# ATTENTION Latin and/or Ancient Greek experts: Help! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 5, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-latin-and-or-ancient-greek-experts-help/448084 "2008-05-05T03:39:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-latin-and-or-ancient-greek-experts-help/448084/1 "2008-05-05T03:39:48Z")
I’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to do this using the web on my own, but I think I’ll do better with assistance from the Dope’s resident experts. I’m trying to find (or come up with): 1. a motto/adage of sorts that feels like it might have come from Sir Lancelot or another of the knights under Arthur. I need it to be 3 - 6 words. The best I could come up with was something like, “To serve. To honor. To protect.” But the latin I looked up gives so many options: to serve: ministro, servio, mereo to honor: honoro, veneratio, excolo to protect: protego, patrocinor, servo, defendo, contego Anyone know which words would be the best to select for my example? I’d actually prefer it if there was a sentence, like “Honor, above all.” (Translation anyone?) But ideally it would to have some military/protector flavor. Other themes it can incorporate are: courage, virtue, defend, etc. 1. I need kind of the same thing for Ancient Greek. Something that might be attributed to a hero like Hector. Someone who doesn’t only represent military might (Ajax, Achilles), but some of the same attributes that Lancelot might have. I’m also assuming that Lancelot and soldiers under Charlemagne (different from above) would have used Latin. Is that correct? Some phrases that might work, if someone can provide the Latin and/or Greek translation would be: My life for my king. The greater the courage the greater the chance. Strength begets compassion. Yield to honor, and only honor. Never yield, except to honor. The gods favor the brave. (Greek only) etc. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![CJJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@CJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-latin-and-or-ancient-greek-experts-help/448084/2 "2008-05-05T04:05:40Z")
> [@](#): > > “To serve. To honor. To protect.” _Servire, honorare, defendere_, Greek _stratuein, tiein, amunein_; can’t write greek fonts here, but the transliterations are straightforward enough (except that ‘e’ here is epsillon and not eta). > [@](#): > > “Honor, above all.” _Honos supra omnes_. ---
**Author:** ![CJJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@CJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-latin-and-or-ancient-greek-experts-help/448084/3 "2008-05-05T04:21:19Z")
> [@](#): > > My life for my king. > The greater the courage the greater the chance. > Strength begets compassion. > Yield to honor, and only honor. > Never yield, except to honor. > The gods favor the brave. (Greek only) _Mea vita pro rege meo_ _Quo fortior vir, eo melior sors_ (lit. “The braver the man, the better the chance”; there are actually several options here…) _Virtus misericodiam gignit_ _Cede honori, solummodo_ (assumes a single-person command; use _cedite_ if addressing a group) _Numquam cede, nisi honori_ (see last note) _Theoi alkimois eunousi_ (“Th” is theta, “o” is omicron, remember to use terminal sigma for 2nd word and normal sigma for final word). ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-latin-and-or-ancient-greek-experts-help/448084/4 "2008-05-05T04:26:56Z")
[QUOTE=CJJ\*] _Mea vita pro rege meo_ _Quo fortior vir, eo melior sors_ (lit. “The braver the man, the better the chance”; there are actually several options here…) _Virtus misericodiam gignit_ _Cede honori, solummodo_ (assumes a single-person command; use _cedite_ if addressing a group) _Numquam cede, nisi honori_ (see last note) _Theoi alkimois eunousi_ (“Th” is theta, “o” is omicron, remember to use terminal sigma for 2nd word and normal sigma for final word). [/QUOTE] You are a god. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![CJJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@CJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-latin-and-or-ancient-greek-experts-help/448084/5 "2008-05-05T14:08:49Z")
[QUOTE=CJJ_Cede honori, solummodo_ (assumes a single-person command; use _cedite_ if addressing a group)[/QUOTE] I should also note the _solummodo_ is Late latin; sticking with classical-only, change this to _tantummodo_, or simply _tantum_. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-latin-and-or-ancient-greek-experts-help/448084/6 "2008-05-05T14:12:51Z")
[QUOTE=CJJ\*] I should also note the _solummodo_ is Late latin; sticking with classical-only, change this to _tantummodo_, or simply _tantum_. [/QUOTE] Which would be more appropriate for Lancelot or Charlemagne? ---
**Author:** ![CJJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@CJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-latin-and-or-ancient-greek-experts-help/448084/7 "2008-05-05T15:54:29Z")
[QUOTE=magellan01] Which would be more appropriate for Lancelot or Charlemagne? [/QUOTE] If I had to choose, probably _solummodo_.