Dathomiri (language)

Dathomiri was a language used by the culture of witches of the Outer Rim Territories planet Dathomir known as the Witches of Dathomir. Specifically, it was utilized alongside Galactic Basic Standard, by both the Human and Dathomirian members of the order. Historically, it had ties to the language of Dathomir's Paecian Empire. The Shaman Talzin and the Sisters of her coven, the Nightsisters, often used it during the time of the Clone Wars to perform incantations. Members of the Singing Mountain Clan were known to utilize the language frequently. 
==Description==
===Characteristics===
Dathomiri was a language was utilized by the Witches of Dathomir, a culture of Human and Dathomirian witches native to the Outer Rim TerritoriesThe Essential Atlas planet Dathomir. It was similar to and potentially derived from Paecian, the language of the ancient Paecian Empire.
===Known words===
*Jai — 'Jedi'
*Wooka — 'Wookiee' (the Dathomiri name for the species)
*Whuffa — 'Whuffa worm' (the Dathomiri name for the species)
===Known Dathomiri incantations===
====Nightbrother warrior transformation spell====
As recited by Mother Talzin:
Geiss kan erde mak harden ob stein.
Geiss kan lewf mak krig ob blitz.
Geiss kan pire mak blud loge raga.
Geiss kan vass byn skol zum Asajj.
Erde-blitz-raga-byn erde-blitz raga byn.
Erde-blitz-raga-byn zum Asajj.''
====Chant of Resurrection====
As recited by Old Daka:
Choono slalem denni tay'lori olee-ay.
Lucheno vadem klavlane.
Blenay vedi nalem koreem.
Blenay vedi nalem koreem.
Villos susko kono lamal!
Vlemon tagoo!
====Mind restoration spell====
As recited by Mother Talzin:
Amenda vla'ben troshana bon'te.
Amenda vla'ben troshana bon'te!
====Spell of Storm====
As recited by Teneniel Djo:
Waytha ara quetha way.
Waytha ara quetha way.
Waytha ara quetha way.
Waytha ara quetha way!
==History==
===Origins===
Sometime before 2992 BBY,The Courtship of Princess Leia establishes that the Paecian Empire, who had colonized Dathomir, collapsed around 3000 years prior to the events of the novel. The Essential Reader's Companion dates The Courtship of Princess Leia to 8 ABY, and thus the Paecian Empire must have collapsed around 2992 BBY and must have colonized Dathomir before that year. Humans fromThe Essential Atlas the Outer Rim planet Paecia founded the Paecian Empire. The empire colonized DathomirBook of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side and imposed its language, Paecian, onto the people of the planet. Even after the empire collapsed around 2992 BBY, the influence of the Paecians remained. The native women of the planet formed the language, Dathomiri, which contained many phrases and words similar to and perhaps derived from those of the Paecian language. After the Jedi Knight Allya was exiled to Dathomir in 600 BBY,The New Essential Chronology she taught the native women the ways of the Force and they eventually became the Witches of Dathomir.
===Use during the Clone Wars===
 
Prior to and during the time of the Clone Wars conflict between the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems, the Nightsister coven of the Witches of Dathomir spoke and wroteBook of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side mainly in Galactic Basic Standard, but utilized Dathomiri during incantations and spells. The Nightsister Clan mother Talzin used the language in several notable instances. In 21 BBY, she spoke an incantation which transformed her sonDarth Maul—Son of Dathomir 3 Savage Opress, a member of the Nightbrothers who were warriors subservient to the Nightsisters, into a hulking version of himself. In 20 BBY, she recited an incantation in Dathomiri to restore the mind of another one of her sons, the broken Sith Lord Maul. During the Separatist invasion of Dathomir in 20 BBY, the eldest and wisest Nightsister Daka recited the Dathomiri Chant of Ressurection to raise dead Nightsisters to fight against the invasion force.
===Use during the Imperial Period===
By the time of the Imperial Period, the Singing Mountain Clan obtained a preference for Basic as well.The Last Jedi In 3 ABY,Star Wars: Behind the Magic the Nightsister Charal,Ewoks: The Battle for Endor was stranded onThe Illustrated Star Wars Universe the Outer Rim forest moon Endor. By this time, she had established an alliance with the Sanyassan king Terak who was on a quest to retrieve a crystal oscillator that was in possession of the Towani family. After Terak retrieved the oscillator and brought it back to his castle, Charal attempted to activate it using a Dathomiri spell to no avail. 
===Use during the post-Imperial era===
By 8 ABY,The New Essential Chronology dates The Courtship of Princess Leia to 8 ABY, a year it places in the post-Imperial era. the Singing Mountain Clan returned to a more frequent use of Dathomiri. In 8 ABY during the post-Imperial era, the New Republic members Han Solo, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, and Chewbacca visited Dathomir. They encountered some of members of the Singing Mountain who began exclaiming the word "whuffa." The protocol droid C-3PO, who was programmed for language recognition, stated that their dialogue was not one he recognized, but was able to note its connection to Paecian. Throughout the group's stay, they befriended many members of the Singing Mountain Clan, including Teneniel Djo. During the Battle of Dathomir against the Nightsisters, Djo recited the Spell of Storm in Dathomiri.
Eventually, Teneniel bore the Jedi Knight Tenel Ka Djo.The Essential Guide to Characters In 45 ABY,The table of contents for Star Wars Insider 142 states that the "Good Hunting" leads into the events of Crucible. Crucible dates itself to 45 years after . The New Essential Chronology dates the end of A New Hope to 0 ABY, thus Crucible and "Good Hunting" must take place in 45 ABY. during a vacation on the planet Luuhar, Tenel Ka's pet nexu ran off. Upon running after the feline, Tenel Ka sensed danger and yelled a Dathomiri war cry upon drawing her lightsaber.
==Behind the scenes==
The Dathomirian language first appeared, albeit through retroactive continuity, in the 1985 direct-to-video movie, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. After Charal was retconned to have been a member of the Nightsisters in the 1995 book, The Illustrated Star Wars Universe, the cultural language she incanted was thus also retconned to one of the Witches of Dathomiri. Prior to this retcon, the language made its first proper appearance in the 1994 novel The Courtship of Princess Leia, written by Dave Wolverton. It was first identified as Dathomiri in "Good Hunting," a short story released in the one hundred fourty-second issue of the Star Wars Insider magazine series on June 10, 2013.
Several sources erroneously state that the Witches of Dathomir spoke Paecian.The Dark Side SourcebookRebellion Era Sourcebook However, The Courtship of Princess Leia, from which these claims are taken, states in actuality that the language the Dathomirians speak is a different, but similar language.
==Appearances==
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*
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*Ewoks: The Battle for Endor 
*The Courtship of Princess Leia 
*The Courtship of Princess Leia abridged audiobook
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==Sources==
*Cracken's Threat Dossier 
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*Star Wars: The Clone Wars Annual 2013
==Notes and references==
Category:Culture of Dathomir
Category:Languages