Ancient Greek polytonic: Ἢ τὰν ἢ ἐπὶ τᾶς
Ancient Greek monotonic: Ή ταν ή επί τας
Capitals: Η ΤΑΝ Η ΕΠΙ ΤΑΣ
Literal Translation: Either with this or on this
Translation: Come back victorious or dead
— Plutarch, Moralia 241
This was the farewell phrase Spartan mothers or wives said to their departing warrior sons or husbands, upon giving them their shield. A warrior returning with his shield meant that he did not flee the battlefield. Had he done so, he must have dropped the large, heavy bronze shield in order to run faster. A warrior returning on his shield was dead, and his corpse would have been carried home thus. Therefore a Spartan warrior's options were to return either victorious or dead. Returning in shame without a shield was not an option. "Rhipsaspides" (shield droppers) were executed upon return, and their family members took part in the execution lest the shame of their cowardly relative stain the family reputation. The few Spartans who cowered in battle preferred to commit suicide rather than return to Sparta.