Update 14 June 2006: See Comment #1 below for a better assessment of the true meaning of the phrase timeo danaos et dona ferentes.

I seem to get a lot of Google hits for this. Probably student assignments on Homer's Iliad or Virgil's Aeneid. Source was a terrible pun here by me, "Beware of Geeks bearing gifts" (geddit?).

Anyhoo, if you want to know why I find this interesting, it is because Latin is such a wonderfully concise language and can convey more meaning in a few words than any other language, living or dead.

So, while "timeo danaos et dona ferentes" is usually (and lazily) translated as "beware of Greeks bearing gifts", this does not really do justice to the original meaning which is given as in the first person as an expressed opinion, and not in the second person as an imperative.

It might be more accurate though less pithy to say, "I don't trust Greeks, even if they are bringing gifts", though that is not a true translation either.

Literally the translation might be, "I fear Greeks and they are bearing gifts", but that makes no sense in English. See what I mean about the conciseness of Latin?

A better write up than this may be found here.

Footnote: Of course this is also where we get the concept of Trojan Horse; though it was in fact a Greek horse (specifically the aforementioned gift). The King of Troy looked out, saw a wooden horse (apparently a gift from a defeated enemy) and ordered it brought inside the city gates, never suspecting that it contained a hostile army...

Now, what was I saying about credulity? Clearly some things never change.

1. Kenneth A. Klein14/06/2006 06:03:42

The "literal" translation makes no sense because the word "et" does not, in this instance, mean "and" (even though "et" does mean "and" in Latin). In this quote "et" is short for "etiam," which is a strengthening word which can be translated as "even though." So the quote means, "I fear the Greeks, even though (or "even when") (they are) bearing gifts." The paradigmatic phrase in Latin is "non solum... sed etiam...", meaning "not only... but also..."

2. Chris Linfoot14/06/2006 07:34:50

I stand corrected. Thanks and I'll now drop the pretence that I know anything of the classics and return to regular geek programming.

3. JFC05/07/2007 21:50:06

This translation is from my father [b. 1897], who studied Latin and Greek:
"timeo Danaos et dona ferentes": "I fear Greeks (from the start) and bearing gifts? Oi."

4. dorothy14/07/2007 19:49:39

why is 'danaos' being translated to 'greeks'? Are there other sources before Homer, which justifies such a step?

5. Chris Linfoot14/07/2007 20:39:48

That is an excellent question, though it is one that might more profitably be directed at a latin scholar than at me. I have no idea.

6. Ian Clarke15/07/2007 15:59:48

Poem popular in school days.

latin is a language
as dead as dead can be
it killed the ancient romans
and now its killing me

7. P Koeppel05/10/2007 14:25:15

The "et" in "timeo danaos et dona ferentes" is poet's license shorthand for "etiam" - for once, it's actually not the Latin word "et" which is "and" in English. Hence a common English translation of the second half of the above sentence as "... even though they bear gifts".

The translation of "Danai" as "Greek" is a bit more complex; the Danai are one of several Hellenic groups; originally, the term applied only to them. As so often, an initially narrow and precise ethnic term can become applied in a broader brush-stroke over time. By the time Virgilius wrote the Aeneid, the term Danai was likely applied as a catch-all phrase to all of the Hellenic groups. This is similar to inside the US, we know that a Yankee is from a certain part of the country; yet, outside the US, "Yankee" is often used as a catch-all for all US citizens.

8. Chris Linfoot05/10/2007 14:49:10

Thanks P Koeppel - please read comment #1 above. You will see my crummy schoolboy latin was corrected for me already a long time ago

9. Jack Deighton17/08/2008 16:25:35
Homepage: http://jackdeighton.co.uk

I was taught that it was, "I fear the Greeks especially when they bring gifts."
This brings a sense of foreboding to the sentiment that was fulfilled when the Greeks succeeded in their ruse.
And, yes, (better write up above) it has always annoyed me that it's called the Trojan Horse when it was a Greek Horse.

10. Kate Shannon14/01/2009 00:43:48
Homepage: http://ShannonEdits.homesead.com/

A bit of serendipity. I dropped in here by accident and found I enjoy these comments and the subtleties you folks are discussing in linguistics. Since I only had Latin in high school (and I am told "church" Latin is not classic Latin... !?!)... when I was reading a short story by Jeffery Archer called "Timeo Danaos..." I didnt have the foggiest what it meant. Since the literal translation I glean from your discussion seems to be "I fear the Greeks [....] bringing gifts..." it seems to me that either "et" or "etiem" works nicely, inviting innuendo both ways. I delight in plays on words which work skillfully in a variety of contexts. This is a rewarding column!

11. Geoffrey Turner29/01/2009 15:44:08

It is an awfully long time ago but I recall that my Latin master, who was probably old enough to have spoken Latin, translated it as "I fear the Greeks and those bearing gifts".

12. Dennis Jensen04/06/2009 04:21:41
Homepage: http://www.dennisjensen.us

Point one: Although I don't know the details of the meter, Virgil's lines are constrained by the effort to set them in a particular metrical pattern of accented, unaccented syllables and long and short vowels. Thus it is easy to accept the idea that "et" was used for "etiam."

Point two: This particular line is actually a spoken line and therefore can be - must be -- read with the phrasing and emphasis usually given to human speech. Picture it: Laoco-on says to the Trojan leaders standing around evaluating the meaning of the horse: "Trojans! Don't put your faith in this horse! Whatever it is, I FEAR the Greeks,AAANNNDD GIFTS YET!" The reader knows that the Greek soldiers inside the horse can hear Laoco-on speaking. The reader can imagine their stifled gasps as they realize they are a breath away from discovery and death.

The doves win out because they are convinced that the god (Minerva) is on their side. NNNOOOT! They decide to bring the horse inside the gates... AND put wheels on it! Hell on wheels! They lose!

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