Leonidas Goes North : Swedish Appropriations of Sparta and the Battle of Thermopylae and their Wider European Context

• Sparta and the Battle of Thermopylae 480 BCE have been a reoccurring theme in Swedish and Finno-Swedish literature from the 1930s onwards. Many have been fascinated by the collectivism and militarism of classical Sparta. The reception is often articulating notions such as defending western civilisation and freedom. In this paper we will focus on a tenet articulated in the works of Emil Zilliacus, Hjalmar Gullberg and Willy Kyrklund, which addresses the common analogy between Spartan defence against the Persian invasion, and Finland’s defence against the Soviet Union, involving collaboration with the Germans. In addition, we will also elaborate a poster advertising ‘This is Sparta!’ by a political party in the Swedish elections in September 2018.This contribution addresses negotiations of Spartan themes in Swedish contexts. Sparta is used to articulate both affirmative and critical sentiments revolving around notions of vulnerability, masculinity and the nation. Moreover, it relates Swedish Spartan receptions to international examples such the appropriations of Thermopylae by European authoritarian regimes in the 1930s and 1940s, and recently by far-right ideologies. Against the historical background discussed

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Annan humaniora -- Antikvetenskap (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Other Humanities -- Classical Archaeology and Ancient History (hsv//eng)

HUMANIORA  -- Språk och litteratur -- Litteraturvetenskap (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Languages and Literature -- General Literary Studies (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Critical classical reception

Sweden

Sparta

Thermopylae

Far-right

Literature

Nationalism

Xenophobia

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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