Epitaphs, memorial phrases

[korakinos]

Dear colleagues,

I am looking for typical phrases which are said when commemorating a dead person, like epitaphs. Are there any known greek phrases? I don’t know where to search, but maybe you know some literature hints or are sufficiently fluent in ancient greek to come up with your own suggestions. I would be also interested to have translations of the latin “in memoriam” or “requiescat in pace” into greek. But just state everything which comes to your mind!

Thanks in advance!

[Markos]

ὦ χαῖρε, φίλε Κορακῖνε.

@korakinos

But just state everything which comes to your mind!

ὃν ὁ Θεὸς φιλεῖ νέος ἀποθνῄσκει.

νῦν δὲ τοῖς αἰῶσι.

ὑπῆρξα. οὐχ ὑπάρχω. τούτου οὐ μέλει μοι.

ἄνθος κλυτόν.

τὰ λοιπὰ σιγή ἐστιν.

ἐκδημῆσαι ἐκ τοῦ σώματος καὶ ἐνδημῆσαι πρὸς τὸν Κύριον.

σὺν Χριστῷ πολλῷ κρεῖσσον.



ἴθι πολλὰ χαίρων, φίλτατε.

[korakinos]

Xαῖρε, ὦ Mάρκε!

Thanks for the suggestions! Unfortunately, I’m not quite sure what some of your phrases mean, concretely

νῦν δὲ τοῖς αἰῶσι.

ὑπῆρξα. οὐκ ὑπάρχω. τούτου οὐ μέλει μοι.

ἄνθος κλυτόν.

τὰ λοιπὰ σιγή ἐστιν.

Could you please provide an explanation for these phrases? Are they “standards” or from literature?

Thanks again,
Κορακῖνος

[jeidsath]

Here is a bibliography with some resources: http://www.saxa-loquuntur.nl/searching-and-finding/subject-bibliographies/funerary-inscriptions-greek.html

Maybe also check out the Greek Anthology.

[Markos]

@korakinos

Xαῖρε, ὦ Mάρκε!

Could you please provide an explanation for these phrases?

Thanks again,
Κορακῖνος

νῦν δὲ τοῖς αἰῶσι.

Stanton on the death of Lincoln: “Now he belongs to the ages.”

ὑπῆρξα. οὐχ ὑπάρχω. τούτου οὐ μέλει μοι.

@yahoo answers

Non fui, fui, non sum, non curo.

I was not, I was, I am not, I don’t care.

A famous epitaph, used so frequently in the ancient Roman Empire that you often find it on tombstones in an abbreviated form - NFFNSNC, or NF F NS NC.

ἄνθος κλυτόν.

Ephesian Tale 3:2: Ἱππόθοος κλεινῶι τεῦξεν τόδε <σῆμ᾽> Ὑπεράνθηι,
οὐ τάφον ἐκ θανάτου ἀγαθὸν ἱεροῖο πολίτου
ἐς βάθος ἐκ γαίης, ἄνθος κλυτόν, ὅν ποτε δαίμων
ἥρπασεν ἐν πελάγει μεγάλου πνεύσαντος ἀήτου.

τὰ λοιπὰ σιγή ἐστιν.

Hamlet’s last words: “the rest is silence.”

[Paul_Derouda]

This isn’t exactly what you’re looking for… But if you were standing on the grave of your worst enemy, you might quote the Odyssey (1.47):
ὡς ἀπόλοιτο καὶ ἄλλος, ὅτις τοιαῦτά γε ῥέζοι
“Let anyone who did what he did die like that.”
This is what Scipio Aemilianus said, according to legend, when Tiberius Gracchus was murdered.

[korakinos]

@Markos

ἄνθος κλυτόν.

Ephesian Tale 3:2: Ἱππόθοος κλεινῶι τεῦξεν τόδε <σῆμ᾽> Ὑπεράνθηι,
οὐ τάφον ἐκ θανάτου ἀγαθὸν ἱεροῖο πολίτου
ἐς βάθος ἐκ γαίης, ἄνθος κλυτόν, ὅν ποτε δαίμων
ἥρπασεν ἐν πελάγει μεγάλου πνεύσαντος ἀήτου.

I wasn’t sure about the meaning of this one in particular. Thanks for the context.

@Markos

τὰ λοιπὰ σιγή ἐστιν.
Hamlet’s last words: “the rest is silence.”

Ha, it reminded me of Hamlet, but I didn’t know that it indeed is a quote! Thank you so much for your explanations.

@Paul Derouda

ὡς ἀπόλοιτο καὶ ἄλλος, ὅτις τοιαῦτά γε ῥέζοι
“Let anyone who did what he did die like that.”
This is what Scipio Aemilianus said, according to legend, when Tiberius Gracchus was murdered.

It’s not what I had in mind, but I like this one anyway, thanks!

@jeidsath

Here is a bibliography with some resources: http://www.saxa-loquuntur.nl/searching-and-finding/subject-bibliographies/funerary-inscriptions-greek.html

Thank you for the link!

Please keep on posting whatever you find… Maybe we can collect some phrases in this thread?

Κορακῖνος