Pardon my posting, but I was wondering if anyone here more well versed in Latin than I am could help me translate a couple of phrases, to be used as mottos?
The first is the rather prosaic “At any Cost,” but the second phrase should be a little more interesting; “First to Die” or “First to be Slaughtered.” I plan on using the phrases as mottos for fictional military-style groups–like the “De Oppresso Liber” used by the Green Berets, or the “Semper Fidelis” of the US Marine Corps. The second fictional group, as you can imagine, is basically used as cannon fodder, and I thought that a motto reflecting that would be useful as a sort of foreshadowing, as well as a grim in-joke. Can anyone help me out?
Well, thanks for your time,
Ranchoth
(Lord of the Needlessly Verbose)
Ah, an opportunity to plug the Oracle of Loxias. Not that there aren’t lots of people here qualified to translate mottoes, but if you email the Oracle, it’s a service he provides, along with answers to lots of other classical questions. In my experience he does reply fairly promptly.
“Caeditum iri primi” means “The first [ones] who will be slaughtered.” “Caeditum iri” also means “to be sacrificed,” so this may be closer to the meaning you’re trying to get.