MotG Week 5: Hang (the wreath on) the Great

[ElusiveAthena]

On the way to the Kitchens for a bite to eat, you notice a corridoor you have never seen before. Glittering with soft candles and festooned with ivy, it curves away out of sight, yet you hear soft music, enticing you forward...

 

Intrigued, you decide that the growls of your stomach can be ignored for the time being and you follow the corridoor, turning the corner to find a wide room (perhaps a disused store-room?) that has been gloriously transformed with red draperies covering the walls and fresh rushes and sweetgrass strewn on the floor. Twelve plinths of marble, each topped with a silk-shrouded statue, make a dodecagon in the middle of the room, at the centre of which, clothed in an appropriately Classical gown, sits Athena, like an oracle, holding twelve long sprigs of laurel.

 

Friends, Warders, Sisters, lend me your ears!

 

Welcome to the last game for the Month of the Greats. As you can perhaps guess from the title of the thread - this is a modification of the familiar game of "Hangman".

 

In Classical Greek times, the Olympic Games was where the Greeks honoured their "greats", crowning them with laurel wreaths. In Ancient Rome, the laurel wreath adorned the brows of the "greatest" in the Empire - the princeps (emperors).

 

Since this month is all about celebrating those inspiring figures from history to whom we owe so much, the aim of the game is to "crown" twelve of the greatest of the Greats. I will post a famous phrase from each figure, and it will be up to you to guess the phrase, and then the Great who spake it. The guessing of the phrase will be the way you all know it - guessing letters to fill the blanks. However - instead of giving you “lives” (as I have done in the past) - I will do things a little differently..

 

Athena holds up one of the laurel sprigs and you notice that it has 24 leaves on it.

 

For each letter that you guess incorrectly, I will tear off one of the leaves from the sprig. At the end, when you have guessed the phrase, I will twist the sprig into a wreath and crown the Great. The more leaves on the sprig at the end, the more spectacular the crown, and the more "honour" you will do the Great.

 

And as this is a competition, after all, we will be honouring you. For each letter that you guess correctly, a leaf will be added to your tally, and at the end you will be crowned.

 

Are you ready to begin? Remember to let someone else guess before you double-post.

 

Athena looks up at the ceiling, where there hangs a shimmering ter’angreal, its moonlike surface suggesting the outlines of a face – could it be the Mother herself is watching? Nodding to herself as if receiving instructions from above, Athena channels Fire and Air and before the first plinth appears a set of fiery spaces.

 

"OU R - G R E A T E S T - G L O R Y - I S - N O T - I N - N E V E R - F A L L I N G, - B U T - I N- R I S I N G - E V E R Y - T I M E - W E - F A L L."

 

by C O N F U C I U S

 

Laurel Leaves Left in Great 1’s Wreath: 24

 

Participants Bay Leaves

 

Aiel Heart 3

nicana 1

Rekinu Alasayaar 1

Crystal Tipps 1

Elgee 1

Wildfire Sedai 1

[Aiel Heart]

e

[nicana]

R

[Rekinu Alasayaar]

a

[ElusiveAthena]

I see you're all taking inspirations from the great heroes of ancient Sparta - who were Lakonians and known for their short and to the point "laconic" speech.

 

No, that wasn't a hint...

 

But you are all correct, and so you all get a leaf, well done!

[Aiel Heart]

o

[Crystal Tipps]

S

[ElusiveAthena]

Both correct!

 

Now how am I going to encourage answers that are multiphonemic?

 

Maybe I should give a cryptic clue to facilitate debate... Consider a yoyo. That's a big hint regarding to the phrase.

[Aiel Heart]

U :P

[Elgee]

T (I like short and to the point :P)

[Wildfire Sedai]

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. by confucius

[nicana]

N

[RandA lThor]

I (capital letter, eye)

[WildTaltos]

f

[Basel Gill]

M

[keyholder21]

I'd guess a letter, but I think AH WF is correct.

 

Edit: Gah! I get confused between the two - I have no idea why! I'm sorry WF!

[Leala Sedai]

H

[Rekinu Alasayaar]

I think Wildfire got it... >.> if not I guess a 'v'

[ElusiveAthena]

Wildfire is indeed correct! Well done!

 

*whisks off the first cloth to reveal Confucius* Since Wildfire guessed before anyone got a letter wrong - Confucius's wreath is as verdant as it can possibly be! *twists wreath and lays it gently on Confucius's head.

 

Time to move to Great number 2...

 

"_- _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _- _ _ _ _ _ _ _"

 

by _ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ - _

 

Hint: Empire.

 

Leaves left in Great 2's crown: 24

[WildTaltos]

A

[Aiel Heart]

E

[keyholder21]

T

[Leala Sedai]

I...that's a capital 'i'. >.>

[RandA lThor]

I already guessed that Leala, that was the eye I was talking about

[Leala Sedai]

She made a new phrase, Rand. :)