"I shout for madder music, and I call for stronger wine;

But when the moons are swollen and my questing heart seeks more

The veil parts and draws me forth beyond my Earthly door

To trace your footfalls, Cabot! For the world I seek is thine.

And Enemies surround me, but my spirit will not bow

Nor falter like the weak who came before;

And I will follow, Cabot! In the best way I know how,

And keep alive the wonder that is Gor."

     Tal, Goreans!

     Many of the quotes I have for you this week are a collection of interesting tidbits which I have received via e-mail from various readers, each such quote pertinent in its own way to the manner in which things are done on the planet of Gor. There is no single argument or focus of these quotations; rather, they just serve as a mish-mash of varied information about the customs, practices, and mindset of Goreans as found in the Gor books. In addition, I have used up the rest of my list of slave quotes, notably those concerning several slave positions and a few references to manners of service conducted by imbonded females. Henceforth I shall allow such matters to be discussed in the "Ask the slaves" column found elsewhere on this site.

     I hope you enjoy this week's selection of Gorean info, and learn a bit more about Gor by viewing them. I myself learn something new about Gor every time I pick up one of the books. There is a staggering amount of information to be gleaned from those hefty tomes, believe me.

GOR according to Norman

     A large number of this week's quotes were sent to me by two persons: Kalun Hail, who also sent me one for last week's column, and my good friend JaKil. My thanks, friends, but be warned: keep this up and you'll have people e-mailing you to accuse you of being obsessed with Gor. I get those e-mails all the time. Of course, you can always turn on your TV and get obsessed over something you see there, or buy the latest installment of another fantasy book series. I'd rather keep on browsing through the Gor books, though. The Gor series is three times as long as Lord of the Rings and has cooler swordfights. And some philosophy and psycho-sexual commentary, to boot. With that combination, how can you lose?

GOREAN PRACTICALITY

   "Who but a fool would not drink when he is thirsty, or eat when he was hungry?"

--pg 107, Fighting Slave of Gor (submitted by JaKil)

NATURAL MASTERS

   "`But some men, strong men,' she said, `must enslave their women.'

   I nodded. I had known of such cases. Such men, I supposed, made their own laws."

--p.108, Fighting Slave of Gor (submitted by JaKil)

THE FEAR OF MANHOOD

   "I feared she might release in me things which I feared to understand, because I feared she might release in me something proud and savage, something which would be a stranger to apologies and pretenses, something long-forgotten and mighty, something which had been bred in caves and the hunt, something which might be called man."

--p.111, Fighting Slave of Gor (submitted by JaKil)

EARTH CIVILIZATION

   "If one judges a civilization by the joy and satisfaction of its populations the major civilizations of Earth were surely failures. It is interesting to note the high regard in which certain civilizations are held which, from the human point of view, from the point of view of human happiness, would appear to be obvious catastrophes."

--p.113, Fighting Slave of Gor (submitted by JaKil)

DISCOVERING MANHOOD

   "I was filled then with emotions so powerful, so primitive and exultant, so ancient, so overwhelming, so mighty and glorious, that I knew then that I had caught the scent of the meaning of man, and of a woman. Could I deny my blood? Could I again repudiate the heritage of my manhood? How could it be? The meat of the mammoth roasted then again upon the greenwood spit. Once again, after an interim of ten thousand years, sparks flew from blue flint, as heavy, hairy hands shaped the head of the spear. Once more were heard the love whimpers of the thonged female, who had been displeasing, begging to be released that she might lick the thighs of her master."

--p.214, Rogue of Gor (submitted by JaKil)

WAR AND CRUELTY

   "Also, it might be noted that most Gorean warfare is carried out largely by relatively small groups of professional soldiers, seldom more than a few thousand in the field at a given time, trained men, who have their own caste. Total warfare, with its arming of millions of men, and its broadcast slaughter of hundreds of populations, is Gorean neither in concept nor in practice. Goreans, often castigated for their cruelty, would find such monstrosities unthinkable. Cruelty on Gor, though it exists, is usually purposeful, as in attempting to bring, through discipline and privation, a young man to manhood, or in teaching a female that she is a slave."

--p.145, Fighting Slave of Gor

FREE WOMEN AND THE VEILS

   "Many Gorean women, in their haughtiness and pride, do not choose to have their features exposed to the common view. They are too fine and noble to be looked upon by the casual rabble. Similarly the robes of concealment worn by many Gorean women are doubtless dictated by the same sentiments. On the other hand veiling is a not impractical modesty in a culture in where capture, and the chain and the whip are not unknown. One not regarded as inconsiderable, is that it is supposed to provide something of a protection against abduction and predation. Who would wish to risk his life, it is said, to carry off a woman who might, when roped to a tree and stripped, turn out to be as ugly as a tharlarion?"

--p.41, Rogue of Gor (submitted by Kalun Hail)

LEGAL POSITION OF THE SLAVE IN GOREAN SOCIETY

   "`In the eyes of Gorean law you are an animal. You have no name in your own right. You may be collared and leashed. You may be bought and sold, whipped, treated as the master pleases, disposed of as he sees fit. You have no rights whatsoever. Legally you have no more status than a tarsk or vulo. Legally, literally, you are an animal.'"

--pg 316, Explorers of Gor (submitted by Kalun Hail)

     [In regards to the quote below, Kalun Hail writes:"This passage brings home the fact that John Norman (Lange) has his Doctorate in Philosophy, And it does relate well to the books overall. I consider this passage as Jason was thinking about it, as it relates to the way we live on Earth, forsaking our own feelings to be politically correct, going against the feelings that nature has instilled in us. We all, to a degree, fight this internal battle on a daily basis." Well said, Kalun.]

   "In ancient Attica it is said there was a giant, Procrustes. He would seize upon travelers and tie them upon an iron bed. If the traveler was too short for the bed, he would disjoint and break their bodies until they fitted it; if they were too long for the bed, he would cut their feet from them, until they, again, fitted the bed. Perhaps the bed of Procrustes is the truth and men must be broken or cut to pieces that they may fit it. On the other hand, clearly there is am alternative, although Procrustes seemed not to have heard of it. The bed could be made to fit the guest. Is the bed to conform to the guest, or the guest to conform to the bed. From my own point of view, I would prefer a bed which considered the nature of human beings. I would make the human being the measure by which I judged the value of the beds. I see little of profit in making the bed the measure of the human being, and requiring that we remake, if by torture the mutilation, the human being until it fits the bed. Besides, we cannot remake the human being to fit the bed, truly. We do not make new human beings or better human beings by this method. All we make by that method is broken or mutilated human beings."

--p.107, Rogue of Gor (submitted by Kalun Hail)

MORE SLAVE HEAT

     [The following references were sent to me in response to my column of last week, in which I asked for quotes concerning the usage of the term "slave-heat" in the Gor books:]

   "`Are you a hot slave?' I asked.

   She opened her eyes, writhing under my touch. She looked at me angrily, defiantly. `Yes,' she gasped, `I am a hot slave!'

   `I thought so,' I said.

   `How you shame me!' she wept.

   `A slave should be proud of her heat,' I said. `You are not a free woman, permitted to be smug in the icy conceit of her frigidity.'"

--p.278, Beasts of Gor (submitted by nitebabe)

   "Goreans place few impediments in thw way of the liberation of a slave female's sexuality. In this phase of the dance, then, shamelessly the woman dances her need and, shamelessly, begs for her sexual satisfaction. This phase of the dance is sometimes known as the Heat of the Collared She-Sleen...This portion of the dance, the fifth portion, is sometimes known as the Heat of the Slave Girl."

--p.186, Rogue of Gor (submitted by nitebabe)

     [It seems as if the quotes above use the term purely in reference to a slave's sexual responsiveness and sexual arousal, rather than referring to any part of her physical anatomy.]

CAPTURE RIGHTS

   "I recalled hearing now, in the house, of 'capture rights', respected in law. I had originally thought these rights referred to the acquisition of free women but I had later realized they must pertain, more generally, to the acquisition of properties in general, including slaves... (as a slave) theft, or capture, if you prefer, conferred rights over me. I would belong to, and must fully serve, anyone into whose effective possession I came, even if it had been by theft. The original master, of course, has the right to try to recover his property, which remains technically his for a period of one week. If I were to flee the thief, however, after he had consolidated his hold on me, for example, kept me for even a night, I could, actually in Gorean law, be counted as a runaway slave, from him, even though he did not technically own me yet, and punished accordingly...Strictures of this sort, of course, do not apply to free persons, such as free women. A free woman is entitled to to try to escape her captor as best she can, and without penalty, even after her first night in his bonds, if she still chooses to do so. If she is enslaved, of course, then she is subject to, and covered by, the same customs, practices and laws as any other slave... After the slave has been in the possession of the thief, or captor, for one week, she counts as being legally his."

--p.95-96, Dancer of Gor

   "She belonged to Samos, of course. It had been within the context of his capture rights that she had, as a free woman, of her own free will, pronounced upon herself a formula of enslavement. Automatically then, in virtue of the context,, she became his. The law is clear on this. The matter is more subtle when the woman is not within a context of capture rights. Here the matter differs from city to city. In some cities, a woman may not, with legal recognition, submit herself to a specific man as a slave, for in those cities that is interpreted as placing at least a temporary qualification on the condition of slavery which condition, once entered into, all cities agree, is absolute. In such cities, then, the woman makes herself a slave, unconditionally. It is then up to the man in question whether or not he will accept her as his slave. In his matter he will do as he pleases. In any event, she is by then a slave, and only that.

