Throw me to the wolves and I'll return leading the pack

sebbb

New Member

Hello everyone,

Could someone please help me to translate this phrase into latin?

"Throw me to the wolves and I'll return leading the pack"

Thank you in advance.
 

Pacifica

grammaticissima

  • Aedilis

Location:
Belgium
Hi,

Depending on what kind of translation you're after, this one might be a bit tricky. "To throw someone to the wolves" is an English idiom that doesn't exist in Latin, so if you wished to have something an ancient Roman might have said to convey the same idea, things will get difficult. Now, it could also be that you're fine with the idea of just transposing the idiom fairly literally into Latin. If so you could say this, for instance:

Si me dederis ad lupos, dux eorum revertar = more or less literally, "If you throw me to the wolves, I will return as their leader."
 

Agrippa

Civis Illustris

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Western Europe
How about

Obice me modo periculis: superior revertar. (> Just expose me to risks: I will return superior.)
 
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sebbb

New Member

Thank you for your answers. Meanwhile I have found this translation somewhere online: "Conicite me ad lupos, gregem ducens redibo".
What do you think about it? Is it also correct?
What's the difference between those versions?
 
 

cinefactus

Censor

  • Censor

  • Patronus

Location:
litore aureo
sounds like you are returning with the sheep.

What is the collective noun for wolves? I couldn't find anything suitable in L&S.
 

scrabulista

Consul

  • Consul

Location:
Tennessee
sounds like you are returning with the sheep.

What is the collective noun for wolves? I couldn't find anything suitable in L&S.
Throughout Daniel 6 it's lacus leonum. Did dens have lakes?

Jeremiah has cubilia draconum and habitaculum draconum for "den of dragons."
 

NóttShade

Member

Hello everyone,

Could someone please help me to translate this phrase into latin?

"Throw me to the wolves and I'll return leading the pack"

Thank you in advance.
It's a nice saying. Very visual. Is it for a tattoo or a motto? Just curious. No worries if you'd rather not say.
 

sebbb

New Member

It's a nice saying. Very visual. Is it for a tattoo or a motto? Just curious. No worries if you'd rather not say.
A tattoo :) So I really want to be sure of the correct spelling before I do it:)

Thank you all for your participation. So which version should I choose?
 

Agrippa

Civis Illustris

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Western Europe
... found this translation somewhere online: "Conicite me ad lupos, gregem ducens redibo". ...
Grammatically correct, but I'd replace "Conicite" by "Exponite modo" (expono, exponere ~ to expose) and "gregem" by "turbam":

Exponite me modo ad lupos: turbam ducens redibo.

Or without modo (= just): Exponite me ad lupos: turbam ducens redibo.

PS. The Roman poet Silius Italicus writes "turba luporum" (7, 129).
 
D

Deleted member 13757

Guest

A tattoo :) So I really want to be sure of the correct spelling before I do it:)

Thank you all for your participation. So which version should I choose?

turba is good. or synonyms:

caterva [ae, f] (avium; canum); turba [ae, f] (ferarum; canum); agmen [inis, n];

in catervam luporum iactatus princeps ero
 

NóttShade

Member

A tattoo :) So I really want to be sure of the correct spelling before I do it:)

Thank you all for your participation. So which version should I choose?
Nice. I really like it, but I have no idea which Latin translation is best. I'm a beginner, so I've finished the equivalent of 101 Latin :) Good luck!
 

scrabulista

Consul

  • Consul

Location:
Tennessee
Si me dederis ad lupos, dux eorum revertar = more or less literally, "If you throw me to the wolves, I will return as their leader."
Obice me modo periculis: superior revertar. (> Just expose me to risks: I will return superior.)
Since "throw me to the wolves" is a metaphorical expression not used in Latin, this one attempts to translate the thought rather than
word for word.

Conicite me ad lupos, gregem ducens redibo
As Cinefactus says, grex (accusative gregem) is more likely to apply to sheep than wolves.
Exponite me modo ad lupos: turbam ducens redibo.
turba (accusative turbam) does have the advantage of actually having been applied to wolves in actual Latin literature.
in catervam luporum iactatus princeps ero
caterva
(accusative catervam) has been applied to birds and dogs in actual Latin literature.
 

Agrippa

Civis Illustris

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Western Europe
Excellent explanation, scrabulista! So sebbb will be able to make his own choice.
 

NóttShade

Member

A tattoo :) So I really want to be sure of the correct spelling before I do it:)

Thank you all for your participation. So which version should I choose?
I don't know what you ended up choosing, but I've got to say, the version with you being thrown to the wolves and returning with the sheep is pretty hilarious :) If it wasn't a permanent tattoo, that one would be my favorite. Even though I love your quote.
 

sebbb

New Member

So many versions, thank you all. Now I really have to think which one shall I chose.

Exponite me ad lupos, turbam ducens redibo. - I like that version but can we replace Exponite (to expose) by literal "throw me to the..." ? Im not thinking about translating the thought in general but rather the expression literally.

Thank you
 
B

Bitmap

Guest

So many versions, thank you all. Now I really have to think which one shall I chose.

Exponite me ad lupos, turbam ducens redibo. - I like that version but can we replace Exponite (to expose) by literal "throw me to the..." ? Im not thinking about translating the thought in general but rather the expression literally.

Thank you
You can use conicite, as in your suggestion above. conicite me ad lupos or inter lupos.
 
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