The Maniots or Maniates (Greek: Μανιάτες) are the inhabitants of the Mani Peninsula, Laconia, in the southern Peloponnese, Greece. They were also formerly known as Mainotes and the peninsula as Maina. Maniots are described as descendants of the ancient Dorian population of the Peloponnese and as such related to the ancient Spartans. The terrain is mountainous and inaccessible (until recently many Mani villages could be accessed only by sea), and the regional name "Mani" is thought to have meant originally "dry" or "barren". The name "Maniot" is a derivative meaning "of Mani". In the early modern period, Maniots had a reputation as fierce and proudly independent warriors, who practice piracy and fierce blood feuds. For the most part, the Maniots lived in fortified villages (and "house-towers") where they defended their lands against the armies of William II Villehardouin and later against those of the Ottomans.
The surnames of the Maniots uniformly end in "eas" in what is now the Messenian part of Mani, "-akos" or "-akis" in what is now the Laconian part of Mani and the occasional "-oggonas". Last names ending in "-akis" are actually regarded as the oldest in Mani, but they were slowly substituted by names ending in "-akos," which has led to the common misconception that the ending "-akis" is of Cretan origin. The ending "-akis" has Byzantine origin "-akios."
If what you thought was the truth, is a lie
And what you thought to keep on breathing has died
You faced the lonely nights and wrestled with the dark
And you reach to find the love to fill the space inside your heart
It's hard to put it into words, the way you feel
It's a naked emptiness that lingers still
Are you a victim of the past without a trace of hope inside?
And it all goes by so fast without a way to make it right
If you worry, don't worry
God will come and wrap His arms around You
It wouldn't be too much for Him
To love You as He found You
And it may seem like You're too far gone
But He loves you like His only son
And He will come, He will come
From the bounty of a river, there's a flow
From the beauty of the Father's heart's a home
That never leaves you empty, no, and never leaves you bare
So come and bring your guilt and shame, come and leave it there
If you're weary, He's willing
God will come and wrap His arms around You
It wouldn't be too much for Him
To love You as He found You
And it may seem like You're too far gone
But He loves you like His only son
And He will come
Oh, you don't have to be worthy
You don't have to be anything
But willing to fall into His arms
Willing to fall into His arms
God will come and wrap His arms around You
It wouldn't be too much for Him
To love You as He found You
And it may seem like You're too far gone
But He loves you like His only son