( el, Ελευθερία ή θάνατος, ; 'Freedom or Death') is the

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. M ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

. It originated in the Greek songs of resistance that were powerful motivating factors for independence. It was adopted in 1814 by the , a secret organization formed specifically for the overthrow of Ottoman rule.

Overview

The motto arose during the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

in the 1820s, where it was a war cry for the

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, ot ...

who rebelled against Ottoman rule. It was adopted after the

and is still in use today. One explanation for the 9 stripes on the

Greek flag The national flag of Greece, popularly referred to as the "blue and white one" ( el, Γαλανόλευκη, ) or the "sky blue and white" (, ), is officially recognised by Greece as one of its national symbols and has nine equal horizontal strip ...

is that they represent the nine syllables of the motto, five blue stripes for the syllables and four white stripes for . The motto symbolized and still symbolizes the resolve of the people of Greece against tyranny and oppression. Part of the emblem of the

Filiki Eteria Filiki Eteria or Society of Friends ( el, Φιλικὴ Ἑταιρεία ''or'' ) was a secret organization founded in 1814 in Odessa, whose purpose was to overthrow the Ottoman rule of Greece and establish an independent Greek state. (''ret ...

were two flags with the letters and ; These represent , 'Either Freedom, or Death'. This is also the motto of the 4th Infantry Division of the

Greek Army The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the ...

.Greek Army website
/ref> Philiki

Cultural references

Nikos Kazantzakis Nikos Kazantzakis ( el, ; 2 March ( OS 18 February) 188326 October 1957) was a Greek writer. Widely considered a giant of modern Greek literature, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in nine different years. Kazantzakis's n ...

' novel '' Captain Michalis'' was subtitled ''Freedom or Death'', which became its title in the United States, Germany, France, and other countries.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eleutheria I Thanatos 1810s neologisms National mottos Political catchphrases Liberty symbols National symbols of Greece

Overview

Cultural references

See also

References