Herodotus told us that the Persian ruler Xerxes, son of Darius I, King of Kings, commanded for the Spartan rear guard at the Hot Gates to lay down their arms and armor, that they would be spared and rewarded.
Xerxes boasted an army larger than thought possible, so large it "drank the rivers dry" and whose arrows could blot of the sun. Persia was a foreign power in Greece, had allied with many Greek city-states already, and was no stranger to punishing rebellious states in their possession. Sparta at this time was no legend, merely a rival to Athens and who had never a chance to stop a Persian army by land.
We are told in this most ancient moment, between the foreign conqueror of the Orient and the valiant defender of the West, that Xerxes was not only rebuffed, but done so with ease. King Leonidas responded to the request to lay down his arms with molon labe – "come and take them." The pithy response, that which Sparta lends its name to the term "laconic," is immortalized today as a phrase which bears meaning millennia later as the ultimate, indignant repudiation.
Indeed, the phrase is appropriated for the defense of self-defense. That is, the right to bear arms shall not be infringed, and if one should even try, "come and take" our arms from our cold, dead hands. Yet, for every bumper sticker, trucker hat, or status update containing that one simple Greek phrase, I wonder if its full meaning is lost on those who recite it most.
When King Leonidas said to "come and take them," what exactly was he saying? Was Xerxes trying to take his spear, and Leonidas really liked his spear, so he refused? Did Xerxes have concerns that Leonidas would hurt himself with his spear, and asked for it to keep the Spartan king safe? Was Leonidas offended that Xerxes would so boldly ask for him to give up a right afforded to him by the nonexistent Constitution of Sparta?
No, none of these were the case. Even in the least romantic analyses of this example, Leonidas was denying Persia for one reason. What Persia could not give Sparta by ruling it was its dignity. One could say, in submitting to Persia, Sparta would be allowing Persian influence to seep into Greece. Not in mere terms of governance, but everything that is essentially Persian – their history, their currency, their language – would become a part of Spartan culture, too. The unbiased historian could make the case that such a thing would be a boon for Sparta. In fact, such a thing had been greatly beneficial for virtually every satrap in the Mediterranean and beyond.
Yet, King Leonidas refused. Why?
Because Sparta had its own culture, its own way of life, its own history, its own people, its own currency, its own language, and its own identity. It did not need nor did it want Persian culture to dominate them. That was a cause they were ready to die for. Their way of life so mattered to them, that they indeed laid down their lives to secure it. The beauty of molon labe is not merely that it is a clever retort, it is that King Leonidas had symbolized the culture of Greece and the Spartan way of life with the weapon he held in his hands. In a return to a previous statement, "come and take my culture from my cold, dead hands."
How, then, can anyone take the phrase seriously when it has been co-opted by men who would never fight for their way of life? What are they protecting? The modern-day Persia is already here. They have passed through the Hot Gates, marched into central Greece, and King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans let them pass, spears in hand, letting them do so, so long as Xerxes lets them hold onto their weapons.
It must be clear now – the weapons have an end, they are not ends in themselves. For many parts of the United States, and soon most of it, the modern-day Spartans know the Greek and know what it says. Yet, they know not what it means. Sparta no longer written as Σπάρτα, but اسپارت. Their temple of Artemis are replaced with monuments to Ahuramazda. Their sons learn the history of Persia, and forget the history of Greece. And even then, the modern day Spartan clutches his spear, satisfied that he has safely protected what he valued most.
Xerxes boasted an army larger than thought possible, so large it "drank the rivers dry" and whose arrows could blot of the sun. Persia was a foreign power in Greece, had allied with many Greek city-states already, and was no stranger to punishing rebellious states in their possession. Sparta at this time was no legend, merely a rival to Athens and who had never a chance to stop a Persian army by land.
We are told in this most ancient moment, between the foreign conqueror of the Orient and the valiant defender of the West, that Xerxes was not only rebuffed, but done so with ease. King Leonidas responded to the request to lay down his arms with molon labe – "come and take them." The pithy response, that which Sparta lends its name to the term "laconic," is immortalized today as a phrase which bears meaning millennia later as the ultimate, indignant repudiation.
Indeed, the phrase is appropriated for the defense of self-defense. That is, the right to bear arms shall not be infringed, and if one should even try, "come and take" our arms from our cold, dead hands. Yet, for every bumper sticker, trucker hat, or status update containing that one simple Greek phrase, I wonder if its full meaning is lost on those who recite it most.
When King Leonidas said to "come and take them," what exactly was he saying? Was Xerxes trying to take his spear, and Leonidas really liked his spear, so he refused? Did Xerxes have concerns that Leonidas would hurt himself with his spear, and asked for it to keep the Spartan king safe? Was Leonidas offended that Xerxes would so boldly ask for him to give up a right afforded to him by the nonexistent Constitution of Sparta?
No, none of these were the case. Even in the least romantic analyses of this example, Leonidas was denying Persia for one reason. What Persia could not give Sparta by ruling it was its dignity. One could say, in submitting to Persia, Sparta would be allowing Persian influence to seep into Greece. Not in mere terms of governance, but everything that is essentially Persian – their history, their currency, their language – would become a part of Spartan culture, too. The unbiased historian could make the case that such a thing would be a boon for Sparta. In fact, such a thing had been greatly beneficial for virtually every satrap in the Mediterranean and beyond.
Yet, King Leonidas refused. Why?
Because Sparta had its own culture, its own way of life, its own history, its own people, its own currency, its own language, and its own identity. It did not need nor did it want Persian culture to dominate them. That was a cause they were ready to die for. Their way of life so mattered to them, that they indeed laid down their lives to secure it. The beauty of molon labe is not merely that it is a clever retort, it is that King Leonidas had symbolized the culture of Greece and the Spartan way of life with the weapon he held in his hands. In a return to a previous statement, "come and take my culture from my cold, dead hands."
How, then, can anyone take the phrase seriously when it has been co-opted by men who would never fight for their way of life? What are they protecting? The modern-day Persia is already here. They have passed through the Hot Gates, marched into central Greece, and King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans let them pass, spears in hand, letting them do so, so long as Xerxes lets them hold onto their weapons.
It must be clear now – the weapons have an end, they are not ends in themselves. For many parts of the United States, and soon most of it, the modern-day Spartans know the Greek and know what it says. Yet, they know not what it means. Sparta no longer written as Σπάρτα, but اسپارت. Their temple of Artemis are replaced with monuments to Ahuramazda. Their sons learn the history of Persia, and forget the history of Greece. And even then, the modern day Spartan clutches his spear, satisfied that he has safely protected what he valued most.
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