Dienekes

Who was Dienekes?

Dienekes or Dieneces was a Spartan soldier who fought and was killed at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. He was acclaimed the bravest of all the Greeks who fought in that battle. Herodotus related the following anecdote about Dienekes:

Herodotus also mention that Dienekes said many other similar things which made him unforgotten.

Dienekes is one of the main characters in Steven Pressfield's novel Gates of Fire. He does not appear in the 1962 film The 300 Spartans; his famous line is delivered instead by King Leonidas himself in reply to a threat from the Persian general Hydarnes. He also does not appear in Frank Miller's graphic novel 300 or the film based on it; his famous quip is delivered instead by the fictional character Stelios. Moreover, Stelios makes the remark in response to a Persian taunt, not the statement of a fellow Greek.

In his honor, the street on the left of the empty tomb of King Leonidas I in Sparta is named after him.