Latin Phrases and the Vanguard of Shadow

[WarderDragon]

Latin Phrases and the Vanguard of Shadow

In 2008 the Legion of the Shadowlords began to invade the Townships of Britannia and the Lost Lands. Their Daemonic Legionnaires wielded Obsidian Blades and rode into battle atop Dread War Horses.

During that event the riders would spout phrases in Latin.

What were these phrases? I seem to remember there being speculation as to their religious and occultic references.

 

[Trebr Drab]

I don't recall any phrases at all. Were these the events where Dread Warhorses were tamed?

 

[MedeaDF]

The guys were called "Vanguard Controllers".
I wrote down the phrases (from my screenshots I took back then) some time ago in our german language UO Wiki... enjoy!

 

[Basara]

From Medea's page, I got the phrases, and went searching for translations.

Translation pages were totally useless. On the other hand, pages of famous quotations helped a lot.

Aut viam inveniam: (appears to be a misspelling, missing the last word).
"aut viam inveniam aut faciam" (Attributed to Hannibal): "I will either find a way, or make one."


Bellum...
"War..."

(I'm surprised that none of the jokers at Mythic included "Bellum numquam mutatis" - maybe they thought Bethesda would get upset...)

Bellum letale
"Lethal War" or "Deadly War"

Bellum omnium in omnes "The War of All upon All"
a variation of "Bellum omnium contra omnes" "The war of All against all", by Thomas Hobbes.



Dulce bellum
"Sweet War"
(a famous quote is "Dulce Bellum inexpertis" - "War is sweet to those who haven't experienced it". The Roman military writer Vegetius was apparently the original source, but it's been quoted by everyone from Erasmus to Lawrence of Arabia)

Legum servi sumus
"We are slaves of the Law"
(half of "legum Servi Sumus Ut Liberi Esse Possimus", "We are slaves of the laws in order that we may be free" (Cicero))

Libertatem est vendere
"Sell your Freedom"
(half of "To accept a favor is to sell one's freedom." "Beneficium accipere, libertatem est vendere." Syrus (Publilius Syrus))


Magnus acervus erit
(half of "Adde parvum parvo magnus acervus erit."
"Add a little to a little and there will be a great heap.")

Parturient montes
"Mountains will be in labour"
(actually, part of a nonsense latin phrase "Parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus" "Mountains will be in labor, and a absurd mouse will be born". It's an ancient Roman way of saying "All that work, and nothing to show for it."

Who knows what was really meant by this, though it might be meant as a reference to the birth of the Abyss entrance (that got delayed several years). Then again, given the downtime caused by the failure of KR, the last phrase is VERY appropriate.

 

[Trebr Drab]

Nicely done, Basara.

This stuck out:

Parturient montes
"Mountains will be in labour"
(actually, part of a nonsense latin phrase "Parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus" "Mountains will be in labor, and a absurd mouse will be born". It's an ancient Roman way of saying "All that work, and nothing to show for it."

Who knows what was really meant by this, though it might be meant as a reference to the birth of the Abyss entrance (that got delayed several years). Then again, given the downtime caused by the failure of KR, the last phrase is VERY appropriate.

Sherry the Mouse?
And "Mountains will be in labor"...All of the Anti-Virtue Dungeons are located in mountains. Well, except Doom, which isn't on the Britannia Facet, but the Abyss is and that's entered through a mountain.