'It is to keep the codes,' I said. 'You may think that to be a warrior is to be large, or strong, and to be skilled with weapons, to have a blade at your hip, to know the grasp of the spear, to wear the scarlet, to know the fitting of the iron helm upon one's countenance, but these are things are not truly needful; they are not, truly what makes one man a warrior and another not. Many men are strong, and large, and skilled with weapons. Any man might, if he dared, don the scarlet and gird himself with weapons. Any man might place upon his brow the helm of iron. But it is not the scarlet, not the steel, not the helm which makes a warrior.' She looked at me. 'It is the codes,' I said." Beasts of Gor page 340.

• Arrows
  
  QUOTE: "The Gorean arrow is slightly over a yard long, the flight arrow is about forty inches in length. Both are metal piled and fletched with three half-feathers, from the wings of the Vosk gulls. Mixed in with the arrows were the leather tab, with its two openings for the right forefinger and the middle finger, and the leather bracer, to shield the left forearm from the flashing string." Raiders of Gor page 68.
  
  
• Battle Axe~~first kind is a single bladed axe of hardened iron; 8 to 14 inches width; mounted on a thick wooden handle; wrist throng attached to the handle in order to remain in the warriors hand during combat; used with a round iron-bound shield of wood and hardened leather; often called the Torvaldsland Battle Axe; first found in Marauders of Gor
  
  second kind is a huge axe wielded by the Kurii race; four inch thick handle of green needle wood of eight feet in length; equipped with a fixed double-bladed iron axe head of over 2 feet in width and razor sharp; used with a wide round iron shield of 4 feet in diameter~~
  
  
• Black Lance ~~a slender javelin-type spear, fitted with a barbed head and used with line attached to assist in retrieval~~
  
  
• Bola ~~favored weapon of the Wagon Peoples; consists of three long leather straps, each about 5 feet in length, and terminating in a leather sack containing a heavy rounded metal weight; developed for hunting fleet-footed and flighted game or as a weapon of war; thrown low, the long straps with their approximate ten-foot sweep, strike the victim... weighed balls, as soon as resistance is met, whip about the victim's legs, tangling and tightening the straps; may be thrown high to pin a man's arms to his sides or throw at the throat to strangle or throw at the head to crush the skull; once entangled in the bola, the victim is easily captured or dispatched; found in Nomads of Gor~~
  
  
• Calvary Crossbow ~~similar to larger crossbow; has much lighter bow of layered wood and horn; equipped with a metal stirrup at the firing end to be restrung quickly; Savages of Gor~~
  
  
• Crossbow ~~the standard infantry weapon of Gor, for distance in fighting; consists of a heavy, flexible bow of tempered steel, perhaps 18" across (when bent) mounted on a heavy wooden stock about two feet long, with a trigger mechanism built into the shaped handle; user, in a belt-case or quiva, carries quarrels or bolts; can use several types of arrows of spiked, smooth tipped, or broad bladed quarrels; strikes with enough force to penetrate wooden walls, doors, or humans with ease; effective range of 150 yds; slow to reload; redrawn though use of a "goat's-foot" hook for a cranequin bow; mentioned in Tarnsman of Gor~~
  
  
• Daggers~~most common forms of side-arm used on Gor; worn openly in a belt-sheath or concealed beneath one's clothing while strapped to the wrist beneath the sleeve, tucked into the collar behind the neck, or hidden in a boot; used by freewomen as a means of self-defense; found in every book~~
  
  
• Firearms~~produced and introduced on Gor; the PKs saw such as the destruction of humans and imposed the Flame Death to those who used this forbidden technology as well as destroying the invention~~
  
  
• Great Axe~~similar to the Torvaldslander Battle Axe except much larger; handle up to four feet in length; axe blade is larger and used two handed; occasionally double headed; Marauders of Gor~~
  
