Greek Language Blog

The Olympic flame (Ολυμπιακή φλόγα) is one of the most famous Olympic symbols (σύμβολο), commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus (Δίας) by Prometheus (Προμηθέας). Its roots lie in Ancient Greece where a flame was kept throughout the Olympic Games.  Heralds (κήρυκες) were sending messengers (αγγελιοφόρους), wearing olive crowns, to announce the games and to declare peace across the nations and all competitors throughout the competition.  The fire was reintroduced at the1928 Olympics.

The idea for the modern torch relay (λαμπαδηδρομία) tradition is not as old as you may think.  It was introduced in 1936 Olympic Games when the flame carried by runners using a torch from Greece to Germany. The lit of the Olympic flame (αφή της ολυμπιακής φλόγας) takes part in the area of the sanctuary of Olympia, on the altars of Zeus and Hera (Ήρα), situated in front of their temples.

The fire is obtained from the sun’s rays with the use of a parabolic mirror during a traditional ceremony where the high priestess (πρωθιέρια) asks from the god of the sun Appollon (Απόλλωνας) to light up the fire. The flame represents piece, friendship and unity.

At the end of the ceremony the flame is passed to first torch speeder, while the first flame is kept in a special place for the next four years until the next Olympic Games. Over the last seventy years thousands of people have had the honor to carry the flame which has been transported in many different ways. It has travelled by car, bicycle, boat, plane, ski, wheel chairs, camels, horses and even underwater.

Finally, the last torch speeder brings the flame to the host city of the Olympic Games at an opening ceremony which marks the official start of the Olympic games.

It is considered a great honor to be the first or the last torch speeder.

ps: Sorry for the video but I couldn’t find a proper one in English

Most of you know that the very first digital computer was developed between 1940 and 1945. Yes this is true, but what about the first computing machine we know today?

This is about the Antikythera mechanism (Μηχανισμός των Αντικυθήρων) which has been dated to the early 1st century BCE. This mechanism was discovered in 1900 by sponge divers (σφουγγαράδες) in a ship wreck (ναυάγιο) in the island of Antikythera. It took decades for the scientists (επιστήμονες) to understand its significance and its complexity. The mechanism (μηχανισμός) is the oldest known scientific calculator which is valued as the first analog computer.

The device is consisted of 3 main dials (one at the front and two at the back) and 32 gears which rotate about 10 axes. Its complexity and miniaturization is competitive to clocks made as late as in the 19^th Century. This advanced device was able to calculate for a given date the position of the sun, the moon, the location of the planets and other astronomical information like eclipse prediction.

In 1951 theBritish science historian Derek J. de Solla Price started to study systematically (συστηματικά) the mechanism. He published (δημοσίευσε) several papers on his investigation with the most important in 1974 named “Gears from the Greeks: the Antikythera mechanism — a calendar (ημερολόγιο) computer from ca. 80 BCE” where he presented a model on how the mechanism could have functioned.

The first model of the Antikythera Mechanism was built in the 1930s by Ioannis Theofanides. After that time several models have been built based on new data. A Research team lead by professors John H. Seiradakis and Kyriakos Efstathiou is developing the most recent model of the Mechanism at the University of Thessaloniki which is based on the new results and the latest gearing diagram from the Antikythera Mechanism Research Project.

Professor Michael Edmunds of Cardiff University has said: “This device is just extraordinary, the only thing of its kind. The design is beautiful, the astronomy is exactly right. The way the mechanics are designed just makes your jaw drop. Whoever has done this has done it extremely carefully … in terms of historic and scarcity value, I have to regard this mechanism as being more valuable than the Mona Lisa”.

Today I will show to you some of our proverbs. There are way too many and I had a hard time to choose some. Some of them you already have in your language, maybe little different. So, here we are…

• Άλλαξε ο Μανωλίος κι έβαλε τα ρούχα του αλλιώς.

Manolios(a name) changed. He turned his clothes inside-out.

Meaning that a person never changes character.

• Αμα δεν έχεις νύχια να ξυστείς μην περιμένεις να σε ξύσουν.

If you don’t have nails to scratch yourself, don’t wait from others to do it.

Meaning, you should not base to other people.

• Μάτια που δεν βλέπονται, γρήγορα λησμονιούνται.

Eyes not occasionally seen, are quickly forgotten.

• Ο έρως χρόνια δεν κοιτά.

  Love doesn’t consider the age.

• Αγάπη δίχως πείσματα δεν έχει νοστιμάδα.

 Love without tantrums is tasteless

• Από πίτα που δεν τρως, τι σε νοιάζει κι αν καεί.

From a pie that you don’t eat why you care if it is burned?

• Πέσε πίτα να σε φάω.

Pie come down to eat you.

To indicate laziness.

• Δουλειά δεν είχε ο διάολος γαμούσε τα παιδιά του.

Devil had nothing to do and he was f@#@ his children.

When you are so bored and you do meaningless things in order to fill your time.

• Όποιος νύχτα περπατεί, λάσπες και σκατά πατεί.

He, who walks out at night, steps on mag and shit.

• Όπως έστρωσες, έτσι θα κοιμηθείς.

The way you made your bed, you will sleep.

Meaning that you will face the consequences of your actions.

• Δεν υπάρχει καπνός χωρίς φωτιά.

There is no smoke without a fire.

• Ο ψεύτης και ο κλέφτης τον πρώτο χρόνο χαίρονται.

The liar and the thief, enjoy only the first year

Soon or later they will be caught

• Από μικρό κι από τρελό μαθαίνεις την αλήθεια.

From a child or a crazy you can find out the truth.

• Στου κουφού την πόρτα, όσο θέλεις βρόντα.

You can knock as long as you want the door of the deaf

• Το ‘να χέρι νίβει τ’άλλο και τα δυο το πρόσωπο.

The one hand rub the other and both the face.

To indicate the team work

• Εδώ ο κόσμος χάνεται και το μουνί χτενίζεται.

The world is burning and the p@@sy is combing.

When somebody has no sense of  the reality

• Θα φάει η μύγα σίδερο και το κουνούπι ατσάλι.

Fly will eat iron and mosquito steel.

To indicate anger.

• Το σιγανό ποτάμι να φοβάσαι

Be afraid of the peaceful river.

If somebody looks innocent, that doesn’t mean that he really is.

• Τα ράσα δεν κάνουν τον παπά.

The clothing of the priest don’t make him a priest.

• Μάθε τέχνη κι άσ’ τηνε κι άμα πεινάσεις πιάσ’ τηνε

Learn a job and leave it ; when you are hungry start it again.

Meaning to take care of your future. You don’t know what will come.

• Ο λόγος σου με χόρτασε και τα ψωμί μου φά’ το.

Your words have made me full; you can eat my bread.

When somebody doesn’t do what he has says.

• Η σιωπή είναι χρυσός.

Silence is gold.

• Όποιος δεν έχει μυαλό, έχει πόδια.

He, who don’t have brain, has legs.

This refers usually to people who forget something and have to make the double effort.

• Αν δεν βρέξεις κώλο, ψάρια δεν τρως.

If you don’t make your butt  wet, you will eat no fish.

Refers to the efforts that somebody has to do in order to achieve something.

• Αν ήταν το βιολί ψωλή, θα το παίζανε πολλοί.

If a violin was a penis, everybody would play with it.

This is when something looks very easy to you but is actually not.