tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Mar 15 19:48:33 1995
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Re: qeylIs ghaH 'Iv?
On Wed, 15 Mar 1995, A.Appleyard wrote:
> ghItlhpu' "R.B Franklin" <[email protected]> (Subject: Re: KLBC: Correct
> Word..?):-
>
> > Kahless dropped a lock of his hair into the lava of the Kri'stak Volcano,
> > quenched it in the waters of Lake Lursor, and forged it into a weapon and
> > used it to kill Molor. He named this weapon {batlh 'etlh} ("The Sword of
> > Honor"). I believe {betleH} is a contraction of that word, used to describe
> > the type of weapon traditionally used by Klingons.
>
> Excuse my ignorance, but is Kahless/qeylIs a Klingon alive at the time of the
> Star Trek events, or a legendary ancient hero, or a god, or what? Which book
> or episode describes Kahless and the legends that seem to exist about him?
Kahless the Unforgetable is a historical Klingon cultural hero of mythical
proportions. He is said to be the greatest warrior who ever lived and
is the epitome of Klingon honor. He united the Klingons and founded the
Klingon Empire 1,500 years before the current ST time period (circa 9th
century). ("Birthright")
One legend is that Kahless fought his brother, Morath, for twelve days
and nights because Morath knowingly told a lie, thereby bringing dishonor
to their family. (Worf tells this parable to his son, Alexander, in "New
Ground")
Kahless first appears in TOS episode, "Savage Curtain" where the Excalbians
create a facsimile of Kahless from Kirk's mind.
Before he departed this existance, Kayless said he was journeying to
Sto-Vo-Kor (The Realm of the Honored Dead) and prophesized that he would
one day return at the planet Boreth. The clerics of the Boreth
monastary used Kahless' DNA to create a Kahless-clone and immersed the
clone in the teachings and legends of Kahless so that the clone actually
believed he was, in fact, Kahless. Although this ruse was uncovered,
Gowron, the leader of the High Council, agreed to accept this new Kahless
as the rightful heir of the Imperial throne. (The office had been
vacant for some 500 years.). As of 2369, this new Kahless acts in the
ceremonial role of Emperor and the spiritual leader of the Klingon people.
("Rightful Heir")
The PK tape has phrases traditionally used for Empire Union Day, the
Klingon holiday to commemorate Kayless, which occurs in the 3rd month of
the Klingon calendar. (Many fans are celebrating Empire Union Day on
March 25th - it's also the birthday of Robert O'Reilly, the actor who
plays Gowron.)
SoHDaq qeylIS qa' yInjaj.
yoDtargh