[Tlhingan-hol] Dahar ({Da'ar}) mastery

[Steven Boozer]

De'vID:
> Is Dahar ({Da'ar}) the thing that is mastered, or the title given to a
> person who attains the mastery?  Does anyone have the novel "A Good Day
> to Die" who can explain how {Da'ar} is used there?

I believe {Da'ar} is a Klingon martial art in all of De Candido's novels.  Others have speculated that it refers to a Klingon warrior who has reached a legendary status among his peers and subordinates. Kor, Koloth, and Kang were all Dahar Masters.

  "There's a drunken Klingon in my holding cell who must be a hundred
   years old, singing battle songs. Even his best friend [Koloth],
   who's probably a hundred and fifty years old, won't have anything
   to do with him, so I get the pleasure of listening to his repertoire.
   Kor, Dahar Master of the Klingons."   [Odo to Kira, DS9 "Blood Oath"]
   Cf. http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Dahar_master 

Compare {'utlh}:

  As a result, there are not many officers who end their service to the
  Empire by simply stepping down or retiring. There are some, however,
  and the word {'utlh} is used to refer to an officer of this type.
  Perhaps officer emeritus is an appropriate translation.  [KGT 50f.]

> I've been translating a few stories about Zen masters lately and
> wondered what Klingon terminology might be used for a "master" in the
> sense of someone who has attained a spiritual degree considered worthy
> of veneration and emulation by others. (I chose Zen stories because
> samurai culture and Klingon culture seem to have some commonalities.)

*{Da'ar pIn'a'} "Dahar Master" has been used in fandom for some time, but it's likely wrong.   ~mark once commented on this list several years ago that:

  I think Okrand didn't mean {pIn'a'} for Master in this sense... 
  one who is knowledgeable in a field. He mentioned once, I think,
  that he's looking for a better term for this meaning.
  [~mark, (date?)]

Does anyone know if Okrand ever found the term he was looking for?


--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons