tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Apr 19 07:40:49 1999
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Re: Word for "god"?
Ben Mischler wrote:
: I am trying to translate the Klingon wedding ritual from "You are
: Cordially Invited..." but I've run into a bit of a problem. There
: doesn't seem to be a Klingon word for "god(s)." Any ideas?
: chenmoHwI'pu'?
: Dep nIvqu'pu'???
: nIvnav lutuQvIpbe'law'bogh vay''e'?????
: Klingons apparently had gods at one time, so there must be *some*
: way to say it :P
No doubt there is an ancient word - or even several - which Okrand (oops, I
mean Maltz!) hasn't revealed to us yet. In the meantime, many people on
this list have used *{joH'a'} or *{qa''a'}, depending on their theology.
I've noticed that monotheists tend to prefer the former, polytheists the
latter. YMMV.
BTW, if you like *{qa''a'pu'} for "the gods", keep in mind that {qa'pu'}
refers to the spirits (souls?) of Klingons either alive:
qa' wIje'meH maSuv.
We fight to enrich the spirit. TKW
qaSDI' nenghep, qa' patlh chu' chav tlhIngan SuvwI'
The Age of Ascension marks a new level of spiritual attainment by a
Klingon warrior. S9
SuvwI' qa' patlh veb chavlaHmeH tlhIngan lo'chu' chaH. toDujDaj toblu'
[They] use the devices [painstiks] to inflict pain in a manner which will
allow the Klingon to attain a higher state of spirituality as a warrior,
proving his mettle. S32
or dead:
HeghDI' SuvwI' nargh SuvwI' qa'
When a warrior dies, his spirit escapes. TKW
narghbe'chugh SuvwI' qa' taH may'
If the warrior's spirit has not escaped, the battle is still going on. TKW
ghe'torvo' narghDI' qa'pu'
when spirits escape from Gre'thor KGT
or even somewhere in between (metaphorical usage):
SoHDaq qeylIS qa' yInjaj!
May the spirit of Kahless live within you! PK
"You truly have the spirit of Kahless within you!"
(Martok to Worf in DS9 "By Inferno's Light")
(In Klingon mythology, Kahless did not actually die but went into
"occlusion" on or near the planet or star Boreth; he is expected by true
believers to return one day.)
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons