What does the Indigo Tribe oath mean?

Question

The oath of the Indigo Tribe is:

Tor lorek san, bor nakka mur,
Natromo faan tornek wot ur.
Ter Lantern ker lo Abin Sur,
Taan lek lek nok--Formorrow Sur!

Has it ever been translated? If so, what does it mean in English?

Answer 1

I took the oath through Google translate today, cycling through all the languages and writing down likely substitutes for words. A few were troublesome and I treated them as contractions, which smoothed things out. (Only a little, though.) This is what I came up with:

Dream-gate shade, and living wall,
Natromo returns to watch the gap from within.
Having Lantern-vessels of Abin Sur,
Enough playing games - from right now on!

1. I know it has no color reference. This is as good a literal translation using Earth languages as I could wrench it into saying.
2. It doesn't even touch the language used in the comics.
3. I know little to nothing about the story line. I was interested because it was a linguistic challenge to me. (And the Green Lantern is a cool dude.)
4. I will not cite it, as it took a good 3 hours to run all the searches and checks. Running it through Google Translate will give you an idea on how I started, just cycle the languages.

Here is the literal translation that I used, line by line:

Tor lorek san, bor nakka mur,
Gate shade dream, live and wall

Natromo faan tornek wot ur.
Natromo return (to see the gap(gate)) from within

Ter Lantern ker lo Abin Sur,
Having Lantern vessels (of) Abin Sur

Taan lek lek nok--Formorrow Sur!
To game play enough - (fore tomorrow) on

Answer 2

There is no translation of the Indigo Tribe's oath. It has been speculated it is not necessarily the Oath that matters but the cadence which activates the power.

The Wikipedia Entry on the Indigo Tribe's adds some commentary from the writer Geoff Johns:

As with the other Corps of the emotional spectrum, the Indigo Tribe charges its rings by reciting an oath, but uses a power staff instead of a power battery. In its first extended appearance, the Indigo Tribe speaks a language that the power ring cannot translate, although Indigo-1 later explains that her Tribe can speak languages others can understand. Regardless, the oath has only been rendered in the aforementioned fictional language. Johns (the series' writer) has said that the Corps oaths have a tempo regardless of what language they are spoken in, adding: "But speaking of languages, the Indigo Tribe speaks an interesting one."

“Tor lorek san, bor nakka mur,

Natromo faan tornek wot ur.

Ter Lantern ker lo Abin Sur,

Taan lek lek nok--Formorrow Sur!”

—Indigo-1, Blackest Night #5 (January 2010)

Answer 3

It's evidently unknown, and there isn't a translator yet for the language. Did find one forum post that has some translations of the language, but nothing definitive.

Answer 4

Looking through the comic books for direct translations, I got this:

Tor lorek san, bor nakka mur,

Natromo faan tornek wot ur.

Ter Lantern ker lo Abin Sur,

Taan lek lek nok--Formorrow Sur!

Translated:

[Tor] [lorek] following, [bor] blackest night. Natromo [fann] [tornek] [wot] [ur]. His Lantern our guide Abin Sur. [Taan] multiple lights may compassion guide you--Indigo Power!

Answer 5

I know the word "nok" means "may compassion be with you". It's kin of their catchphrase.

Answer 6

In sorrowful day, in misfortunate night, We help those, who need our might, With the Lanturn power of Abin Sur, We rid your misery....with compassionate might!

Answer 7

Perhaps this will help?

The Book of the Black: The Burned-In Thoughts of William Hand

Chapter 1, Verse 7

NEK-SAN "NOK?"

NEKRON LOR LEK NEK NEK SURA GUARDIANS WA RET SCOPET. KLEK KLEK NEE. LOK NAK LORA LORUUTA GORGER RO RO. LOKOK NLETT ABIN SUR RATCH HAL JORDAN ET SINESTRO DORO GREEN LANTERNS. SUR MUNK HARK TE KEKAKEK OA LEDD MONROTT DORO SCOPET. NOK. SCOPET LOR, "LET THERE BE LIGHT!" KLEK OCTA ROQ?

LEKORA LEK LEK!

RET ROGORA LARFLEEZE ET ATROCITUS DORO SAINT WALKER ET STAR SAPPHIRE KER QUR. KLOK SINESTRO DEF HART TE PARALLAX ET HECTOR HAMMOND. TUR HECTOR HAMMOND LOR LEK SUR SHARK. ET DORO RADSAW LETT RESMUN AQUAWARR.

TOR LORKE SAN, BOR NAKKA MUR. NATROMO FANN TORNEK WOT UR. TER LANTERN KER LO ABIN SUR. TANN LEK LEK NOK -- FORMORROW SUR!

NOK. - "MAY COMPASSION GUIDE YOU."

LER ORAK TE WILLIAM HAND. - "MY NAME IS WILLIAM HAND."

LUCA. - "PLEASE."

KLOK NER! - "HELP ME!"

Answer 8

Personally, after looking at what the direct translation has (which to me is a bit rough and literal) I feel it would in an English style cadence would go like this..

Following empty day, the blackest night. Natromo keeps the indigo's sight, Guided by Abin Sur's guiding right, May compassion lead you, with every light.

Using the translated words as a rough guide and in the way a normal person would speak an oath it seems as though it would go like this.

following the empty use of emotion, it caused the blackest night. while they fought natromo... their guardian, protected the battery and their focus. they set their values based on what abin sur said was truth. "nok" is compassion with you, so a similar saying would be may it lead you instead of with you. in this case with the compassion's ability to emulate every light.