tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Thu Feb 22 14:56:15 2001
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Re: KLBC (Qun)
Rohn asked:
: Does the tlhIngan mu' "Qun" carry the meaning of so-called god, or just
: any god?
The latter: any god (or goddess). If you want to indicate that it's being used
in a false or ironic fashion, add the Type 3 suffix {-qoq} "so-called" to it:
{Qunqoq}.
Marc Okrand was asked about the Klingon gods on startrek.klingon. Here's his
reply:
"There is a Klingon word that could be translated 'god' or 'supernatural
being': {Qun}. In talking of times long ago (pre-Kahless?), Klingons
mention these beings, and there seem to have been a good number of
them (the plural of {Qun} is {Qunpu'} since they are or were presumably
capable of using language, which is what the plural suffix {-pu'} implies).
Though too little is known of ancient Klingon theology, there doesn't seem
to have been a single {Qun} that stood out from the rest. Indeed, the
{Qunpu'} appear to have acted collectively. {Qunpu'} are distinct from
{qa'pu'} 'spirits' (such as the spirits of the dishonored dead which reside
at Gre'thor). {Qun'a'} 'great god' ({Qun} plus {-'a'}, the augmentative
suffix) may or may not be an appropriate translation for a single
supernatural being in a monotheistic system, since the {Qun'a'} would still
be one among many." (7/19/1999)
Historical note: prior to this post, many Klingonists used *{joH'a'} or even
*{qa''a'}, both of which you'll find in the KLI Archives and many Bible
translation projects.
Since {Qun} can also be translated "supernatural being", I wonder: Is Fek'lhr
one of the ancient (mythological) {Qunpu'}?
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons