. IMolon labe (Ancient Greek: μολὼν λαβέ, romanized: molṑn labé), meaning ‘come and take [them]’, is a classical expression of defiance.
Molon labe is among the Laconic phrases reported by Plutarch. Attributed to King Leonidas I in reply to the demand by Xerxes I. It requests that the Spartans surrender their weapons. The exchange between Leonidas and Xerxes occurs in writing, on the eve of the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC).
Molon labe a Military Motto
Modern use of ‘ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ’ as a military motto appears to originate in the Kingdom of Greece during the First World War or the Greco-Turkish War. The motto is on the emblem of the I Army Corps of Greece and the Second Infantry Division of Cyprus. The phrase, Molon labe, was inscribed on the Thermopylae monument (1955). It uses an archaic script that would be appropriate for the time of the Persian Wars.
During the Cyprus Emergency between Greek Cypriot insurgents and British troops, Cypriot leader Grigoris Afxentiou on 3 March 1957 became surrounded by British forces. They were gathered outside his secret hideout near the Machairas Monastery near Lazanias, Nicosia. The British troops requested him to surrender his arms, but Afxentiou shouted molon labe in reply. Unable to flush him out and sustaining several casualties, the British forces resorted to pouring gasoline into his hideout and lighting it.
The Revolutionary War
In the United States; allusion to the phrase in translation (“come and take it!”). The term, Molan labe is recorded in the context of the Revolutionary War. Noted in 1778 at Fort Morris in the Province of Georgia, and later in 1835 at the Battle of Gonzales during the Texas Revolution where it became a prevalent slogan.
Use of the original Greek in the United States is more recent. Used by militia organizations, it is reported for the 1990s or early 2000s, and used by the Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) is recorded for 2006.
In the United States, the original Greek phrase and its English translation are often heard as a defense of the right to keep and bear arms and opposition to gun control legislation.