   In other cities, and in most cities, on the other hand, a free woman may, with legal tolerance, submit herself as a slave to a specific man. If he refuses her, she is then still free. If he accepts her, she is, then, categorically a slave, and he may do with her as he pleases, even selling her or giving her away, or slaying her, if he wishes."

--p.21, Players of Gor

SLAVE POSITIONS

   "`Standard binding position,' he said. I was prone. When a girl is prone, the standard binding position is to cross the wrists behind the back and to cross the ankles."

--p.125, Slave Girl of Gor

   "I went to Targo, trembling, and knelt at his feet... I crossed my wrists beneath me and touched my head to the floor, exposing the bow of my back. It is the submissive posture of a slave girl who is to be punished. It is called Kneeling to the Whip."

--p.200, Captive of Gor

   "I knelt before the guest, putting the palms of my hands on the floor and my head to the tiles."

--p.305, Kajira of Gor (submitted by feiqua{MAR})

   "The position of the Tower Slave, in which Vika knelt, differs from that of a free woman only in the position of the wrists which are held before her and, when not occupied, crossed as though for binding...The position of the Pleasure Slave, incidentally, differs from the position of both the free woman and the Tower Slave. The hands of a Pleasure Slave normally rest on her thighs but, in some cities, for example, Thentis, I believe, they are crossed behind her. More significantly, for the free woman's hands may also rest on her thighs, there is a difference in the placement of the knees. In all these kneeling positions, incidentally, even that of the Pleasure Slave, the Gorean woman carries herself well; her back is straight and her chin is high. She tends to be vital and beautiful to look upon."

--p.46-47, Priest Kings of Gor

   "`Bracelets,' he snapped.

   She put her head in the air and placed her hands behind her back."

--p.146, Hunters of Gor

   "The auctioneer did not strike her with his whip. He merely took her arms and lifted them, so that the position chain, attached to each side of the sales collar, lay across her upper arms. Then he had her clasp her hands behind the back of her neck, so that the chain, on each side of the collar, was in the crook of her arms, and she was exposed in such a way that she could be properly exhibited."

--p.36, Explorers of Gor

   "`Lesha," snapped the second officer to the blond girl.

   She spun from facing him, and lifted her chain, turning her head to the left, placing her wrists behind her, as though for snapping them into slave bracelets.

   `Nadu!' he snapped.

   She swiftly turned, facing him, and dropped to her knees. She knelt back on her heels, her back straight, her hands on her thighs, her head up, her knees wide.

   It was the position of the pleasure slave.

   `Sula, Kajira!' said the man.

   She slid her legs from under her and lay on her back, her hands at her sides, palms up, legs open.

   `Bara, Kajira!' he said.

   She rolled quickly to her stomach, placing her wrists behind her, crossed, and crossing her ankles, ready to be bound."

--p.77, Explorers of Gor

SLAVES AND KAISSA

   "Do you play?" I asked.

   "I am a slave," she said. "I cannot so much as touch the pieces of the game without permission without risking having my hands cut off, or being killed, no more than weapons."

--p.235, Players of Gor

GOREAN WINE SERVICE

   "`Wine, Master?' she asked.

   `Yes, Slave,' he said.

   Then she knelt before him, back on her heels, head down, lifting the goblet to him, proffering it to the master with both hands."

--p.405, Slave Girl of Gor

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q:   Is Ka-la-na served with ice in the books?

(submitted by theena{Kk})

A:   Nowhere in the Gor books have I seen any reference to an iced beverage, whether served with ice cubes, ice "chips," or shaved ice of any kind. This seems to be the result of the fact that mechanized refrigeration, such as we are accustomed to in modern Earth society, is virtually nonexistent upon Gor. Norman informs us of this in book 16, Guardsman of Gor:

   "My house, incidentally, like most Gorean houses, had no ice chest. There is little cold storage on Gor. Generally food is preserved by being dried or salted. Some cold storage, of course, does exist. Ice is cut from ponds in the winter, and then stored in ice houses, under sawdust. One may go to the ice houses for it, or have it delivered in ice wagons. Most Goreans, of course, cannot afford the luxury of ice in the summer."

--p.295, Guardsman of Gor

     It seems that effective chemical cooling agents like freon gas, which make possible such articles as refrigerators and air conditioners, have yet to be developed by the Gorean caste of Builders, or if they have been they are so rare that they are not in use by the general public. Therefore the usage of cold storage and refrigeration by Goreans is limited to similar practices to those in use upon Earth in the last half of the 19th century, when ice had to be shipped and stored, not created on site. With no way to manufacture ice from water cheaply and efficiently, Goreans just work around this, storing things underground, as is the case with the Amphora, a storage vessel for liquids designed to be partially buried to keep its contents cool. No doubt most houses have an underground cellar for cool storage as well. In such a case, "ice boxes" are literally that: insulated boxes in which purchased ice is kept, along with such easily perishable items such as dairy products. The usage of ice in individual beverages seems a bit excessive when ice is a highly expensive luxury purchased by the pound; one would be more likely to buy it in big blocks which wouldn't melt as quickly, as was commonly done on Earth before the modern freezer came into use.

