Molon labe ( dr. Greek Μολὼν λαβέ - come, take; approximate dr. Greek pronunciation molon labe , modern Greek - molon lave ) - a catch phrase, the legendary response of the Spartan king Leonid I to the written request of the Persian ambassador to surrender weapons on the eve of the battle at Thermopylae [1] .
Subsequently, the phrase in the English translation ( English Come and take it ) was used by American defenders Fort Morris (Georgia) in 1778 during the US War of Independence and at the Battle of Gonzales in 1835 during the Texas War of Independence . The phrase became the motto of the 1st Greek Army and the American Central Command of Special Operations.
Phrase
According to legend, the phrase was pronounced under the following circumstances. During the campaign of Xerxes I in Greece during the Greco-Persian wars, Xerxes sent a messenger to Thermopylae with two words: “lay down your arms”. Leonid answered succinctly : "come and take it."
The word "molon" is the active participle of the aorist in the singular from the verb βλώσκω ( blōskō ) [2] [3] . Aorist “labe” is the imperative mood of the second person singular λαμβάνω ( lambanō ). Thus, probably, a closer translation: “Coming, take it!” .
The phrase was used in the films “ Three hundred Spartans ” ( 1962 ) and “ 300 Spartans ” ( 2007 ).
See also
- But Pasaran
Notes
- ↑ Plutarch , “Sayings of the Spartans”, 51, 11
- ↑ The Perseus Project
- ↑ βλώσκω see μολείν (A.D. Weisman “Greek-Russian Dictionary”)