Okay so, I saw a post asking for a word in mando’a for surrender, and I meant to do a short reply, but this got entirely too long … so new post instead.
This is more than a little complicated due to the nature of the word surrender, as its meaning is incredibly contentious depending on who you ask, who says it, and in what situation. If anything, mandalorians should have multiple words meaning surrender, depending on severity. But let’s start with what exists and why it’s bullshit as the sole word.
There is a word that is close: cetar — kneel in submission (from cetare, boot; as in licking someone’s boots), however … I don’t trust anyone that uses this word in a casual sense, and I suggest you follow suit, bc this follows an incredibly negative connotation attached to the definition of submission / submit, and tbh fits a toxic masculinity that is very much in line with Karen Traviss’ gross misunderstanding of war, fighting, and tactics. I mean sure, you can refuse to surrender, and where will that lead you? The death of everyone who follows you. The death of your people. Good job. Way to go.
It’s entirely misaligned with one of the core beliefs of mandalorians, and the reason why they still exist even after facing what would have been certain death to any other people: survival. It’s literally in the resol’nare poem. It’s said again and again. Survival is a common, repeated, but often never discussed theme, that is intrinsically tied with mandalorians and their history.
Surrendering means survival. It means living to fight another day. It means being able to reassess your plans and come back wiser than before. It makes me think of the phrase: He that fights and runs away, May turn and fight another day; But he that is in battle slain, Will never rise to fight again.
Surrendering also means knowing when to stop fighting, having the wisdom to end the battle so that you don’t lead all of your people to certain death … which almost happened to mandalorians, specifically (and did happen to the original species of mandalorians, the Taung). Thanks to the efforts of Mandalore the Ultimate, whose incredible leadership lead mando’ade to near total extinction.
This hut’uun was executed in the Battle of Malachor — and with him, the majority of the mandalorian people. It was horrible enough, extensive enough, that most of the galaxy (and most of the surviving mandalorians themselves!) genuinely believed that they would never recover from it. Most believed they would have died out during the old republic, and they would have if it wasn’t for the intervention of one person and a shitload of luck.
So. To tie mandalorians, and mando’a, with a negative understanding of “surrender” is to be completely ignorant of mandalorian history and what almost happened to them (more than once, actually, lmao) as a direct result of continuing to fight when it was foolish to do so, and obviously so.
I have seen his image held up by “mandalorian fans” asking “why is this not badass anymore?” and I can only rub my forehead in fucking fury lmao because Mandalore the Ultimate is responsible for the mandalorians nearly being wiped out, permanently, from the galaxy, forever. Why anyone would hold him up in veneration instead of using him as a cautionary tale is beyond me, but lmao. Toxic masculinity and an inability to take things with nuance in context apparently comes par for the course with a huge swathe of mandalorian fandom. But I digress.
So. What is a good word for surrender?
We can either redefine cetar, or we can create a new word that carries a neutral-to-positive connotation, so that we can keep cetar for its original incredibly negative intention (which does have its uses and is a necessary word).
For serious occasions, we have
kyrte’anir — surrender ; quit while you’re not too far behind
From kyr, to end, and Te Ani’la, Ultimate. Simple, but straightforward.
For light / less serious occasions, there’s
kyrjar’anilar / kyrj’anilar — surrender, give in ; end ultimate foolishness
Again, from kyr, to end, jareor, recklessly risk your life, act suicidally (negative connotation - foolish, not brave (which, lmao, is what YOU ARE when you refuse to tactically surrender)), and again Te Ani’la, Ultimate.
Both words are tied inextricably with Te Ani’la Mand’alor, Mandalore the Ultimate. There’s an arrogance tied in with calling one’s self the Ultimate Mand’alor, a blind kind of arrogance — and given that he was one of the last of the Taung, it’s doubly tragic (almost exterminated all mandalorians, did exterminate all Taung).
Generally, mando’ade have a tendency to form words from names as cautionary tales — in remembrance of significant moments or people in history (look at, for example, demagolka’s origins).
They also do, in fact, have multiple other words with the same meaning, usually to carry different weight to meaning, in case anyone wants to comment on “why do we need another word for x.” Like … Mandalorians have MULTIPLE ways to say stupid or foolish. They have multiple words for knives. Multiple ways to apologize. You cannot look me in the eye and tell me that they only have one word for something as significant as surrender, and that its only flavor is coached in such a language as to deter someone from ever surrendering.
There is no excuse to have mando’a carry clever ways to call someone foolish, and not also ridicule them for getting everyone under their command killed because they were too arrogant, too brainless, and too cowardly to tactically surrender.
Tbh, crush this idea that all mandalorians, always, refuse to surrender. It’s an idea that’s only supported in a fragile sense of masculinity and pride, and has no basis in the reality of their history and survival.
Finally I’d like to thank @cassiansfuzzyjacket for bouncing ideas around with me, and @variative for wording a definition far more nicely than I could have.
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