tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Feb 26 13:49:43 2004

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Re: Klingon WOTD: lIghon (n)

Steven Boozer ([email protected]) [KLI Member] 

> > This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Thursday, February 26, 2004.
> >
> > Klingon word:   lIghon
> > Part of Speech: noun
> > Definition:     Ligon
> >
> > Additional Notes:
> > KGT.  Okay, what's a Ligon?
>
>Ligon II is the planet where Tasha Yar fought Lutan's wife Yareena in a duel
>to the death in Star Trek: The Next Generation: "Code of Honor."
>http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/episodes/TNG/detail/68314.html

More info on Ligon:

   Thus {lIghon wa'} (Ligon I) is the planet orbiting closest to the
   Ligon sun; {lIghon cha'} (Ligon II) is the second closest...
   (KGT 141)

   Ligon has sometimes been called {lIghonya'} in addition to {lIghon}...
   (KGT 142)

   A name for the inhabitant of a planet (and, therefore, the name of
   a race of beings) is formed by adding {ngan} ("inhabitant") to the
   planet name (excluding the number, if any): {lIghonngan} ("Ligonian")
   ... (Actually, there is some phonetic variation here. "Ligonian" is
   often pronounced {lIghongan}, dropping the final {n} of {lIghon}
   before the initial {ng} of {ngan}. This is not considered an error,
   only an alternate pronunciation.) (KGT 141)

>It is the source of the {lIghon DuQwI' pogh} "Ligonian spike glove," which
>is the weapon Yar and Yareena use in their duel.

According to the _Star Trek Encyclopedia_ (p.114) it's

   A traditional weapon on planet Ligon II, used in ritual combat.
   Resembling a gauntlet-length oversized glove, the end of the
   glavin has a large, vicious hook and is covered with poison-
   tipped spines. Tasha Yar fought Yareena with glavins.

>Klingons apparently have had contact with Ligon II, directly or indirectly,

According to another one of my informants (qoror): "It looks like a glove, 
stood straight up, finger-area toward the ceiling, in the ceremonial room 
used for the {nentay}, {vItHay'}, and other rituals, filled with spikes. 
Unfortunately, the description just says 'Ligonian spike glove'."  SuStel 
mentioned back in another post that KCD "simply places it in the category 
of Weapons (included with all of the other *Klingon* weapons, and talks 
about the {DuQwI'} part of it. It never mentions the planet Ligon, except 
in the name {lIghon DuQwI' pogh}."

BTW, KCD also mentions a creature called the {lIghon Qa'Hom} "Ligonian 
Qa'Hom".  (Does anyone remember any details?)

>because the weapon shows up in the occasional Klingon home in television 
>shows (they've got the prop
>lying around ...).

And with the pointy finger guard and those vicious spike, it was just too 
cool to throw away!

I always figured Tasha asked Yareena for hers for a souvenir.  Or maybe it 
was left on the Enterprise when they beamed the "dead" Yareena aboard and 
Tasha confiscated it.  Either way, I imagine Worf inherited it (along with 
her job) when she died and kept it in his quarters to honor her as part of 
his {nuH bey'}.  There's a photo of part of one on the wall of Worf's 
Enterprise quarters in TKW (p.204).



-- 
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons

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