  
• Great Bow ~~noncurved; can require a pull of up to 120 pds; generally made from the wood of the ka-la-na tree or sometimes of tem wood; over six feet in length; string is made of hemp line or animal sinew wound with silk thread; arrows are 3 ft long and made of tem wood, steel tipped and feathered by the vosk gull; arrows are approximately three feet in length; commonly carried slung or strapped over the shoulder when not in use; difficult weapon to use; commonly called the Weapon of The Peasants; used by the rencers of the Vosk Delta; arrows may be tipped with the flight tip (a long narrow three-sided metal spike designed for extreme penetration; sheaf tip (wide double or triple edged blade designed to inflict max tissue damage upon impact; commonly carried slung or strapped over the shoulder of the archer when not in use; accompanied by a belt or shoulder quiver containing 40 or so arrows; requires the archer to wear a bracer of thick leather upon the forearm of his bow arm, and a glove or leather finger tab to protect hands and arm from the string when fired; mentioned in Tarnsman of Gor~~
  
  QUOTE: "The bow is not commonly favored by Gorean warriors, but all must respect it. It is the height of a tall man; its back, away from the bowman, is flat; its belly, facing the bowman, is half-rounded; it is something like an inch and a half wide and an inch and a quarter thick at the center; it has considerable force and requires considerable strength to draw; many men, incidentally, even some warriors, cannot draw the bow; nine of its arrows can be fired aloft before the first falls again to the earth; at point-blank range it can be fired completely through a four-inch beam; at two hundred yards it can pin a man to a wall; at four hundred yards it can kill the huge, shambling bosk; its rate of fire is nineteen arrows in a Gorean Ehn, about eighty Earth seconds; and a skilled bowman, but not an extraordinary one, is expected to be able to place these nineteen arrows in one Ehn into a target, the size of a man, each a hit, at a range of some two hundred and fifty yards. Yet, as a weapon, it has serious disadvantages, and on Gor the crossbow, inferior in accuracy, range and rate of fire, with its heavy cable and its leaves of steel, tends to be generally favored. The long bow cannot well be used except in a standing, or at least kneeling position, thus making more of a target of the archer; the long bow is difficult to use from the saddle; it is impractical in close quarters, as in defensive warfare or in fighting from room to room; and it cannot be kept set, loaded like a firearm, as can the crossbow." Raiders of Gor page 2.
  
  
• Harpoon~~javelin-type spear; fitted with a barbed head and used with an attached line for retrieval; similar weapon appears in the pits of Klima Tribesmen of Gor ..and extensively in Beasts of Gor~~
  
  
• Helmet~~most common is standard Gorean war helmet, a close-faced helmet around entire head, distinctive "Y" shaped opening in the face plate for air, a crest plate rests on top either crosswise (one side of neck to the other) or lengthwise (from back of the neck to the upper forehead) displaying the symbol of a city or organization, may be painted or lacquered any color~~
  
  QUOTE: "Above the shield was a suspended helmet, again reminiscent of a Greek helmet, perhaps of the Homeric period. It had a somewhat 'Y'-shaped slot for the eyes, nose, and mouth in the nearly solid metal." Tarnsman of Gor page 22.
  
  "...and the simple helmet, innocent of insignia, with empty crest plate, of curved iron with its 'Y' -like opening, and cushioned with rolls of leather." Raiders of Gor page 68.
  
  ~~another type is worn by desert tribesmen and warriors of Turia and Tor or the wagon peoples, cone shaped steel fitted with a nasal guard of narrow flat construction, may be trimmed with a ring of fur or fabric encircling the brow or a cloth or chain mail at the back covering the neck, closely fitted to the head wit ha thick cloth cap padding~~
  
  QUOTE: "The helmets of the north are commonly conical, with a nose-guard, that can slip up and down. At the neck and sides, attached by rings, usually hangs a mantle of linked chain. The helmet of Thorgard himself, however, covered his neck and the sides of his face. It was horned." Marauders of Gor page 73.
  
  "...he wore a conical, fur-rimmed iron helmet, a net of colored chains depending from the helmet protecting his face, leaving only holes for the eyes." Nomads of Gor page 10.
  
  ~~another type is worn by northern warriors, steel or iron bowl, single metal brow band encircles the head with two or more curved metal straps attached to it in the pattern of an "X" covering much of the wearer's skull, curved plates are riveted in place to fill the gabs between the strapping making a layered metal cap over the entire head, often fitted with cheek and neck guards, chain mail, cam ails or even metal face plates concealing the face or portions like a metal mask, horns of animals or metal spikes may be attached to the helmet as decoration~~
  
  QUOTE: "To be sure, carved in wood, high on the chair, was the helmet with crest of sleen-fur, the mark of the captain..." Marauders of Gor page 6.
  
  "All were silent. I wore the garb of the Caste of Assassins, and on the left temple of the black helmet was the golden slash of the messenger." Tarnsman of Gor page 192.
  
  
• Horn Bow~~favored by the Wagon People; small, double curved, and about 4 feet in length; made of layers of a bosk horn split and cured; banded and reinforced with leather from the hide of the bosk 1/2-inch width at 7 points, including the grip; stubby bow; many layers of split; cured and shaven bock horn that is bound together with glues and strips metal of bosk hide; extremely powerful and accurate weapon; arrows are generally carried in the number of 40 to 50 in a lacquered, narrow, rectangle shaped quiva, made from bosk hide cured and dried over a frame work of light wood or split horns~~
  
  QUOTE: "I learned as well the rope and bow. The bow, of course, small, for use, from the saddle, lacks the range and power of the Gorean longbow or crossbow; still, at close range, with considerable force, firing rapidly, arrow after arrow, it is a fearsome weapon." Nomads of Gor page 66.
  
  "His lance remained on his back, but he carried in his right hand the small, powerful horn bow of the Wagon Peoples an attached to his saddle was a lacquered, narrow, rectangular quiver containing as many as forty arrows." Nomads of Gor page 11.
  
  
• Kailla Lance of Red Savages~~similar to kailla lance of the wagon peoples; commonly longer, heavier, thicker; point of this lance is longer and narrower than the war lance; designed to pierce deeply into a kailiauk's heart; shaft is made from tem wood; tips can be metal, carved bone, or shaped stone; may be lashed to the shaft with boiled sinew or rawhide or attached with metal trade rivets; leather grips, hand loops, and decorations on the lance; mentioned in Savages of Gor~~
  
  
• Kailla Lance of Wagon Peoples~~long slender spear of eight to ten feet in length; designed to be used from the saddle of a rider on kaillaback; lances are carried in the right fist; flexible and light; may be bent almost double before breaking; loose loop of boskhide, wound twice about the right fist, helps the user to retain the weapon in mounted combat; seldom thrown; mentioned in Nomads of Gor ~~
  
  
• Killing Knife~~throwing knife; used by Caste of Assassins; much smaller than quiva; 6 to 8 inches in length; blade is tapered on only one side; sometimes used in conjunction with poison, though trained Assassins frown upon this; rarely used in hand-to-hand combat; designed primarily to be thrown at the body of an unsuspecting victim; mentioned in Assassin of Gor~~
  
  
• Knife Gauntlets ~~pair of thick leather gauntlets w/crescent shaped knife blades; sometimes used by gladiators in arena combats; mentioned in Fighting Slave of Gor~~
  
  
• Long Sword ~~commonly used by the denizens of Torvaldsland; approximately 36 inches in length; carried in a belt-scabbard or strapped across the back and over right shoulder; follows the pattern of the Japanese Samurai; many lengths of steel (hard, soft or flexible) are beaten together under heat and folded within itself and beaten flat again creating a blade with a tremendous amount of flexibility and virtually unbreakable or may be treated with a mild acid solution to reveal the pattern formed by the layers of steels; bear the name of their maker and the sword possesses a sense of being with the maker; used to beat the opponent's shield to pieces or as a slashing weapon; most are named 'blades'; warriors of Torvaldsland believe their swords possess a soul; found in Marauders of Gor~~
  
  
• Poisons
  
  QUOTE: "'Unlikely,' had said the Older Tarl, 'for Assassins commonly are too proud for poison.'" Assassin of Gor page 41.
  
  
• Quiva ~~balanced saddle knife; comes in a set of seven; consists of a narrow double-edged blade between 9 and 12 inches in length mounted on a shaped handle of wood, bone, or horn; razor sharp; blade tapers to a needlepoint; designed for use primarily as a missile weapon, stabbing and balanced to be thrown with lightning speed and accuracy; perfectly functional as a hand weapon and general utility knife; mostly used by the nomadic Wagon Peoples of the southern hemisphere, who carry matched sets of seven in special sheaths attached to their kailla saddles; steel of blade found in the foundries within the City of Ar and carried by traders to the South; part of the traditional Tuchuk greeting and farewell; also known as the Tuchuk Saddle Knife; carried by most Free Women and many Warriors; designed for both; first found w/in Nomads of Gor~~
  
  
• Rope
  
  QUOTE: "On the saddle there also hung, on one side, a coiled rope of braided boskhide..." Nomads of Gor page 11.
  
  
• Scimitar~~long, single-edged, curved sword; used either one-handed or with two-hands; razor-sharp; blade length is thirty inches; even a light stroke will pass effortlessly through the flesh, leaving a carved mark of 1/4th an inch deep; eight inch long false-edge across the back of the tip for backhanded slashes; first found in Nomads of Gor and later in Tribesmen of Gor~~
  
  
• Shield~~circular shaped shield generally about 24 to 36 inches in diameter; sufficient in size to cover the areas where a fatal blow may be struck; made of several layers of bosk hide generally 7 to 9 layers thick) stretched over a lightweight framework of wood or horn, and normally are round in shape; worn upon the user's arm, usually the left one; carried slung across the back while in traveling; maybe used as a covering in sever weather; usually painted and sometimes carries a design or device that denotes the warriors city-state~~
  
  QUOTE: "Warriors often train with weighted shields; to lift such a device in battle, receive blow after blow upon it, bearing up under them, makes the arm desperately sore and tired. In the early Ahn of a battle, the most common cause of casualties is the simply inability to lift, control and maneuver the shield. There is a great temptation to lower it, to ease the pain of screaming muscles." Renegades of Gor page 331.
  
  
• Short Bow~~re-curved bow; smaller than the great bow though better suited for use in close spaces or from the back of a kailla, tharlarion or tarn; carved from a single flexible piece of tem wood or kalana wood; mentioned in Tarnsman of Gor~~
  
  
• Short Sword~~basic weapon of all warriors of Gor, except those who fight while mounted; approximately 20 to 22 inches in length from hilt tip to blade tip, narrower at the hilt base and then widening to a width of 3 or 4 inches, descending to a curved and pointed tip; grip is generally either of polished wood or leather; generally carried in a sheath slung over the left shoulder by means of a leather harness or at the hip; hand forged on high carbon steel; perfect for close combat; first seen in Tarnsman of Gor~~
  
  
• Sleen Knife ~~broad bladed, flat, double edged utility knife equipped with a simple stubby cross guard and unadorned grip~~
  
  
• Spear~~seven feet long w/ a leaf shaped head up to 18 inches in length and handle (made of kalana wood and banded w/metal near the juncture of the spear-head socket to prevent it from shearing when thrown) of up to 2 inches thick; may be thrown or thrusted; first seen in Tarnsman of Gor~~
  
  
• Spiked Hand Wraps~~leather or cloth strips with spikes covering the knuckles; first seen in Fighting Slave of Gor~~
  
  
• Tarn's Lance~~similar to war lance except longer and more slender; mentioned in Savages of Gor~~
  
