments are admired to this day.
Preparing boys to live in the wilderness for a month requires knowledge and commitment on the part of both the adults and the children. The old-school Boy Scouts covered similar skills and we would be be well served to glean from such examples.
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