# Latin Quote at the Beginning of Hellboy

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-quote-at-the-beginning-of-hellboy/238443>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [April 5, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-quote-at-the-beginning-of-hellboy/238443 "2004-04-05T21:55:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-quote-at-the-beginning-of-hellboy/238443/1 "2004-04-05T21:55:45Z")

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What was the inscription at Headquarters at the beginning of Hellboy? Dr. Froom translated it as something like, “When there is no light, darkness prevails.”

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**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-quote-at-the-beginning-of-hellboy/238443/2 "2004-04-06T01:54:32Z")

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I could maybe help out. Do you remember what the quote itself was? I haven’t seen the movie myself.

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**Author:** ![ricksummon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ricksummon/32/3333_2.png) [@ricksummon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricksummon)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-quote-at-the-beginning-of-hellboy/238443/3 "2004-04-06T04:08:51Z")

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It says something like, “In Absentia Lux Tenebrae Vincit.” This isn’t the exact quote; you’d have to correct the conjugation and you’d have it.

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**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latin-quote-at-the-beginning-of-hellboy/238443/4 "2004-04-06T06:04:52Z")

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I haven’t seen the film in question, but the quote could be along the lines of:

In absentia lucis, tenebrae vincunt = in the absence of light, darkness prevails

or

In absentia lucis, tenebrae vincent = in the absence of light, darkness will prevail