"Molon labe"

Status
Not open for further replies.
At the battle of Thermopylae, Persian King Xerxes sends out heralds to command Leonidas and his 300 Spartans to "Hand over their weapons and they can walk away unharmed".

Leonidas' response (in ancient Greek) was "Molon Labe".

It means "Come and get them."

------------------
"..but never ever Fear. Fear is for the enemy. Fear and Bullets."
10mm: It's not the size of the Dawg in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog!
 
"Molon labe." is Anchient Greek. When King Leonides and his Spartan warriors were surrounded at Thermopylae, Xerxes' commander called on them to drop their weapons and surrender.

Leonides' response was "Molon labe." -- "Come and take them."


Somewhat akin is the American commander's response (I've forgotten his name) when surrounded in Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge in WWII. When the Germans called on him to surrender, he responded with a rather concise "Nuts!" Apparently they were a bit puzzled by his wording and it took them a few minutes to translate and understand precisely what he meant, but they eventually figured it out.

Andrew
 
The Persian herald told them they were foolish, "You are but 300. Look at the size of our army! Our arrows will darken the sky!"

Spartan response: "Good. We can fight in the shade."

------------------
"..but never ever Fear. Fear is for the enemy. Fear and Bullets."
10mm: It's not the size of the Dawg in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog!
 
The Mexican army wanted to take back the cannon they had given the people of Gonzales, Texas to defend themselves against the Indians. The people of Gonzales refused to surrender the cannon. When threatened with force, they then said, "Come and take it!"

That phrase is on the Gonzales water tower today. On the *north* side of the tower. ;)
 
From the flyleaf of the book, by Steven Pressfield:

“Gates of Fire (An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae)”

(quote)

In 480 B.C the forces of the Persian Empire under King Xerxes, numbering
according the Herodotus two million men, bridged the Hellespont and marched in
their myriads to invade and enslave Greece.

In a desperate delaying action, a picked force of three hundred Spartans was dispatched to hold the pass of Thermopylae, where the confines between mountains and sea were so narrow that the Persian multitudes and their cavalry would at least be partially neutralized.

Here, it was hoped, an elite force willing to sacrifice their lives could keep back, at least for a few days, the invading millions.

Three hundred Spartans and their allies held off the invaders for seven days, until, their weapons smashed and broken before the slaughter, they fought “with bare hands and teeth” (as recorded by Herodotus) before at last being overwhelmed.

The Spartans and their Thespian allies died to the last man, but the standard of valor set by their sacrifice inspired the Greeks to rally and, in that fall and spring, defeat the Persians at Salamis and Plataea and preserve the beginnings of Western democracy and freedom from perishing in the cradle.

Two memorials remain today at Thermoplae. Upon the modern one, called the Leonidas monument in honor of the Spartan king who fell there, is engraved his response to Xerxes’ demand that the Spartans lay down their weapons.

Leonidas’ reply was two words, Molon labe. “Come and get them.”

The second monument, the ancient one, is an unadorned stone engraved with the words of the poet Simonides. Its verses comprise perhaps the most famous of all warrior epitaphs:

"Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, That here obedient to their laws we lie."

(unquote)

http://www.grenadier.f9.co.uk/books.html

also: http://www.firearmsfreedom.net/guncontrol/molonlabe.pdf

mo-lone lah-veh: Come and get them!

From the narrow pass at Thermopylae, “Molon Labe!”
From the coastal plains at Gonzales, Texas, “Come and take it!”

For tyrants to subjugate people, tyrants must first take away the people’s means of defense.

Free people, determined to remain free, give similar responses,

”Molon labe!” or “Come and take it!”


------------------
Either you believe in the Second Amendment or you don't.
Stick it to 'em! RKBA!

[This message has been edited by Dennis (edited October 27, 2000).]
 
Thank you for the history lesson. It was very interesting and enlightening.

It's hard to believe that an ancient society could field an army of 2 million men. That must have been every living man in Persia.
 
