"Be afraid of the Danai, gifts bringing": the history of appearance and the meaning of the winged expression

Often while watching a movie or news, you can hear the famous expression: "Be afraid of the Danai, gifts of the bringers." The meaning, however, of this phrase is not completely clear. Who are the Danais and why should they be so afraid of their gifts? The fact is that the expression has not been one thousand years, and therefore modern man and misunderstood the meaning. However, to understand the meaning of the phrase, it is enough to recall the ancient legends.

The myth of Troy and the very gift of the Danais

Modern man about the existence of the once majestic Troy, the Danaians and their "gift" became known from Homer's poem "Illyada." However, the expression "Be afraid of the Danaites, the gifts that bring" can still be found in the work of another Greek poet - Virgil. Both of them retell the same myth about the siege and capture of the city of Troy. The legend is so instructive that the phrase from it simply could not help becoming a winged one.

So what happened in Ancient Greece, what to this day about this event remember? In the 13th century BC, between the Danians (ancient Greeks, leading their race from the mythical king of Danaya) and the Tevkrami (the inhabitants of Troy and the Hittite kingdom), war broke out. All the blame for the love of young Paris to the beautiful Elena, which he stole from the king of the Danai Menelaus. Tom had no choice but to go to war with Troy. According to the myth, the siege of the ancient city lasted more than one year, but the inhabitants staunchly held the defense. Everything changed when the Danes decided to go for the trick.

So, one morning the Trojans saw that the Danais were not there. They also noticed the horse he had left behind as a gift besieging the beautiful statue. They decided that the enemy acknowledged defeat and admired the courage and stamina of the unconquered Troy. The statue was so big that it was necessary to open the gates and dismantle part of the fortress wall in order to bring it into the city. No one suspected anything except the priest of Lacoon. He, according to the myth, said as a warning: "Be afraid of the Danai, gifts of those who bring." Nobody listened to him, and at night, the Danians hiding inside the horse opened the gates to their fellow tribesmen. Thus fell majestic Troy.

And what does all this mean?

Since then, not one thousand years have passed, but at different times it was possible to hear these words. And not only in personal correspondence and fiction, but also in entertainment films. So, in the popular Hollywood action movie "Rock" hero Sean Connery says this very phrase in response to the proposal of the FSB. What did he mean by that? The same as others when they say: "Be afraid of the Danai, gifts of those who bring them." The meaning of this phrase for modern man is as follows. Today such gifts are a synonym for treachery, perfidy and deceit. Most often the expression is used when they want to protect themselves from false gifts, which bear only misfortunes and misfortunes to the new owner. Quite often the phrase is not uttered completely, speaking only about the gifts themselves or the Danavas, because it is clear what was meant.

History does not teach anything

Although the myth of the capture of Troy was told by Virgil and Homer in edification of the descendants, a similar story was repeated time after time. Moreover, the "Trojan horse" was given many times to even the most senior officials. So, to organize listening to the American Embassy, one of his employees was presented with a magnificent wooden eagle. With his help, the KGB for six years without hindrance received information, so to speak, first-hand, while accidentally during the harvest did not find a bug inside it. And it was in the middle of the 20th century.

And this is by no means the only case when gifts were presented to the insidious gifts of the Danais. How many times unwanted members of royal families received poisoned clothes and food, which killed them slowly and imperceptibly. With the advent of reconnaissance and counterintelligence, the expression "Be afraid of the Danaites, gifts bringing" became even more urgent. All friendly gifts were checked very carefully, but this, as history showed, did not always save.

And here are the computers?

But to whom the Trojan horse is not only familiar by legend, it is active users of computers. And the fact is that often users are encouraged to download to their hard drive an interesting file (most often a video or game), and with it a virus program is also downloaded. Is it really like a gift from the Danai people? As a result, an attacker gets access to information of interest to him or uses a program to send spam. The owner himself can not suspect anything.

Of course, you can follow the advice: "Be afraid of the Danaites, gifts bringing" - and do not upload unchecked information to your computer. However, this is not always possible. It is much easier and more convenient to install a special anti-virus program, so that no "Trojan horse" does not penetrate. A good antivirus not only rejects suspicious files, but also cures the already infected.

Instead of concluding

Sometimes a torn phrase from the context takes on a completely different meaning, especially over time. And the expression "Fear the Danaites, the gifts that bring" (Latin: Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes) still reminds people of the treacherousness of people.