How to Pronounce MOLON LABE (ΜOΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ | Μολὼν λαβέ)

Pronunciation by native Greek speaker.
MOLON LABE!
(Ancient: mo-lone lah-beh);
(Modern: mo-lone lah-veh)

(Greek: ΜOΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ or μολὼν λαβέ) means "Come and take"

The phrase was the defiant response of King Leonidas I of Sparta to Xerxes I of Persia when Xerxes demanded that the Greeks lay down their arms and surrender. This was at the onset of the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC). Instead, the Greeks held Thermopylae for three days. Although the Greek contingent was defeated, they inflicted serious damage on the Persian army. Most importantly, this delayed the Persians' progress to Athens, providing sufficient time for the city's evacuation to the island of Salamis. Though a tactical defeat, Thermopylae served as a strategic and moral victory, inspiring the Greek forces to crush the Persians at the Battle of Salamis later the same year and the Battle of Plataea one year later.

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