Greek Proverbs

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... and with a quiz too! See how you do on the questions up top, and then try them again down below after you've read through the proverbs (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

Ἄνευ _____ μὴ βάδιζε.

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Ἄνευ ξύλου μὴ βάδιζε.

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Φοινικήϊα _____.

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Φοινικήϊα γράμματα.

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_____ πρὸς Φοίνικας.

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Σύροι πρὸς Φοίνικας.

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_____ ἀνδρὶ παρείη.

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Ἀδελφὸς ἀνδρὶ παρείη.

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_____ ὡς ἐκ μήτρας.

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Γυμνὸς ὡς ἐκ μήτρας.

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Ἄνευ ξύλου μὴ βάδιζε.

Do not walk without a cudgel.

The word ξύλον means wood and things made of wood; the sense here is a club or cudgel. In other words, don't walk about defenseless. The saying is attributed to Cleomenes, one of the Spartan leaders in the war against the Persians.

Φοινικήϊα γράμματα.

Phoenician letters.

The ancient Greeks called writing "Phoenician letters," but they did not necessarily attribute the invention of writing to the people we call Phoenicians. For example, some said the letters were invented by Phoenix, the son of Agenor; others said the alphabet was so named in honor of Phoenice, the daughter of Actaeon. You can read about the actual Phoenician and Greek alphabets at Wikipedia.

Σύροι πρὸς Φοίνικας.

Syrians versus Phoenicians.

As ethnic stereotypes in ancient Greece, both Syrians and Phoenicians had the reputation of being cheats and swindlers, so this saying referred to one gang of swindlers trying to cheat another gang. The preposition πρὸς plus the accusative can mean simply direction "towards" but it can also have the hostile sense of "against," which is the meaning here.

Ἀδελφὸς ἀνδρὶ παρείη.

Let a brother come to a man's aid.

The words appear in Plato's Republic, and he labels the words a saying: τὸ λεγόμενον. The word πάρειμι can just mean to be present, to be next to something, but it can also have the sense of standing by and helping, which is the meaning here. You can also consult Erasmus for more Greek sayings similar to this one.

Γυμνὸς ὡς ἐκ μήτρας.

Naked as from the womb.

Compare the equivalent English saying, "As naked as the day he was born." The Greek phrase was used, metaphorically, to refer to someone who was as helpless as a baby. See also the Biblical Book of Job, αὐτὸς γυμνὸς ἐξῆλθον ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου γυμνὸς καὶ ἀπελεύσομαι ἐκεῖ, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither." From the root in Greek γυμνό- we get English gymnasium.

Ἄνευ _____ μὴ βάδιζε.

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Ἄνευ ξύλου μὴ βάδιζε.

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Φοινικήϊα _____.

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Φοινικήϊα γράμματα.

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_____ πρὸς Φοίνικας.

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Σύροι πρὸς Φοίνικας.

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_____ ἀνδρὶ παρείη.

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Ἀδελφὸς ἀνδρὶ παρείη.

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_____ ὡς ἐκ μήτρας.

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Γυμνὸς ὡς ἐκ μήτρας.

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

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Greek Proverbs

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... and with a quiz too! See how you do on the questions up top, and then try them again down below after you've read through the proverbs (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

Ὄνος ἄγει _____.

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Ὄνος ἄγει μυστήρια.

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Εἰς _____ γράφειν.

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Εἰς τέφραν γράφειν.

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_____ κνήμης ἔγγιον.

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Γόνυ κνήμης ἔγγιον.

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Ἐξ _____ παρακύψεως,

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Ἐξ ὄνου παρακύψεως,

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Ἢ μύρμηξ ἢ _____.

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Ἢ μύρμηξ ἢ κάμηλος.

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Ὄνος ἄγει μυστήρια.

A donkey carries the holy things.

This joking proverb becomes a fable in Aesop: when the people along the way bow down to worship the religious procession, the donkey thinks they are worshiping him... until the donkey-driver corrects him with the whip. 

Εἰς τέφραν γράφειν.

To write in the ashes.

