tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Nov 09 11:34:04 2011
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Re: [Tlhingan-hol] Kortar and the River of Blood
Voragh:
> We've actually seen a Klingon {bIQ Duj} in VOY "Barge of the Dead":
> Kortar was captain of the mythical Barge of the Dead; he destroyed
> the gods who created him and, as punishment, was condemned to ferry
> the dishonored dead to Grethor.
Brent:
>> Maybe this is a silly question, but if he destroyed the gods, who
>> punished him?
Voragh:
> jIHagh. You know, I had the same thought as I copied that note into
> my email! Perhaps it was a parting shot from one of the dying gods.
> Or maybe it's the same forces who operate Gre'thor and keep Fek'lhr at
> his post!
Apparently Kortar {qortar} appears in the ('u'} libretto and possibly in the paq'batlh. Here's what little I have in my notes:
According to legend Kortar, the "first" Klingon, and his mate were created in a place called {QI'tu'}. The two destroyed the gods who made them and turned the heavens into ashes. This event is recounted in Klingon marriage ceremonies. (DS9 "You Are Cordially Invited...")
Kortar was the ferryman on the mythical Barge of the Dead who destroyed the gods who created him and as punishment, he was condemned to ferry the souls of the dishonored dead over the River of Blood to the gates of Gre'thor. He's the Klingon equivalent of Charon. (VOY "Barge of the Dead")
As I re-read these, it's possibly that "destroyed the gods who made him/them" may only refer to those specific gods who made them, not all the ancient Klingon gods collectively. Thus there still would be other gods left who could have punished him.
And another point... there may be two Rivers of Blood: a physical one on Kronos and a mythical one in the Afterlife.
The River Skral {SIqral bIQtIq} is the river on Kronos by Qam-chee where Kahless slew Molor. In the "Way of the Warrior" captions the line /EJAHDAK-SO-TAS GHOS VA SKRAAL BYTEEK/ is translated in the novelization by Diane Carey as: "And the River Skral ran crimson red". Is this the "River of Blood" ('Iw bIQtIq) referred to in the Age of Ascension Ritual? Note the idiom {Doq bIQtIq bIQ" "The river water is red" in KGT:
KGT 123: 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.
Why would Klingon warriors say:
'Iw bIQtIqDaq bIlengjaj
May you travel the River of Blood! PK
'Iw bIQtIqDaq jIjaH
I travel the River of Blood. (
if the River of Blood leads to Gre'thor, the afterlife for the dishonored dead? Or could the Klingons - maybe Kahless himself? - have simply called the River Skral "the River of Blood" metaphorically, since Molor is the archetype of a dishonored warrior?
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons
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