Skip to content
Memento Mori is a popular expression that comes from the Latin language and literally translates as remember death or remember that you are mortal. Today, the phrase "memento mori" means that nothing lasts forever. This is both a formidable warning and a simultaneous call to enjoy life. Also, the expression is relevant when a person worries a lot with or without a reason. Here the emphasis is on the fact that no matter how much you strive for something, the result is the same for everyone.
The history of the origin of the quote
For the first time the phrase memento mori is mentioned in ancient Rome. It was uttered by the Roman generals when they successfully returned home. Behind the commander was a slave, who reminded that despite the victory, the leader is mortal.
The same phrase was exchanged by the monks of the Trappist order in France in 1620-1633, having met each other on their way. This order was a reformist branch of the Cistercian order, which separated from the Benedictines in the 11th century. They adhered to the rules of love for the Lord and neighbor, respect for people, and also called for remembering the end of life, memento mori.
These words - "memento mori" - are called any symbol that reminds of death. For example, a skull with bones folded under it. Such symbols gained popularity in Europe in the late Middle Ages and modern times.
The same symbolism of death was used in the design of jewelry, watches. Painters often depicted skulls in paintings as a reminder of human mortality. In the Baroque era, a whole genre of vanitas arose (from the Latin vanitas - vanity, vanity) - an allegorical still life, in the center of which a human skull is shown.
