H'nemthe (species)/Legends

H'nemthe, sometimes referred to as H'nemtheans, were bipedal reptilian humanoids with four horns and ridges of bone and skin on their faces. They had long, gently curving noses, three-fingered hands, and blue-gray skin. Their homeworld and native language were also named H'nemthe. H'nemthe society was centered around true love and mating.

Physiology
H'nemthes were humanoid reptillians. They had three fingers on their hands, and were generally a blue-gray color. They had long noses and four small horns, actually sensory cones, on their heads. H'nemthe were omnivores.

The H'nemthe had four small cones on their heads. Much like the way Gotals used their cones to sense electromagnetic fields and weather patterns, the H'nemthe used these conelets for the same purposes. They were an adaptation to the extreme weather patterns and variable lighting conditions on their homeworld. These cones were able to sense heat differences in their environment as well as the emotional state of other beings. Though their cones acted similarly to those of the Gotals, making them efficient hunters, this was an example of convergent evolution rather than proof of common ancestry.



Society and culture
The highly structured H'nemthe society was shaped by the natural ratio of the H'nemthe sexes: only one female was born for every twenty males. Despite this imbalance, their culture was based primarily on the search for true love and the creation of new life, which they considered to be the ultimate in spiritual fulfillment.

When a female H'nemthe consummated her relationship with a male, she eviscerated him with her knife-shaped tongue, considering it a proof of love. As a result, male and female H'nemthe mated very rarely, and then only in the case of true love. Since virgin females were rare, they lived a sheltered existence, and were seldom allowed to leave their homeworld. Strict traditions also restricted virgin females to a vegetarian diet, ensuring that their first lover's flesh was the first meat they tasted. The males of the species were timid and spent a considerable amount of their adult lives looking for true love.

Many outsiders considered the deadly H'nemthe mating rituals to be a bizarre contradiction in an otherwise peaceful society. H'nemthe philosophers disagreed, however, pointing out that life coming from death was the way of the universe. In their beliefs, death was merely a change in form that paved the way for future generations. H'nemthe believed that a male killed after mating would receive the ultimate spiritual reward by going on to the netherworld to act as a spiritual guardian for his offspring.

H'nemthe loved music, and had their own prized forms. They also valued calligraphy, and H'nemthe who had either of these skills were given great accord in their culture. Poetry was alos very important to the H'nemthe, and it was traditional for lovers to write each other powems. Females especially were expected to be talented in the arts. H'nemthe also enjoyed sciences and history, and studied them to learn more and prepare themselves for potential leadership opportunities. However, the H'nemthe spoken language was considered unpleasant to outsiders, as it was squeaky.

The H'nemthe had a direct democracy on their planet, generally ruled by a female, as the males often had short lifespans due to the H'nemthe mating ritual. A Senate on H'nemthe was considered of electees selected by local goverments.

History
Very little is known about the history of the H'nemthe. The planet had few viable exports save for minerals, and though H'nemthe were known to take jobs in the music industry, they rarely left their home planet. They had few visiotrs and imported little, sometimes trading for technology or ships. The Galactic Alliance made overtures to the H'nemthe leaders in hopes of becoming trading partners with the H'nemthe.

H'nemthe in the galaxy
One of the best-known H'nemthe was M'iiyoom Onith, one of the rare virgin females to leave her homeworld as part of an experiment to see how females would fare in finding a mate not from H'nemthe. In Chalmun's Cantina on Tatooine, she fell in love with the Gotal Feltipern Trevagg, who was unaware of the nature of H'nemthe mating rituals and thus ended up dead.

Yamnoss was present in the same cantina, during a night shift a few months after, when a mandatory curfew was issued by Imperial decree. A H'nemthe was also a member of Spiz's hoodlums.

A community of H'nemthe lived on Cona, the Arconan homeworld.

Common H'nemthe names

 * Garriel
 * H'rassh
 * Liakkor
 * S'Basso
 * Vir'roc
 * Vishki

Behind the scenes
The H'nemthe were created for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Their backstory was later expanded on in several books, such as Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina, The Essential Guide to Alien Species, and The New Essential Guide to Alien Species.

On the set of A New Hope, the alien later identified as M'iiyoom Onith was known as "Yam Nose". The character's proper name was originally set down as "Yamnoss", before Nightlily: The Lovers' Tale established the current character and species name. This name would later be applied to the H'nemthe in The Star Wars Holiday Special.

Appearances

 * Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
 * Star Wars Republic: Rite of Passage
 * Star Wars: Zam Wesell
 * Star Wars Republic 49: Sacrifice
 * MedStar I: Battle Surgeons
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Nightlily: The Lovers' Tale
 * Empire Blues: The Devaronian's Tale
 * Star Wars: Rebellion
 * The Star Wars Holiday Special
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi