Ronderu lij Kummar Ronderu lij Kummar was a Kaleesh female and a close confidant of Qymaen jai Sheelal , the warrior who would become known as General Grievous . Her origins were largely unknown ; believed to hail from the Grendaju ice mass at the extreme south of the planet Kalee , she claimed not to belong to any one Kaleesh tribe , but to be a descendant of the gods . Rumors abounded regarding her true background , and some believed she never existed . A talented swordmaster and hunter , she worked as a wandering mercenary , hiring her skills to different tribal chieftains on Kalee . Kummar later met the Kaleesh warrior Sheelal while hunting in the Kunbal jungle , and the two became steadfast companions . Outsiders did not know the full nature of their relationship , with some speculating that they were lovers , or that Kummar was Sheelal ' s long lost half - sister . Kummar joined Sheelal in his battles against the alien Yam ' rii who had attempted to colonize their homeworld , fighting by his side in campaigns too numerous to count . The two were considered invincible when fighting together and had a reputation of twin demigods among their people , but when separated , they were considerably less deadly in combat . This led to Kummar ' s downfall ; separated from Sheelal while fighting Yam ' rii on the beaches of the Jenuwaa Sea , she was killed , and her body was dragged out to sea . A devastated Sheelal failed to retrieve her body , subsequently going on a pilgrimage to Abesmi and beginning a path of bloodshed and despair that would last his life . He took the name Grievous to signify his grieving existence , ultimately becoming a vicious warlord and later the Supreme Commander of the Separatist Droid Armies . Biography . Sellsword . Ronderu was a female Kaleesh native to Kalee , though members of her species knew precious little other than that ; some even questioned whether she ever existed . Knowledge of her origins rested largely on speculation and her own , unverifiable claims . Believed to a native of Grendaju , an icy mass at the southern tip of Kalee where the deadly karabbac predators roamed , she was thought to have belonged to a mysterious race of hunters and warriors . But , unlike the majority of Kaleesh , Ronderu was allied with no one tribe , preferring to live as a gypsy . She was a master swordswoman , warrior , and hunter , usually wielding two Lig sword s , and she donned a mask carved from a karabbac ' s skull . Ronderu worked largely as a mercenary , or " sellsword , " on Kalee , hiring her abilities out to various rival Kaleesh tribal chieftains . She made grandiose claims that she was descended from the ancient Kaleesh gods , though there were various interpretations of her comments . In Kaleesh culture , dead ancestors were believed to have become gods , so many believed she merely meant that her family and tribe had all perished ; rumors abounded that Ronderu herself was responsible for their supposed deaths . She became known as the " Kummar " , or the Incubus . " Sheelal " . Eventually , Kummar chanced upon another skilled warrior in the Kunbal jungle , and the two would form a close bond . Kummar was hunting mumuu with her swords when Qymaen , a noted Kaleesh warrior , approached her . He had had a dream of himself hunting mumuu with Lig swords in the Kunbal jungle , and , intrigued , had traveled there to fulfill it ; however , the figure of his vision was not himself , but Ronderu lij Kummar . Because of the nature of their introduction to each other , it was believed that they were living manifestations of the cryptic parable " Sheelal " , or " The Dreamer / The Dreamt One " . Kummar and Qymaen — having become known as Qymaen jai Sheelal — became steadfast companions , though the exact nature of their relationship was largely unknown ; it was postulated by some that they were lovers , by others that she was Sheelal ' s long lost half - sister . They shared a bond , total and sacred , and they became comrades - in - arms . Sheelal was a leading figure in the war against the alien Yam ' rii who had unscrupulously colonized Kalee with no consideration of the natives , and whom he hated with a passion ; Kummar joined his crusade . Kummar taught Sheelal the use of swords , drilling it into him , while in return he introduced her to the primitive Czerka Arms Outland rifle , which she warmed to . They embarked on countless campaigns against the Yam ' rii together , sometimes alongside other warriors of varied origins , hacking and impaling their enemies and racking up a vast kill count . When fighting together , Kummar and Sheelal were almost invincible , working in tandem against their insectoid enemies , but while separated they were decidedly more vulnerable . Among their people , the two had reputations as twin demigods , blessed by their ancestors . At some point in their war with the Yam ' rii , Kummar and Sheelal staved off Yam ' rii attempting to invade Shrupak , the most sacred temple on Kalee , Kummar fighting with her swords and Sheelal with his slugthrower . Later , Kummar and Sheelal became separated during a battle with the Yam ' rii on Kalee ' s beaches , by the Jenuwaa Sea . Unable to fight as effectively as when she was by her comrade - in - arms ' side , she was violently killed by the barbed shears that were the Yam ' rii ' s natural appendages . Her body was dragged out to sea . Legacy . Sheelal was distraught by his companion ' s death . He attempted to retrieve her body from the Jenuwaa Sea , to no avail , and it felt to him as if his soul was seeping out an imaginary but painful wound in his gut . Inconsolable , Sheelal made the perilous journey across the sea to Abesmi , a remote island monolith , to beseech the Kaleesh gods to resurrect Kummar so that he could see her one more time . His request fell on deaf ears , and Sheelal spent years trying to move on , with no success ; ultimately , he decided that he was destined to suffer and mourn for his lost companion his entire life , and took the name " Grievous . " Grievous embarked on a path of destruction and despair that would last his entire life . He formed the elite " Izvoshra " fighting force , becoming the most barbaric warlord to ever live on Kalee . A bloodthirsty Grievous massacred the Yam ' rii , chasing them off Kalee and pursuing them onto other colony worlds . The Galactic Republic eventually stood in and imposed harsh sanctions on the Kaleesh for Grievous ' actions , and Kummar ' s homeworld entered a state of poverty . Grievous nearly perished in a shuttle crash several years later , and was remade as a cyborg . He served as the Supreme Commander of the Droid Armies of the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars , using the swordfighting skills Kummar had imparted on him with great effect against the Jedi . Grievous perished at the hands of the Jedi Master Obi - Wan Kenobi in 19 BBY , never having gotten over the death of Ronderu lij Kummar . After the Kaleesh – Imperial conflict , a female Kaleesh , who was believed to be second incarnation of Kummar , led the Kaleesh people . Personality and traits . Ronderu lij Kummar was a being shrouded in mystery . She claimed to be the descendant of the Kaleesh gods , though this was unverified , and some individuals who lived after her time suspected she never actually existed . She had no loyalties , roaming from place to place and selling her services to different chieftains . Kummar was wild , and people were unsure what she was capable of ; some thought it likely that she had killed her entire tribe . She was a talented warrior and hunter , preferring to use swords in combat and during the hunt . Kummar had a great bond with Sheelal , the exact nature of which was not known . She might have been his long lost half - sister or his lover , depending on who one believed , but regardless , she and Sheelal were almost inseparable , fighting side - by - side for years . They were considered almost invincible , godlike by their fellow Kaleesh when fighting together , but when they fought separately they were far less effective , as evidenced by Kummar ' s death on the Jenuwaa ' s beaches . Sheelal spent the rest of his life in mourning over her death , never quenching his taste for bloodshed . Behind the scenes . The character of Ronderu lij Kummar was created by Abel G . Peña for " " , published in " Star Wars Insider 86 " in February 2006 . Joe Corroney illustrated art of Kummar . She was later featured in " " , an online supplement to " Insider 86 " also written by Peña , and her name was listed as an example name for a member of the Kaleesh species in " The Clone Wars Campaign Guide " , released in early 2009 . Ronderu ' s origins were based upon the story of , a wild man who was raised by animals , from work the " " . In the story , Enkidu becomes the companion of , on whom Grievous ' origins were partly based . Wanting to have some differences between Ronderu ' s backstory and the " Epic of Gilgamesh " , Peña substituted the male Enkidu with the female Ronderu . Peña intentionally left the nature of the relationship between Grievous and Ronderu vague , hypothesizing that the two could have been merely best friends ; lovers ; half - siblings ; both lovers and half - siblings ; or have some other , unknowable type of relationship . When drawing Kummar ' s image for " Insider " , Corroney wanted to clearly establish that Kummar was a female . He considered playing up her bosom , but decided not to , picturing her as a lean and muscular fighter . He also thought the hair could have been part of the animal whose skull she wore as a mask . In his StarWars . com blog , Abel Peña spells the character ' s name as " Ronderu lij Ku mmar , " with a space between the " u " and " m . " However , this is not reflected in canon , as the non - spaced name is present in both works which reference the character .