Probable caste society: warrior- and priest-caste
seem to have equal status; in Family, Teal'c snaps at a priest at the
stargate, who accepts it, and later in the same ep a priest at the stargate
refuses entry to Bra'tac, who accepts it. Neither caste has clear prominence
over the other (reasonable in a society where the military leaders are also
gods, at war with other gods). No indication of status of other castes (farmer,
merchant, bureaucrat, etc.)
Jaffa serve purely a military function (presumably the priest-caste has
nothing to do with humans, only Jaffa). (Summit)
Outcast Jaffa live in encampments outside the cities (Bloodlines).
Rite-of-passage for young Jaffa is the Prim'ta,
the implantion of a larval Goa'uld into the abdominal pouch designed for it
(Bloodlines).
Lack of medical training and medicines, since all adults carry larval Goa'uld
and thus don't need medicine. Possibly a way of continuing to select for only
the strongest, healthiest people? (Weak, sickly children die for lack of medicines
or from severe injuries, so only the strong survive to adulthood.) (Bloodlines)
God/Goa'uld affiliation and high status are indicated
by forehead tattoos. All Jaffa "belonging"
to a particular Goa'uld wear the mark of that Goa'uld in a forehead tattoo.
High-ranking Jaffa have molten metal poured into channels dug in the shape
of the tattoo on their foreheads ("The skin is cut with an orak knife, and
pure molten gold is poured into the wound" [Teal'c, in Bane]); in the
military, a Second Prime's brand is silver, a First Prime's is gold (nb:
This is supposition, not fact, but some ranking Jaffa definitely have silver
brands, not gold ones). Presumably, a similar color difference holds true
in the religious caste.
Different Jaffa serve different Goa'uld. The Serpent
Guard serve Apophis. The Horus Guard (falcon-headed
helmets) serve the family of Ra, and are the elite Jaffa army loyal to Heru'ur.
(Thor's Chariot)
Jokes are standard human, if in different cultural
terms ("A Serpent guard, a Horus guard, and a Setesh guard meet on a neutral
planet. It is a tense moment. The Serpent guard's eyes glow. The Horus guard's
beak glistens. The Setesh guard's nose drips.") (Seth)
Since Apophis attacked and slaughtered
many of the people on Chulak (Maternal Instinct),
the remaining Jaffa are more sympathetic to Teal'c's ideas. But not all of
them agree; some remain loyal to Apophis or even other Goa'uld. (Serpent's
Venom)
Jaffa don't believe in ghosts. (Spirits)
All Jaffa know the coordinates for Cimmeria
-- a world protected by the Asgard -- to
ensure no Goa'uld goes there. (Thor's Hammer)
Jaffa use wills (Teal'c asks Bra'tac to hear his will when he thinks he's
about to die). (Bloodlines)
Legends:
In legend, when a Jaffa could no longer carry
a prim'ta, he would make the journey to Kheb
where his kalach (soul) would learn the path through the darkness into
the next life. When the Goa'uld learned of Kheb and traveled there, they
did not return, and so it was forbidden to speak of it. The story was
still passed on in secret by some Jaffa, though. (Maternal Instinct)
According to Jaffa legend, if a Jaffa goes without his symbiote for
any length of time, his life flashes before his eyes. (The Changeling)
Chulak:
Homeworld for many of Apophis' Jaffa,
including Bra'tac, Teal'c and his family, and Fro'tak.
The stargate (chaapa'ai) sits in the center of two snaky lines of standing
stones, which actually look like the arms of a spiral galaxy from above.
(Children of the Gods) After Teal'c's betrayal and the prison break,
guards were set on the Stargate -- sometimes warriors, sometimes priests.
(Bloodlines, Family, etc.)
There are Grecian elements to the society, possibly at the very highest
levels. (Children of the Gods)
Eventually Chulak was largely abandoned by the Jaffa, after Apophis
nearly destroyed it in his search for his Harsesis
child (Shifu).