  
• Tarnsmen's Crossbow~~ Similar in most respects to the larger crossbow, though instead of possessing a heavy metal bow, it has a much lighter bow of layered wood and horn. It is slightly smaller in overall size than its heavy cousin, and is equipped with a metal stirrup at the firing end, enabling it to be more quickly restring and drawn from kailla or tarnback.~~
  
  
• Technology
  
  QUOTE: "There is at least one area in which the Priest-Kings do take a most active interest in this world, and that is the area of technology. They limit, selectively, the technology available to us, the Men Below the Mountains. weapon technology is controlled to the point where the most powerful devices of war are the crossbow and lance. Further, there is no mechanized transportation or communication equipment or detection devices such as the radar and sonar equipment so much in evidence in the military establishments of your world." "in lighting, shelter, agricultural techniques, and medicine...the Mortals, or the Men Below the Mountains, are relatively advanced. there must exist minds on this world capable of designing such things as rifles and armored vehicles." "From time to time they are [produced], but their owners are then destroyed, bursting into flame." Tarnsman of Gor page 31.
  
  "It is Flame Death merely to possess a weapon of the interdicted sort. Sometimes bold individuals create or acquire such war materials and sometimes for as long as a year escape the Flame Death, but sooner or later they are struck down." Tarnsman of Gor pages 31-2.
  
  
• Tharlarion Lance~~thick spear..ten to fourteen feet long; lancelet spear tip attached to a thick shaft; thickest part of the shaft is about four inches in width and often fluted to lighten it; usually carried when on the thalarion, couched beneath the right arm of the user and crossing over and above the neck of the mount; often supported by a lance-rest either attached to the saddle or worn strapped to the user's chest; can be thrown though not designed for it; mentioned in Tarnsman of Gor~~
  
  
• Throwing Knifed
  
  QUOTE: "It was a throwing knife, of a sort used in Ar, much smaller than the southern quiva, and tapered on only one side. It was a knife designed for killing. Mixed with the blood and fluids of the body there was a smear of white at the end of the steel, the softened residue of a glaze of kanda paste, now melted by body heat, which had coated the tip of the blade. On the hilt of the dagger, curling about it was the legend, 'I have sought him. I have found him' It was a killing knife." Assassin of Gor page 41.
  
  
• Tomahawk~~handle of three feet in length capped with a hatchet blade made of sharpened steel; handle of up to 2 feet in length; blade made of either sharpened metal, shaped stone, or obsidian glass; often carved with ceremonial inscriptions; common war-arm used by the Red Savages; may be used as a hand weapon with the shield of dried rawhide over a wood frame, or throw as a missile weapon~~
  
  
• Trident~~three-pronged spearing fork used by fishermen and sailors of the island peoples of Gor; thrusting weapon or thrown; seven feet in overall length with 3 rather lengthy prongs; used with a line attached for retrieval if thrown; may be used with a hooked net in various gladiatorial arenas; 7 ft in length with prongs of 10 inches or more; described in Raiders of Gor~~
  
  
• Turian Shield
  
  QUOTE: "The morning sun flashed from their helmets, their long tharlarion lances, the metal embossments on their oval shields, unlike the rounded shields of most Gorean cities." Nomads of Gor page 113.
  
  
• War Club~~carved club of wood or bone; mounted at the end stone or a metal head; two to three feet in length; mentioned in Blood Brothers of Gor~~
  
  
• War Spear~~heavy yet easily thrown spear favored by the caste of warriors; armed with a bronze blade about 12 inches in length; may be thrown with considerable force over a fair distance~~

Additional Quotes:"' I was the Lady Mina,' she said, 'of the villas of Noviminae, near Lydius. I set off in my hunting leather with crossbow, upon a pacing thalarion, after tabuk." Mercenaries of Gor page 335.

"Some men will kill a woman with a weapon rather than take a moment or so to disarm her and make her helpless." Renegades of Gor page 89.



This page was last modified on the 31st of January 2002.