This is EXACTLY why I am so upset with all of you ;)I've been forced to spend 21/2-3 HOURS a day immersing myself in the postings on this board. Information overload. Knowledge unbounded. Logical, cogent discourse on virtually EVERYTHING I come across. This damn computer has turned into a learning tool the last 3 weeks. A free-for -all on almost anything; hardware, software, politics, economics, applications, trends, etc. Let alone, GUNS. (DON'T) STOP!!!!!!
The inevitable result of all this communication will result in better informed, reasonable.......
Oh, never mind.
:D:


------------------
NRA LIFE MEMBER
ILLEGITIMI NON CARBORUNDUM ESSE

[This message has been edited by citizen (edited October 27, 2000).]
 
awd,

The General's Name was Anthony McAuliffe -- what a great line!!!

German:
"Is that response in the affirmative, or the negative?"

American Staff officer:
"Definitely negative. Now, hit the road, bub."

Gotta love it!
 
I find it amusing, in light of topics like this, that the Antis think we're the illiterate bumpkins...

------------------
"..but never ever Fear. Fear is for the enemy. Fear and Bullets."
10mm: It's not the size of the Dawg in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog!
 
They must cling to that erroneous analogy of gun owners or risk dispelling the long fought for myth that we are all uneducated rednecks.

They cannot except the notion that many are educated rednecks. :D

------------------
Gunslinger

I was promised a Shortycicle and I want a Shortycicle!
 
The East Germans closed the border between East and West Berlin around
midnight, August 13, 1961. We, in West Berlin, were cut off 110 miles
behind the Iron Curtain. The number of Russian and East German tanks
around Berlin outnumbered all American military personnel, their
dependents, and their pets.

We were told war was imminent.

We were told there would be no further support from Allied Forces in West
Germany.

As an intelligence outfit, we and our Army counterparts knew we were targets
of heavy artillery less than one mile away. Every minute we waited
expectantly for the blinding flash that would be our last memory.

Our Lieutenant was on the stage, hiding behind a large podium as he tried to
explain both our situation and our expected conduct. He looked small and
weak. His face was pale; his voice strained with fear. His gestures were
mechanical and his attempt to give a rousing speech was unconvincing.

He finished his speech. Nobody made a sound as he gathered his notes with
shaking hands and walked off the stage.

Someone said quietly, “We’re screwed.”

Nobody laughed. It was obviously true.

Then, from up front, Warrant Officer May rose, climbed the steps to the stage
and strode confidently to the front center of the stage. We waited
expectantly. Mister May was one of the few W-4s left in the Air Force at that
time. He was old but in fine physical condition. And he was tough! To the
best of our collective knowledge Mister May’s first name actually was “Mister”.
He was a combat veteran. He had killed. He never smiled. We were terrified of him.

Mr. May gave a short speech about his time in Korea - about duty, honor, and
valor.

He paused for a moment. He looked straight at us as he said the words we had been afraid to contemplate.

“When they attack, we’ll all be dead in five minutes or less. I would require only
one thing of each of you. When they send us to Hell, arrive there with a
dead East German under one arm and a dead Russian under the other.”

It was at the time, the perfect finale to his speech - far beyond any
understanding or appreciation I could now convey.

Several hundred previously terrified young men rose in unison and gave him
a standing ovation. We were young, but we were men, after all. We headed
for the arms room to pick up our weapons and ammunition.

Never, in my twenty years and four days of active military service, did I ever feel as ready to fight and die as I did that day in August, more than thirty-nine years ago.

Leadership counts. Let’s lead the way.

Molon labe!
 
Interesting story Dennis; I hope that that story is recorded for posterity elsewhere other than this site. It is a shame to lose first person accounts of acts like that because no one felt it worthwhile to record them at the time.
 
Yes Dennis, preserve those stories.

Last year my Great-Uncle passed away. He was awarded a Bronze-Star for something at Monte Casino (Italy, WWII). Unfortunately he never spoke of what happened, so now his wife and children don't even know. Although his son is researching the matter, valuable parts of my families history has been lost forever.
 
Dennis the moment in history you describe is inspirational. Your manner of describing it is no less inspiring. This is not the first time your words have moved many here....and I dare say will not be the last.

Let me second Tamara's appreciation.
 
Soldier of Fortune just published an interesting story about Klinton and the Vets at the unveiling of the Vietnam War Memorial. Why don't you polish the story and send it to them. It seems like something they would be more than willing to print.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top