So most Klingons seem to refer to themselves as "[name], son/daughter of [parent's name]". For Klingon males, we know it's their father's name. But I've never been able to determine if Klingon females use their father's name or their mother's. Does anyone know the answer?
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Are the Duras sisters ever referred to as "daughter of Ja'rod"?– OrangeDogJan 5, 2021 at 9:26
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@OrangeDog - No. His only mention in the show is in Sins of the Father ("Ja'rod, father of Duras").– ValorumJan 5, 2021 at 13:34
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"most Klingons seem to refer to themselves as "[name], son/daughter of [parent's name]". <- Are you sure about that?– einpoklumJan 6, 2021 at 13:12
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@einpoklum - There are lots of examples in the shows and novels.– ValorumJan 6, 2021 at 15:34
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@Valorum: Yes, but there are plenty of Klingons who just go by one name. Now, you could say that the parent name is still "in the background" somehow, but then you could say the same about many cultures.– einpoklumJan 6, 2021 at 16:09
2 Answers
Typically a daughter uses the name of her father. There are a few examples.
From DS9: Sons And Daughters,
WORF: Who offers their life for the Empire?
N'GAREN: N'Garen, daughter of Tse'Dek!
KATOGH: Katogh, son of Ch'Pok!
KOTH: Koth, son of Larna!
DORAN: Doran, daughter of W'Mar!
With confirmation from the Star Trek Encyclopedia that Tse'Dek is N'Garen's father
Tse’Dek: Klingon warrior, father of N’Garen. (“Sons and Daughters” [DS9]).
and confirmation from StarTrek.com that W'mar is Doran's father.
W'mar: Klingon male. W'mar's teenaged daughter, Doran, was transferred to the Rotarran in 2374 and joined General Martok's dispirited crew.
Other examples include Sirella ("daughter of Linkasa") from DS9: You are Cordially invited, mentioned in LogicDictates' answer.
Moving down the food-chain, there are endless examples in the EU novels.
Without meaning to, he [Kahless] began whispering the words he would have spoken. "I pledge my heart and my hand to you, Kellein, daughter of [Lord] Vathraq, and no other. I am your mate for the rest of my days."
and
“I do not speak those words lightly,” Wol added. “I have known many great warriors in my time.” She hesitated. “I was not always as I am now. Once I was Eral, daughter of B’Etakk of the House of Varnak.” (B'Ettakk is referred to by Eral as "Father" later in the book)
etc.
It seems the father's name is used in relation to both Klingon males and females.
In the DS9 episode, "You Are Cordially Invited", General Martok introduced his wife, Sirella, as:
... Sirella, daughter of Linkasa.
The Star Trek Encyclopedia's entry on Linkasa reads as follows:
Linkasa. Klingon Warrior. Father of Sirella. ("You are Cordially Invited" [DS9]).
Sirella also named her twenty-third maternal grandmother, Shenara, as:
... Shenara, daughter of Emperor Reclaw in the Second Dynasty.
The Star Trek Encyclopedia's entry on Emperor Reclaw reads as follows:
Second Klingon Dynasty. Period in Klingon history in which Emperror Reclaw ruled the empire. The Second Dynasty ended when General K'Trelan assassinated Emperor Reclaw and his family and plunged the empire into thr Dark Time. ("You Are Cordially Invited" [DS9]).
As noted in Valorum's answer, in the DS9 episode, "Sons and Daughters", N'Garen and Doran introduced themselves thusly:
N'GAREN: N'Garen, daughter of Tse'Dek!
DORAN: Doran, daughter of W'Mar!
The Star Trek Encyclopedia's entry on Tse'Dek reads as follows:
Tse'Dek. Klingon Warrior, father of N'Garen. ("Sons and Daughters" [DS9]).
StarTrek.com's entry on W'Mar reads as follows:
W'mar
Klingon male. W'mar's teenaged daughter, Doran, was transferred to the Rotarran in 2374 and joined General Martok's dispirited crew.
And in the Voyager episode, "Prophecy", Kohlar named his mother, Talij, as:
... Talij, daughter of K'Rene.
StarTrek.com's entry on K'Rene reads as follows:
K'rene
Father of Talij, whose name was invoked during a "Plea for the Dead" by Captain Kohlar. The prayer is meant to honor those warriors who have fallen in the name of Kahless.
In the same episode, B'Elanna Torres named her maternal grandmother, L'Naan, as:
... L'Naan, daughter of Krelik.
StarTrek.com's entry on Krelik reads as follows:
Krelik
Great-grandfather of B'Elanna Torres, on the Klingon side.
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1Please demonstrate that Linkasa is a man's name, other than with an uncited link from Memory alpha– ValorumJan 4, 2021 at 22:56
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2The Memory Alpha stub you've linked to seems to conclude that Linkasa is male on the assumption that the father's name is indeed used by daughters. There still doesn't seem to be any actual evidence supporting that assumption. Jan 4, 2021 at 23:07
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1Torres is probably not a good example. Her father was human so it wouldn't make much sense for her to use his side of the family when naming herself in the Klingon fashion. Jan 5, 2021 at 3:28
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3@ApproachingDarknessFish - Torres wasn't naming herself in the example I gave though. She was naming her maternal grandmother, whose parents, presumably, were both Klingon. Jan 5, 2021 at 3:52
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2@LogicDictates - If I had a penny for every missing source on Memory Alpha, I wouldn't need to work again.– ValorumJan 5, 2021 at 11:32