Eleftheria i thanatos (Greek: Ελευθερία ή θάνατος, pronounced [elefθeˈria ˈi ˈθanatos], "freedom or death") is the motto of Greece. It arose during the Greek War of Independence in the 1820s, where it was a war cry for the Greeks who rebelled against Ottoman rule. It was adopted after the Greek War of Independence. It is still in use today, and is a popular theory regarding the use of 9 stripes (for the nine syllables of the motto) in the Greek flag, the five blue stripes for the syllables "Έλευθερία" and the four white stripes "ή Θάνατος". The motto symbolized and still symbolizes the resolve of the people of Greece against tyranny and oppression.