by Robin Furth
At the beginning of the original Gunslinger, we learn that one can progress through the khef. When we meet Roland, he has “progressed through the khef over many years, and had reached the fifth level.” Those who attain the higher levels of khef (levels seven and eight) are able to have a clinical detachment from their bodies. The physical self may thirst, but the mind remains separate, a spectator.
Khef is both individual and collective. It implies the knowledge a person gains from dream-life as well as his or her life force. Khef is the web that binds a ka-tet. Those who share khef share thoughts. Their destinies are linked, as are their life forces. Behind the multiple meanings of this word lies a philosophy of interconnectedness, a sense that all individuals, all events, are part of a greater pattern or plan. It also implies that through rigorous training (similar to that endured by gunslingers) the self can progress upward, rising tier to tier, until the body, if not one’s ultimate destiny, is under the control of mind and will.
An individual’s khef is often more complex than he or she realizes. In psychological terms, khef accounts for all parts of ourselves, even those aspects we wish not to see. It may also account for our other selves, those “twinners” (to borrow a term from The Talisman) who are our manifestations in other realities, or on other levels of the Dark Tower. Our fates, for good or for evil, are the result of both our own and our shared khef. Like Roland, who must face the fact that betrayal of those he loves is part of his destiny, we must realize that we are capable of both good and evil actions. Susannah Dean—the woman who emerged from the dual personalities of Detta Walker and Odetta Holmes—experiences this firsthand. While riding through the blasted lands beyond the city of Lud, “the dark side of her personality, that side of her khef which was Detta Walker” drank in the vision of complete destruction. Her other personalities—Susannah Dean and Odetta Holmes—reject the hateful horrors shown by Blaine’s sadistic “visual mode,” but Detta rejoices in them. The part of her that has experienced rage and pain identifies with the violence of it, and is somehow pleased by it. III:260, III:407, IV:29, V:15, V:92, V:98, V:149, V:296, VI:7, VI:341, VII:259
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
MID-WORLD GESTURES (Hand motions, bows, throat taps, etc.)
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.)
Roland asks permission to walk with Susan into Hambry. Susan says he can accompany her as far as the edge of town. Roland is so pleased that he taps his throat three times again and makes another bow with his leg held out stiffly before him, heel planted in the dirt. “Thankee Miss Delgado!” he says. IV:144–145
3. WOMEN AND BREASTBONE TAP (FORMAL GREETING WHEN A WOMAN IS INTRODUCED TO A MAN): When Susannah Dean introduces herself to Blaine the insane Mono, she taps her throat rapidly three times with the fingers of her right hand. Roland corrects her. When a woman greets a man, she must use the fingers of her left hand to tap her breastbone.
4. FOR LUCK: For luck, a man will tap his chest above his heart and then kiss his palm. IV:517
TWIRLING HAND: A somewhat impatient gesture which we have in our world too. Roland frequently uses it. It means “carry on” or “hurry up.” V:701
YOU ARE SAFE: If you need to tell someone that he is safe, but you cannot speak out loud, this is what you should do: Cup your hands together and point them at the person who is in danger. This lets the individual know that you can and will help him. W:59
MID-WORLD ARGOT, ROLAND’S VERSIONS OF OUR WORDS, AND TERMS USED IN THIS CONCORDANCE
A BOY WHO CAN READ IS A TREASURE TO THE BARONY: This is one of the Covenant Man’s sayings. W:157
A GUN MUST NEVER BE POINTED AT A PERSON UNLESS YOU WANT TO HURT OR KILL HIM. FOR GUNS HAVE EAGER HEARTS. This saying came from the Widow Smack’s brother. He was very wise. W:187
A LADY’S ROSES: A light menstrual per
iod. V:121
A MAN CAN’T PULL HIMSELF UP BY HIS OWN BOOTSTRAPS NO MATTER HOW HARD HE TRIES: This is one of Cort’s sayings. Roland doesn’t agree with it. VII:33
A ONE-EYED MAN SEES FLAT: This was one of Cort’s sayings. It means that a person must use both eyes to gain a true perspective. In other words, it is best to try to see a situation from several angles before judging it. V:204
A ROPE SLIPPED IN CHURCH CAN’T BE UNSLIPPED: Marriage is permanently binding. W:123
A RUSTIE JUST WALKED OVER MY GRAVE (A RUSTIE HAD JUST WALKED OVER HIS GRAVE): See RUSTIE WALKED OVER MY GRAVE, below
A SOFTENING OF TIME: In Mid-World, time is no longer constant. It runs erratically. A day is no longer twenty-four hours, the sun doesn’t always rise in the east, etc. V:105
A TALE FOR ANOTHER DAY: The full saying is, But all those things are a tale for another day. This comes at the end of a folktale, when people ask for more information, or when the talespinner wants his audience to return at a later date to hear more yarns. W:268
A WORD TO TUCK BENEATH YOUR HATS: Here’s something to think about, or to remember. V:336
ABBA KA DABBA: This is the only magical saying that Tim Ross knows. It is a lot like abracadabra in our world. W:180
ABOUT THE GREAT MATTERS, YOU HAVE NO SAY: In other words, sometimes it is fate, and not the individual, who decides which events are to take place. All we mere mortals can do is hope and pray. This phrase is often used along with THERE WILL BE WATER IF GOD WILLS IT. V:87
ACHES AND MOLLIES: Aches and pains. VII:314
ADELINA SAYS SHE’S RANDY-O: This is part of a Mid-World drinking song. VII:520
AFTER A WHILE TALK SICKENS: There’s only so much to say before you need to stop discussing a matter. V:142
