Stephen King's the Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance Revised and Updated (108 page)

KI’BOX:
See entry in
CALLA BRYN STURGIS DIALECT

KI’COME:
See entry in
CALLA BRYN STURGIS DIALECT

KI’DAM:
See entry in
END-WORLD TERMS

MA’SUN:
A war chest. Roland uses this word to describe the cave in STEEKTETE where Ted Brautigan, Sheemie Ruiz, and Dinky Earnshaw have stored weapons for his KA-TET. VII:253

MIA:
Mother. V:248

MIM:
Mother Earth. VII:798

POL-KAM:
The
pol-kam
is a dance, faster and lighter than a waltz, danced in the Great Hall of Gilead. Roland associates it with the courtesans, the jewel-like eyes of his lover Aileen, and the bright, shining electric lights of Gilead. I:137

PRIM:
The Prim is the original magical Discordia, or soup of creation, from which the MULTIVERSE arose.
See also entry in
CHARACTERS

PROPHECY:
In High Speech, prophecy is the information a person gains by having intercourse with a supernatural being. The term does not necessarily imply sexual intercourse, although, as we saw in
The Gunslinger,
many demons will not give prophecy unless a sexual price is paid. Prophecy is, as its name implies, prophetic. It describes events—in the distant future, a distant past, or in a distant place—which the seeker could learn about in no other manner. To seek prophecy is dangerous and should not be embarked upon lightly. VI:112

PROPHECY FOR THE LINE OF ELD:
Mordred Deschain’s birth fulfills an ancient prophecy which foretold the destruction of the last gunslinger:

He who ends the line of Eld shall conceive a child of incest with his sister or his daughter, and the child will be marked, by his red heel shall you know him. It is he who shall stop the breath of the last warrior.

As we know from the Dark Tower series, Roland was tricked into conceiving a child with his KA-TET mate Susannah Dean. Roland’s sperm was taken by a Demon Elemental (posing as the Oracle of the Mountains), which then turned itself into a male and impregnated Susannah in the Speaking Ring where she, Roland, and Eddie drew Jake Chambers into Mid-World. Although Roland is not actually Susannah’s father, he is her DINH, or leader, and so is the father of their
ka-tet.
VI:252

RODERICKS (CHILDREN OF RODERICK, RODS):
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

SAI
:
Although used in low speech,
sai
appears to be a form of address that originated in High Speech. (Nort, Tull’s weed-eater, used this term when he spoke to Roland in the Tongue.)
Sai
is a term of respect and can be roughly translated as “sir” or “madam.” IV:143, IV:145

SEE-LAH:
We aren’t given a translation of this term, which is used by the Reverend Harrigan of our world. VI:318, VI:319

SEPPE-
SAI
:
Seppe-sai
was the name Roland’s mother gave to the pie seller in the low-town of Gilead. It meant death-seller. During the heat of summer, his pies often became poisonous. V:605

SHUME:
Shame and sorrow. W:11

SH’VEEN:
A jilly, or mistress. V:120

**SILL:
To desire or to yearn. If used patronizingly, it means that the yearner longs for something childish. It is a word with many subtle innuendos.

SO SPEAKS GAN, AND IN THE VOICE OF THE CAN CALAH, WHICH SOME CALL ANGELS:
In its entirety, this quote reads as follows: “So speaks Gan, and in the voice of the can calah, which some call angels. Gan denies the can-toi; with the merry heart of the guiltless he denies the Crimson King and Discordia itself.” Jake utters these words in a trance state. It seems likely that they are translated from the Tongue. VI:318

SOH (YOUNG SOH):
The people of the MID-WORLD seem to use the term
soh
rather than
sai
when they are addressing a young person. Hence they often call Jake
Jake-soh.
V:150, V:417, V:489, W:272

STEEK-TETE:
See
CAN STEEK-TETE
,
above

TAHEEN:
The
taheen
are creatures that belong neither to the natural (physical) world nor to the magical PRIM. According to Roland, they are misbegotten creatures from somewhere between the two. The
taheen
have the bodies of men but the heads of beasts. They are also known as the third people or the CAN-TOI. The
can-toi
(or low men) are rat-headed
taheen
that believe they are becoming human.
See entry in
CHARACTERS

