300:are u ready for glory?

The movie... yes.. brilliantly stylish.. and eye catching blockbuster fare...
the movie made me sit down n read more abt it.. the facts.. and a lot of it made for an interesting read!

Some of the intersting tidbits are reproduced here...
It was customary in Sparta that before the males would go off to war, their wives or another female of some significance would present them with their shield and say: "he tan, he epi tas" (Ή τάν ή Επί τᾶς), which translates to "With this, or upon this."

If male babies born in Sparta were too small, weak or sick (all of which were believed as early signs that they would not be suitable for military life), they were abandoned on the slopes of Mt. Taygetos to die.

The legend of Thermopylae as told by Herodotus has it that Sparta consulted the Oracle at Delphi before setting out to meet the Persian army. The Oracle is said to have made the following prophecy in hexameter verse:[17]
O ye men who dwell in the streets of broad Lacedaemon!Either your glorious town shall be sacked by the children of Perseus,Or, in exchange, must all through the whole Laconian countryMourn for the loss of a king, descendant of great Heracles.He cannot be withstood by the courage of bulls nor of lions,Strive as they may; he is mighty as Jove; there is naught that shall stay him,Till he have got for his prey your king, or your glorious city.
On the first day of the siege Xerxes demanded the Greeks surrender their arms. Leonidas replied Μολών Λαβέ ("Come and get them"). This phrase has been re-used by generals and politicians throughout history and often repeated in popular culture. Today it is the emblem of the Greek 1st Army Corps.

Leonidas took charge of his personal fighting unit, the 300 Spartans, and headed to Thermopylae.[18] Herodotus writes that Leonidas was idolized by his men. He was convinced that he was going to certain death and his forces were not adequate for a victory, and so selected only men who had fathered sons who were old enough to take over the family responsibilities. Plutarch mentions in his Sayings of Spartan Women that, after encouraging him, Leonidas' wife Gorgo asked what she should do on his departure. He replied, "Marry a good man, and have good children."[

Herodotus writes that when Dienekes, a Spartan soldier, was informed that Persian arrows would be so numerous as "to blot out the sun", he remarked with characteristically laconic prose, "So much the better, we shall fight in the shade." (Taken by the Greek 20th Armored Division as their motto

The term Immortals comes from Herodotus who called them either Ten Thousand or Athanatoi (lit. immortals). Persians themselves probably did not use the term. And contrary to as depicted in the movie, they were not ninja styled warriors with deformed faces, but rather royal bodyguards of the king.

"Go, tell the Spartans, stranger passing by,
That here, obedient to their laws, we lie." — (Greek: Ώ ξειν', ἀγγέλειν Λακεδαιμονίοις ότι τήδε κείμεθα, τοις κοίνων ρήμασι πειθόμενοι) epitaph at Thermopylae (Simonides's epigram)

As opposed to what was depicted in the movie..the initial army assembled at the battle of Thermopyle consisted of over 6000 Greeks..
of which all but 1100 were sent back on the third day..
300 spartans.. and 700 thespians...
Offcourse.. the figures are not accurate.. but nevertheless.. it was one of the most glorified "last stands" the world had ever seen...
and though it horribly changed the queen and the persians to better suit the taste of the movie audience...
it did Leonidas.. and his 300 soldiers...justice.