Greek Proverbs

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):

Μακραὶ τυράννων χεῖρες.

Long (are) the hands of tyrants.

Compare the English proverb, "Kings have long arms." In other words, kings, tyrants, etc. can exert their dangerous power at a distance. And yes, the English word "tyrant" comes from the Greek. Compare an expanded version in Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac: "Kings have long Arms, but Misfortune longer: Let none think themselves out of her Reach."

Λωτοῦ ἔφαγες.

You've eaten from the lotus.

In other words, you're high! After eating the narcotic lotus, you're lost in a cloud of forgetfulness, not doing the things you should. The mythological "lotus-eaters" (λωτοφάγοι) forgot everything, even their homes and families. You can find out more at Wikipedia: Lotus-Eaters.

Λέγε εἰδώς.

Speak what you know.

Literally, "having come to know something, speak." The word εἰδώς is the perfect active participle of οἶδα. This is another one of the sayings attributed to the Seven Sages; see more at Wikipedia: Delphic maxims.

Ὅμοιος ὁμοίῳ.

Like to like.

This is a widely used ancient Greek saying; in Plato's Gorgias, Socrates calls it an old and wise saying. An expanded version including a verb is: Ὅμοιος ὁμοίῳ ἀεὶ πελάζει, "Like always approaches to like."  Compare the English saying "birds of a feather (stick together)" or "a man is known by the company he keeps." The Greek root ὁμοιο- shows up in English words like homeostasis and homeopathic.

Ἥλιξ ἥλικα τέρπει.

People of the same age enjoy (each other's company).

Literally, "same-age delights in same-age." This saying appears in Aristotle's Eudemian Ethics in a discussion of friendship, and he marks the expression as proverbial with the word λέγεται, "it is said that" — λέγεται ἥλιξ ἥλικα τέρπει. You can see the root τερπ in the names Εὐτέρπη, the muse of music, and Τερψιχόρη, the muse of dancing. And note, Greek ἥλιξ is not the origin of English "helix," which instead comes from Greek ἕλιξ, meaning "something twisted, a spiral."

And to finish up, here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:

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Greek Proverbs: April 9

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):

Ἀτρέως ὄμματα.

The eyes of Atreus.

This refers to someone with a cruel look, like the wicked Atreus who tricked his twin brother, Thyestes, into eating his own sons in a stew. When Thyestes was done eating, Atreus then brought out the dead boys' hands and feet to reveal their identities (see medieval illustration below). Agamemnon and Thyestes are the sons of Atreus, i.e. Atreides. Find out more at Wikipedia: Atreus.

Βασιλεῖ νόμος ἄγραφος.

For the king, the law (is) not written.

In other words, the law does not apply to the king. There is a fuller form of this proverb also: Μωρῷ καὶ βασιλεῖ νόμος ἄγραφος, in which the fool, μωρός, like the king, is outside the rule of the written law. The Greek word νόμος gives us the English words with -mony as a suffix, like economy, astronomy, etc. And, yes, the plant "basil" does get its name from Greek βασιλεύς; it is βασιλικόν φυτόν, the royal plant.

Αἲξ Σκυρία.

A Scyrian goat.

The she-goats from the island of Skyros in Greece were proverbial for kicking over the milk bucket after they had been milked. As such, they came to stand for someone who was contrary and troublesome, squandering their own riches and resources for no good reason.

Ἐξ ἑνὸς πάνθ᾽ ὁρᾷν.

To see all things from the one.

The saying appears in the sayings collected by Apostolius. The word πάντα, "all (things)," drops its final vowel before the following vowel, and the rough breathing causes the aspiration: πάνθ᾽ ὁρᾶν. Compare the opposite idea expressed in the U.S. motto: E pluribus unum, "Out of the many, one."

Ὗς ὀρίνει.

The boar provokes (trouble).

This pithy little Greek saying is a bit hard to translate into English without an explicit object for the verb. The idea is that a boar or wild pig is like a violent or argumentative person who stirs things up, causing trouble. The word ὗς can refer either to a wild pig or a domesticated pig.

And to finish up, here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:

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Greek Proverbs: April 7

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):

Ἀφ' Ἑστίας ἀρχόμενοι.

Beginning with Hestia.

The preposition ἀπό drops its final vowel before the following vowel, and the aspiration of Ἑστία changes the pi to phi. This saying refers to the appropriate order in which to do things (compare English "begin at the beginning"), based on the fact that sacrifices to the gods began with a sacrifice to Hestia, the goddess of the hearth; honoring Hestia was honoring the fire of the sacrifice itself. You can find out more about Hestia at Wikipedia.

Λύκος ποιμήν.

A wolf (as) shepherd.

Compare the English saying: "the fox guarding the henhouse."

Ἐν νυκτὶ βουλή.
In night (comes) counsel.
In other words: sleep on it; the decision will be clear to you in the morning.
The Greek root νυκτ-, like English night, is from Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts.

Καιρὸν γνῶθι.
Recognize the critical moment.

Another translation might be: "Know the right moment (in which to do something." The word καιρός has a wide range of meanings in Greek; you can read the dictionary entry at Logeion to learn more. The etymology of this important Greek word remains a mystery. The saying is attributed to Pittacus of Mitylene, one of the seven sages of ancient Greece.

Σοφοῖς χρῶ.

Make use of those who are wise.

The form χρῶ is the second-person imperative of χράομαι (those middle imperatives can look sneaky, especially for contract verbs). The adjective σοφός is being used substantively as a noun: (a) wise (man). This is one of the maxims that Stobaeus attributes to the Seven Sages of Greece. From the Greek root σοφ- we get all the soph- words in English philosopher and sophistication.

And to finish up, here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:

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Greek Proverbs: April 3

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations (and there are always more proverbs at the blog):

Ἐς κόρακας.

To the crows.

This is an insult: the crows are the crows who feed on the corpses at public executions. So, the idea is to "go hang yourself" — and then the crows will come feast. You can see the phrase used in Aristophanes' Peace.

Συβαριτικὴ τράπεζα.

A Sybaritic table.

This saying referred to an opulent, or exceedingly opulent, banquet table, as Sybaris was one of the wealthiest Greek colonies. It was located on the Italian coast in what is now the region of Calabria; you can find out more at Wikipedia: Sybaris, which includes a section on its cultural legacy.

Ἀπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου μετάστηθι.

Move out of the sunshine.

These are the words famously spoken by the Cynic philosopher Diogenes to Alexander the Great, as reported by Plutarch in his Life of Alexander. Alexander was curious to meet Diogenes and was eager to do him a favor. He found Diogenes lying in the sunshine; all Diogenes wanted from Alexander was for him to stop blocking his sunshine. This famous anecdote has its own Wikipedia article: Diogenes and Alexander.

Ἴδια φύλαττε.

Protect what is yours.

This is one of the Delphic maxims recorded by Stobaeus. The form φύλαττε is Attic; the dictionary form of the verb is φυλάσσω. And yes, English "idiot" is from Greek ἴδιος; details at the Wiktionary.

Προμέρου κύνες.

The dogs of Promerus.

This saying alludes to the legendary death of the playwright Euripdes: as Erasmus explains, Euripides was supposedly torn to pieces by the dogs of Promerus, a royal official who had conceived an enormous hatred for him. Promerus ordered the dogs to attack Euripides, and they did so. Aulus Gellius also reports that Euripides was killed by dogs, although he does not mention the name Promerus.

And to finish up, here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:

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