Spartans Definitely Had War Cries – And They Were Badass
The Real Spartan 300 Absolutely Used War Cries to Devastate Enemies
Make no mistake – those Spartan warriors bellowed intimidating, morale-boosting battle cries as they marched into combat. Accounts from Herodotus and Plutarch record the Laconic, defiant war cries Sparta‘s professional shock troops would unleash right before colliding with enemies on the battlefield.
These brief, bold war cries were perfected over decades of rigorous military training aimed at forging the Greek world‘s most feared fighting force. Let‘s analyze the context and impact of iconic Spartan war cries – and how they inspire gaming battle cries today.
Spartan Military Culture Prized Brevity and Bravado in Battle Commands
Sparta‘s intense martial philosophy concentrated on building physical toughness, skill at arms, and most crucially, an indomitable fighting spirit. This produced superhumanly resilient warriors who could march for days in full armor before shattering enemies with a furious spear thrust.
Spartan training also ingrained the virtues of brevity and intimidation when it came to military communications. Their battle orders, responses, and war cries were kept boldly laconic – the better to shock enemies and motivate allies in the heat of combat.
So when the Spartan advance crashed into an enemy line after days of swift march, their battle cries would echo across bloody shields and spears as the gods themselves called for violence.
Curt Commands Like "If" and "Molon Labe" Inspire Gamers Today
Just as Spartan briefing cutscenes set an intense, defiant mood before gameplay carnage, so too did their war cries pierce the din of battle to signal a merciless advance. Terse phrases like:
- "If" – The response warning the Spartans could decimate Sparta
- "Molon Labe" – "Come and take them", daring enemies to try seizing their weapons
- "With it or on it" – Come back victorious or dead upon your shield
These simple, striking battle cries motivate players today in pre-match psyches and highlight cutscenes. Like the Spartans, we need that curt spike of motivation right as the sweat breaks and combat commences!
War Cries in Spartan Initiation Rites Hardened Scrawny Youths into Ferocious Warriors
Every badass Spartan killing machine began life as a scrawny 7-year old inducted into the "agoge" training regimen. This harsh system systematically hardened Spartan youth into elite warriros through decades of pain and privation.
One brutal agoge ritual saw adolescent trainees ambush and murder randomly selected helots (slaves) at night – all while avoiding detection. Here, performing the forbidden act itself took incredible courage – but so too did stifling any outcry afterwards to avoid compromising the secrecy of the mission.
This early conditioning helped ingrain that distinct Spartan fighting spirit – the capacity to stay coolly collected and brief even when enduring incredible duress. The same staunch restraint translated onto the battlefield through bold Laconic war cries rallying allies to advance through storms of spears.
So fearsome was their cultivated talent for violence that their brief, blatant war cries alone sometimes shattered enemy morale…
Take Inspiration from War Cries in Spartan Mythology!
The very gods themselves recognized Sparta as a forge for history‘s most relentless fighting force. Legend tells that Spartan King Cleomenes heroically led a small force to thwart a massive invading army near the River Eurymedon.
As the Spartans advanced, an unknown figure appeared bearing the visage of Orpheus – the prophet-bard of Greek myth. This specter followed the Spartans toward the enemy host, chanting again and again:
"Go forward with courage, Lacedaemonians: the sons of Zeus are with you!"
Thus mythologized before battle even commenced, the Spartans marched on and won crushing victory against impossible odds. Talk about an epic psyche from spectral NPC support!
What better encouragement to yell at squadmates than divine prophecies of victory? I‘ll take Orpheus over some random drill instructor dude called Sarge any day.
Movies Punch Up Spartan War Cries – But They Still Captured That Defiant Mood
Of course cinematic interpretations cranked Spartan battle cries to the next level. In Frank Miller‘s 300 graphic novel and the later screen adaptation, Leonidas famously bellows "THIS – IS – SPARTA!" as he boots the Persian messenger down a hole.
But did the real Leonidas actually yell that? Probably not – it‘s punched up drama to match the visual badassery. However, while the dialogue is fictionalized, the bold mood captured in that scene still resonates with the Spartans‘ masculine, defiant culture.
Remember – real Spartan war cries would have been honed to shock enemies and electrify allies in the seconds between march and melee. So while the scripting differs, movies actually get their combative intensity right!
Channel Leonidas and "Unleash Hell" Across Multiplayer Maps
I‘m getting amped just envisioning King Leonidas himself barking final orders before the 300 stormed the Hot Gates pass. Now we can emulate that energy by unleashing our own war cries, whether it‘s:
- A clan tag [300] signifying teamwork
- A pre-match voice chat psyche huddle
- Battlefield V style motivational voiceover lines
- A defiant text/voice chat roar when last man standing
The skins you choose also help – warriors in Centurion armor or hoplite helmets already look game to bellow out motivational battle cries!
So there truly is a proud tradition of badass Spartan war cries we can tap into for our own gaming psych ups. King Leonidas may be long gone – but his audacity and defiance charge multiplayer arenas worldwide today.
Sparta‘s Legacy? Courage and Carnage Crystallized in Battle
While Sparta itself faded centuries ago, their warrior code and reputation for skill at violence still captivate popular imagination today. Modern gaming battle cries continue that legacy – short, striking phrases steeling courage before imminent combat behind shields or controllers.
Because for all their bitter hardship, what the ancient Spartans cultivated beyond peer was this: a stoic capacity to withstand untold pain and loss, only to advance and wreak havoc within the enemy ranks.
That courage crystallized in battle, bound to terse cries demanding violence. THIS – IS – SPARTA!
