Elogium FAQ

Elogium is the Ocampa equivalent of human puberty
"When the body prepares for fertilization".

Elogium happens only once for Ocampan females, usually between the ages of 4 & 5. However Kes's Elogium was prematurely triggered by the presence of a swarm of space dwelling creatures. Kes was only 1 at the time.

The swarm of space dwelling creatures could travel to speeds over 3000 kilometers per second and are capable of metabolizing inorganic matter. Kes's Elogium was triggered because their presence increased the levels of electro-forrectic activity in Voyagers atmosphere.

The process of Elogium is divided into the following phases :

Phase 1: Hunger

The first sign Kes had Elogium was when she started eating handfuls of Spawn beetles she had in the hydroponics bay. The Spawn beetles were discovered in a batch of Oblician cabbage which Kes and Tom Paris brought into the kitchen for Neelix. The Spawn beetles help to cross pollinate the cabbage.

Kes's hunger continued in her quarters were she consumed 6 bowls of a "Terren Delicacy" (mashed potatoes with butter) that Ensign Wildman introduced to her. Kes added soil to the mashed potatoes and ate the flowers which Neelix had given her.

Phase 2: Module Sack

The second phase of Elogium is when the Ocampa body temperature, blood pressure and pulse, increase at an alarming rate. A module sack appears on the female Ocampa's back just below the neck. This is where the Ocampa offspring will grow.

Phase 3: Eapassafour

The third phase of Elogium is the Eapassafour when small yellow spores appear on the Ocampa's hands. This makes the mating bond possible. Once Eapassafour begins the female Ocampa has 50 hours to find a mate. The female Ocampa and her mate must stay bonded for 6 days to ensure conception.

Relissessen ritual

To prepare for bonding, the female Ocampa go through the Relissessen ritual with one of their parents. The ritual is used to symbolize the time when parent and child move to a new kind of relationship. As the child has her own child the parents must acknowledge her parenthood.

The ritual comprises of the parent massaging the child's feet until her tongue begins to swell !!! The ritual takes about 1 hour.

The ritual was explained by the Doctor as the stimulation of the synbathetic nerves setting off an hormonal reaction which actives glandular activity in the tissues in the tongue.