Why Leonidas Really Rejected Ephialtes
I remember seeing 300 twice when it first came out. It was that good. Not awards type good but a fun brainless action flick. I remember hearing a friend said that he had a wargasm everytime he watched it. And hey, the memes that followed weren’t so bad either.
One of the frequent complaints I hear about the movie is how King Leonidas turned down the offer of the disfigured Ephialtes to fight. If we recall, Leonidas explained that the Spartans rely on their phalanx formation to fight effectively.
One weak link could bring the whole formation down. And unfortunately the hunchback Ephialtes could barely lift his bronze shield to qualify. Leonidas then suggested that if he really wanted to pitch in, he can dispose of the dead or bring water to the soldiers. You know, typical servant chores.
I remember thinking he made a lot of good points. And he treated Ephialtes kindly, unlike his rude captain. I didn’t think anymore of it. Then when the fighting began, we finally saw the vaunted phalanx in action, and it was every bit as awesome as I imagined.
Too many ancient war films tend to take certain liberties in the fight scenes, but in ancient times you can bet your Spartan loincloths that most of the land battles were simply epic pushing matches between two armies.
Whoever breaks first loses. Anyway, back to the main point. Everything was going as planned. The Spartans were doling efficient punishment on the clueless Persian foot soldiers who just ran right into their spears. Then something incredible happened.
The Spartans broke formation and just went at it one on one with the Persians.
It all made for wonderful scenes and showcased how lethal the Spartans are in single combat. But if there was going to be sorties like this, then why couldn’t they just keep Ephialtes in reserve then let him loose when the phalanx fighting was over? Surely an extra soldier on their side couldn’t hurt right? Even if he managed to kill a single Persian soldier, that’s one less threat on one of the 300.
Well here’s my take on it, I think Leonidas didn’t let Ephialtes join in on the fighting because of morale. Let’s remember that Spartan babies who were deformed or weak were left to die, while the ones who lived were trained since birth to be the perfect killing machines. The best of the best.
Imagine if Leonidas allowed Ephialtes amongst their ranks, you can certainly believe that a lot of the soldiers will not be happy. Just take the captain’s reaction at the mere sight of Ephialtes when he first saw him, and then you’re going to tell him that this creature is going to fight by his side?
Ephialtes was lucky enough that Leonidas let him go after confessing that his parents broke Spartan law by deserting and raising him, even though their laws plainly stated that he should have been put to death.
I think Leonidas handled Ephialtes’s request with tact. He was bounded by his country’s laws and twisted customs but he still treated the disfigured man with grace.
