When the boy was born
like old Spartans
he was inspected.
If he had been small
or puny or sickly or misshapen
he would've been discarded.
From the time he could stand, he was
baptized in the fire of combat.
Taught never to retreat,
never to surrender,
taught that death on the battlefield
in service to Sparta
is the greatest glory he could
achieve in his life.
At age seven, as
is customary in Sparta,
the boy was taken from his mother
and plunged in a world of violence.
Manufactured by 300 years,
a Spartan warrior society
to create the finest soldiers
the world has ever known.
The agoge is its goal.
It forces the boy to fight,
starves him.
It forces him to steal (steer).
And, if necessary,
to kill.
By rod and lash,
the boy was punished.
Taught to show no pain,
no mercy.
Hunts to be tested,
tossed into the wild.
Let to pit his wits and will
against nature's fury.
It was his initiation.
His time in the wild.
For he would return
to his people as Spartan
or not at all.
The wolf begins
to circle the boy.
Claws of black steel
burned this dark night.
Eyes glowing red,
jewels from the pit of hell itself.
savoring the scent
of the meal to come.
It's not fear that grips him,
only a heightened
sense of things.
The cold air in his lungs.
Winds swept pines,
moving against the coming night.
His hands are steady.
His form... perfect.
And so the boy, given up for dead,
returns to his people.
To sacred Sparta, a king.
Our king !
Leonidas !!
It's been more than 30 years
since the wolf and the winter cold.
Now, as then, a beast approaches.
Patient and confident,
savoring the meal to come.
This beast is made of men
and horses, swords and spears.
An army of slaves,
vast beyond imagining,
ready to devour tiny Greece.
Ready to snuff out the world's
one hope for reason and justice.
A beast approaches.
It was King Leonidas himself
who provoked it.
Subtitled by Mihai
300 - Heroes of Thermopylae
My father taught me
that fear is always a constant.
By accepting it,
it makes you stronger.
My queen.
The Persian emissary
awaits Leonidas.
In the end, the Spartan's true strength
is the warrior next to him.
So give respect and honor to him.
It will be returned to you.
First, you fight with your head.
Then you fight with your heart.
What is it ?
It's the Persian messenger.
He awaits you.
Do not forget today's lesson.
- Respect and honour.
- Respect and honour.
Councilman Theron,
you found yourself needed for once.
My king and queen,
I was just entertaining your guests.
I'm sure.
Before you speak, Persian,
know that in Sparta
everyone, even a King's messenger,
is held accountable
for the words of his voice.
Now, what message
do you bring ?
Earth and water.
You rode all the way from Persia
for earth and water ?
Do not be coy or stupid, Persian.
You can afford neither in Sparta.
What makes this woman think
she can speak amongst men ?
Because only Spartan women
give birth to real men.
Let us walk
to cool our tongues.
If you value your lives
over your complete annihilation,
listen carefully, Leonidas.
Xerxes conquers and controls everything
he rests his eyes upon.
He leads an army so massive
it shakes the ground with its march.
So vast it drinks
the rivers dry.
All the God-King Xerxes
requires is this.
A simple offering of earth
and water.
A token of Sparta's submission
to the will of Xerxes.
Submission ?
Well, that's a bit of a problem.
See, rumor has it the Athenians
have already turned you down.
And if those philosophers and boy-lovers
have found that kind of nerve....
We must be diplomatic.
And of course, Spartans...
... have their reputation
to consider.
Choose your next words