Duel of the Fates

[Malon]

Duel of the Fates​

Category: Verbal Lore​

"Korah mahtah..."
— Duel of the Fates​

"Duel of the Fates" is a polyphonic orchestral song that was popular during the latter days of the Galactic Republic. The song itself was based upon an ancient chant sang by the early Sith.

Origin​

In the distant past, the Sith Lords ruled the galaxy from Coruscant. During this era of darkness, they constructed crypts on the poles of Coruscant in which they buried many of their honored dead. While these tombs were eventually abandoned when the Jedi and the Old Republic retook the city-planet, the crypts remained and were eventually turned into historic museums. Some curators have noted, when locking up at night, the faint, distant sounds of warriors chanting "korah mahtah..."

Galactic historians believe that these words might belong to an archaic from of the Sith tongue, used by the red-skinned Sith of Korriban and Moraband in the centuries before the Dark Jedi appropriated their name and culture, becoming the first Sith Lords. These same historians believe that the chant was employed by Sith warriors who acted as spectators during ancient kaggath—battles between two powerful Lords of the Sith—and was meant as a form of reverence to the display of raw power they were witnessing.

During the rise of second Sith Empire, the chant was re-recognized and discovered when the Sith retook Coruscant. Some of the more musical elements of Sith culture turned the ancient chant into an orchestral piece that was played in the Coruscant Opera House while the planet was again under Sith occupation. The piece fell out of use when the Sith ultimately lost and were destroyed, resulting in Darth Bane's Rule of Two, but was revived centuries later—despite its dark origins—when it became popular during the final days of the Galactic Republic.

Lyrics​

Kor-ah, Mah-tah, Kor-ah, Rah-tah-mah.
Kor-ah, Rah-tah-mah. Yood-hah, Kor-ah.
Kor-ah, Syahd-ho. Rah-tah-mah, Daan-yah.
Kor-ah, Kee-lah, Daan-yah.
Nyo-hah, Kee-lah, Kor-ah, Rah-tah-mah.
Syahd-ho, Kee-la, Kor-ah, Rah-tah-mah.
Kor-ah, Daa-nyah. Kor-ah, Rah-tah-mah.

Kor-ah, Daa-nyah. Kor-ah, Rah-tah-mah.
Nyo-hah, Kee-lah, Kor-ah, Rah-tah-mah.
Syahd-ho, Kee-la, Daan-yah, Rah-tah-mah. Kor-ah!​

Intent​

Obviously, Duel of the Fates was the orchestral piece composed by John Williams for Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. The song was played during the iconic duel between Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Maul. It was given a Legends nod during the Black Fleet Trilogy in which the chant could be heard in the ice crypts on Coruscant; I was fascinated by and loved that, and I couldn't resist giving this lore my own spin—so here it is.

 

[Toasty]

You forgot Hakuna-matata in the second line.

 

[Brandon Rhea]

This is cool.

Approved.