We Fight in the Shade

When I first saw the trailer for 300 I wrote this up and then lost it, you know the drill. Belatedly, here is it.

The original quote is from Heroditus and Cicero retells it in Latin. It is quite appropriate to be adapted to an action film because it is the Classical equivolent of 'you talking to me?'

Simonides promises to send the Spartans to Hell/ the underworld and further that their arrows would be so thick they would blot out the sun. Leonidas says 'then we will fight in the shade.' The pun is on 'umbra', 'shade' which is also the word for 'hell/underworld.'

I don't know if the Persians were worried about a Hell-based resurgence from the Spartans, but if they were, its a great line. If they weren't, I don't know that the pun works on all its levels.

As far as I can tell the point of the story in Heroditus is nothing to do with bragging or chest-beating. The Greek is simply and quietly making the point that the Persian threat is a lousy one since its more fun to fight in the shade than in the heat.

According to Wiki, 'we fight in the shade' is now the slogan of the Hellenic Army XX Armoured Division. I can't tell if this is because they are actually inside tanks when they do their fighting, or if they require opponants to provide a clean, clear battlefield with towels, drinks, refreshments and a predetermined amount of shadey terrain so as to prevent unnecessary stress and strain.