Celebrations:
Birthdays: Jaffa don't celebrate birthdays, although they keep track
of them. (The Light)
Rebellion:
Signs of dissent, discontent:
One of Osiris' Jaffa -- not even a
First or Second Prime -- questions his orders to send Jaffa down to the
planet where Heimdall has his base,
pointing out that it's dangerous. Later, the same Jaffa objects to Osiris'
order to release coolant from the hyperdrive into the ventilation system
on the levels where intruders (SG-1) are, because the gas is toxic and
there are Jaffa on those levels as well. The Jaffa also wants to evacuate
the engine room, since the engines will overheat from the lack of coolant
and will release radiation into the room, killing many Jaffa. Osiris doesn't
care. He obeys the order, but neither he nor the other Jaffa in the room
are happy about it. (Revelations)
The first big push to forming a rebel Jaffa army was started by K'tano,
who intended to subvert it to his own ends. He set up shop on a world he called
Cal Mah ("sanctuary"), gathering Jaffa from many Goa'uld, including
at least six System Lords. When Teal'c killed him and exposed him as the Goa'uld
Imhotep in the rite of joma secu, Teal'c
by default gained leadership of the army. (The Warrior)
This batch of rebel Jaffa, including Raknor, moved
to the SGC's alpha site after Yu attacked
Cal Mah. (Allegiance)
Refugees from Chulak appear to be living on a new world, in camps, under
harsh conditions. (Redemption, part 1)
The rebellion is having dangerous consequences; as symbiotes mature, there
are no replacements to keep rebel Jaffa alive. They're going to start dying
in large numbers soon if something isn't done. (Redemption, part 1)
The rebel Jaffa aren't willing to sacrifice other Jaffa lives just to
gain their symbiotes. (Redemption, part 1)
The Goa'uld began distrusting Jaffa priests after the dissent began
to spread, so there are no readily accessible vats of larvae to steal.
(Redemption, part 1)
The rebel Jaffa have at least one cargo ship at their disposal. (Redemption,
part 1)
Hundreds of Jaffa continue to act as fifth columnists in Goa'uld service.
(Allegiance)
A supposed meeting of rebel leaders was actually an ambush; over a hundred
rebel Jaffa were killed. Only Bra'tac and Teal'c survived -- barely. (The
Changeling)
Religious culture:
Priest-caste (which includes priestesses) possibly celibate (Daniel points
out that temple priestesses "don't do a lot of dating" in Crossroads).
Seemed to be an odd combination of markings among the priests on Chulak;
many of the priests wore Apophis tattoos,
but at least one had a different one -- a silver starburst (four points --
two shorter ones on top, two lower ones on the bottom) inside a black circle;
the cirle, at least, was a tattoo, although it's not clear if the starburst
was silver ink or actual silver. Possibly this was the equivalent of a Second
or First Prime? At the sepulcher of the temple (where Daniel wiped out an
entire tank of infant Goa'uld), the symbol over the sepulcher was Apophis',
but the banners surrounding the area had the starburst symbol on top and Apophis'
symbol underneath. (Bloodlines)
(Pure speculation: Possibly, the starbust symbol is the symbol of the
gods, plural -- all Goa'uld. [Bloodlines])
Jaffa religious belief includes concepts of sin, a soul and an afterlife.
By repenting of his "sin," Terok claims, Teal'c could free his soul and those
of all who followed him from eternal punishment. (Serpent's Venom)
Belief in Goa'ulds' godlike ability is nearly absolute, even among Jaffa
who serve on board ships and are thus more exposed to technology. (Threshold)
Va'lar and Teal'c both believe that Apophis
is all-seeing and all-knowing when they serve in his personal guard; Teal'c
has to deliberately deceive Apophis before he's sure that Apophis isn't
omniscient. (Threshold)
Drey'auc speaks of Goa'uld magic, like ships
rising from the ground, the ability to walk through the wall of water
in the chappa'ai, and the ability to extend a wall of light from his palm
to throw a warrior across a square (none of which Teal'c can explain as
anything but magic, even though he's also walked through the chappa'ai
and has served on the ships). (Threshold)
Ascension (to a higher plane of existence):
Many Jaffa dedicate their lives to achieving this. (Revelations)
After dissent began to spread through the Jaffa ranks, Jaffa priests were
no longer trusted with Goa'uld young. (Redemption, part 1)
Funerals: Funeral pyre rather than burial.
