User:Father Goose/vvvipc
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Veni, vidi, vici is a famous Latin phrase spoken by Julius Caesar in 47 BC following his decisive defeat of Pharnaces II of Pontus. Its meaning is "I came, I saw, I conquered." As one of many Latin phrases that have persisted throughout the history of Western civilization,[1] the phrase is often quoted in music, art and literature, and a variety of other contexts. Variations of the phrase, including parodic forms, are common as well.
The phrase appears frequently in literature: William Shakespeare referenced it in four of his works, Miguel Cervantes used it in Don Quixote, and numerous other authors including Henry David Thoreau, Victor Hugo, and Wilkie Collins, have made use of the phrase as as well.
The repetitive phrase lends itself to lyrical use, ranging from the opening of Handel's opera Giulio Cesare in Egitto, through These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You), written in 1936, to modern works like "Numb / Encore" by Jay-Z and Linkin Park.
The phrase has also permeated the culture in a number of other contexts, such as the scientific name of the Conquered Lorikeet, Vini vidivici. It is often used as a motto or a tagline, due to its forceful connotation; it is in the coat of arms of Philip Morris International[2] and a misspelled version ("Vini, Vidi, Vici") is used as the motto for the US Army Sniper School in Fort Benning, Georgia.[3]
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[edit] Literature
- Shakespeare uses or alludes to the phrase in four of his plays: As You Like It, Cymbeline, Henry IV, part 2, and Love's Labor's Lost.[4][5]
- Cervantes used it in his novel Don Quixote in reference to the "Knight of the Wood" defeating a brass statue.[6]
- Victor Hugo wrote a poem titled "Veni, Vidi, Vixi", which translates to "I came, I saw, I [once] lived."[7]
- Henry David Thoreau used the phrase in his book A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers in reference to the dominance of English soldiers over Native Americans early in their settling of New England.[8]
- Wilkie Collins used the phrase in his novel The Woman in White in reference to one character dominating another.[9]
- Henryk Sienkiewicz uses both the original phrase and its opposite, "Veni, vidi, fugi" ("I came, I saw, I fled") in his novel Quo Vadis.[10]
- In Robert A. Heinlein's book The Notebooks of Lazarus Long, the title character writes, "I came, I saw, she conquered. (The original Latin seems to have been garbled.)"
- In his Discworld novel Jingo, Terry Pratchett's character Samuel Vimes speculates on other possible phrases (Veni, vermini, vomui - I came, I got ratted, I threw up; Visi, veneri, vamoosi - I visited, I caught an embarrassing disease, I ran away), and decides that "he probably made it up first, and then went off to see somewhere and conquer it".
- Also in Discworld, the character of Havelock Vetinari, the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork coins the phrase "Veni, vici, Vetinari".
- Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card contains a chapter titled "Veni Vidi Vici".
- In 1066 and All That by W.C. Sellar and R.J. Yeatman, the Britons, who are using the earlier pronunciation, mistakenly believe that Caesar has called them "Weeny, Weedy, and Weaky," and give up.
- In Spies by Michael Frayn, Stephen Wheatley is bullied at school, where he is known as "Weeny weedy Wheatley."
- In the graphic novel Batman: Dark Victory, the phrase is inscribed on the tomb of fictional mobster Carmine "The Roman" Falcone.
- In Horrible Histories, in the Celtic edition, a parody is written: He came, he saw and he conked us.
- In the book The Cry of the Icemark by Stuart Hill, the Polypontian army uses 'Veni, Vidi, Vici' as a war cry, as they are so sure about their dominance.
- In the graphic novel Batman: Dark Victory, the phrase is inscribed on the tomb of fictional mobster Carmine "The Roman" Falcone.
- In the Asterix comic Obelix and Co., the Roman know-it-all Preposterus tells the Centurion of Totorum "Veni, Vidi and we'll see if Vici".
- Novelist Richard Stern wrote a novella titled Veni, Vidi... Wendt detailing a romantic conquest of the story's protagonist, named Wendt.[11]
[edit] Music
- Handel's opera Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Julius Caesar in Egypt) features the famous words in its opening.
- The popular song "These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)", written in 1936, contains the line "You came, you saw, you conquered me."
- "You Came, You Saw, You Conquered" is the title of a song by Phil Spector, Irvin Levine, & Toni Wine, recorded by the Ronettes.
- Virgin Steele, an American epic-metal band, have a 10-minute song named "Veni Vidi Vici" on their 1998 album Invictus.
- Jay-Z uses the line in "Encore", a rap single from his 2003 album The Black Album, as well as in "Numb / Encore", co-recorded with Linkin Park.
- In the song "Get Back" by Ludacris, Ludacris says: "I came, I saw, I hit him right dead in the jaw."
- Garage punk band The Hives named their second full length album Veni Vidi Vicious, released in 2002.[12]
- "Beware! Criminal" by Incubus features a chorus with the line "you came, you saw, you conquered..."
- Highland, a German Dance/Hip Hop band, released a song in 2001 named "Veni Vidi Vici".
- The title song for the hit Broadway musical "Mame" (written by Jerry Herman) contains the lyrics: "You came, you saw, you conquered/And absolutely nothing is the same."
- Rapper Ja Rule's first album is titled Venni Vetti Vecci, a play on Caesar's line.
- In Blink 182's song, "Adam's Song", the second verse begins, "I never conquered, rarely came".
- Alizée (Mylène Farmer's protégée) has a song called "Veni, Vedi, Vici" on her album Gourmandises.
- In the Broadway musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, the song "Here I Am" sung by the character Christine Colgate contains the lyrics, "So Veni, Vidi, Vici, folks; let's face it--".
- In the Groundswell (3 Four) song, "I Dare You," the lyrics include: "Veni, Vidi, Vici, it's just so catchy - it's like a virus."
- The garage punk band Black Lips' 2007 album, Good Bad Not Evil, features a song called "Veni Vidi Vici."[13]
[edit] Politics
- John III Sobieski, following a victory against the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Vienna, wrote to Pope Innocent XI, "Veni, vidi, Deus vicit." ("I came, I saw, God conquered.")[4]
- A Royalist journal used the phrase "Veni, vidi, fugi" ("I came, I saw, I fled") to insult Napoleon Bonaparte.[14]
[edit] Television/Movies
- The television show Doug from Nickelodeon used the term in the form of a magical incantation.[15]
- Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis, in their script for Ghostbusters, parody the phrase as "We came, we saw, we kicked its ass," spoken by Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) after capturing the ghost Slimer.[16]
- An episode of Doogie Howser, M.D. was titled "Vinnie Video Vici".[17]
- In Ernest Goes to Jail, Jim Varney's character Ernest P. Worrell says after a bomb goes off, "I came, I saw, I got blowed up."
- In the original pilot to the series The Black Adder, the family crest read "Veni Vidi Castratavi Illegitimos" which translates roughly as "I came, I saw, I castrated the bastards."
- In the TV show The Vicar of Dibley, the Horton motto is "veni, vidi, spurius brutus deitrum covi". It means "I came, I saw, I tore the thick bastards limb from limb".
- Tigger proclaims "I came, I sawed, I hammered" in a Winnie the Pooh video.
- In an episode of Clone High, the clone of Julius Caesar uses a parody of the phrase, saying, "Veni, vidi, booyah."
- In Ocean's Eleven, Rubin states that a man who tried to rob a casino was killed, saying, "He came, he grabbed, they conquered."
- In the episode "Needle in a Haystack" of House M.D., Gregory House says "Veni, vidi, vici" to Wilson to declare his victory in a bet with Cuddy for a handicapped parking space.
- It was used by the character Ari Gold on the HBO series Entourage, and again by the character Johnny "Drama" Chase when he finally buys a condo in the end of the third season.
- In the episode "Shadow" of Supernatural, the character Meg uses the phrase.
- In an episode of Johnny Bravo, the title character says, "I came, I saw, I broke a hip."
- In an episode of Jackie Chan Adventures, the character 'Jade' says: "We came, We saw, We kicked demon butt!"
- In The Substitute, a season two episode of Everybody Hates Chris, Chris' substitute teacher says 'Veni vedi veci, it means I came, I saw, I conquered." Chris replies "Eenie meenie miny mo, catch a tiger by its toe".
[edit] Computer games
- In the popular MMORPG EverQuest, there is a knockoff of Veni, Vidi, Vici. An NPC in the Planes of Mischief named Vinny V. D'Vicci.
- There is a level on the computer game Anno 1602, on the campaign On his majesty's service.
- The computer game The Settlers II used the phrase as its subtitle.
- In Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc, Razoff the Hunter sometimes says the line "I came, I saw, I kicked some butt!"
- In Unreal Tournament the phrase can be seen written on the pillars in the trophy room in the single player ladder game.
- In Empire Earth: The Art of Conquest, a legion unit sometimes says "Veni, Vidi, Vici" when selected.
- "Veni, Vidi, Vici" is used in the audio for a video slot machine called "Pompeii" manufactured by Aristocrat Gaming. The words are spoken as each of the symbols for a coin with the likeness of Caesar appear. If at least three appear on the screen at the same time, a bonus game situation begins.
[edit] Other
- An extinct species of parakeet from the genus Vini was given the species name Vini vidivici, a play on the original phrase.
- "Veni Vidi Vici" can also be found on the coat of arms of Philip Morris International, producer of Marlboro cigarettes, which is featured on the front cover of all Marlboro cigarette packs.[18]
- A misspelled version ("Vini, Vidi, Vici") is used as the motto for the US Army Sniper School in Fort Benning, Georgia.[19]
- Vueling Airlines named one of its Airbus A320s "Veni, vidi, vueling".[20]
- The SMK King George V school in Seremban, Malaysia uses the phrase as its motto; it is also incorporated into the school's badge.
- 'Veni, Vidi, Wiki' was the tagline of WikiCamp,[21] an unconference on Wikis held in Chennai, India.
- "Veni, Vidi, Visa" ("I came, I saw, I shopped" is a frequently-seen parody of the original phrase.[22] Another common parody is "Veni, vidi, in volo domum redire" ("I came, I saw, I want to go home").[23] (The preposition 'in' is commonly included but not grammatically necessary.) "Veni, vidi, veggie: I came, I saw, I had a salad" is common as well.[24]
- Swedish football player Pontus Wernbloom has the phrase tattooed on his arm.
- Apple Computer gave attendees of its 2006 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) a t-shirt with the phrase "Veni. Vidi. Codi" - "I came. I saw. I coded." Apple also suggested the phrase "iCame, iSaw, IPod" as a laser engraving for their iPod product in their online marketing.
- In the Harvard Club of New York men's room, a nameless individual graffitied "veni, vidi, vivi" ("vivi" would be prounced "weewee" in Latin). The club eventually framed a copy of this joke behind glass.[4]
- At least three upscale restaurants are named "Veni, Vidi, Vici"; one in Atlanta, Georgia,[25] one in Toronto, Ontario[26], and one in Fresno, California.[27]
- A B-24 in the U.S. Army Air Force 718th Squadron (449th Bomber Group) was named "Veni, Vidi, Vici". It was shot down on a mission over Orbetello, Italy, in 1944.[28]
- The artist Jean-Michel Basquiat titled one of his works "Vini Vidi Vici".[29]
- Comedian and pundit Dennis Miller used the phrase as part of his color commentary during a New York Jets football game.[30]
[edit] References
- ^ Veni, vidi, vici: how Latin lives on Guardian Unlimited (Thursday October 25, 2001)
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=_7XprHvrUrAC&pg=PA213
- ^ http://www.warbooks.com/Graphics/snipersch.jpg
- ^ a b c http://books.google.com/books?id=rVHemf5TJp8C&pg=PA119&dq=%22veni+vidi+vici%22
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=Soh9UVaIqRMC&pg=PA6&dq=%22veni+vidi+vici%22
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=3A0SF9sk3EIC&pg=PA515&dq=%22veni+vidi+vici%22
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=ivSnU3kEjQAC&pg=PA288
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=9z-Qv-FUAB4C&pg=PA168&dq=%22veni+vidi+vici%22
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=VcVgyYHd3OMC&pg=PA597&dq=%22veni+vidi+vici%22
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=gwAixoe1lTwC&pg=PA285&lpg=PA285&dq=%22veni+vidi+fugi%22
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=fTgYAAAAIAAJ&q=%22veni+vidi+vici%22
- ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thehives/albums/album/91540/review/6210977
- ^ http://www.ocweekly.com/music/music/flower-punks-sonic-bloom/27879/
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=JI0NAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA379&lpg=PA379&dq=%22veni+vidi+fugi%22
- ^ "Doug's Magic Act". Doug. 1993-07-11.
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=SIPYcbtYo3IC&pg=PA155
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0564437/
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=_7XprHvrUrAC&pg=PA213
- ^ http://www.warbooks.com/Graphics/snipersch.jpg
- ^ http://www.vueling.com/ES/vueling/acerca_02d.php
- ^ Welcome to WikiCamp
- ^ http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=%22vidi+visa%22
- ^ http://www.google.com/search?q=%22veni,+vidi,+volo+in+domum+redire%22
- ^ http://www.google.com/search?q=%22veni+vidi+veggie%2
- ^ http://www.frommers.com/destinations/atlanta/D35758.html
- ^ http://www.frommers.com/destinations/toronto/D42693.html
- ^ http://www.frommers.com/destinations/sierranationalforestandthecentralvalley/D43620.html
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=hP6o9HzG8rcC&pg=PA117&dq=%22veni+vidi+vici%22
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=ildOSz1bKuMC&pg=PA55
- ^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A02EFD91F3CF933A25751C1A9669C8B63
