Drinking and Celebrating, The Klingon Way, Part 3

In today's post, we will examine the gentle art of the toast.

The most famous Klingon toast is

'IwlIj jachjaj

May your blood scream

There are many such toasts, including some traditional ones:-

reH HIvje'lIjDaq 'Iwghargh Datu'jaj	May you always find a bloodworm in your glass.*
QuvlIjDaq yIH tu'be'lu'jaj	May your coordinates be free of tribbles.*
'oy' DaSIQjaj	May you endure the pain.*
qoSlIj DatIvjaj	Happy Birthday* literally, "May you enjoy your birthday"
bInajtaHvIS qeylIS qa' Daghomjaj	May you encounter the spirit of Kahless in your dreams*
jIlajneS ghIj qet jaghmeyjaj	I am honoured to accept. May our enemies run in fear.
bItuHpa' bIHeghjaj	Death before shame.*
bISuvtaHvIS bIHeghjaj	May you die in battle.*
'Iw bIQtIqDaq bIlengjaj	May you travel down the River of Blood.
reH tlhInganpu' taHjaj.	Klingons forever!*
reH tlhIngan wo' taHjaj	Long live the Klingon Empire!*
reH tlhIngan Hol taHjaj	Long live the Klingon language!
SoHDaq qeylIS qa' yInjaj	May the spirit of Kahless dwell within you!*

Key to a Klingon toast is a Type 9 verb suffix you have not encountered before:-

-jaj may

Two elements make up a good toast. First, the verb traditionally ends with the Type 9 -jaj suffix:-

DaSIQjaj	May you endure it
tu'lu'jaj	May it be there
tu'be'lu'jaj	May it not be there
batlh bIHeghjaj	May you die with honour
Daghomjaj	May you encounter it
DaQoyjaj	May you hear it
Dalarghjaj	May you smell it
DaHotjaj	May you feel it
DatIvjaj	May you enjoy it
reH taHjaj	May it last forever / Long may it live

Second, the verb-plus-jaj always comes at the end:-

yIn DaSIQjaj	May you endure life
jaghpu'lIj HochHom Dajeyjaj	May you defeat most of your enemies

The last is a reference to a famous epic poem, lu qang The Fall of Kang, written by the poet G'Trok. One line from the poem reads

So honour the valiant who die 'neath your sword,

But pity the Warrior who slays all his foes.

A noted exception to the second toasting rule is the Oath of Acceptance by a cha'DIch second in a legal battle.

jIlajneS ghIj qet jaghmeyjaj

I am honoured to accept. May our enemies run in fear.

Here, the -jaj suffix actually appears on the end of the noun, and not on the verb at all. The traditional explanation is that this ritual phrase is very, very old, and comes from an older time, under another Emperor, where the rules of grammar were very different to that which they are today, the equivalent of using a set phrase from one of the plays of Shakespeare in his archaic dialect of English such as "This above all: to thine own self be true" - (Hamlet, Act I, Scene III).

Note

Klingon culture is highly ritualised. It is recommended that, for the most part, if you must offer a toast to a Klingon, stick to the set toasts outlined above, marked with an asterisk.

Next: More Klingon beverages and the wide-ranging cultural impact of drinks.