TELAMEI:
This term means to gossip about someone you shouldn’t gossip about. V:389

TELEMETRY:
See entry in
END-WORLD TERMS

TET:
A group of people with the same interests and goals.
Tet
is often joined with other terms, such as in the words
ka-tet, tet-ka can Gan,
etc. III:259

TET-FA:
Friend of the
tet.
Before Tim Ross became a member of the
tet
of the gun, he was called
tet-fa.
W:268

TET-KA CAN GAN:
The navel. When babies were born in the In-World baronies, the umbilical cord was cut and a cedar clip was placed just above the newborn’s
tet-ka can Gan,
or navel. The clip would be wrapped in blue silk if the baby was a boy, or pink if the baby was a girl. VII:821

THROCKEN:
This is an old term for a billy-bumbler. In Mid-world-that-was bumblers were bred to hunt down Grandfather Fleas and to predict the coming of STARKBLASTS.
See
BILLY-BUMBLER
,
in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

TODANA:
The term
todana
is a variation of the word
todash. Todana
means “death-bag.” Eddie and Roland see one around Stephen King when they visit him in Bridgton in 1977. We also encounter death-bags in Stephen King’s novel
Insomnia.
VI:290, VI:301

TODASH:
Todash
is a state similar to that of lucid dreaming. However, unlike in lucid dreaming, both the body and the mind travel
todash.
The sounding of the chimes, or KAMMEN, signal entry into the
todash
state. The blue-cloaked Manni often travel to other worlds via
todash.
Some of Maerlyn’s magic balls can also send the unwilling into this place between worlds. Traveling via
todash
is not without risks. Many monsters live in the crevices between realities.
See entry in
PORTALS

TODASH TAHKEN:
The holes in reality. V:413

TRIG DELAH:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

TRUM:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

TWIM:
This means “two.” It can also refer to a twin. VI:35, VI:39, VI:319, VII:141

URS-KA GAN:
The Song of the Bear.
Urs-A-Ka Gan
means the scream of the Bear. VII:458

VES’-KA GAN:
The Song of the Turtle. VII:446, VII:458

**WURDERLAK:
When Roland meets with Walter in the golgotha, he fears that his guilt over Jake’s death has made him into a
wurderlak,
or a kind of shape-shifter. As he says, “He was a
wurderlak,
lycanthropus of his own making, and in deep dreams he would become the boy and speak in strange tongues.” This term is cut from the 2003 version of
The Gunslinger
and is replaced with the word
werewolf.
I:192

Zn:
The Great Letter
Zn
stands for both “eternity” and “now,” but it also means “come,” as in
come-commala.
The green rice tendrils which decorate the ornate plates thrown in honor of Lady ORIZA take the shape of this letter. V:372

ATTEND ME:
This is a hand gesture that we have in our world too. If you look at someone and raise your index finger, it means
listen to me, or pay attention.
W:207

COME TO ME:
This is actually an arm gesture. (It is the same beckoning gesture that we use in our world.) Roland uses it frequently. V:116

DELAH GESTURE:
You can make the
delah
gesture by swinging your arms skyward. It is almost as if your arms are encompassing the whole world. (If someone asks you what you love about a place and you want to reply “everything,” just make the
delah
gesture.) If you fling your arms skyward in an exaggerated
delah
gesture, it means
Who knows?
W:209

FIST TO FOREHEAD:
To be polite to a new Mid-World acquaintance, you should raise your fist to your forehead. If you want to be extra polite, bow over your bended leg as you hold your fist to your forehead. If you are in an extremely formal situation, you should stretch one leg out in front of you, and while you keep your heel planted on the ground, bow forward while raising your fist to your forehead. If you must pay homage to a gunslinger, then kneel when you make your fist-to-forehead. This fist-to-forehead gesture can also be used as a military salute. VII:105, VII:130, VII:175, VII:236, VII:442

FORKED FINGERS:
Forking your fingers at someone, something, or in a particular direction, is a way of warding off the evil eye.

1. TO INDICATE AN EVIL PLACE, OR A PLACE YOU PERCEIVE AS EVIL:
When Roland Deschain tells Talitha Unwin that he and his
tet
go in search of the Dark Tower, she recoils and forks the sign of the evil eye to the southeast, along the Path of the Beam. “I’m sorry to hear it!” she cries. “For no one who ever went in search of that black dog ever came back!” III:232.

2. TO WARD OFF A DEMON:
In
The Gunslinger,
a speaking ring oracle lures Jake away. When Roland pursues the boy, the demon tries to blind him with its sensual
glammer.
To break the spell, Roland holds the magical jawbone he found at the way station before his own eyes, and he holds his other arm out stiffly, the first and last fingers poked out in the ancient sign that wards off the evil eye. I:129 (2003 edition)

3. FORKED FINGERS AND MAGIC:
When Walter (the Man in Black) wants to use magic to create a fire, he lifts his hand skyward and shakes back his sleeve. Then he brings his hand down rapidly, index and pinkiey finger forked in the ancient sign of the evil eye, until his fingers point at the pile of wood to be burned. There is a flash of blue flame, and the fire lights. I:210
(2003 edition)

GIVE YOU PEACE:
A short blessing, or prayer, to be said over the bodies of the dead. It should be accompanied by a simple gesture—pronging the fingers and drawing them down over the face of the corpse. Roland performs this ritual over the remains of Chevin of Chayven, a CHILD OF RODERICK. VII:51

HAND TWIRLING GESTURE:
A somewhat impatient gesture. Roland frequently uses it. It means “carry on” or “hurry up.” V:701

HILE GUNSLINGER. I SALUTE THEE:
This honorary greeting made to a gunslinger is usually accompanied by dropping to one knee and placing a fist to the center of the forehead.
See
FIST TO FOREHEAD
,
earlier in this section.
W:8

I SEE YOU VERY WELL:
In some instances, when words cannot be exchanged, Roland places his fist to his forehead and bends his leg. Then he touches the
corner of his eye and points to the person with whom he is communicating. This says, without words, “I see you very well.” VII:131

I TELL YOU TRUTH:
This is actually a hand gesture made by laying the forefinger of the left hand across a circle made by the thumb and pinkie of the right. VII:311

MAKE HASTE:
This sign language is used in the village of Tree. You raise one hand in a semi-circle above your head, scissoring the first two fingers as you do so. W:183.

POINTING TO THE CENTER OF YOUR FOREHEAD:
Pointing to the center of your forehead, as if to an invisible eye, means you stand for John Farson. W:41

SALUTE FOR THE GOOD MAN/ SIGUL OF THE GOOD MAN (USED BY JOHN FARSON’S FORCES):
This is a sigul, a greeting, and a salute. When two followers of the Good Man meet each other, they do the following:. They clasp their hands to their chests, left above right, then hold out both hands to the person being greeted. (The hands remain clasped.) As they make this motion, they say “Hile Farson!” IV:583-–84

STAY PUT:
This bit of sign language was used by the Fagonard tribe to communicate with Tim Ross. The headman turned to Tim and held out both his hands (probably palm downwards). We have a very similar type of wordless communication in our world. W:203

THROAT TAPS/CHEST TAPS:
Throat tapping and chest tapping are important customs in Mid-World. For examples of different types of taps, see below. V:205, V:356, VI:148

1. FORMAL GREETING WHEN A GUNSLINGER IS INTRODUCED TO A WOMAN OF IMPORTANCE:
When Roland meets Talitha Unwin, the ancient matriarch of River Crossing, she speaks to him in the High Speech. “Hail, Gunslinger!” she says. “Welcome to River Crossing!” In reply, Roland removes his hat, bows, and with his right hand, rapidly taps his throat three times. (He bows as he taps.) “Thankee-
sai
, Old Mother,” he says. This throat tapping expresses his respect for Talitha. III:231.

2. COURTLY BOWS AND THROAT TAPS:
When Roland meets Susan Delgado on the road to Hambry, he introduces himself and bows to her. “Will Dearborn at your service,” he says as he doffs his hat and extends a foot on one boot heel and bows as they do in the Inner Baronies. Susan is embarrassed by such courtliness amid the wilds, but she curtsies and replies, “Susan Delgado at yours.” Roland then taps his throat with the fingers of his right hand. “Thankee-
sai
, Susan Delgado,” he says. “We’re well-met, I hope.” (NOTE: Roland’s eagerness, and his extreme solicitousness, have to do with his youth and Susan’s beauty. He falls in love with her as soon as he meets her.)