Battle of Thermopylae in popular culture

The Battle of Thermopylae of 480 BC has long been the topic of cultural inspiration, as it is perhaps the most famous military last stand of all time. This "against all odds" story is passed to us from the writings of the Greek Herodotus, who was not present at the battle himself. He relates the story of 300 Spartans and 700 Thespians defending the Pass of Thermopylae against almost "2 million" Persians on the third day of the battle. (For the first two days, the Greek force had numbered somewhere between 5,000 and 7,000.)

Although modern historians have questioned the numbers presented by Herodotus, with most at around 100,000 to 250,000 invaders, the story has resonated with authors and poets for centuries over the inspiring bravery and resolution of the Spartans.

The performance of the defenders at the battle of Thermopylae is often used as an example of the advantages of training, equipment, and good use of terrain to maximize an army's potential, and has become a symbol of courage against overwhelming odds. Even more, both ancient and modern writers used the Battle of Thermopylae as an example of the superior power of a volunteer army of freemen defending native soil. The sacrifice of the Spartans and the Thespians has captured the minds of many throughout the ages and has given birth to many cultural references as a result.



Cultural references

 * Thermopylae has been used as a name for ships; for example, a clipper ship 212 feet in length displacing 91 tons was launched in Aberdeen in 1868. Christened Thermopylae, it established speed records and was also notable for having a male figurehead wearing Greek armor, helmet, shield and sword.


 * The Greek phrase "Μολών λαβέ" ("molon labe", or "come and take them"), a quote attributed to Leonidas at the battle, has been repeated by many later generals and politicians in order to express an army's or nation's determination to not surrender without a battle. The motto "ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ" is on the emblem of the Greek First Army Corps. Both the original Greek phrase and its English translation are often heard from pro-gun activists as a defense of the US constitutional right to keep and bear arms.


 * The Battle of Wizna is often called the Polish Thermoplyae.


 * The phrase was written on the flag fashioned by the Texans during the Battle of Gonzales.


 * The name "Leonidas" passed into Russian as well as Ukrainian (shortened to "Leonid"), and remains a fairly common male name among the speakers of these languages. Among the prominent persons of that name are Soviet Union premier Leonid Brezhnev and Leonid Kuchma, president of the post-Soviet Ukraine.


 * The name "Leonidas" exists also among speakers of English, Spanish, and Portuguese - as well as, of course, modern Greek (see Leonidas (disambiguation)).


 * Asteroid 2782 Leonidas is named for the Spartan king.


 * The Luftwaffe Leonidas Squadron under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Heiner Lang, flew "Self-sacrifice missions" (Selbstopfereinsatz) against Soviet held bridges over the Oder River from 17 April until 20 April 1945 during the Battle for Berlin.


 * Australian groups seeking to get greater recognition for the heroic acts of soldiers in the World War II Battle of Isurava (September 1942, in New Guinea) have dubbed that battle "Australia's Thermopylae" and established a website setting out in detail the grounds for making such a comparison (see ).


 * The Battle of Thermopylae has also been compared to various battles of the Anglo-Zulu War.

Poetry and song

 * Dimitris Varos Ω ξείν… (O stranger) is a poetic book written in 1974.