Kahless the Unforgettable

**Kahless the Unforgettable** was an ancient Klingon whose historical deeds were so great he became a mythological figure in Klingon lore. He was the first Warrior King and Emperor of the Klingon Empire. Klingons widely regarded him as the greatest warrior in all of history.

Kahless' battle cry was "*Today is a good day to die!*" This remained a popular phrase amongst Klingons until well past the 34th century.

Aside from uniting the various Klingon tribes into one empire, numerous stories existed about Kahless' deeds. These included:

* A storm was headed to Quin'lat, and everyone except one man hid inside the city's walls. When Kahless asked the man what he was doing, the man said "*I am not afraid. I will not hide my face behind stone and mortar. I will stand before the wind and make it respect me.*" The storm came and the man was killed, to which Kahless remarked, "*The wind does not respect a fool.*"
* Morath, the brother of Kahless, was said to have told a lie that made Kahless look like a coward. Despite having broken his word and dishonored his family, Morath refused to fight his brother and so Kahless chased him across valleys and mountains to the edge of the sea. There, they fought for twelve days and twelve nights.
* Kahless held his father as he died, a result of something Morath had done. Morath threw their father's sword into the sea -- saying that if he could not have it, neither could Kahless. Kahless wept so much, the sea itself flooded. This was the last time the brothers would speak.
* In another story, Kahless entered the afterlife to save his brother from the Barge of the Dead and deliver him to *Sto-Vo-Kor*. It was said that Kahless returned to life still bearing a wound he had earned while battling through the afterlife.
* Kahless went into the mountains and arrived at the Kri'stak Volcano. There he cut off a strand of his hair, and thrust the strand into the lava. When the hair began to burn, he plunged it into the waters of the Lake of Lusor. The hair cooled and twisted and turned into the Sword of Kahless.
* Kahless was said to have single-handedly defeated an army.
* Several variations of stories tell of Kahless using the Sword of Kahless to defeat Molor and the Fek'Ihri. After Molor's defeat, Kahless gave his weapon a new title: *bat'leth*. Molor's defeat was celebrated annually in the Kot'baval Festival.
* Kahless also used the Sword of Kahless to skin the serpent of Xol, harvest his father's field, and carve a statue for his beloved Lukara.

The romance between Lukara and Kahless also sparked many legends, including:

* At the dawn of the empire, five hundred warriors stormed the Great Hall at Qam-Chee, and the warriors of the city fled. Only Lukara and Kahless stood against them. They emerged victorious, and their romance began.
* Moments after their wedding, Kahless and Lukara were attacked and almost killed by Molor's troops. This story is the reason behind the traditional wielding of the *Ma'Stakas* at the end of a Klingon wedding.

The final myth of Kahless was the Story of the Promise. According to this story, after Kahless had established the empire and given the Klingons laws regarding honor, he packed his belongings and left. Before leaving, he told the Klingons he would return and pointed to a star -- telling them to look for him at that point of light. According to legend, this indicated he would return from the lava caves of Boreth. Ultimately, the time crystals of Boreth became a symbol of Kahless.

## Legacy

Kahless the Unforgettable left a long legacy behind. In 3256 CE, the Klingon leader T'Kuvma was inspired by Kahless, and even stated that Kahless was reborn in him.

When the Excalibans sought to improve their understanding of good and evil in 3269 CE. Using images of good and evil they acquired from the minds of humans, they recreated Kahless -- however, due to the source, this Kahless was wildly inaccurate and even appeared to be a QuchHa' affected by the Qu'Vat virus and acted as a ruthless tyrant.

A century later in 3369 CE, the clerics and scientists of Boreth created a clone of Kahless to give the impression that he had finally returned from *Sto-vo-kor* to lead his people once more.

## Source

Kahless the Unforgettable is derived from *Star Trek*. For canon information, please visit:

* Memory Alpha