Brides of Death

Rites of passage are rituals that mark transitions in an individual's life. In ancient Greece, one of the major transitions for Greek women was to be married. However, what if a young woman or girl passed away before being married? Without a husband, she was married to death, or in other words, Hades.

The custom is based on the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades. The shortened version of the myth goes something like this: when the goddess Persephone was abducted by Hades and taken to be his wife in the underworld,  her mother Demeter decided to stop the crops from growing in order to deprave the gods of their sacrifices. The gods were forced to compromise with Demeter, and allowed Persephone to return on the condition she had not eaten any food. She had, and therefore spends half the year with Hades and half with Demeter. Therefore, half of the year bears crops when Persephone is with Demeter, and the result are different seasons.

The young ancient Greek girls were married to Hades just like Persephone was. The custom acknowledges the rite of passage in a young woman's life in ancient Greece that they were not able to be a part of.

What's the proof of this custom? Grave markers showing young girls in wedding outfits. Here are some examples:

Fig. 1

Fig. 2: http://www.agefotostock.com/en/Stock-Images/Rights-Managed/MB-03853593