JUSTICE
CIVIL LAW
           Rulers    Equality    Magistrates  
Home Stone
           Treason   
CITIES
           Maps    Building    Entrance   
CASTE
           Out Laws    Patents    Change Caste    Codes    Players    Musicians    Thieves   
FREE MEN
           Family    Out Laws    Brigands    Spies and deserters  
           Thieves    Debtors    Murderers    Enter a City   
           False accusation    Face Stripping    Property    Taxes   
Free Women
           Treason    Home Stone    Veils    Robes   
           Attacking Men    Slave behaviour   
           Spy on Masters    Nakedeness    Public Dancing    Capture   
           Vagrancy    Debts    Stealing    Self Enslavement    Self Contracting   
           Saving Life    Debts    Selling Women    Property   
           Caste and Citizenship    Punishment    Judicial Enslavement   
Slaves
           Testimony    Legal Status    Freedom    Home Stone   
           Property    Name    Slave Documents    Capture    Rape   
           Bond-Maid Circle    Brands    Discipline   
           Touching Free Women    Demeaning Men    Failling to kneel   
           Kaissa    Collars    Pretending    Attacking Free   
MERCHANT LAW
           Technology    Neutrality    Slave Wars    Fairs    Stockades   
           Ports    Standards    Patents    Dying Hair   
           Brands and collars    Home Stone    Sale Documents   

JUSTICE

"There are two systems of courts on Gor - those of the City, under the jurisdiction of an Administrator or Ubar, and those of the Initiates, under the jurisdiction of the High Initiate of the given city; the division corresponds roughly to that between civil and what, for lack of a better word, might be called ecclesiastical courts. The areas of jurisdiction of these two types of courts are not well defined; the Initiates claim ultimate jurisdiction in all matters, in virtue of their supposed relation to the Priest-Kings, but this claim is challenged by civil jurists. There would, of course, in these days be no challenging the justice of the Initiates."
"Tarnsman of Gor" page 194

"The Cylinder of Justice was a lofty cylinder of pure white marble, the flat roof of which was some two hundred yards in diameter."
"Tarnsman of Gor" page 204

"The cylinder was white, a color Goreans often associate with impartiality. More significant, it indicated that the justice dispensed therein was the justice of Initiates."
"Tarnsman of Gor" page 194

"'Do you know, Tarnsman,' he asked, 'that there is no justice without the sword?' He smiled down on me grimly. 'This is a terrible truth,' he said, 'and so consider it carefully.' He paused. 'Without this,' he said, touching the blade, 'there is nothing - no justice, no civilization, no society, no community, no peace. Without the sword there is nothing.'"
"Tarnsman of Gor" page 155

"Marlenus was patient. 'Before the sword,' he said, 'there is no right, no wrong, only fact - a world of what is and what is not, rather than a world of what should be and what should not be. There is no justice until the sword creates it, establishes it, guarantees it, and gives it substance and significance.' He lifted the weapon, wielding the heavy metal blade as though it were a straw. 'First the sword - ' he said, 'then government - then law - then justice.'"
"Tarnsman of Gor" page 156

"In Gorean law, Allegiances to a Home Stone, and not physical structures and locations, tend to define communities."
"Blood Brothers of Gor" page 474

"The praetor placed the coin on his desk, the surface of which was some seven feet high, below the low , solid wooden bar. the height of the praetors desk, he on the high stool behind it, permits him to see a goodly way up and down the wharves. Also, of course, one standing before the desk must look up to see the praetor, which, psychologically, tends to induce a feeling of fear for the power of the law. The wooden bar before the desk`s front edge makes it impossible to see what evidence or papers the praetor has at his disposal as he considers your case. Thus, you do not know for certain how much he knows. Similarly, you can not tell what he writes on your papers." "Explorers of Gor" page 54

CIVIL LAWS

Rulers

"Rulers are chosen from any High Caste." "The High Castes in a given city elect an administrator and council for stated terms. In times of crisis, a war chief, or Ubar, is named, who rules without check and by decree until, in his judgment, the crisis is passed." "Normally the office is surrendered after the passing of the crisis. It is part of the Warrior’s Code."
"Tarnsman of Gor" page 42

Equality

"What difference does it make," said Marcus, "if, indeed, she is Talena of Ar?" "Fool!" laughed the netted captive.
"From a legal point of view," said Tolnar, "it makes no difference, of course."
"Release me!" she said. "Do you think I am a common person? Do you think you can treat one of my imporance in this fassion! I shall have Seremides have you boiled in oil!"
"I am of the second Octavii," said Tolnar. "My colleague is of the Toratti."
"Then you may be scourged and beheaded, or impaled!" she wept.
"You would have us neglect our duty?" inquired Tolnar. He was Gorean, of course.
"In this case," she snapped, "you are well advised to do so."
"That is quite possibly true," said Tolnar.
"The principle here, I gather," said Marcus, "is that the Ubara is above the law."
"The law in question is a serious one," said Tolnar. "It was promulgated by Marlenus, Ubar of Ubars."
"Surely," said Venlisius to the netted woman, "you do not put yourself on a level with the great Marlenus."
"It does not matter who is greater," she said, "I am Ubara!"
"The Ubara is above the law?" asked Marcus, who had an interest in such things. "In a sense yes," said Tolnar, "the sense in which she can change the law by decree."
"But she is subject to the law unless she chooses to change it?" asked Marcus. "Precicely," said Tolnar. "And that is the point here."
"Whatever law it is," cried the netted woman, "I change it! I herewith change it!"
"How can you change it?" asked Tolnar.
"I am Ubara!" she said.
"You were Ubara," he said.
She cried out in misery, in frustration, in the net."
"Magicians of Gor" page 454/5

Magistrates

"The judge looked down upon the Lady Tina of Lydius. She, fastened over the rack, stripped, looked up at him, in his robes, those with two borders, one of gold, the other of purple. Her eyes were wild."
"Hunters of Gor" page 51

"Two days ago, aediles had come to the camp to inspect the chains. They found none which contained illicit prisoners. No mention was made of the fact that a third of the chains was absent. The next day the auspices had been taken, and, seemingly, all had gone well. The chains in camp were already back at work. Preceding the time of taking the auspices, of course, and until they have been taken, things are very quiet."
"Dancer of Gor" page 349

"Some may have been as innocent as those I had lured; others might have been murderers and brigands, suitably enchained for the expiation of sentences, their custody having been legally transferred to Ionicus, my master, at the payment of a prisoner's fee, by the writ of a praetor or, in more desperate cases, by the order of a quaestor."
"Dancer of Gor" page 332

"The fourth man was Brandon. He was from Vonda. He was a prefect in that city. His certifications on certain documents would be important. The two ladies, both of Vonda, were Leta and Perimene, both friends of the Ladies Florence and Melpomene. As free citizens of Vonda they could witness legal transactions. ---
"Fighting Slave of Gor" page 277

"In a moment or two, I stopped a few yards from a registration desk. There one of Ina's pursuers, I recognized him from earlier, was making inquiries of one of the five camp prefects, fellows under the camp praetor. The prefects are identified by five slash marks, alternately blue and yellow, the slavers' colors, on their left sleeve, the praetor himself by nine such stripes, and lesser officials by three. Turning about, apparently alerted by the prefect's notice, the fellow with one hand suddenly turned the prefect's desk to its side so that it stood wall-like between us, and hurried behind it."
"Vagabonds of Gor" page 453/4

"One of the two magistrates, he who was senior, Tolnar, of the second Octavii, an important gens but one independent of the well-known Octavii, sometimes spoken of simply as the Octavii, or sometimes as the first Octavii, deputy commissioner in the records office, much of which had been destroyed in a recent fire, was at the other portal. His colleague, Venlisius, a bright young man who was now, by adoption, a scion of the Toratti, was with him. Venlisius was in the same office. He was records officer, or archon of records, for the Metellan district, in which we were located. Both magistrates wore their robes, and fillets, of office."
"Magicians" page 441/2