This means to do something that will not last. You need to write in stone if you want something to last, not in ashes which will soon blow away. Compare a similar saying: εἰς ὕδωρ γράφειν, "to write in the water." From the same Greek verb γράφειν comes the Greek noun γράμμα, plus all the English "graph" words.

Γόνυ κνήμης ἔγγιον.

The knee is closer than the shin.

As Erasmus explains, this saying refers to situations where there is a close allegiance — for example, a cousin — but an allegiance even closer: your brother. Forced to choose, you would choose to help your brother over cousin, just as the knee is closer (to your heart) than your shin. It can also be used to refer to self-interest. The proverbial saying appears in Aristotle and in Athenaeus. Greek γόνυ is cognate with English knee.

Ἐξ ὄνου παρακύψεως.

Because of a donkey's peeking.

This is a proverb about how a tiny action can lead to disastrous consequences, and it can also be used to refer to a frivolous lawsuit. The proverb is based on a story about a donkey who out of curiosity stuck his nose into the window of a shop; this scared some birds in the shop, and, in their frenzy, the birds then broke all the clay pots in the shop. The owner of the shop then took the donkey's owner to court on a charge of "the donkey's peeping."

Ἤ μύρμηξ ἢ κάμηλος.

Either an ant or a camel.

This proverbial expression was used to refer to two things that are different in every way (size, shape, habits, etc.). The saying appears in Lucian's Saturnalia, where Lucian indicates it is a proverb: μύρμηξ ἢ κάμηλος, ὡς ἡ παροιμία φησί, "as the proverb says." Compare the English saying "apples and oranges," although apples and oranges certainly seem more similar than ants and camels! You can find out more at Wikipedia: Apples and Oranges which features similar sayings from many cultures.

Ὄνος ἄγει _____.

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Ὄνος ἄγει μυστήρια.

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Εἰς _____ γράφειν.

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Εἰς τέφραν γράφειν.

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_____ κνήμης ἔγγιον.

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Γόνυ κνήμης ἔγγιον.

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Ἐξ _____ παρακύψεως,

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Ἐξ ὄνου παρακύψεως,

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Ἢ μύρμηξ ἢ _____.

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Ἢ μύρμηξ ἢ κάμηλος.

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

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Greek Proverbs

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... and with a quiz too! See how you do on the questions up top, and then try them again down below after you've read through the proverbs (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

Ἔριν ______.

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Ἔριν μίσει.

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Μὴ ______ Καμάριναν.

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Μὴ κίνει Καμάριναν.

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______ πάθη πάντων.

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Κοινὰ πάθη πάντων.

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______ πίσσης γεύεται.

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Μῦς πίσσης γεύεται.

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Εἰς ______ πτύεις.

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Εἰς οὐρανὸν πτύεις.

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Ἔριν μίσει.

Hate strife.

Don't let μίσει fool you: that's the imperative form of an -εω contract verb! From the Greek root  μίσ- we get English words like misanthrope and misogyny. Meanwhile, for more about strife personified as a goddess, Ἔρις, see Wikipedia: Eris.

Μὴ κίνει Καμάριναν.

Don't move Kamarina.

This refers to a marshy swamp outside the city of Kamarina in Sicily. Because the air of the swamp was unhealthy, the people wanted to drain the swamp, but the Delphic oracle told them: Μὴ κίνει Καμάριναν. The people ignored the oracle, drained the swamp, and thus exposed their city to attack by their enemies. The saying of the oracle came to be used like a proverb, and as such it is the subject of a poem in the Greek Anthology.

Κοινὰ πάθη πάντων.

Suffering is common to all.

These words come from the "gnomai" supposedly composed by Phocylides, the 6th-century B.C.E. poet, although the work is now usually attributed to a pseudo-Phocylides, and perhaps composed as late as the 1st century C.E. by a Jewish writer. Here are the complete "gnomai" of pseudo-Phocylides if you are curious.

Μῦς πίσσης γεύεται.

The mouse is tasting the pitch.

The idea is that the pitch is part of a mousetrap: as soon as the mouse tastes the pitch, he's caught and cannot escape. Compare the English idiom about catching fish: "he's taken the bait." You've seen an Attic version of this saying in a previous blog post, citing Demosthenes. The saying also appears in one of the Idylls of Theocritus, where it is put into the first-person plural: μῦς γεύμεθα πίσσας, "we (like) the mouse have tasted pitch."

Εἰς οὐρανὸν πτύεις.

You're spitting into the sky.

This is not a good idea: the spit is going to fall right back down on you! Compare the English saying: "Spit in the wind, you'll get it back in your face." The Greek word οὐρανός meant the sky, and also the sky-god himself; you can read about the sky-god at Wikipedia: Uranus.

Ἔριν ______.

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Ἔριν μίσει.

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Μὴ ______ Καμάριναν.

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Μὴ κίνει Καμάριναν.

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______ πάθη πάντων.

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Κοινὰ πάθη πάντων.

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______ πίσσης γεύεται.

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Μῦς πίσσης γεύεται.

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Εἰς ______ πτύεις.

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Εἰς οὐρανὸν πτύεις.

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

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Greek Proverbs: June 18

Here are today's Greek proverbs with LOLCats! These are repeats of previous proverbs, but now with illustrations... and with a quiz too! See how you do on the questions up top, and then try them again down below after you've read through the proverbs (the quiz results display only at the blog, not in the email):

Ἐν ______ ναυαγεῖν.

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Ἐν λιμένι ναυαγεῖν.

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Λύκου ______ ζητεῖς.

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Λύκου πτερὰ ζητεῖς.

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Κροκοδείλου ______.

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Κροκοδείλου δάκρυα.

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Εἰς θεῶν ______ ἦλθεν.

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Εἰς θεῶν ὦτα ἦλθεν.

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Κοσκίνῳ ______ φέρει.

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Κοσκίνῳ ὕδωρ φέρει.

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Ἐν λιμένι ναυαγεῖν.

To be shipwrecked in port.

The saying refers to suffering defeat just within sight of your goal, i.e. the ship goes down just as it sails into its destination port. The verb ναυαγεῖν is a compound: ship-break, ναῦς-ἄγνυμι.

Λύκου πτερὰ ζητεῖς.

You're looking for wings on a wolf.

This is one of those proverbial fool's errands: you will not find any wings on a wolf... and it's a dangerous place to look!

Κροκοδείλου δάκρυα.

Crocodile tears.

This famous saying has its own article at Wikipedia: Crocodile Tears. The idea is that the crocodile is a hypocrite, weeping (or seeming to weep) while he devours his victims. From the Greek κροκόδειλος we get the English word "crocodile," but it's not clear where the Greek word itself comes from: etymology of  κροκόδειλος. Compare a similar phrase: Μεγαρέων δάκρυα, "The tears of the Megarians." There are various explanations for why the people of Megara were associated with tears that were not tears of sadness; my favorite is that Megara was famous for its garlic, and the pungency of the garlic made the Megarians shed tears.

Εἰς θεῶν ὦτα ἦλθεν.

It came to the ears of the gods.

As Erasmus explains, this phrase means that what is done rightly or wrongly, once it finally reaches the ears of the gods, will be rewarded or punished accordingly. The verb ἧλθον is used as the aorist of the verb ἔρχομαι; it's another example of an irregular verb paradigm, or suppletion.

Κοσκίνῳ ὕδωρ φέρει.

He's carrying water in a sieve.

This is a proverbial fool's errand, since of course the water comes streaming out of the sieve before the fool reaches his destination. The saying appears in Plato's Gorgias and also in the Republic.

Ἐν ______ ναυαγεῖν.

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Ἐν λιμένι ναυαγεῖν.

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Λύκου ______ ζητεῖς.

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Λύκου πτερὰ ζητεῖς.

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Κροκοδείλου ______.

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Κροκοδείλου δάκρυα.

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Εἰς θεῶν ______ ἦλθεν.

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Εἰς θεῶν ὦτα ἦλθεν.

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Κοσκίνῳ ______ φέρει.

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Κοσκίνῳ ὕδωρ φέρει.

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

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