The Battle of Thermopylae - a Spartan Death Wish - 480 Bc

THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE - A SPARTAN DEATH WISH - 480 BC 300 Spartans or hoplites , the truly heroic The loyal and totally patriotic, Were ordered to fight to the death, And To their very last breathe! King Leonidas had to stop the Persian Army and King Xerxes from capitulating Athens, but these 300 strong Were hopelessly outmatched, so wrong. In addition, a traitor was lurking around, Ephialtes knew he could find common ground With Persia’s King Xerxes, Ephialtes wanted money King Xerxes a conclusive win, a thought that wasn’t sunny! Ephialtes, a Judas, told the Persians about the pass To go around the mountain and surprise The Greeks from the back. Ephalites led them for he had the knack! King Xerxes sent his 10000 “immortals” on this mission, Xerxes himself put this mission into commission! Puzzling however, is that King Leonidas knew, The Persians were coming, yet ordered the hoplites to stay, And the supporting army to go away, Was this a deliberate act of self sacrifice, for an oracle Appeared, which confirmed that should King Leonidas die, And his honest, loyal soul soar to the sky, Sparta would not be destroyed, and another interpretation Was that King Leonidas wanted to give them time to escape, Which they did. The 300 Spartans left fought Bravely until each one dropped and they became naught! And what happened to our notorious, Traitor, Ephialtes – in Greek his name Means nightmare, Welcome nowhere, surely that’s fair! The Battle of Thermopylae, the bravery of King Leonidas Together with his 300, brave, strong and determined Hoplites have contributed to a beautiful and rich history, But the mystery Remains, why did they choose to stay and die, instead of Getting up to leave, Abandoning families that would surely grieve. The battle of Thermopylae took place in August 480 BC, A great historical era, to which only the Spartans had the key!