[tlhIngan Hol] Do we know what kind of serpent is wam ?

[Felix Malmenbeck]

A {wam} is a specific kind of snake that appears in works by Keith R.A. DeCandido. I don't believe Marc Okrand has told us much about it, except to approve the spelling {wam} for use in the German version of The Klingon Art of War.

You can find info on this type of snake on Memory Beta:

https://memory-beta.fandom.com/wiki/Wam_serpent

It appears that the wam serpent is predatory (as the name would seem to suggest), and considering how reviled it appears to be among Klingons, its bite is presumably quite dangerous, or at least a significant annoyance.

The Klingon Art of War also adds that:

"The wam serpent slinks along the ground, hidden by the tall grass, until it rises and strikes."
This suggests that the wam is quick and capable of "rising".

So, comparing a quick, venomous snake to a {wam} seems appropriate. The closest comparison might be a cobra, which is also quick, dangerous and capable of rising. However, animals such as vipers, rattlesnakes and mambas also come to mind.
I wouldn't use it to describe large and/or slow snakes (such as anacondas or boa constrictors) or snakes that are completely harmless to humans (such as garter snakes or grass snakes).

//loghaD

________________________________________
From: tlhIngan-Hol <tlhingan-hol-bounces at lists.kli.org> on behalf of mayqel qunen'oS <mihkoun at gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2019 15:22
To: KLI mailing list
Subject: Re: [tlhIngan Hol] Do we know what kind of serpent is wam ?

What I'm actually wondering, is whether we could use the word {wam}
for "snake", the same way we use {cheS} for rabbit, or {lIr} for owl.

I know that we have the {ghargh}, but the problem with it is that it
means "worm" too.

~ the goat
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