H'nemthe (species)/Legends

H'nemthes, sometimes referred to as H'nemtheans, were 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'menthe cones 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 thus acted similarly to those of the Gotals, making them efficient hunters, this was an example of convergent evolution rather than proof of common ancestry.

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 fufillment.

When a female H'nemthe consummated her relationship with a male, she eviscerated him with her knife-shaped tongue, strangely 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 rarely 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.

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. 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.

One of the best-known H'nemthe was M'iiyoom Onith, one of the rare virgin females to leave her homeworld. In the city of Mos Eisley on Tatooine, she fell in love with the Gotal Feltipern Trevegg, who was unaware of the nature of H'nemthe mating rituals.

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

Behind the scenes
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 Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina established the current character and species name.

Appearances

 * Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
 * Medstar 1: Battle Surgeons
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina
 * "Nightlily: The Lovers' Tale"
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi