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Ille qui nos omnes servabit

05/13/09

10:54:12 pm, by Chris Jones

, 171 words, 27826 views

Categories: Modern Latin

Ille qui nos omnes servabit

That, TV fans, is the answer to the question posed throughout the second half of the season on ABC’s hit adventure/drama series Lost: “What lies in the shadow of the statue?". As noted in a previous post, this season revealed that the group of island dwellers known as the “Others” spoke Latin, and it appears the ageless Richard (Ricardus?) has been speaking the language for quite a long time.

Sorry if none of this makes any sense to you, but I expect the thousands of Lost fans who are googling the phrase are champing at the bit for a translation. Fine; Ille qui nos omnes servabit - “He who will protect us all.” Latin students will be careful not to confuse the verb servo, servare - “protect, keep” (it’s the root of English words like “conserve” and “preserve"), with the almost-homophone servio, servire - “to serve". The writers probably didn’t intend a double meaning in Richard’s answer, but given the amount of speculation this show fosters, I’ll leave it for others to decide.

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Comment from: Dan Selz [Visitor]

Thanks so much for the translation of Richard's answer. We LOST fans really appreciate it! Makes me wish I still remembered my Latin from high school!

Permalink 05/13/09 @ 23:15

Comment from: Bobus [Visitor]

Thank you for the clarification on servare / servire. My middle school latin had failed me on the translation of this phrase. Further thanks for correct use of 'champing' at the bit.

Permalink 05/13/09 @ 23:18

Comment from: YMC [Visitor]

Thanks for that. Is it an ancient Latin maxim?

Unfortunately Pakistan News has copied your text word for word and attached it onto their news site!

Permalink 05/14/09 @ 09:18

Comment from: Chris Jones [Member]

Not a Latin maxim that I'm aware of; I'm assuming the producers wrote it or had it written for the show.

Permalink 05/14/09 @ 15:47

Comment from: Elizabeth [Visitor]

This is what everyone is saying on all the Lost forums (or is it fora? ;), but I'm also thinking that perhaps there's a little more ambiguity here. Couldn't the phrase also be translated as "THAT which will save/protect/guard us all," referring to an object or place of the masculine gender? Of course both "templum" and "monstrum" are neuter, so those don't work. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but i wouldn't put it past the Lost writers to pull those kind of linguistic hijinks.

Also, one more thought: The Lostpedia entry for "Jughead" says that the Others speak vulgar Latin, but I can't find any source for this or identify any definite language characteristic that would peg their speech as late or common Latin (other of course than that it's being spoken). It seemed to me like the "omnes" in Richard's reply suggested Classical Latin (as opposed to the more vulgar "totos"). Can anyone help with this? Plus, Richard's pronunciation of the v in servabit retains the w of Classical Latin rather than the v/b of vulgar speech. Can anyone weigh in on this?

Permalink 05/15/09 @ 16:41

Comment from: Agustin [Visitor]

When someone finally says what in God's name lies in the shadow of the statue..the answer is in latin. Great. So I googled it and found this place.Thank you for the translation!

Permalink 05/16/09 @ 20:03

Comment from: Andre [Visitor]

Hello Chris,

Could "Ille qui nos omnes servabit" also mean "He who will liberate us all"?

Permalink 05/16/09 @ 20:19

Comment from: Chris Jones [Member]

Servo, -are is pretty much limited to words indicating active protection: "save, preserve, keep". Abstractions include things like "reserve" (i.e. protect for future use), "watch" (observation is common when protecting something), and "remain" (standing guard). I've never seen it used as "liberate".

Permalink 05/16/09 @ 21:37

Comment from: Chris Jones [Member]

It's possible that ille is more ambiguous than "he". However, when referring to an unnamed, inanimate object, illud is commonly used even if (later) the object is found to have a masc./fem. noun. But this isn't a hard-and-fast rule.

I think Lostpedia is incorrect to say the Others' speak "Vulgar Latin"; I thought their pronunciation and use of language adhered for the most part to classical standards (in the earlier episode, Juliet did miss using the subjunctive in her indirect question Cognoscitis qui sumus, but I'll chalk that up to her arriving on the island only three years before the 815 crash, so she's only had at most three years of Latin:-). The actor playing Richard provided an excellent classical pronunciation.

Permalink 05/16/09 @ 22:08

Comment from: Miguel [Visitor]

Hi!
I see you see a double meaning between those two verbs, but it has to be the verb servo -are; the 3rd person of its imperfect future is 'servabit'. However, the future of servio -ire is 'serviet'.

Permalink 05/17/09 @ 10:02

Comment from: Chris Jones [Member]

Perhaps you misinterpreted my lame attempt at humor in the final sentence. Nevertheless, to be clear, there is no double meaning here, although one might think there is in the similar-sounding verbs servare and servire (IMO that claim would be hard to defend). The verb here is servare.

Permalink 05/19/09 @ 09:44

Comment from: Kemal Karakaya [Visitor]

"ille qui nos omnes servabit" sorunun cevabÄ± "bizi kurtaracak olandÄ±r." ["he who will protect us all."]

Permalink 05/24/09 @ 16:16

Comment from: Christopher Susie [Visitor]

Well, in addition to Servare and Servire being different verbs and servabit only being a possible form of servare, not servire, there is the matter of the case of the object of the verb. Servare takes the accusative, (nos omnes is accusative). Servire, at least in the classical period took the dative, so "He who will serve us all" would be "Ille qui nobis omnibus serviet."

Permalink 07/14/09 @ 16:36

Comment from: Joseph [Visitor]

Thanks you very much

Permalink 02/05/10 @ 17:09

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Ille qui nos omnes servabit

05/13/09

Ille qui nos omnes servabit

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