(Redemption, part 1) Unsure whether this is a new custom adopted because
of the refugee situation, or the traditional method.
Before lighting Drey'auc's pyre, Teal'c says: "Shel mak. Shel assah."
(Redemption, part 1)
On Chulak, the custom when someone dies is to not eat or drink for three
days. (Fire and Water) (Seems to be contradicted by both Shan'auc's
and Drey'auc's deaths. -- Crossroads, Redemption pt 1)
Warrior culture:
A Jaffa warrior's head must be shaved. (Holiday)
This has never been supported anywhere else, and plenty of Jaffa have
hair (although usually closely cropped).
The Rules of Engagement are the code of battle
during a young Jaffa's training, as dictated by Apophis. The Final Challenge
is the day in a warrior's training when first blood is shed, and the games
become real. (Rules of Engagement)
It's customary on Chulak to sing a song of lament when a great warrior
retires from the field of battle. (Chain Reaction -- but could've just
been a joke)
Jaffa serving aboard ha'tak vessels sleep in dormitories of sorts, in single
bunks hung in pairs from poles (with an upper and lower paired set hung from
each pole). These group sleeping quarters are possibly patrolled by other
Jaffa (a Serpent Guard was walking slowly through, although he could just
have been coming off fully-armored duty and headed for bed). (Threshold)
Among Jaffa warriors, life for the sake of life means nothing; Bra'tac refuses
to explore avenues to extend his life after his final prim'ta matures and
no other symbiote will accept him. (Threshold)
Advancing to position of First Prime seems to have nothing to do with age.
Bra'tac seems to have been First Prime to Apophis since his mid-30s (Into
the Fire, Threshold) and served as First Prime and teacher for
many years. Teal'c became First Prime to Apophis no younger than 85 (Threshold
-- Teal'c was still a regular Jaffa very shortly before Rya'c's birth, at
which point Teal'c would have been about 85-86, assuming Rya'c was 12 in Bloodlines
when his first symbiote was implanted.).
Doesn't seem necessary to be given a silver tattoo prior to being given
the gold. (Threshold)
Despite years of exposure to Tau'ri weapons, Jaffa still consider them less
than "true" weapons, preferring to trust in staff weapons and zats. A direct
demonstration of staff v. P-90 changes a few minds. (The Warrior)
Not accustomed to thinking of women as warriors, but not freaked at the
thought, either. (The Warrior)
Training staffs (wooden versions of staff weapons) are bashaak (The Warrior)
Jaffa don't take vengeance from behind -- they kill face to face. (Allegiance)
Artok X:
Rebel Jaffa, probably one of Heru'ur's (had
a Horus symbol on his forehead). He was part of Imhotep's
army, and moved to the SGC's alpha site when
Cal Mah was wiped out. He didn't like or trust the Tok'ra, and got into arguments
with them after the Tok'ra were forced to take shelter at the alpha site as
well. After being (wrongfully) accused of killing Ocker,
the Tok'ra chief of security, Artok was killed by an ashrak
while confined in an SGC holding cell on the alpha site. (Allegiance)
Bra'tac: First
Prime to Apophis for decades; Teal'c's teacher and mentor. Since Teal'c's
very public break with Apophis, Bra'tac has been working more or less behind
the scenes, continuing to foment rebellion among Jaffa warriors, and also
helping to train Rya'c.
Born around 1864 ("I am one hundred and thirty-three years old" as of
Bloodlines [1997]; 135 as of Into the Fire [1999]; 137 as
of Threshold [2001])
Former First Prime of Apophis,
some 100 years ago (Into the Fire) (makes for odd timing, since
he would only have been in his mid-30s -- was he strictly a teacher after
that?).
Known throughout Chulak as one of the greatest Jaffa that ever lived
(Family)
Was also greeted, and treated, with great respect by the rebel Jaffa
army that was drawn from at least six different System Lords' Jaffa.
(The Warrior)
The first time he met SG-1, he insulted Sam, bit Daniel in the hand
to prove how soft Daniel was, and beat Jack at hand-to-hand. (Bloodlines)
Very carefully primed Teal'c (and other Jaffa?) to prepare him to doubt
and eventually work against the Goa'uld, without ever giving himself totally
away, although he made himself vulnerable to betrayal (e.g., hinted that
he didn't think the Goa'uld were gods, and certainly not all-knowing).
(Threshold)
Passed the rebel torch to Teal'c when Teal'c became First Prime and
finally had the power to actually do something. (Threshold)
After helping SG-1 escape from Chulak (Bloodlines), Bra'tac worked
hard to regain Apophis's trust, and was made First Prime to Klorel. (Serpent's
Lair)
Outed himself as a rebel to Klorel, while he and SG-1 were attempting
to escape Klorel's ship. He burned his bridges pretty thoroughly: after
refusing to obey Klorel, he explained himself by saying, "Because you
are not a god. You are a parasite within a child -- and I despise you."
This got him ribboned in retribution; he would have died if Jack, Sam,
adn Teal'c hadn't come in to help. To make his rebellion even more official,
shortly thereafter he and the others ringed onto Apophis' ship with Klorel
as hostage, and Bra'tac very clearly told Apophis that he would no longer
worship false gods. (Serpent's Lair)
Fought against Apophis during the destruction of Chulak; Moac,
his newest apprentice, died from injuries received during the battle.
(Maternal Instinct)
Has attempted the rite of m'al sharran
three times; two of the warriors died, but Teal'c survived intact after
the rite succeeded.(Threshold)
Killed: One of Klorel's Jaffa, for failing to protect Klorel
from Jack and Teal'c (The Serpent's Lair); one of the Jaffa guarding
Rya'c in the clearing, during SG-1's rescue of the
boy (Family)
Was reported to have been tortured to death by Terok, Heru'ur's
torturer -- unverified, could have just been a ploy to make Teal'c break.
(Serpent's Venom) Verified still alive in Threshold.
Left for dead by the remnants of Apophis' personal guard after he tried
to stage an uprising on Chulak at the news of Apophis'
death. (Into the Fire)
Presumably has ability to sense Reetou.
Has been fomenting dissent/rebellion for decades.
Has an SGC remote transmitter and code, to be used in an emergency (to
let him through the iris). (Family) SGC receives this code as "special
code 2" (Maternal Instinct)
Had a special death glider hidden away since the days he was First Prime
of Apophis. (Into the Fire)
Starting to feel old by end of third season (Maternal Instinct),
especially after his latest student dies, but gets new lease on life during
the ep.
As of fifth season, he's having more and more trouble achieving kelno'reem.
(Threshold)
His prim'ta will mature within a couple of years
(2003-ish, presumably, when Bra'tac is about 139), and will be his last
one; even if he could find another symbiote it would reject him. He won't
try to extend his life; life for the sake of life means nothing. (Threshold)
Has been training Rya'c, teaching him how to be
a warrior (including how to fly a glider) (Redemption, parts 1&2)
Has a lot of influence just in his very presence -- he talked down Artok
from refusing to be held captive simply by looking at him. He broke the
tension of an armed standoff between twin lines of Jaffa and Tok'ra by
finding the footprints of whatever person had killed Artok, and admitting
freely that they could have been either Jaffa or Tok'ra. In the search
for the saboteur/assassin, he was paired with Jack and Malek.
