Darth Vader, Darth Sidious, Darth Maul...

Darth! A coworker who is well aware of my obsession with Star Wars asked me today what Darth means. I was actually embarassed and annoyed that I didn't know the answer. So my purpose in posting is to ask if anyone knows what 'Darth' means, or if it has any real meaning at all. Thanks for lifting the shame from me!

 

Dark Lord of the Sith.

 

Dark Lord of the Sith? Is that really what it means? I thought Maul was the apprentice not the Lord.

 

at first, darth was just a name. DARTH vader.

then, i guess lucas thought that making it a title would be the perfect way to mass produce bad guys and make audience embrace them.

thus, the additional usefullness, yet akward question of meaning.

 

Darth Vader = roughly as Dark Father.

It's meant to indicate a Dark Lord of the Sith, as stated above. Also true is that it was initially developed by GL as a name, not a title. Once he had to build the mythology and the properties, Darth became a title.

I'm more stunned by the blatant naming of Dark Lords:
Tyrranus (roar!), Sidious (insidious), Vader (father), Maul (he "mauled" what - one person?), etc. I'd like to know if there were ever: Darth Angst, Darth Miffed, Darth Despair, or Darth Ennui. Sort of like a Seven Dwarfs/Darths.

 

Darth is just a title.

 

Actually it is a title created by the Dark Lord know as Bane, since there was many difrent sects of sith he decided to make a hybrid of one of them and it was Dark Sith so take away the k in dark and the Si in sith what do you get DARTH. If you don't believe me look in the New Essential Guide to Characters.

 

It's just a title like Moff, Padawan, or General. It's the ranking system used by the Sith.

It doesn't stand for anything.

 

I'm more stunned by the blatant naming of Dark Lords:
Tyrranus (roar!), Sidious (insidious), Vader (father), Maul (he "mauled" what - one person?), etc. I'd like to know if there were ever: Darth Angst, Darth Miffed, Darth Despair, or Darth Ennui. Sort of like a Seven Dwarfs/Darths.

Darth Tyrranus (Dark Tyrant)

Definition of tyrant

1. a sovereign or other ruler who uses power oppressively or unjustly.
2. any person in a position of authority who exercises power oppressively or despotically.
3. a tyrannical or compulsory influence.
4. an absolute ruler, esp. one in ancient Greece or Sicily.

i'd say 2 & 3 fit Dooku just fine

Darth Bane (Dark Destruction)

Definition of bane

1. a person or thing that ruins or spoils: Gambling was the bane of his existence.
2. a deadly poison (often used in combination, as in the names of poisonous plants): wolfsbane; henbane.
3. death; destruction; ruin.
4. Obs.that which causes death or destroys life: entrapped and drowned beneath the watery bane.

sounds like Darth Bane to me!

Darth Maul (Dark Hammer)

Definition of maul

1. a heavy hammer, as for driving stakes or wedges.
2. Archaic.a heavy club or mace.

Maul was just a Tool used by Sidious, so that sounds like a good name to name a tool!

Darth Sidious (Dark Insidious)

Definition of Sidious/Insidious

1. intended to entrap or beguile: an insidious plan.
2. stealthily treacherous or deceitful: an insidious enemy.
3. operating or proceeding in an inconspicuous or seemingly harmless way but actually with grave effect: an insidious disease.

and Darth Vader is simply Dark Father, the Definition of Father is to long for me to post here!

the other "Darth" names such as Darth Revan, and Darth Malak just mean Dark Lord of the Sith.

ok, i'm done ranting for now!

Evil.

 

Darth Malak = Dark Malice

mal·ice, 'ma-l&s,n
1: the intention or desire to cause harm (as death, bodily injury, or property damage) to another through an unlawful or wrongful act without justification or excuse
2: wanton disregard for the rights of others or for the value of human life
3: an improper or evil motive or purpose

Describes Malak well!

Darth Revan = Dark Revenant

rev·e·nant,rv-nnt, n.
1: One that returns after a lengthy absence.
2: One who returns after death.

If you played the evil side in KoTOR, #1 sounds like Revan to me.

 

Darth....does....not...mean....dark!!!!

 

Darth is a title! If anyone already posted this answer, then oops.

 

ConcordDown,

Revan and Malak were they're names before they were Sith!

Evil.