     Also, since ice cannot be produced from a clean water source on demand, the ice one would get might tend to be somewhat dirty and gritty, not to mention covered with sawdust. If your local tavern purposely serves you ice in your drinks then they must be very expensive drinks indeed, and might be less fit for consumption than one might prefer. On the other hand, if one was drinking, say, iced paga (blecch) then one might not notice a little dirt or sawdust in it.

QUOTES OF INTEREST

   "Civilization may be predicated upon the denial of human nature; it may also be predicated upon its fulfillment. The first word that an Earth baby learns is usually, `No.' The first word that a Gorean baby learns is commonly, `Yes.' The machine and the flower, I suspect, will never understand one another."

--p.37, Explorers of Gor

   "He looked down at the board. `Perhaps it is stupid, or absurd, or foolish, that men should concern themselves with such things.'
   `Kaissa?' I asked.

   `Yes,' he said.

   `Now,' I said, `you are being truly foolish.'

   `Perhaps that is all it is, after all,' he said, `the meaningless movement of bits of wood on a checkered surface.'

   `And love,' I said, `is only a disturbance in the glands and music only a stirring in the air.'

   `And yet it is all I know,' he said.

   `Kaissa, like love and music, is its own justification,' I said. `It requires no other.'"

--p.236, Players of Gor

   "Goreans, in their simplistic fashion, often contend, categorically, that man is naturally free and woman is naturally slave. But even for them the issues are far more complex than these simple formulations would suggest. For example, there is no higher person, nor one more respected, than the Gorean free woman... Goreans do believe, however, that every woman has a natural master or set of masters, with respect to whom she could not help but be a complete and passionate slave girl. These men occur in her dreams and fantasies. She lives in terror that she might meet one in real life."

--p.311, Hunters of Gor

   "I sensed that in Gor there was a youth and openness which had long been missing from my old world. In Gor I sensed an ambition, a freshness and hope, and sparkle, that had perhaps not been felt on Earth since the Parthenon was new. Doubtless there is much on Gor to be deplored, but I cannot bring myself to deplore it. Doubtless Gor is impatient, cruel and heartless, but yet, I think, too, it is innocent. It is like the lion, impatient, cruel, heartless and innocent. It is its nature. Gor was a strong-thewed world, a new world, a world in which men might again lift their heads to the sun and laugh, a world in which they might again, sensibly, begin long journeys. It was a world of which Homer might have sung, singing of the clashing of the metals of men and the sweetness of the wine-dark sea."

--p.89, Fighting Slave of Gor

   "Few women, despite propaganda, really desire weak feminine men. Such men, at any rate, are not those who figure in their sexual fantasies."

--p.312, Hunters of Gor

   "`Women dream not of equals,' she said, `but of masters.'"

--p. 116, Fighting Slave of Gor

   "`On Gor,' she said, `we would not even break our male slaves as the men of Earth are broken.'"

--p.73, Fighting Slave of Gor

My Quote for the Week:

"More real than the law is the heart."

--Tahari Proverb, p.146, Tribesmen of Gor

     Well, that's it for this week. I'll close by saying that, several weeks ago, I received a question from Kuril in which he asked if there were any specific references to slaves handling "weapons" such as carving knives, etc., during the preparation of foods. While such does undoubtedly occur, I have not yet found any particular reference to it. Hang in there, Kuril, I'm still looking. If anyone else out there finds such a reference, e-mail it over and I'll display it here.

     As the holiday approaches, I'm going to ease off the books a bit and get revved up for my annual pilgrimage south for Christmas with friends and family. Fortunately, I just happen to have a back copy of Marauders of Gor gathering dust on a bookshelf at my parents' house, which will take the place of the copy I loaned out last summer and lost. For all those who wrote and offered to send me a replacement copy, my warmest thanks. But perish the thought that, if caught with an incomplete set of the Gor books, Marcus of Ar would not have an emergency back-up plan.

Until next week... I wish you well!

_Marcus_

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? If you have any of the above, have queries regarding the source books, or have a quote or brief passage from the books which you would share here, feel free to e-mail me through the link below.

Send e-mail to: By The Book

This page brought to you by

THE THIRD KNOWLEDGE

courtesy of the Gorean Daily Times

(When you're bored with the First and Second Knowledge, you're ready for the Third.)