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Tamaran as seen in Betrothed.
Tamaran is a fictional alien planet in the Teen Titans universe. It is where Starfire and her family were born.
History
Tamaran, before and after the invasion.
Many years ago, during Starfire's youth Tamaran was invaded by a Gordanian invasion fleet which proceeded to lay waste to the planet turning it from a beautiful oasis to an empty desert, soon after they kidnapped Princess Starfire and she would not return home for sometime later.
As the royal family began to crumble, Tamaran was left in turmoil with no leader to guide them. Later the criminal princess Blackfire had returned to her people and deceived them into believing that the planet was under attack again by foreign invaders, and the only way to end the attack was to have the long-lost Princess Starfire return home and marry the head of the armada and exulted Drenthax IV ruler Glgrdsklechhh; this was all a scheme, however, between Blackfire and Glgrdsklechhh so she could gain the Jewel of Charta and he could marry Starfire. Luckily this plan was dissolved thanks to the aid of the Teen Titans, and with Blackfire's cruel reign over Starfire was chosen as the new grand ruler, but in favor of her friendship with the Titans - and something more - she declined this position and gave it to her knorfka (caretaker) Galfore, thus making him the new grand ruler.
Certain other aliens are prejudiced against Tamaraneans, deeming them inferior, as illustrated in the episode Troq, when Val-Yor called Starfire "Troq", meaning she was worthless, essentially "nothing", apparently indicating that Earth and the Swamp Moons of Drenthax IV are not the only worlds to have known of Tamaraneans.
Geography
Tamaran's current landscape.
Tamaran was once a lush and beautiful tropical planet until the day the Gordanian invasion fleet came and laid waste to the natural flora of the planet leaving it a desert wasteland. Prior to the invasion, Tamaran seemed to have lush green fields and trees like those on earth and flowers of pink and purple color and skies of blue with yellow clouds, but after the invasion the planet's terrain turned from a normal dirt brown to purple with bare cliffs and rock formations being the only features on the planet for miles on end. Even the sky and the clouds were affected having now become dark purple in both night and day.
Still, some small life of Tamaran's former flora can still be found within the royal castle, and some of the fauna still continues to exist. Apparently, its air and atmospheric conditions are similar to that of Earth, since humans from Earth are capable of easily breathing without special equipment. The only known Tamaranean architecture still standing is the Royal Palace.
Culture
An example of typical Tamaranean table manners
Out of necessity, Tamaraneans are principally a warrior culture. Children are brought up to be tough and self-reliant; weakness is frowned upon. While personal affection is permissible, it apparently must not be shown in general public, or at least to strangers. Table manners are based on an "all-you-can-get" principle, which to humans would be the equivalent of "piggying out".
Marriages among the citizens are apparently arranged, though this may simply be the case only for Tamaranean royalty and the noble classes.
Wildlife
A Portkin (left) and a Flarnop (right).
- Flarnop: A Tamaranean creature that looks like a giant, mutated Domo-kun.
- Glorg: Some type of carnivorous creature that likes to feed on Zarnics.
- Milnip Wusserloop: Possibly a hideous Tamaranean creature. It was used in an insult towards Beast Boy.
- Portkin: A Tamaranean creature that resembles Jek Tono Porkins from the Star Wars franchise with an orange dinosaur body. They are about six times the size of Starfire and, as she puts it, "as big as a Flarnop!"
- Stinermite: A type of Tamaranean parasite.
- Zarnic: A type of pet Starfire once had, which was eaten by a Glorg.
- Spudlings: A type of slime creature consumed on Tamaran as live food.
Tamaranian vocabulary
Starfire has been known to periodically use terms from her native vocabulary, mostly in lack for a comparable Earth equivalent. Known words and their meanings include:
- Bumgorf: A protegee or pupil, usuallly in need of a parent or guardian. The opposite of the term K'Norfka.
- K'Norfka: A legal guardian.
- Troq: An insulting pejorative meaning "nothing", as in being nothing or insignificant.
- "Guluthnorg": The Tamaranian equivalent for "Gesundheit".
- Grebnacks: Tamaranean term for an unspecified body part, possibly the buttocks area
- "behaving like a royal zorrgnarg": True nature of the term unknown; used as Tamaranian equivalent for the derisive term "jerk".
- Rutha: weak, or weakness.
- Clorbag Valblernek: A person who pulls mean pranks on others.
- Grimplork: derisive term for a female, presumably in terms of relationship (i.e. a romantic rival). Once used by Starfire in reference to Kitten.
Cultural paraphernalia
- X'hal: Term for the supreme Tamaranean deity. Also used as a respectful hailing.
- Blorthog: A celebration for the renewal and maintenance of close friendships. The opposition to Rekma.
- Rekma: The Drifting. A Tamaranean term for the termination ("living apart") of a friendship.
- Zorkaberry: A bitter-tasting type of berry native to Tamaran.
- Thornak: "Crown of Meat". A traditional Tamarean birthday celebration item.
- Grubtharks: A Tamaranean form of money. How comparable it is to the US dollar is unknown.
- Gorka pipe: A native Tamaranian instrument, similar to Scottish bagpipes. Normally plays very disonnant notes which are too disruptive for humans to bear.
- Gorb-Gorb: According to Starfire, a "festival of berating drapery". Most likely, though, merely an instant invention to explain some ripped curtains in her room.
- Glorrk: A Tamaranean dish incorporating dried Spudlings and Zorkaberries. Terra once commented that it tastes like sushi and ice cream put together, and it is apparently made from some sort of Tamaranean fungus.