What is the title of Greece’s national anthem, based on an epic poem by Dionysios Solomos?

Greece’s national anthem is titled “Hymn to Liberty,” based on an epic poem by Dionysios Solomos.

Solomos wrote the poem in 1823, during the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire. The full poem contains 158 stanzas, making it one of the longest poetic works associated with a national anthem. Only selected stanzas are normally performed as the anthem.

Nikolaos Mantzaros composed the music. The Greek government adopted the work as the national anthem in 1865. Cyprus also uses “Hymn to Liberty” as its national anthem, so the title identifies the anthem of both Greece and Cyprus.

A frequent misunderstanding is that the entire 158-stanza poem is sung at ceremonies. In practice, the first two stanzas are the standard ceremonial version. The anthem’s emphasis on liberty reflects the political ideals of the Greek independence movement and explains its enduring symbolic importance.