(Allegiance)
Best fighter ever -- he sensed the ashrak's
presence and put up a good fight, even though he couldn't see him. Knocked
Malek out of the way to safety first. Lost the fight and was dragged off
and left to die, but is too tough for that, and managed to stagger back
to the alpha site in time to save everyone
by killing the ashrak. (Allegiance)
Nearly died at what was supposed to be a meeting of rebel Jaffa leaders,
but was actually an ambush. Teal'c saved his life by sharing his symbiote
for three days, until the rest of SG-1 found them both and brought them
back to the SGC. The symbiote was too badly damaged to heal even one of
them at that point; both survived only because Jacob brought a new version
of tretonin, designed to support Jaffa life without the aid of symbiotes.
(The Changeling)
Bra'tac became as dependent on the new tretonin as he had been
on his symbiote as a result. (The Changeling)
Unclear what effect this will have on Bra'tac's aging process; he
would have died within a year or two had he
kept his symbiote.
Drey'auc X:
(of the Cord'ai Plains) Teal'c's wife, left behind with their son Rya'c
when Teal'c turned shol'va. She wound up being outcaste and having to scrounge
to survive, including having to beg the priests to come and perform a Prim'ta
ceremony on Rya'c to save his life when he was dying of fever (scarlet fever,
according to Jack). With Teal'c gone, she divorced him and married his best
friend, Fro'tak, to provide for her and Rya'c. After
Fro'tak was killed, Drey'auc left Chulak with SG-1 and Rya'c, and moved to
the Land of Light, where she lived for some time. (Bloodlines, Family,
other mentions) Eventually appears to have moved to a planet where refugee
Jaffa had set up a refugee camp of some sort. Died there in 2002 after her
symbiote matured. She refused to let the other Jaffa procure her a new one,
since that would mean killing another Jaffa to get it. (Redemption, part
1)
Fro'tak X:
(of the High Cliffs) Teal'c's best friend on Chulak, who later married Drey'auc
after Teal'c abandoned her and Rya'c. After seeing Teal'c and Drey'auc rekinding
a spark or two, Fro'tak attempts to betray SG-1 to Apophis,
but Jack kills him before he gets the chance. (Family)
Herak: First Prime
of Anubis, by all appearances. He also appeared
in The Other Guys, and presumably
whatever that ep was about, it had at least some basis in reality, because
Herak recognized Jack, who had a few rather snide things to say in return.
(Full Circle)
Moac X:
Bra'tac's most recent apprentice -- the finest warrior Bra'tac had ever trained.
He was badly injured during Apophis' destruction of Chulak, and despite Fraiser's
best efforts, died of his injuries. (Maternal Instinct)
Rak'nor: Betrayed
Teal'c to Heru'ur; his father, Delnor, had
believed in Teal'c enough to have burned off Rak'nor's serpent tattoo on the
assumption that soon all Jaffa would be free of their masters (Teal'c, while
still First Prime, had spared Delnor's life, gaining lifelong loyalty in return,
whether he knew it or not), but Rak'nore had watched the sparks of rebellion
fail and had lost faith. When he saw that Teal'c wouldn't cave under torture,
he began to change his mind again, and rescued Teal'c from Heru'ur and Apophis
just in time to keep them from being destroyed in the minefield where they
were meeting. (Serpent's Venom) Later, he joined K'tano's
rebel army, then after K'tano was killed and revealed as Imhotep, he rallied
the rebel Jaffa to Teal'c. (The Warrior) After Cal Mah was wiped out,
he took refuge on the SGC's alpha site along
with rest of K'tano/Imhotep's Jaffa army. Nearly co-instigated a bloodbath;
when he pushed the point of Artok having been killed by grabbing the Tok'ra
leader, Malek's, arm, getting himself thrown
off in the process, twin lines of Jaffa and Tok'ra pulled weapons on each
other, clearly prepared to use them. Jack appeared to be the voice of reason
a moment later. When everyone teamed up in tri-racial trios afterward to hunt
the saboteur/assassin, Raknor went out with Sam and Jacob. (Allegiance)
Rya'c: Son of Teal'c
and Drey'auc, effectively fatherless since Teal'c's
decision to betray Apophis -- he and
Drey'auc were left behind, without a word from Teal'c. Drey'auc even told
him that Teal'c was dead, although Rya'c didn't believe her. At about 12 years
old he was due for his first prim'ta. He'd also developed
scarlet fever, and was going to die without a symbiote. Teal'c tried to stop
the implantation, but when he realized how ill Rya'c was he gave up his own
symbiote so his son would live. (Bloodlines) Teal'c left again, and
Rya'c and Drey'auc moved in with Fro'tak. Apophis got hold of Rya'c and brainwashed
him into publicly denouncing his father. SG-1
rescued him and brought him and Drey'auc back to SGC, where Teal'c eventually
had to zat him to break Apophis' conditioning. Once free, he was overjoyed
to see his father again. He and Drey'auc moved to the Land of Light to live,
where they lived for some time, with occasional visits from Teal'c. (Family)
Grew into his teens under Bra'tac's tutelage, and has
the makings of a fine warrior. He and his mother moved to a planet where refugees
from Chulak (and other Jaffa?) had set up a refugee camp, to be with other
Jaffa. Rya'c was very angry at Teal'c after Drey'auc died, and beat the crap
out of him with a staff weapon. (Redemption, part 1) Teal'c allowed
him to go on the mission to save the Tau'ri from Anubis'
attack on their stargate, then allowed him to ring down to the planet
to help take out Anubis' weaponry. Rya'c took a staff hit to the back, but
not a fatal one, and after Teal'c and Bra'tac were captured, he stole a glider
and freed them via air attack, then destroyed Anubis' weapon. He chose to
remain with Bra'tac and help with the Jaffa rebellion rather than spending
time on Earth with Teal'c and the others. (Redemption, part 2)
Shak'l X:
Warrior who served under Teal'c, and who succeeded him as First Prime to Apophis.
He led the Jaffa hunting SG-1 on the Nox's world, was injured in a fight,
and was healed by the Nox, later nearly killing Lya as he escaped. He spotted
the Nox performing the Ritual of Life to save Lya (after Shak'l knifed her),
and realized that the Nox were the real controllers of invisibility on the
planet. He reported it to Apophis.(The Nox) Functioned as First Prime
to Apophis, and carried the gold mark, but apparently was not secure in that
position yet; when he found Teal'c on Cartago,
he said Teal'c's death would assure his place as First Prime. Teal'c killed
him 10 seconds later. (Cor Ai)
Shan'auc X:
(of the Red Hills) Priestess on Chulak, and old "friends" with Teal'c.
She came to believe that the Goa'uld were not gods, and began attempting to
subvert her symbiote away from evil through communicating with it while in
deep kelno'reem. When the symbiote was ready for implantation, Bra'tac
sent her to Earth so she could ask for their help in giving her reformed symbiote
to the Tok'ra, believing that it had renounced its
race's ways. Teal'c was overjoyed to see her again, and they re-established
their relationship at some level (personally, I don't think they had sex,
not with her in that much constant pain). Eventually everyone agreed that
she should see the Tok'ra, and SG-1 brought her to Vorash. The Tok'ra gave
her symbiote to Hebron, who was aware of the dangers. The symbiote, Tanith,
thanked Shan'auc for setting him free, then later in private killed her for
daring to dictate to her god. Teal'c was not happy.
Va'lar X:
Friend of Teal'c's from his days serving Apophis. Va'lar didn't share Teal'c's
doubts. He led a troop of warriors in a battle against Ra, but on seeing that
they were hopelessly outnumbered, decided to retreat to get reinforcements.
Apophis disapproved of this "cowardice", and ordered Teal'c to take
Va'lar down to the planet and kill him as an example. Teal'c set Va'lar free
instead, warning him to never get caught. Va'lar was horrifed that he'd do
this, since Apophis would know and Teal'c would be killed; Teal'c wasn't so
sure, and used this deception as a sort of test of Apophis' powers, becoming
sure that the "gods" weren't as all-powerful as they claimed when
he succeeded in deceiving Apophis. Later, Teal'c was ordered to destroy the
very village where he'd told Va'lar to hide out, so wound up killing him anyway.
Humans, possibly genetically modified (still unclear whether Jaffa are
born with pouches or given them at puberty). They're bred to serve the Goa'uld,
as warriors, priests, slaves, and incubators, carrying the larval form of
the Goa'uld. Jaffa do not communicate with the larval Goa'uld they carry.
Jaffa born to the altered species seem to have an immune system before
implantation of a larva; baseline humans turned into Jaffa by the forcing
of a pouch lose their immune systems in the process. No idea how; it doesn't
make a lot of sense that simply having a pouch carved out would trash
the immune system. (Pure speculation here -- maybe the baseline human
immune system is a bit too strong for larvae to easily overcome, so destroying
it in the process of readying a human to become a Jaffa would help guarantee
a successful implantation. Possible that Jaffa pass along a slightly weakened
immune system, which in turn helps weed out weaker Jaffa before the rite
of prim'ta.) (Hathor)
Originally created specifically to help the Goa'uld blend successfully with
human hosts, improving their odds from the original 50% to what appears to
be effectively 100%. (Cure)
Granted long life and perfect health by the larval Goa'uld that all Jaffa
carry from childhood. Bra'tac is still a strong fighter at 133-plus years
old.
If there is no available host when the prim'ta matures, it will take over
the Jaffa carrying it (1969) (This seems to contradict the idea that
Goa'uld never use Jaffa for hosts, but possible it's a temporary measure until
the Goa'uld can find a "proper" host.)
Larval Goa'uld takes the place of the Jaffa's immune
system, which collapses completely when the first one is implanted
during the Prim'ta; if the goa'uld is removed, the Jaffa soon dies. (Children
of the Gods)
Once the symbiote is removed, a Jaffa has only a few hours before he
dies. (Bloodlines)
The most painful death a Jaffa can know is removal of his prim'ta. (Within
the Serpent's Grasp)
A Jaffa will probably carry 15-16 larvae during his life (if initial implantation
happens around age 12, and the final larva matures around age 140 -- Bra'tac,
at 137, says his symbiote will mature within a couple of years and he will
be rejected by any others because he's gotten too old [Threshold]--
an average maturation time of 8-9 years means 15-16 larvae in a Jaffa lifetime).
Old warriors die when no larva will accept them any longer. (Threshold)
One sign of aging is difficulty in achieving kelno'reeem. (Threshold)
Kelno'reem
is similar to hibernation or very deep meditation. In a state of waking sleep,
the subconscious mind of a Jaffa becomes one with the symbiote, which allows
it to repair an illness. (Holiday)
A Jaffa has to enter Kelno'reem every day to remain healthy. (Beneath
the Surface)
The Jaffa is in complete control of his thoughts while in kelno'reem;
it's not like dreaming (The Changeling)
Possibly begin to feel effects of old age once past 130 or so; Bra'tac
feels that he's getting to the point where he will no longer be able to carry
a prim'ta at about 135. (Maternal Instinct)
Can survive drowning by going into a deep state of kelno'reem, during which
time the symbiote, in its natural environment, can filter the oygen from the
water and feed it to the Jaffa. (Demons)
In the deepest state of kelno'reem, the heart beats so slowly it may stop.
The practice is forbidden. In this state, some communication with the symbiote,
in the form of primitive images, can be achieved. (Crossroads)
Little specific Jaffa technology; the culture doesn't seem to be even slightly
industrial. All advanced tech comes from the Goa'uld, making for a strange
combination of primitive and highly advanced in Jaffa daily life.
The rebel Jaffa army, cut off from all Goa'uld tech, uses cloth drawn-in
maps, waterskins, pottery cups, firelight/torches -- no tech or industrialized
materials at all beyond some scavenged weapons and body armor. (The
Warrior)
