I do know thine eye stare ireful
counting fast the lands restored
English translation of the Hymn to Liberty, the Greek National Anthem, as the music put to the poem of Dionysios Solomos, written during the Greek Revolution
On 25th March, Greeks celebrate the Greek Revolution for Independence….the passage from slavery to Freedom. This day, in 1821, was the beginning of the Revolution, that signified their Liberation from the bonds of their four hundred years of slavery.
I love genealogy and tracing family history. A cousin of my mum’s researched and compiled our family tree dating back to c.1775. I obtained a copy when I was in Greece in the year 2000.
I include it here, on this significant day, with my ancestry highlighted. I have proof of a great great great uncle who, as an 18 year old, fought in the Greek Revolution in 1821.
Courage and Bravery to stand up for what I believe in, to stay grounded in my Values, in Truth and Justice, is in my Greek Peloponnesian DNA. But was this “strategic” war game I was forced to play, a fair fight? It was with a gang of power abusers in both Government and Corporate sectors, having “allied” themselves against the public they have a responsibility to serve ethically.
One Warrior Woman fighting this cowardly group to bring the Truth out of darkness and into the Light. That connects to my Faith, as today is also the significant day of the Annunciation - the Light that guided my Way on this difficult Journey was conceived, in co-operation with a Beautiful Woman, Full of Grace, who said Yes to God.
For the past several years of my story, it was one Warrior Woman, until now. A new Revolution is forming by the People of Australia.
History repeats.
Regarding my family tree, I will translate the parts highlighted. My gratitude is to my parents, for patiently supporting me through those gruelling Greek school days, instilling in me not only the skill and knowledge of a rich language, culture and history I’m connected with, but a love of learning and the value of education.
Dimitrios Babilis (patriarch b. c.1775) had four sons: Georgios, Eustathios, Antonakis and Haralambos.
The red box has been placed around the first born, Georgios, who was born c.1803 and fought bravely in the War of Independence. Αγωνιστής means “fighter”. Translation: Fighter of 1821.
Knowing this is meaningful to me, because as descendants, our freedom, and the preservation of culture, traditions, Christian faith and language, was because of them. Their war cry was “freedom or death”.
The second son, Eustathios Babilis, was my great, great, great grandfather, my lineage. He was born c.1810, still a child when his older brother fought for their Freedom. My grandmother x3 was Zoe (aka. Zoitsa) Moulou. Her name literally means Life. They had four children.
Their third child, Haralambos Babilis, was my great great grandfather, b.1854 and d.1916. He married my great great grandmother, Angeliki Kanelopoulou, b.1860 and d.1920. They had six children.
The oldest was my great grandfather, Theodoros Babilis, b.1881 and d.1974. He was married to my great grandmother, Eleni Kitsou, daughter of John, b.1873 and d.1956. They had five children.
The oldest was my grandfather, Georgios Babilis, b.1903 and d.1972. He was married to my dear grandmother, Ifigenia Krigou, b.1914 and d.1995. They had eight children. My beloved mum is the 7th of those eight children.
As for me, I wanted children. I wanted to continue the lineage. But men’s “behaviour” of narcissism and selfishness, of shallowness and disrespect towards women, has been “normalised” and excused in our supposedly progressive modern society. The men in my ancestral history were honourable and courageous. There was honour and respect of both men and women in a family unit.
Fighting a battle with the power abusers I mentioned, won’t destroy me. What I repeatedly encountered with men in our society, and the confronting reality of these new "monetised methods” of dating and courtship, I’m not so sure. That’s why, there are now things that must be said, from parts of my personal story too.
As I said in a previous post, we are not a healthy society, but a very lonely one. And loneliness is a killer, as proven by research. (See My personal story - Part 2 - There is no authenticity anymore).
Happy Greek Independence Day. In respectful memory for all who fought valiantly to free their homeland from 400 years of oppression. To my own ancestors who fought bravely. The flame of their spirit is lit from within.
We, who were the generations born after 1821, no matter where in the world we live, need to uphold this legacy of Faith, Courage and staying grounded in our Values. We must continue to be Leaders in Social Justice, Human Rights, and Human Dignity in the world. It’s the Greek Philosophy of “Philotimo”, loosely translated as friend / love of Honour.
A kind act is an example of honour toward another human being. It is gratitude paid forward. Such ripples become global waves of positive change.
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You may need to zoom in on the image below.
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| Babilis Family Tree |
A brief and brilliant video on the history of the Greek Revolution War of Independence
A reference for those interested in reading the English translation of the entire poem by Dionysios Solomos. There are over 150 stanzas. That is inspiring and amazing.
Chrysopoulos, P. (2024, 27 October). 'The Greek National Anthem and Its Meaning.' Greek Reporter. [Online]: https://greekreporter.com/2024/10/27/greek-national-anthem-greece/
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