Stephen King's the Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance Revised and Updated (106 page)

: This letter sounds like S in the Low Speech. However, it seems likely that the letter itself is in High Speech. (In the earlier draft of
The Wind Through the Keyhole,
it was listed as a High Speech letter.) W:236

: These lines are taken from the note that Gabrielle Deschain left for her son at the women’s retreat of Serenity. The words mean:
I forgive you everything. Can you forgive me?
W:309

: Roland believes that these words, written in High Speech, are the most beautiful in any language. They mean
I forgive.
W:309

AM:
See
PRIM
,
in
CHARACTERS

ANRO CON FA; SEY-SEY DESENE FANNO BILLET COBAIR CAN:
These words are spoken by Chevin of Chayven, a CHILD OF RODERICK, to Roland of Gilead. The words are never translated. Here is Chevin’s complete statement: “Anro con fa; sey-sey desene fanno billet cobair can. I Chevin devar dan do. Because I felt sad for dem. Can-toi, can-tah, can Discordia, aven la cam mah can. May-mi. Iffin lah vainen eth—” His words are cut short by Roland’s guns. Roland considers this a mercy killing. VII:50–51

AN-TET:
The term
tet
refers to people linked by the same destiny or goals.
An-tet
implies intimacy of all kinds. To speak
an-tet
to someone is to be completely honest and open, to share all. It also means to sit in council. Roland and his trailmates are both
ka-tet
and
an-tet. An-tet
can also imply sexual intimacy. In
Wizard and Glass,
Roland refers to the first time he and Susan made love as the first time they were together
an-tet.
Given the profound link between Roland and Susan (she appears and reappears to him in dreams and visions throughout the Dark Tower series), the term
an-tet
is appropriate. A mere sexual encounter does not necessarily imply
an-tet.
IV:439, V:115, V:216, V:394, V:472, VII:22

ANTI-KA:
The force that works against one’s
ka,
or destiny. It is a counterforce which tries to stop a person from fulfilling his or her life-mission. The anti-
ka
which works against Roland’s
ka-tet
was set in motion by the Crimson King. VII:266

AVEN KAL:
An
aven kal
is a kind of tidal wave that runs along the path of the Beam. Literally translated,
aven kal
means “lifted on the wind” or “carried on the wave.” The use of
kal
rather than the more usual form
kas
implies a natural force of disastrous proportions. In other words, not a hurricane but a tsunami. VII:20

AVEN-CAR:
A hunting term which refers to carrying the kill and preparing to make it into something else. VII:635

BONDSMAN:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

CAM-A-CAM-MAL, PRIA-TOI, GAN DELAH:
“White over Red, Thus God Wills Ever.” This is written on the plaque in front of the Garden of the Beam. It also translates as “Good over evil, this is the will of God.” VII:504

CAN CALAH:
The
can calah
are angels. VI:318

CAN-AH, CAN-TAH, ANNAH, ORIZA:
“All breath comes from the woman.” This is a saying repeated in Calla Bryn Sturgis, though it is probably used throughout Mid-World. Although mortal woman was made from the breath of mortal man, the first man came from Lady Oriza. V:631

CANDA:
The distance (never the same in any two situations) which a pair of outnumbered gunslingers must keep between them to assure they will not be killed by a single shot. VII:25

CAN STEEK-TETE:
The Little Needle. Can Steek-Tete (also called Steek-Tete) is a butte located near the DEVAR-TOI. VII:205

CAN-TAH:
According to Roland, the tiny scrimshaw turtle which Susannah Dean finds hidden in a pocket of Jake Chambers’s bowling bag is one of the
can-tah,
or little gods. Constant Readers have met the
can-tah
before, namely in Stephen King’s novel
Desperation.
In
Desperation,
the little
can-tah
were tiny demonic sculptures depicting the
can-toi
—coyotes, snakes, etc.—that served Tak the Outsider. (
Tak
is short for
can-tak,
which means “big god.”)
See also
CAN-TAH
,
in
CHARACTERS

CAN-TOI:
Can-toi
is another term for the low men. The
can-toi
are rat-headed beings who wear humanoid masks. (The masks are grown and so are made of a living substance.) Unlike the TAHEEN, the
can-toi
worship the human form and believe that they are slowly transforming into humans themselves. They call this process “becoming.” In the novel
Desperation,
the
can-toi
were the coyotes, spiders, snakes, and other dangerous creatures that obeyed the will of Tak the Outsider. (
Tak
is short for
can-tak,
which means “big god.”)
See also
CAN-TOI
,
in
CHARACTERS

