Danaer present

The procession of the Trojan horse to Troy , detail, Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo , 18th century

A Danaer gift (pronounced Da-na-er-gift) is a gift that turns out to be ominous and harmful for the recipient.

The term comes from Greek mythology . It is named after the wooden Trojan horse with whose help the " Danaer " ( Homer a term for the Greeks / Hellenes in general) conquered the city of Troy . The name came from Latin into German . Virgil has the priest Laocoon say in the Aeneid (Book II, verse 48-49): “ […] equo ne credite, Teucri. Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentes . “-“ Don't trust the horse, Trojan! Whatever it is, I fear the Danaer, even if they carry presents . ”The Greek equivalent is“ Φοβοῦ τοὺς Δαναοὺς καὶ δῶρα φέροντας. "( Phobou tous Danaous kai dōra pherontas. )

The English proverb Beware of Greeks bearing gifts (German: Beware of Greeks with gifts ) goes back to the same verse in Virgil's Aeneid.

A saying from Seneca's tragedy Agamemnon (624): “Danaum fatale munus” ( Latin , “a fateful gift from Danaer”) became a standing phrase .

Web links

Wiktionary: Danaer Gift  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Aeneid 2.48f. on gottwein.de
2. ↑ Büchmann: Winged words "Danaer Gift", Berlin 1898. P. 387