Grenadier Guards Motto

[grenadierguardsman]

Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense-Evil be to him who evil thinks. Ive been looking on line " Household Division.org " and found that this site had our motto down as " Shame upon he who thinks evil of it ". So i phoned them up. Anyway the next day i phone up again, they say its correct and my Regimental Adjutant is happy with it and so is the Brigade Major ! How can this be right all of a sudden ?
Andy

[leigh kitchen]

Grenadier Guards motto?
Surely you mean Royal Regiment of Fusiliers motto?
(Personally I prefer the RNF motto "Quo Fata Vocant").

[grenadierguardsman]

Well yes it is quite a few Corps/Regiments mottos.
Andy

[grenadierguardsman]

Im hoping Grumpy might be able to shed some light on this. I think he may be able to help.
Andy

[54Bty]

It is the Motto of "The Most Noble Order of the Garter", but is used by many.

Honi soit qui mal y pense, “Shame to him who thinks evil of it,” popularly rendered as “Evil to him who evil thinks".

Marc

[grenadierguardsman]

Originally Posted by 54Bty

It is the Motto of "The Most Noble Order of the Garter", but is used by many.

Honi soit qui mal y pense, “Shame to him who thinks evil of it,” popularly rendered as “Evil to him who evil thinks".

Marc

Yes Marc, but the Battalion has now changed it to Shame upon he who thinks evil of it. All of a sudden ? Thousands of Guardsman have known it to be Evil be to him who evil thinks, as we were taught.
Andy

[Hoot]

"Evil be to him who evil thinks" is exactly what we humble RCT lads were told it meant as well. At least, in 1965, at Buller Barracks (the Victorian one, not the 20th Century monstrosity), Aldershot, we were anyway.

[grenadierguardsman]

Originally Posted by Hoot

"Evil be to him who evil thinks" is exactly what we humble RCT lads were told it meant as well. At least, in 1965, at Buller Barracks (the Victorian one, not the 20th Century monstrosity), Aldershot, we were anyway.

Thanks Hoot for confirming that.
Andy

[Toby Purcell]

Sadly, it merely reflects a more purist translation of the original, old French, into English. Just a different sequence of wording to say the same thing. Often referred to as a difference in semantics. Think of it as a change in fashion, it doesn’t mean that what you (and I, as it happens) were taught is wrong.

[grumpy]

Originally Posted by grenadierguardsman

Im hoping Grumpy might be able to shed some light on this. I think he may be able to help.
Andy

Would that I could. With a French 'O' level, a fair knowledge of German, and no other linguistic abilities [I can however swear in Greek and Turkish as a result of a Cyprus tour!] there is nothing to add except the "old" translation was what was taught to me and I like it better.

[leigh kitchen]

I remember reading the "new" translation presented as a more accurate one decades ago in some books or other, the "Evil" version sounds a far better version for a regimental motto.

[grenadierguardsman]

Thanks for the comments Chaps.
Andy