tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Mon Jan 17 12:07:59 2005
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Re: "The animal and I are joined."
juDmoS:
> mamuvta' Ha'DibaH jIH je.
> The animal and I are joined.
[email protected]:
> > There's no rule that says you have to declare an object with /muv/, b=
ut
> > my mind wants one. I don't know if /mamuvchuqta' Ha'DIbaH jIH je/ is=
any
> > better ... I think this is an abstract idea (you don't mean you've be=
come
> > physically merged with the animal, do you?)
juDmoS:
>not exactly...I mean to say something like that the animal's essence, it=
's
>fierceness, it's feral nature... is now a part of me.
The essence of a being lies in its heart, even animals:
... the heart stands for one's spirit or principles."
(TKW 23, cf. TNG "Heart of Glory")
The heart of the targ beast, although targ are bred for food
throughout the Empire, the heart of the bred targ is considered
weakened by domestication. Only the heart of a wild, hunted
targ is considered worthy of eating. It is a rare delicacy."
[KCD]
tIqlIj Da'angnIS
You must show your heart. PK
tIqDaq HoSna' tu'lu'
Real power is in the heart. TKW
["In this phrase, the heart stands for one's spirit or principles."
(TKW 23)]
The only example I know of associating an abstract quality with an animal=
=20
is the common simile
tlhab; ngem Ha'DIbaH rur
free (independent) as a forest animal KGT
Like most warriors, {tlhab} "freedom, independence" is important to=20
Klingons though Okrand cautions that "this refers to how or where any=20
animal lives rather than to a specific animal". BTW, even plants can be =
free:
Fruit or vegetables that come from a farm ({Du'}) are called
either {naH} alone or {Du' naH} ("farm fruit or vegetable" or
"produce"); the wild variety is termed {naH tlhab} (literally,
"free fruit or vegetable"). (KGT 89)
AFAIK Klingons believe that only people have a {qa'} "spirit" (a soul, if=
=20
you prefer), animals do not. Animals are things, not people, which is wh=
y=20
the suffixes for "beings capable using language" are not used for animals=
,=20
even pets - {targhmey} not *{targhpu'}, {targhwIj} not *{targhwI'},=20
etc. Klingons are fairly unsentimental about animals; they keep targs a=
s=20
pets and as food animals - the very same animals most likely.
Note that the word for "spirit", {qa'}, takes the plural
suffix {=96pu'}, which is used for beings capable of using
language. Spirits do speak. (KGT 117)
the plural of {Qun} ["god, supernatural being"] is {Qunpu'}
since they are or were presumably capable of using language,
which is what the plural suffix {-pu'} implies ... {Qunpu'}
are distinct from {qa'pu'} "spirits" (such as the spirits of
the dishonored dead which reside at Gre'thor). (st.k 7/19/99)
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")
qa' wIje'meH maSuv.
We fight to enrich the spirit.
("We fight in order to feed the spirit.") TKW
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
According to mythology, when a dishonored Klingon dies, his
or her spirit goes to a place called Gre'thor, there to remain.
To speak of spirits escaping from Gre'thor is to speak of an
impossibility. (KGT 117) KGT
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 spirit-
uality as a warrior, proving his mettle. S32
We've seen no evidence that Klingon believe animals can talk or have spir=
its.
>tiqwIjDaq Ha'DIbaH qa' , mebbe ?
All that being said, how about
jIHDaq Ha'DIbaH tIq tu'lu'.
the animal's heart lies within me
which could be understood both literally (Klingons eat the hearts of=20
animals) and figuratively.
You could even use {moj} "become" metaphorically:
Ha'DIbaH vImojpu'.
I have become the animal.
If you really want to anthropomorphize the animal, you could say (based o=
n=20
the "Spirit of Kahless" quote above):
jIHDaq yIn Ha'DIbaH qa'
the spirit of the animal lives within me
keeping in mind my caveats about {qa'}. While these may be grammatically=
=20
correct, it may not be culturally understandable. For all we know, a=20
Klingon may find this statement as bizarre as saying
jIHDaq yIn raS qa'
the spirit of the table lives within me
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons