Dux legionum 'Felix'

[Hermes Trismegistus]

From the movie, Gladiator.

"Mihi nomen est Maximus Decimus Meridius, praefectus copiarum septentrionis, dux legionum 'Felix', servus fidelis veri imperatoris Marci Aurelii, pater filii interfecti, maritus uxoris interfectae, atque eorum mortem ulciscar aut in hac vita aut in proxima."

One doubt about the part: "General of the felix legions" once the word "felix" is acting like an adjective, we might translate it into latin as: "Dux legionum Felicis" or "Dux legionum felicium" or "Dux Legionum Felix"? I perceive that the 3 have slight different meanings, so which are correct?, wouldn't it be "dux legionum felicis"?

"General of the felix legions" = "Dux legionum Felicis?", "Dux legionum felicium?", "Dux Legionum Felix?"

 

[Pacifica]

Dux legionum felicium = "general of the felix/lucky legions"
Dux legionum felicis = "general of the legions of the felix (lucky) one"
Dux legionum felix = "felix/lucky general of the legions"

It seems to me you need the first one, and in any case certainly not the third one.

 

[Hermes Trismegistus]

Yep, Dux legionum felicium fits better.. you're right. thanks!

 

[AoM]

- exercituum is another option for 'armies'.
- I'd switch praefectus and dux, then replace praefectus with legatus.
- I'm not sure about servus.

 

[aegor]

The English is as follows, as far as I am aware:

My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius. Commander of the armies of the North, general of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife, and I will have my vengeance in this life or the next

It seems that you need Felicium. The leader of a legion is legatus. The leader of an army is a dux, or, if acclaimed, an imperator.

servus means "slave." A helper or servant to an emperor can be translated as minister. Another option may be the verb servio, which can mean "to be a slave" or merely "to serve/be useful to," although I would be more likely to use this if the actual action/time described is one of service. In this case, I would consider minister.

 

[Puer Pedens]

"Mihi nomen est Maximus Decimus Meridius, Legatus exercituum septentrionis, dux legionum felicium, minister fidelis veri imperatoris Marci Aurelii, pater filii interfecti, maritus uxoris interfectae, atque eorum mortem ulciscar aut in hac vita aut in proxima."

 

[puer brasilianus]

Mihi nomen est Maximus Decimus Meridius, Legatus exercituum septentrionum, dux legionum felicium, minister fidelis veri imperatoris Marci Aurelii, pater filii interfecti, maritus uxoris interfectae, atque eorum mortem ulciscar aut in hac vita aut in proxima."

 

[Laurentius]

Technically, I think all these appellatives should be in the dative case because they have to agree with the noun they refer too, unless you say there's an implied est. Maybe I am just nitpicking.

 

[Hermes Trismegistus]

Mihi nomen est Maximo Decimo Meridio, Legatus exercituum septentrionum, dux legionum felicium, minister fidelis veri imperatoris Marci Aurelii, pater filio interfecto, maritus uxori interfectae, atque eorum mortem ulciscar aut in hac vita aut in proxima."

 

[Pacifica]

Mihi nomen est Maximo Decimo Meridio, Legatus exercituum septentrionum, dux legionum felicium, minister fidelis veri imperatoris Marci Aurelii, pater filio interfecto, maritus uxori interfectae, atque eorum mortem ulciscar aut in hac vita aut in proxima."

Now it's really wrong to have legatus etc. in the nominative.

Before, when Maximus Decimus Meridius was in the nominative, one could say that the rest was an apposition to it though perhaps it wasn't the most natural construction. But now, with both mihi and Maximo Decimo Meridio in the dative, there's no choice but to put the whole apposition in the dative too.

I would put the son and wife in the genitive.

 

[Pacifica]

Though, come to think of it, perhaps this would all sound better if you said ego sum instead of mihi nomen est (then the name and appositions would be in the nominative, of course).

 

[Avunculus H]

In Classical Latin, both dative and nominative are attested, according to Lewis / Short:

est mihi nomen, inditur mihi nomen, with nom.: “cui saltationi Titius nomen est,” Cic. Brut. 62, 225: “eique morbo nomen est avaritia,” id. Tusc. 4, 11, 24: “canibus pigris ... Nomen erit pardus, tigris, leo,” Juv. 8, 36.—With dat.: “haec sunt aedes, hic habet: Lesbonico'st nomen,” Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 110: “juventus nomen fecit Peniculo mihi,” id. Men. 1, 1, 1: “nam mihi est Auxilio nomen,” id. Cist. 1, 3, 6: “huic ego die nomen Trinummo facio,” id. Trin. 4, 2, 1: “nomen Arcturo est mihi,” id. Rud. prol. 5: “cantus cui nomen neniae,” Cic. Leg. 2, 24, 62: “puero ab inopiā nomen Egerio est inditum,” Liv. 1, 34: “est illis strigibus nomen,” Ov. F. 6, 139.

 

[Laurentius]

In Classical Latin, both dative and nominative are attested, according to Lewis / Short:

This is not that we were talking about.

 

[Avunculus H]

This is not that we were talking about.

Then about what? You said that the constrcution has to be mihi nomen est Maximo etc., I showed that the equivalent to mihi nomen est Maximus etc. also is attested.

 

[Pacifica]

The question was more about the appositions, whether they should agree with mihi or with Maximus (of course, if you turn Maximus into Maximo, the question becomes practically irrelevant: the appositions can only be dative).

 

[Avunculus H]

The question was more about the appositions, whether they should agree with mihi or with Maximus (of course, if you turn Maximus into Maximo, the question becomes practically irrelevant: the appositions can only be dative).

Oh, ok. Sorry, Laurentius, then I indeed misunderstood what you were saying.

 

[Pacifica]

To be fair it wasn't entirely clear.

 

[Laurentius]

I don't think it can agree with Maximus, in that case it is nominative because it refers to nomen.

 

[Pacifica]

I don't know if it can or not, but indeed it's not really logical to make it agree with Maximus, because then it sounds as if praefectus etc. were part of the guy's name. The English original has the same issue, if you think about it.