tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Aug 12 11:19:06 2002
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Traveling the "River of Blood"
tulwI' wrote:
> >> In first and second person this isn't too bad because the prefix
> >> tells us if the noun-Daq is the locative or the object. Third
> >> person uses the null prefix for both with-object and
> >> without-object, which can cause problems, which context will
> >> hopefully help with.
> >
> > 'ach Dochvam vIyajbe':
> > /bIQtIqDaq vIghoS/ doesn't mean something like "i'm going on the
> > river to it/him/her."?
DloraH:
>This is what I meant by third-person causing problems. Yes, that sentence
>can mean that; but this is where context comes in.
Without any other context, I would read that as "I'm going to the river"
with a redundant {-Daq}.
BTW, there's a phrase from the Rite of Ascension ceremony that now makes a
bit more sense in light of Okrand's explanation of how the verb prefixes
work with verbs of motion:
'Iw bIQtIqDaq bIlengjaj.
May you travel the river of blood. (PK)
A variant using {jaH} is also known:
'Iw bIQtIqDaq jIjaH
I travel the river of blood. (TKW 203)
This means "may you travel in (or via) the river of blood." This could
refer to wading through the river of blood shed by your enemies. This
could also be taken from the Kahless cycle of stories:
Doq bIQtIq bIQ
The river water is red. (idiom)
The phrase can be traced back to an old drinking song that commemorates
the slaying of the tyrant Molor by Kahless. On that day, according to
the song, the River Skral ran red; that is, it was filled with the blood
of Molor. (KGT 123)
Thus, Molor fought and died in a river of his own blood.
Perhaps, too, the "river of blood" is a metaphor for the fighting life of a
warrior:
For Klingons, blood...represents the animating force of life itself,
that which controls basic temperament and character. It is strength.
It is the commander, making the decisions and giving the orders...A
warrior...must pay attention to, or listen to, what his blood has to
say. (TKW 31)
bIrchugh qIvon tuj 'Iw
If the qIvon is cold, the blood is hot.
It probably means something like "Even though some parts of the body
may be cold, a Klingon's blood is hot" - that is, he is ready for
battle." (TKW 174)
tujpa' qul pub SuvwI' 'Iw
A warrior's blood boils before the fire is hot.
This proverb suggests that it is better to take the initiative than
to simply react to situations. Blood, the controller, does not need
an external influence in order to heat up; one need not draw strength
from the outside. (TKW 32)
Since we know that Klingons equate water with weakness (cf. KGT p.35) and
blood with strength (cf. TKW p.31), a "river of blood" is indeed a powerful
image.
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons