tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Mar 15 19:59:04 1995
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Re: qeylIs ghaH 'Iv?
On Wed, 15 Mar 1995, A.Appleyard wrote:
> 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?
Yes, he is alive in the current TV timeline and, yes, he is an ancient
legendary hero. Following is as brief a complete synopsis as I can give.
~1500 years ago (ST timeline, so ~900 AD on Earth) Kahless defeated the
tyrant Molor and united the Klingons. Kahless was the first Emperor of
the Klingon Empire. [from "Birthright", the two parter that also gave us
that nonsense battle song]
It also seems that Kahless was the first to stress the ideals of honour
and used that to unite the Klingons. He was so honourable himself that
he once fought his brother (Morath) for 12 days and nights because of the
family shame of a lie Morath had told. [from "New Ground", where
Alexander comes back to live on the E]
Kahless seems to have unusual powers. He created the batlh 'etlh (or
whatever spelling you want to use) from a lock of his hair, dipped in the
lava of Kri'stak and plunged into the Lake of Lursor, then twisted into a
blade. This sword was used to kill Molor. He awaits the honourable in
Sto-Vo-Kor (where they go when they die - The Happy Hunting Grounds?).
When he died (and went to awaits others in Sto-Vo-Kor) he said he would
return and did so in 2369 (TNG, 6th season) as a genetic clone of the
original. The clone was made Emperor, but in title only. The Chancellor
still maintains all official political power. The Emperor is more like a
religious leader then an explicitly political one. [from "Rightful Heir",
where Worf takes a leave of absence to find himself and finds Kahless
instead]
Any questions?
janSIy
(references: Star Trek Encyclopedia, The)
( Star Trek Chronology )
(both published by Pocket Books, )
( a division of Simon & Schuster Inc.)