The culture of Ancient Rome had a huge impact on the entire European civilization. Many words and even phrases were borrowed by European languages from Latin. The Europeans did not ignore the sayings of the great thinkers of the past. One of these borrowed quotes, known in all corners of the earth, is "through thorns to the stars." The meaning of this phrase may not be entirely clear to our contemporaries. Let's try to figure out who came up with this phrase and what it means.
Origin of the phrase
For the first time the phrase "through thorns to the stars" was spoken in Latin. The meaning of this phrase is revealed in the work of the Roman philosopher and thinker Seneca. This figure made a significant contribution to history, literature and philosophy, his works are still being studied at the departments of leading universities in the world. In his work "Furious Hercules", the philosopher describes the exploits of the legendary hero, and he emphasized the results of his path with the phrase: "The path from earth to the stars is not smooth." In Latin, the slogan was: Non levis astra vitam terrae. The readers liked the phrase very much, because the life patheach person is not strewn with roses. But to heighten the effect, the verbal construction should somehow be strengthened. The dull, original terra - earth - had to be replaced with a more capacious word.
Change words
The words in the phrase should have been replaced, but in such a way that the general meaning remains the same. And so the word "earth" was replaced by "thorns". This is the name of a thorny shrub that grows on abandoned or barren lands. The turn was a common shrub for the inhabitants of Ancient Rome, so a slight change in concepts did not cause them any inconvenience. The motto "Through thorns to the stars" was liked by admirers of the Roman philosopher, and a little later it became a fairly common phrase.
Christianity and thorns
On the contrary, the Christian religion has given this expression a special meaning. It was through the suffering of the Savior that the way to eternal bliss was opened for Christians all over the world. But Christ was crowned with a crown of thorns, which became an unequivocal symbol of the Savior's torment in the entire Christian culture. The prickly thorns of the thornbush, according to the Jews, were a caustic mockery of Jesus. But pain and suffering did not humiliate Christ. Through torment, he ascended to heaven and, having risen, gave eternal life to those who believed in him. Perhaps that is why the simple replacement of the word "earth" with "thorns" began to have a deeper meaning, and the meaning of the expression "through thorns to the stars" became clear to the entire Christian world.
Slogans and slogans
Catchwordbegan to sound often in quotations of the great people of the past. The motto Per aspera ad astra became known in the languages of many peoples, and was even found on the coats of arms of noble families. It has not been forgotten to this day. The famous motto of Seneca, having undergone some changes, has conveyed to the present day its original meaning. "Through hardships to the stars" is the motto of many sports and intellectual teams. Under this slogan, various competitions are held in all corners of the earth. And among the youth, this saying is often found in the form of a tattoo. This pattern is applied by both boys and girls. Perhaps this is how teenagers prove their commitment to the dream - the way they understand it.
Modern meaning
The modern meaning of the phrase "through thorns to the stars" has practically retained its original meaning. So now they call the long, difficult path of a person to fame, to well-deserved success, or to a cherished goal. The initial difficulties on the way become prickly "thorns", obstacles that should be overcome on the way to a dream. A similar meaning of the phrase lies in many speech turns of modern Russian speech. And in Soviet times, a fairly well-known film was called this saying.
Script and Direction
Of course, in Soviet times, the famous saying "through thorns to the stars" had a meaning very far from Christian. The film was shot in 1980 according to the script by Kira Bulychov and told about the difficult paths of man in the universe.
The essence of the plot of the picture is that inIn the deep expanses of space, a reconnaissance ship of earthlings discovered the only surviving creature grown artificially. The tape reveals the path of the clone girl Nessa and shows the search for her true destiny. The tape was very popular among Soviet moviegoers and even won several valuable art awards. Perhaps now, three decades later, scenes from the film may seem naive, but the general meaning of the idea is that each of us must go our own way in life, and each of us has our own, individual goal, which we must achieve.
Results
Of course, each of us has the right to independently seek our own understanding of the phrase in "through thorns to the stars." The meaning of the phrase is quite clear, and it can be revealed according to your own understanding of the path to success. Perhaps some of us will like the original meaning of Seneca's creation - the path of a simple person to heaven, to the kingdom of the ancient gods. From the work, we can conclude that thanks to perfect feats, every mortal can ascend to fame and recognition.
Believers will be closer to the symbol of the crown of thorns, reminiscent of the torment of the Savior. Here, recognition and fame come not through exploits, but through torment and deprivation that can be encountered on the path of every Christian.
And many of us will think of the meaning of "through thorns to the stars" as a reminder that the path of every person to the cherished dream lies throughnumerous obstacles, overcoming which, we become better, wiser and stronger.
