georgej

Thanks for the history lesson. Seriously, that helps put the film in a more meaningful perspective.

One minor correction with “The 300,” from something that I have recently learned about.

When the betrayal of Ephialtes was discovered, Leonidas did NOT say “tonight we dine in Hell,” as portrayed in the movie. According to Herodotus, he actually said, “tonight we dine in Hades.” A significant difference as Hades was the afterworld, where the Elysium Fields (i.e., “heaven”) was. Leonides was litterly saying to his warriors, eat a hearty breakfast because our next meal will be had in the Elysium Fields or heaven.

This Spartan warrior ethos was different from that of the loyalist Greeks and the Persians, as this shows.

For example, before the battle, the Spartans were seen by the Persions combing out their long hair (after “manhood” rites, Spartans did not cut their hair but let it grow long). Xerxes, when told, mistakenly thought this confirmed his belief that his army would run over them. Xerxes did not understand the Spartan culture nor their religious beliefs, or their military proweses, despite the counsel of exiled Spartan king Demaratus.

The Spartans, knowing that this was a suicide mission (that was why only fathers with living sons were selected), did not fear death. Death was part of living as a warrior and a “beautiful death” (i.e., dying in battle) was not only an honorable death, but one filled with glory. Hence they endevoured to make themselves look worthy of it.

In fact, the Spartan view of death was such that gravemarkers were usually reserved only for warriors killed in battle, carrying the name of the warrior, with the words “in war” added. Those who died of old age or illness did not receive a marker stone. The fact that there are no Spartan cemetaries from the period reflects the fact that Spartans buried their dead near their homes, where they could be venerated, with special honor to those who had fallen “in war.”

So, Leonidas was (1) affirming the shared Spartan religious beliefs in the afterlife and (2) exhorting his men go down in glory.

Irony that such a tissue nerved wimp is presenting masculine lines.