Molon labe
Molon labe ( ancient Greek μολὼν λαβέ molṑn labé ; pronunciation ancient Greek [ moˈlɔːn laˈbe ], modern Greek [ moˈlon laˈve] ) is an ancient Greek phrase. Translated into German, Molon labe means something like “ Come and get (you)! "
μολών molōn is the participle aorist active from βλώσκειν blōskein ("to come") and means "to come (to be)". λαβέ labe is the imperative aorist active (2nd person singular) from λαμβάνειν lambanein ("take") and means "(you) take" in the narrative form (aorist). The object “they” (the weapons) can be omitted in ancient Greek. Both words form a hypotactic construction without conjunction: "Come (being), take" - "Come here and then take it."
history
With "molōn labe" King Leonidas I of Sparta is said to have responded to the request of Xerxes I of Persia to lay down his arms at the battle of Thermopylae . This emerges from a report by Plutarch . Xerxes, whose army outnumbered that of the Greeks , offered Leonidas and his troops to spare their lives if they gave up and laid down their arms.
However, the Spartans did not respond to these demands, but held their position against the Persians for three days. Although they were ultimately crushed, they did serious damage to the Persian army and significantly delayed its advance into Athens , which gave the Greeks an advantage. This enabled the Greeks to ultimately win the battle against the attacking Persians.
Today there is a monument to Leonidas and his colleagues on Thermopylae . The famous saying “molōn labe” is engraved under the statue of Leonidas.
Modern times
The term is used to convey a determination not to give up without a fight.
" Molon labe " is the motto of American groups today who do not want to be deprived of their right to own weapons . It has appeared on gun activists' websites since the late 1990s. In the US, both the Greek sentence and its English translation, “ Come and take them! "Slogans often heard from gun lobbyists defending the second amendment to the constitution .
The first corps of the Greek forces also bears the saying " Molon Labe " as a motto, as well as the Special Operations Command Central of the armed forces of the United States .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Plutarch, Ἀποφθέγματα Λακωνικά ( Laconic Sayings ) 225 C.
- ↑ Internet Movie Database : Background information on Film 300