μολὼν λαβέ → come and take them

[river]

Μολὼν λαβέ → Come and take them  (Leonidas via Plutarch, Apophthegmata Laconica 225C12)

Μολὼν λαβέ (Molon lave) → Come and take them, from Plutarch's Apophthegmata Laconica
What is the source of the quote "molon lave?"

[wings]

Dear "river",

Before asking a question, please search in the site index. Also, please read the site rules on top of this page very carefully.

You can find the answer to your question at: Mwlwn lave → Μολών λαβέ, ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

Thanks in advance for your understanding,

Vicky

[river]

I was looking for the source of the quote, not the translation. The few hints as to the source that I have dredged up on the Web point to Herodotus, but Herodotus does not relate this part of the story in the relevant section of Book 7 of The Histories (at least I've not been able to find it in two different translations).Thanks for you help. If this is too much, please disregard.

[banned8]

"Molon lave" (Μολών λαβέ, Come and take them) is found in Plutarch's Apophthegmata Laconica.

Πάλιν δε του Ξέρξου γράψαντος "πέμψον τα όπλα", αντέγραψε "μολών λαβέ".

When Xerxes wrote "Send the arms / weapons", he (Leonidas) wrote back "Come and get them".

[iogo]

Eδώ λέει ότι είναι κάτι παραπάνω από το "Έλα":


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2L1mPSSc4k

[spiros]

The first word, μολών molōn, is the aorist active participle (masculine, nominative, singular) of the Greek verb βλώσκω blōskō "to come", meaning "having come". The Root is evidently ΜΟΛ, so that βλώ-σκ-ω is apparently a contraction for μολώ-σκ-ω (the suffix -σκ, being a common specialized present stem inchoative suffix). The form λαβέ labe is the aorist active imperative (second person singular) of the verb λαμβάνω lambanō, translated as "you take" with an emphasis since it is in the imperative form. That is to say, it is better represented in English as, "Take!" (with you singular understood, "you take").
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molon_labe

Ετυμολογικά οι λέξεις μολών και λαβέ παράγονται από τα αρχαία ρήματα βλώσκω (=έρχομαι, στη συγκεκριμένη περίπτωση από το θέμα "μολ-" του αορίστου β' του ρήματος) και λαμβάνω (=παίρνω).
https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9C%CE%BF%CE%BB%CF%8E%CE%BD_%CE%BB%CE%B1%CE%B2%CE%AD

[wattbiker]

Would like to know if this is a font I can get from that famous inscription

[spiros]

Samples of Greek fonts for signs and tattoos

[billberg23]

Wattbiker, the inscription you show is not ancient, but an imaginative modern version of what someone imagines a Greek inscription might look like in the early 5th century BCE.  What is "famous" is not an "inscription" (no such ancient inscription exists), but the quotation itself from Leonidas/Plutarch.
Spiros (above post) has given you a resource for finding an appropriate font;  I would suggest "Lithos," if you can find it.  Otherwise, the script you propose in your illustration would be attractive (if not entirely authentic) as a tattoo.
 

[wattbiker]

Well it is a famous inscription in Sparta. :)


However I didn't realize the font is not really a font but just art.

[wattbiker]

So I have found the font origins used in the inscription of the quotation. It is from ancient glyphs at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_alphabet

If you scroll down, you see that there is a chart comparing the Phoenician vs Greek Alphabet
"Greek initially took over all of the 22 letters of Phoenician."  Interesting.

[spiros]

Γράφοντας στο Esquire, ο Ρόμπερτ Μπέιτμαν -εν αποστρατεία αξιωματικός και αυτός- σημείωσε ότι η χρήση της φράσης από τους συντηρητικούς που «ζητούν ελευθερία» και δικαίωμα στην οπλοκατοχή έρχεται σε πλήρη αντίθεση με την κατάσταση που επικρατούσε στην αρχαία Σπάρτη, όπου οι πολίτες υπάκουαν στις επιθυμίες των ηγετών τους και όπου η ατομική ελευθερία ήταν σχεδόν απούσα και καλεί τους Αμερικάνους που χρησιμοποιούν τη φράση «να πιάσουν στα χέρια τους ένα βιβλίο ιστορίας».
«Μολών Λαβέ» ανάμεσα στα hashtag κατά του Ομπάμα για τα όπλα - Ειδήσεις - Περίεργα - in.gr