Little Korai: Persephone-Imitation in Marriage and Death in Early Greek Cult
Persephone’s most recognisable mythic role is subservient maiden. However, several cults show a different Persephonean persona. This paper explores two such instances, in the marriage-themed dedications at the Persephone cult in Lokri and the burial-imitation of the goddess for prematurely deceased Athenian girls.
At the Persephone cult in the southern Italian settlement of Lokri a group of pinakes were found depicting the goddess’ abduction by Hades, and a sub-type showing young women being abducted by young men. These pinakes are dedications made to the goddess by girls on the occasion of their marriages. There is no evidence that mock-abduction formed an aspect of marriage rituals here. The pinakes show girls presenting themselves and their bridegrooms in imitation of the divine pair – as little Korai undergoing the same pre-marriage ritual abduction as the goddess who provides protection for new brides.
The tradition of girls acting in imitation of Persephone is not unique to Lokri. There are numerous examples of mythic maidens acting in imitation of the goddess in her guise as wife of Haides in contemporary literature. Well known literary examples include Iphigenia and Antigone. The practical application of this is found within the Classical Athenian practice of burying unmarried maidens wearing a wedding dress with wedding-related grave-goods. In these cases the young girl is not portrayed as Haides’ bride, but presented as the metaphorical image of Persephone.
This paper will discuss the implications of the ‘little Korai’ who act in imitation of the goddess to elucidate aspects of the wider cultic persona of Persephone herself. In particular the use of subservient-themed mythic narratives – namely, Persephone’s abduction – in the non-subservient cultic persona of the goddess will be explored in order to offer up a new perspective on Persephone’s role in early Greek religion.
At the Persephone cult in the southern Italian settlement of Lokri a group of pinakes were found depicting the goddess’ abduction by Hades, and a sub-type showing young women being abducted by young men. These pinakes are dedications made to the goddess by girls on the occasion of their marriages. There is no evidence that mock-abduction formed an aspect of marriage rituals here. The pinakes show girls presenting themselves and their bridegrooms in imitation of the divine pair – as little Korai undergoing the same pre-marriage ritual abduction as the goddess who provides protection for new brides.
The tradition of girls acting in imitation of Persephone is not unique to Lokri. There are numerous examples of mythic maidens acting in imitation of the goddess in her guise as wife of Haides in contemporary literature. Well known literary examples include Iphigenia and Antigone. The practical application of this is found within the Classical Athenian practice of burying unmarried maidens wearing a wedding dress with wedding-related grave-goods. In these cases the young girl is not portrayed as Haides’ bride, but presented as the metaphorical image of Persephone.
This paper will discuss the implications of the ‘little Korai’ who act in imitation of the goddess to elucidate aspects of the wider cultic persona of Persephone herself. In particular the use of subservient-themed mythic narratives – namely, Persephone’s abduction – in the non-subservient cultic persona of the goddess will be explored in order to offer up a new perspective on Persephone’s role in early Greek religion.