Remember your status. A Free Woman is proud, but she does not
challenge or insult. To do so is to invite a face-stripping. A tavern is
typically full of Warriors, and one of the things that Warriors do is collar and
enslave Free Women. To draw attention to yourself by making yourself a nuisance
to such men is foolhardy to say the least. Be attractive, witty, graceful, and
behave with honor, and you will be treated with the respect due to one your
station.
Some Gorean males may take action to protect you from
overzealous Masters in search of a slave, as long as you do not actively provoke
such unwanted attention. This tendency, as well as others, depends entirely upon
the customs of the particular tavern and the laws of the city you are in. The
laws of the city of Ar, for instance, are quite specific regarding the
disposition of Free Women who invite enslavement. Act like a slave, and you will
wind up as one. Behave like the lady you are, and perhaps earn the respect and
honor of Gorean males. Your choice.
It would probably not be a wise course of action to get drunk
while visiting a Gorean drinking establishment. If you do allow yourself to
become too inebriated to defend yourself, then all bets are off.
Rarius' views about FW
The pride of the Free Women of his city is very important to
the typical Gorean warrior... in his mind, though the Free Women of other cities
are open game to be captured for sport or profit, the Free Women who share his
Home Stone are sacrosanct, aloof and virtuous creatures who are worthy of
constant respect and protection. These are, after all, the mothers, daughters
and sisters of both himself and his comrades, and are therefore to be treasured
and respected at all costs.
The Gorean Free Woman is revered, honored and protected. After
all, only a FW can bear and raise Free children, and continue the bloodlines of
the Noble Rarius. The care and upbringing of this future generation of Gor also
falls upon the Free Woman, and she carefully instills the values, honor code and
manners which will influence the Rarius of tomorrow.
The key trait a Gorean warrior expects to find in the Free
Women of his city is "virtuous." To the Gorean mind, any woman who
possesses the raw lust and submissive desire openly displayed by collared
slavegirls deserves to be one, and if a Free Woman's actions seem to suggest
that she either secretly or openly wishes to be enslaved, sooner or later she
will be called forth to disprove such accusations. Nevertheless, the honor in
which a true Free Woman is held is so great that normally several such offenses
must be committed before she is stripped and collared.
A Free Woman will first be warned to abstain from slave-like
behavior... if she continues to behave so, then to the mind of the Gorean male,
and according to the rules of Gorean society, she is actively seeking
enslavement.
A Gorean Free Woman does not draw a weapon against another
individual unless she is under attack. Beware! According to his codes, to draw a
weapon against a member of the Warrior Caste is to place yourself within his
capture rights. This includes drawing weapons and placing them on a table or
displaying such objects in a threatening manner to others in the room, without suitable provocation.
Free Companionship
It is commonly believed that the goal of every Free Woman upon
Gor is to arrange and maintain a lasting free companionship with a freeman of
her choice, to dwell with him in honor and dignity, to bear his children and
propagate their combined family line. A free companionship is typically
contracted only after much legal wrangling and dedicated pursuit on the part of
the male, after which a simple ceremony is held in which both parties interlink
arms and drink the wine of free companionship from the same chalice, signifying
that they pledge themselves solely to one another for the period of one year.
Every year this ceremony must be repeated, and the companionship repledged by
both parties; otherwise it is considered to have lapsed. This seems a wise
practice when one considers that due to the stabilization serums, the typical
Gorean lifespan can last several centuries or more. During the period of this
companionship, neither party may willingly engage in sexual activity with
another free person who is not their sworn free companion. This monogomy,
however, does not preclude the sexual use of slaves by either party, provided of
course such things are acceptable to both parties. Gorean free companionship is
therefore a rather practical institution. A free companionship is immediately
considered legally dissolved if either party is enslaved.
Bride Price
In order to assure the continuance of the family line as well
as the financial security and well-being of her household, every Gorean Free
Woman is expected to be willing to subject herself to the rigors of a
politically motivated free companionship. In such a case, the family of the
would-be female companion is typically presented with a pre-arranged "bride
price" upon conclusion of such a union. Often the dowries of such wealthy
females can be quite high, and the bride price which is required to attain such
a companionship reflects that fact: before her enslavement, Talena, the daughter
of the Ubar Marlenus of Ar, was said to be worth a thousand tarns... many
high-born ladies can expect to bring as much as even one hundred tarns, which is
a substantial addition to any city's tarn cavalry.
Enslavement
Enslavement can occur for several reasons, not the least of
which is "slave-like" behavior. Typical examples of such behavior are
openly admiring the bodies of male freemen, commenting upon such things in a
sexually suggestive way, flirting lewdly or lasciviously, or repeatedly seeking
sexual union with another who is not one's free companion. A Gorean Free Woman
is expected to behave in a ladylike fashion at all times... she is an object to
be admired and pursued, not the pursuer in such relationships (at least not
openly). The Free Woman is graceful, mysterious and untouchable. The very right
to look upon the delicate expressions and soft features of her face is a goal to
be much sought after by others of her caste and social class. Any Free Woman who
willingly face-strips herself before the eyes of men who are not her personal
servants or close relatives is immediately castigated by Gorean society as
behaving in a "sluttish" fashion. Upon Gor, such "sluts" are
immediately collared for the use and service of males. Therefore, the term
"slut" and the term "Free Woman" must be considered mutually
exclusive of one another at all times.
Similarly a Free Woman who willingly places herself into a
perilous situation in which enslavement might be the outcome is assumed by most
Gorean males to be "courting the collar." In such instances it is
generally accepted practice to bestow upon the Free Woman the very thing which
she so seems to want, a brand and collar of her very own. If at any time a Free
Woman loses all means of self-protection and falls prey to a Warrior or one who
is stronger than she, she is said to be within the boundaries of "capture
rites." If she is to be held for ransom, then she retains her free
status... she is not branded or collared, though depending upon the whim of her
captor she might be facestripped or put to sexual use. During the period of her
captivity she does not refer to freemen as Master, but rather as
"Captor." In some cases she is simply chained in the holding of her captor and ignored until she can be exchanged for ransom. Since Free Women of
high caste typically fetch a ransom equal to or in excess of their bride price,
the richer and more powerful her family the greater her chance of being
ransomed. For a poor Free Woman, perhaps of the peasants or a similar low caste,
she can usually not expect such treatment. In such a case the Free Woman in
question typically may expect nothing better than either her enslavement, if she
proves to be pleasing, or her execution if she is not. It is important to
remember that when a Gorean city or settlement is conquered, typically all male survivors of that city are immediately put to death... in short, Goreans rarely
take prisoners of war. When all things are considered, therefore, if her Home
Stone is conquered, at least a Free Woman has a better chance of surviving, even
as a slave, than do the freemen of her city.
Face Stripping
Perhaps the worse offense which can be performed against a
Free Woman is that of public facestripping, i.e. when the veils of a Free Woman
are removed from her by force. This is the equivalent of stripping her naked,
though even the loss of her robes of concealment is not as great an insult as
the loss of her veils. It is regarded as the right, duty and privilege of Gorean
Free Women of the high cities to remain veiled... even when captured by the
Warriors of an enemy city, the Free Woman will commonly be allowed to retain her
veils at least until her final fate has been decided. The friends, bodyguards,
and male relatives of a facestripped woman are quite willing to slay any
offender who so degrades one of the ladies of their city... unless, of course,
through her own actions she has indicated that she is, in the depths of her
belly, a slave. In such a case she may expect her veils to be taken from her at
once, and if she is fortunate she will be allowed to keep her life, though
forevermore she will be a slave. The penalty for any slave caught impersonating
a Freeperson varies from city to city, though it is typically death. Not death
by execution with the sword or impaling spear... such a death is considered an
honorable one, reserved for Freepersons only. When a slave is caught
impersonating a Freeperson he or she is typically subjected to the lowly
"garbage death," wherein the offending slave is bound hand and foot
and cast amongst the city carnarii (trash pits) to be devoured by urts and other
carrion feeders at their leisure. Needless to say, a public facestripping is too
be avoided by a Gorean Free Woman at all costs.
Rite of Submission
If at any time, or for any reason, a Free Woman decides that
it is in her best interests either to become a slave or to openly submit herself
to a male for his protection and use, this is accomplished by the performance of
a formal gesture of submission by which she invokes the ancient Gorean
"rite of submission." Many Free Women would rather die than perform
such a subservient act. It is important that a Free Woman understand that when
this rite is invoked, there is no going back. Typically there are only two
possible outcomes when a Free Woman submits so; either she is enslaved and
becomes the personal chattel of the male, his to do with as he sees fit, or she
is found lacking in desirability by the male in question and is driven from him
in disgrace. In the case of a Warrior, the consequences are even more dire,
since a Warrior is not permitted by his codes to abandon the female while she is
still alive. Therefore, most Warriors have no qualms whatsoever against putting
the submitting female to death on the spot. Indeed, to a Warrior's mind, it is
better by far to take the supplicant's life than to abandon her to be randomly
enslaved by the first person who comes along. Believe it or not, in such a
situation a Warrior is acting to preserve the honor of the former Free Woman and
her caste and family.
The way the rite is invoked is this: the Free Woman typically
facestrips herself, publicly announces that she willingly submits to the
individual she has chosen, and then assumes "the Position of Female
Submission," wherein the Free Woman kneels at her captor's feet and leans
her body back, sitting upon her heels, with her arms extended upward, crossed at
the wrists, and her head beneath them lowered in supplication. If the male
accepts her, she becomes his slave and forfeits all titles, rank and property
immediately. If he does not, she accepts the consequences of her actions, even
if it means her death.
It should be obvious that a Free Woman does not invoke the
Rite of Submission hastily or without much consideration, as the very act can
cost her her life.
FW & slavegirls
For some reason, many Free Women actively seem to dislike
slavegirls, even going so far as to torment them when their Masters are not
around, or to behave toward them in a rather cold and callous manner. This is of
course their right as free persons, and they may in effect behave toward slaves
in any manner that they see fit. Understand, though, that not only is such behavior perceived as mere jealousy on the part of the Free Woman involved, it
is also thought to suggest that the Free Woman herself envies the position of
the slave in question. As long as such behavior does not insult a Freeperson
free Gorean males will grudgingly tolerate it, unless any damage or long-term
harm is inflicted upon the slavegirl so treated. Apart from that, slavegirls are
expected to treat Free Women humbly at all times, as they would any other
Freeperson.
FW & silk slave (male slaves)
Many Gorean Free Women possess kajiri, or male slaves. These
serve many purposes... often they are servants and retainers, they may be
utilized as pack bearers or manual laborers. Often a Free Woman will be borne
through the streets of her city in a curtained palanquin carried upon the backs
of such male slaves. In addition, the wealthier and more free-thinking Gorean
Free Woman will also have within her household one or more "silk
slaves," male slaves chosen for their handsomeness and sexual vigor, who
have been trained to serve a Mistress sexually. This is quite acceptable, unless
there is a law on the city scrolls which prohibits such sexual congress by free
females. At the present time there is such a law in the city codes of Ar, though most wealthy women in the city act in secret and circumvent it fairly easily.
A Gorean Free Woman may own and use slaves, both male and
female, as she sees fit. However, at the present time there is a city ordinance
in Ar which prohibits the sexual use of male slaves by Free Women of that city,
on penalty of enslavement. Of course, if you are not of Ar, then you are perhaps
exempt from this particular law. Remember however that those Free Women not of
Ar might fall prey to chain luck while visiting that city if they are not
careful. Extreme caution is advised.
Chain Luck
"Chain Luck" is the terror of every Free Woman upon
Gor. It is a practice whereby Warriors (typically young men in search of a
thrill or some sport) will decide on a whim to attack a city not their own,
hopefully evading the Warriors and guardsmen of that place, and capture one or
more Free Women to add to their chain as slaves. The name "chain luck"
refers to the fact that due to the veils and robes of concealment worn by such
Free Women, it is usually impossible for the Warrior in question to ascertain
the personal attractiveness of his would-be target before he makes his strike.
Therefore he must trust in his luck, hoping that his new acquisition is young
and beautiful beneath her robes. Many a warrior has risked his life to
skillfully lasso a Free Woman from the high bridges of an enemy city only to
discover that his catch has a face like a tharlarion and a temperament to match.
It is not entirely unknown for Warriors to be foolish enough, or drunk enough,
to practice Chain Luck within the environs of their own city, though typically
in such cases either they already have a target in mind or are seeking a slave
not for personal use but to sell her out of the city for a quick profit. The
Warriors and bodyguards of a Free Woman's household are constantly on the
lookout for such attempts on the persons of their ladies. Woe be it to one who
is caught practicing chain luck in his own city... if the lady in question is
discovered by the magistrates to be free and not a slave, yet is taken and
collared by a warrior of her own city, then it is considered an offense against
one's Home Stone, typically punishable by death. The Free Women of an enemy
city, however, are considered fair game for such activity.
Robes of Concealment
While in the privacy of her own home, in the company of those
of her family, a Free Woman will often affect a fairly relaxed and comfortable
mode of clothing herself; indeed, under such conditions and behind the closed
doors of her household it would be not only difficult for a Free Woman to wear
the strictly moderated and highly ornate garments of her caste, it would be simply ludicrous. She is, after all, a Gorean woman, well accustomed to the
scanty fashions and brief garments worn by both the men and women of that savage
planet. In the pleasure gardens of her home a Free Woman dresses for
attractiveness, comfort and functionality, and some of her outfits can be
revealing to say the least. However, once beyond the safety and protection of
her house walls she wisely dons garments which are more suited for platonic
interaction with the dangerous men of the cities: the infamous Gorean Robes of
Concealment.
The Robes of Concealment worn by Free Women in the high cities
are elaborate affairs, and are subject to the dictates of the current fashion in
her city. They can be highly personal modes of garb, cut and fashioned in
countless ways and in numerous styles, according to the whims and desires of the
wearer and the restrictions imposed by local sumptuary laws. Nevertheless, they
universally have these things in common: They consist of several layers of
thick, opaque cloth. Normally opaque hose are worn beneath them, and gloves, to
insure that no part of the wearer's body is visible. The typical garments worn
by a Free Woman of the high cities includes a shaped and fitted brocade gown
with an ankle-length hem and a high collar which reaches to just below the chin.
Atop that is worn a loose fitting robe to further conceal the lines and shape of
her body. A quilted or brocade headpiece, similar to the Arab kafiyeh, is worn
pinned or buttoned in place to cover her head, and drapes to the shoulders. The
various veils are then attached over the wearer's face through the use of pins
and ties, completing the ensemble. A Free Woman may wear slippers or even
close-fitting boots beneath her robes, and it is also the custom for women of extremely high rank to wear ornate platform shoes which increase her height by
as much as ten inches. Such adornments as those are normally worn only within
doors, however, since they are exceedingly difficult to walk in over uneven
surfaces. A wealthy Free Woman typically wears much jewelry, consisting of
brooches, medallions and chains of office and rank, rings and armlets. Many Free
Women are very careful about wearing wristlets and bangles of precious metal,
however, or even close fitting necklaces and especially ornamental
"chokers." Such jewelry is thought by many to be an ornamental
derivative of the collar and slave-bracelets of a kajira, therefore it is almost
never worn by the suitably cautious Free Woman, and under no circumstances will
a Free Woman wear any sort of jewelry or even a tied scarf about her left ankle,
since the left ankle is universally acknowledged by Goreans as the "slave
ankle," and any sort of adornment there by a Free Woman is unthinkable. Her
avoidance of such jewelry is part of her ongoing effort to distance herself from
women who have fallen to bondage.
The Veils
A Free Woman will, depending upon the customs of her household
and city, wear up to five separate veils simultaneously, each with a different
purpose of concealment. These veils range in function from thin, gauzy ones worn
close to the skin, all the way up to the heavily brocaded street veils worn by
Free Women upon the streets and in the public gathering places of her city. The five basic veils worn by Free Women are, in the order they are donned: the last
veil, the veil of the citizeness, the pride veil, the house veil, and the street
veil.
The Last Veil
the innermost of the five veils worn by Free Women; it is worn under the veil of
the citizeness, and is often very sheer. Also known as the "privacy
veil" or "modesty veil," it is worn in all places except within
the private chambers of the Free Woman.
The Veil of the Citizeness
the second of the veils worn by Free Women; worn under the pride veil and over
the last veil; it is worn by a Free Woman when she leaves her chambers for any
reason. The right to wear this veil at all times is guaranteed to all Free Women
upon attaining their majority and pledging citizenship. To strip this veil from
a citizen of your own Home Stone is considered a violation of basic Gorean law.
The Pride Veil
the third veil worn by Free Women; worn under the house veil and over the veil
of the citizeness, it is worn when a Free Woman is in her house. Unlike the last
veil and veil of the citizeness, this veil is completely opaque, and provides
true concealment of her features.
The House Veil
the next-to-last veil worn by Free Women, especially when in the company of men
not of her own family; worn over the pride veil, and under the street veil upon
leaving the house; when guests are within the walls of her house or when the
Free Woman is in the company of anyone who is not of her household, she wears
this veil at all times.
The Street Veil
the outermost veil worn by Free Women; worn over the house veil when leaving the
house; typically a heavy, fitted face-covering of thick brocaded or quilted
cloth, equipped with numerous pins and fastening devices.
Use of Weaponry
There are no restrictions upon the weaponry owned and used by
Free Women, apart from the general prohibition of technological items sanctioned
by the Priest Kings. Nevertheless, the Free Women of the larger and more
civilized cities of Gor seldom carry weaponry which cannot easily be concealed.
The two primary weapons in use by such women are the dagger and the poisoned
needle, both of which can be secreted among the many folds of her robes and
drawn forth for use at a moment's notice. In fact, most Gorean Free Women spend
many hours practicing such movements, knowing that a moment's hesitation may one
day make the difference for them between a life of ease and honor or a life of
imbonditude. Bladed hair combs and the long, razor sharp pins which hold her
many veils in place are often used by the Free Woman in such an instance. In
general, the typical Gorean Free Woman doesn't carry a weapon large enough to be
perceived beneath her robes... she knows that there is little chance she will
prevail in open combat against a trained Warrior. Her weapons are of stealth and
surprise, combined with the desperate desire to remain free at all costs.
FW & the Caste of Warriors
The Free Women born into the Caste of Warriors on Gor are
quite similar in most respects to those of other castes, except perhaps they are
fiercer and more handy with their weapons. This is an understandable by-product
caused by residing in a house that is constantly full of warriors in training.
It should be remembered that in order for a Warrior to actually don the scarlet
of his caste, the high council of his city must first affirm him. Few, if any,
women are ever accorded that honor, though that circumstance is possibly caused
more by tradition that by lack of potential or ability. Female combatants are
not unknown upon Gor, especially among the more open-minded denizens of the
southern hemisphere, but they are still rare enough to be considered a social
aberration when they do come into being. In general, Gorean females can do
pretty much anything male Goreans can, though most Gorean women don't bother.
The sheer difficulty of maintaining her freedom amidst a clashing army of
warriors is more than enough incentive for most Gorean women to abandon any such
personal thoughts of bloodlust and single combat and retreat within the walls of
her home city, where her precarious social status is more easily safeguarded.
The Free Women of the Wagon Peoples and Red Savages are occasionally known to
take up arms and fight beside their male brethren; there have been recorded
instances of Turian women who have fought in combat upon kaillaback, and of
course if severely pressed every Free Woman is expected to pitch in to defend
her Home Stone. Nevertheless, the concept of an actual female Warrior wearing
the scarlet in one of the major city-states of Gor (Ar, Ko-ro-ba, Tharna,
Thentis, Treve, Port Kar, Cos, Tyros, Lydius, Laura) is almost completely
unknown.
Panther Girls
Panther Girls are the fabled wild girls of the northern
forests, such bands being comprised of runaway slaves and the occasional Free
Woman who has fled from the dictates of Gorean society and taken up residence
amidst the primitive camps of the unexplored woodlands. The Panther Girls are
fierce fighters when encountered, since they can expect only enslavement or death upon capture. Their weapons of choice are slim spears, short bows and
hunting knives, and they make do by trading with outlaws and the inhabitants of
certain outlying settlements for metal and other difficult to obtain supplies,
and by hunting and trapping game in the wild. They are free-women in the
technical sense of the term, since they are not enslaved and have little or no
discourse with civilized Gorean society. They are a rare breed and are cautious
about accepting newcomers to their ranks... those who seek them out and are
found lacking in necessary survival skills are commonly captured by them and
sold as slaves in trade for civilized foodstuffs and items of equipment. In the
jungle regions of the far south they also exist, living in amidst the jungle
rainforests much as their sisters do in the Northern Forests. Members of this
southern version are referred to as "Talunas." There are no Panther
Girls or Talunas in any of the major city-states, including Ar. If a Panther
Girl ventured that far into civilized territory, she would undoubtedly be
enslaved upon sight.
There are no panther girls or talunas in the High Cities of
Gor, which include Ar, Ko-ro-ba, Tharna, Thentis, Turia, Treve, and many other
major settlements. All Free Women in these cities are expected to wear the robes
of concealment and veil themselves in public at all times. The only exceptions
to this practice tend to be in Tharna, where few if any Free Women are allowed,
and in Ko-ro-ba, where the customs regarding Free Women's fashion are somewhat
lax.
The Northern Free Woman
The following are quotes from Marauders of Gor, in which certain differences are explained between the Free Women of the South, and the Free Women of Torvaldsland.
Authority
"Bera, his woman, rose to her feet. I could see that her mind was moving with rapidity. "Come tonight to our hall, Champion," said she. The Blue Tooth did not gainsay her. The woman of the Jarl had spoken. Free Women in the north have much power. The Jarl's Woman, in the Kaissa of the north, is a more powerful piece than the Ubara in the Kaissa of the south. This is not to deny that the Ubara in the south, in fact, exercises as much or more power than her northern counterpart. It is only to recognize that her power in the south is less explicitly acknowledged."
Marauders of Gor (pg 191) |
Veils
"The women of the north, commonly, do not veil themselves."
Marauders of Gor (pg 199) |
Fashion
"Her hair was hung in a snood of scarlet yarn, bound with filaments of golden wire. She wore, over her shoulder, a cape of white fur of the northern sea sleen. She had a scarlet vest, embroidered in gold, worn over a long-sleeved blouse of white wool, from distant Ar. She wore, too, a long woolen skirt, dyed red, which was belted with black, with a buckle of gold, wrought in Cos. She wore shoes of black, polished leather, which folded about her ankles, laced twice, once across the instep, once about the ankles."
Marauders of Gor (pg 25) |
"She was richly dressed. The cape of white fur was a splendid fur. The scarlet vest, the blouse of white wool, the long woolen skirt, red, were fine goods. The buckle from Cos was expensive. Even the shoes of black leather were finely tooled."
Marauders of Gor (pg 34) |
"She wore black and silver, a full, ankle-length gown of rich, black velvet, with silver belts, or straps, that crossed over her breasts, and tied about her waist. From it, by strings, hung a silver purse, that seemed weighty. Her blond hair was lifted from the sides and back of her head by a comb of bone and leather, like an inverted isoceles triangle, the comb fastened by a tiny black ribbon about her neck and another such ribbon about her forehead. Her cloak, of black fur, from the black sea sleen, glossy and deep, swirled to her ankles. It was fastened at the left shoulder by a large circular brooch of silver, probably from Tharna. She was doubtless the daughter of a very rich man. She would have many suitors."
Marauders of Gor (pg 35) |
"She wore rich green velvet, closed high about her neck, trimmed with gold."
Marauders of Gor (pg 112) |
"Her hair, long, was braided. It was tied with golden string."
Marauders of Gor (pg 112) |
"Her hands wore many rings. About her neck she wore, looped, four chains of gold, with pendants. On her wrists were bracelets of silver and gold."
Marauders of Gor (pg 114) |
"Ivar Forkbeard then bent to the girl΄s feet and pulled away her golden shoes, and, his hands at her legs, she, her eyes closed, removed from her, too, her scarlet, silken hose, She stood, her arm held by my hand, in the fetters, in the dress of green velvet, it torn open at the collar to reveal
her throat; she had been stripped of her rings, the bracelets, the chains; her hair was loose; her hose and shoes had been removed."
Marauders of Gor (pg 117) |
Weapons
"At her waist she wore a jeweled scabbard, protruding from which I saw the ornamented, twisted black of a Turian dagger; Free Women in Torvaldsland commonly carry a knife..."
Marauders of Gor (pg 156) |