CAN-TOI-TETE:
Roland uses the term
can-toi-tete
to refer to the desert dogs of Thunderclap.
Can-toi-tete
translates roughly as “little
can-toi
” or “tiny
can-toi.
” In Stephen King’s novel
Desperation,
the
can-toi
were the coyotes, spiders, snakes, and other dangerous creatures that obeyed the will of Tak the Outsider. (
Tak
is short for
can-tak,
which means “big god.”)
See also
CAN-TAH
,
above.
VII:255, VII:261

CHAR:
Most words in High Speech have multiple meanings. However,
char
is an exception to this general rule.
Char
has one meaning only, and that is death.
Char
is the root of many Mid-World terms, including Big Charlie Wind and CHARYOU TREE. III:382

CHARY (YOU CHARY MAN):
As we all know, the High Speech term
char
means “death.” Hence, a chary man is one who courts death, brings death, or deals death. Think of him as the Grim Reaper’s deputy. V:335, V:612

CHARY-KA:
This insult is thrown at Roland by one of the Crimson King’s TAHEEN just before Roland kills him. It most likely means somebody who is one of death’s
ka
-mates, or one whose
ka
is aligned with death. It may also imply that although the
chary-ka
is destined to deal death, he is also destined to suffer from death’s nasty sense of humor. VII:135

CHARYOU TREE:
Charyou Tree was the ritual bonfire made on the Festival of REAP. In the days of Arthur Eld, people were burned on this fire. By Roland’s day, STUFFY-GUYS were burned instead. The term
Charyou-tree
means “Come Reap.” IV:447, V:124, V:210
(Reap fair of the Old People),
VI:219

CHASSIT (CHUSSIT, CHISSIT, CHASSIT):
Chussit, chissit, chassit
are the numbers seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen. They are used in the BABY-BUNTING RHYME, one of Mid-World’s childhood rhymes.
See entries in
MID-WORLD ARGOT
and
APPENDIX III. VII:22, VII:23, VII:57

CHILDREN OF RODERICK:
See entry in
MID-WORLD ARGOT

COFFAH:
This is another term for Hell. VII:265
See entry in
PORTALS

**COMMALA:
Commala
is a Mid-World term for rice. In the 2003 version of
The Gunslinger,
we are told that it is also an alternative name for the festival dance known as the Sowing Night Cotillion. The Commala is the courting rite of New Earth, a festival also known as Sowing and Fresh Commala.
See entry in
CALLA BRYN STURGIS DIALECT

COMMALA DAN-TETE:
The coming of the little god. VII:61

**COTILLION (SOWING NIGHT COTILLION):
See
COMMALA
,
above

**DAN-DINH:
The term
dan-dinh
has many meanings. To speak
dan-dinh
is to open your heart and your mind to another. This term also means Little Leader. In the 2003 version of
The Gunslinger,
Roland feels the urge to speak to Jake
dan-dinh
after his encounter with the Oracle of the Mountains.

In
Wolves of the Calla,
we learn that the literal interpretation of this term is “May I open my heart to your command.” Roland’s tutor Vannay maintained that the phrase predated Arthur Eld by centuries. To ask your leader a question
dan-dinh
means to seek your leader’s advice on an emotional problem. However, when you turn to your DINH in this way, you agree to do exactly as the
dinh
advises, immediately and without question. Men and women usually address their leader
dan-dinh
about love-affair problems, but in
Wolves of the Calla,
Jake speaks to Roland
dan-dinh
about the problem of Susannah/Mia and her chap. V:388

DAN SUR, DAN TUR, DAN ROLAND, DAN GILEAD:
We are never given a translation of this phrase. However, since Roland tells Ted Brautigan to say it to one of the mutant CHILDREN OF RODERICK, we know it must refer to the vow of allegiance which that race once swore to the line of Eld. VII:216

DAN-TETE:
(The second part of this word is pronounced
tee-tee.
)
Dan-tete
means “little savior” or “baby god.” Mordred is End-World’s
dan-tete.
Roland calls John Cullum his KA-TET’s
dan-tete.
VI:182, VII:38

DARKLES and TINCTS:
In the 1982 edition of
The Gunslinger,
we were told that Maerlyn (also known as the Ageless Stranger)
darkles
and
tincts.
In other words, he lives backward in time and can live simultaneously in all times. In
The Dark Tower,
we learn that the Crimson King also
darkles
and
tincts.
This makes it difficult for the artist Patrick Danville to draw him. At the very end of this seventh book of the Dark Tower series, we learn that Roland also
darkles
and
tincts.
Roland will not die but will go on forever, repeating his journey to the Tower over and over, until he learns the lessons
ka
wishes him to learn. I:212, VII:789