Hello. Seeing as there are quite a few "Babylon Five" fans here, I wondered if anyone wanted to share some thoughts on Minbari culture, evaluate my analysis here or inform me if JMS has decreed anything official 
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A few thoughts on Minbari language and culture:
Does the lexeme "Len" (or "lenn") mean "light?".
We know Minbari have three languages, Vik (Dark, warrior caste), Adrenato (Grey, religious caste) and Lenn-ah (Light, worker caste). So, does "lenn" or "len"- mean light?
If we assume it is:
Even though it is the worker's language which is called "Light", religious caste characters- Delenn, Lennier, Lennan- tend to have it in their name. If the Vorlons (who influenced the Minbari religion) are light, in opposition to the Shadow's darkness, this makes sense, so why do Workers speak "Light" and religious "Grey"? More on this in a bit.
Delenn's transport is named Zha'len. We know "zha" is "future", so does this mean "light of the future" or "lighting the way to the future"?
The Grey Council was formed by Valen, who is revered as a religious figure. So, does the "Grey" label reflect religion, despite the supposed equality of the castes?
"I am Grey. I stand between the candle and the star. We are Grey. We stand between the darkness and the light".
The light, I assume, is Minbar, its cities of crystal (maintained by the workers, who speak "Light"). The candle is the symbol of hearth and home.
The darkness is the distant threat of the shadows (the Grey Council was formed to stand against the Shadows during the last great war) and so the darkness means the war. The warriors go out and fight that war, far from home, living in violence and chaos. They become the darkness, in a sense. They speak "Dark" and their flagship is the Black Star.
The Grey Council is on a ship, situated neither on Minbar nor in the dark places where the warriors fight. So, they stand between the candle and the star.
This leaves us with the Religious caste as Grey. The Religious caste, who keep the prophecies and are allied with or direct the Anla'shok, would be between the warriors holding the line and the workers building and maintaining the cities. The Anla'shok serve the One. Valen, whose memory they honour, was an aspect of the One (the One who was). Valen created the council. So, is the Grey Council supposed to reflect the religious caste? If so, what does this mean for the supposed unity of the castes, all equal? Is this partly why the warriors are so concerned about religious influence over the Council that they risk upsetting the balance by replacing Delenn with Neroon?
Any thoughts on Minbari culture or politics?
:A few thoughts on Minbari language and culture:
Does the lexeme "Len" (or "lenn") mean "light?".
We know Minbari have three languages, Vik (Dark, warrior caste), Adrenato (Grey, religious caste) and Lenn-ah (Light, worker caste). So, does "lenn" or "len"- mean light?
If we assume it is:
Even though it is the worker's language which is called "Light", religious caste characters- Delenn, Lennier, Lennan- tend to have it in their name. If the Vorlons (who influenced the Minbari religion) are light, in opposition to the Shadow's darkness, this makes sense, so why do Workers speak "Light" and religious "Grey"? More on this in a bit.
Delenn's transport is named Zha'len. We know "zha" is "future", so does this mean "light of the future" or "lighting the way to the future"?
The Grey Council was formed by Valen, who is revered as a religious figure. So, does the "Grey" label reflect religion, despite the supposed equality of the castes?
"I am Grey. I stand between the candle and the star. We are Grey. We stand between the darkness and the light".
The light, I assume, is Minbar, its cities of crystal (maintained by the workers, who speak "Light"). The candle is the symbol of hearth and home.
The darkness is the distant threat of the shadows (the Grey Council was formed to stand against the Shadows during the last great war) and so the darkness means the war. The warriors go out and fight that war, far from home, living in violence and chaos. They become the darkness, in a sense. They speak "Dark" and their flagship is the Black Star.
The Grey Council is on a ship, situated neither on Minbar nor in the dark places where the warriors fight. So, they stand between the candle and the star.
This leaves us with the Religious caste as Grey. The Religious caste, who keep the prophecies and are allied with or direct the Anla'shok, would be between the warriors holding the line and the workers building and maintaining the cities. The Anla'shok serve the One. Valen, whose memory they honour, was an aspect of the One (the One who was). Valen created the council. So, is the Grey Council supposed to reflect the religious caste? If so, what does this mean for the supposed unity of the castes, all equal? Is this partly why the warriors are so concerned about religious influence over the Council that they risk upsetting the balance by replacing Delenn with Neroon?
Any thoughts on Minbari culture or politics?