HOME STONE

"Where a man sets his Home Stone, he claims, by law, that land for himself. Good land is protected only by the swords of the strongest owners in the vicinity."
"Tarnsman of Gor" page 27

"Young men and women of the city, when coming of age, participate in a ceremony which involves the swearing of oaths, and the sharing of bread, fire and salt. In this ceremony the Home Stone of the city is held by each young person and kissed. Only then are the laurel wreath and the mantle of citizenship conferred. This is a moment no young person of Ar forgets. The youth of Earth have no Home Stone. Citizenship, interestingly, in most Gorean cities is conferred only upon the coming of age, and only after certain examinations are passed. Further, the youth of Gor, in most cities, must be vouched for by citizens of the city, not related in blood to him, and be questioned before a committee of citizens, intent upon determining his worthiness or lack thereof to take the Home Stone of the city as his own. Citizenship in most Gorean communities is not something accrued in virtue of the accident of birth but earned by virtue of intent and application. The sharing of a Home Stone is no light thing in a Gorean city." "Slave Girl of Gor" page 394

"I am surprised to hear such sentiments," I said, "from those who must once have held and kissed the Home Stone of Ar."
This was a reference to the citizenship ceremony which, following the oath of allegiance to the city, involves an actual touching of the city's Home Stone. This may be the only time in the life of a citizen of the city that they actually touch the Home Stone. In Ar, as in many Gorean cities, citizenship is confirmed in a ceremony of this sort. Nonperformance of this ceremony, upon reaching intellectual majority, can be a cause for expulsion from the city. The rationale seems to be that the community has a right to expect allegiance from its members." "Vagabonds of Gor" page 303

Treason

"You have been found guilty of treason against your city and are under the sentence of impalement," said Aemilianus." "Renegades of Gor" page 379

"Her mother, before her capture, I had gathered, had been important, having been the confirmation treasurer of one of Torcadino's commercial councils, the Spice Council. She had also, in her position, I had gathered, and doubtless by her influence and acts, supported the cause of Cos. (...) however, aside from all such considerations, was a citizeness of Torcadino, and Torcadino had been sworn to the cause of Ar. She had, it seemed, for whatever reason, presumably opportunism or greed, betrayed the pledge of her Home Stone. In the case of a man this can be a capital offense. She was not a man, however but a female. It was thus, doubtless, that she had not been placed on a proscription list, but only on a seizure list. It was her sex which had saved her. Had she been a man she would have been hung." "Mercenaries of Gor" page 141

CITIES

"There is a saying on Gor that the laws of a city extend no further than its walls." "Outlaw of Gor" page 50

Maps

"It is illegal in many cities, incidentally, to take maps of the city out of the city. More than one fellow, too, has put himself in the quarries or on the bench of a galley for having been caught with such a map in his possession." "Magicians of Gor" page 388

Building

"I knew that only those who were free would be permitted to make a city. Doubtless there were many slaves in Ko-ro-ba but they would be allowed only to serve those who raised the walls and towers. Not one stone could be placed in either way or tower by a man or woman who was not free. The only city I know of on Gor which was built by the labor of slaves, beneath the lash of Masters, is Port Kar which lies in the delta of the Vosk." "Assassins of Gor" page 60

Entrance

"As was wise I avoided cities in my long journey, though I passed several, for to enter a city without permission or without satisfactory reason is tantamount to a capital crime, and the punishment is usually a swift and brutal impalement. Pikes on the walls of Gorean cities are often surmounted with the remains of unwelcome guests." "Outlaw of Gor" page 49

"As we do have the yellow ostraka and our permits do not permit us to remain in the city after dark," said Marcus, "I think we should venture now to the sun gate." Marcus was the sort of fellow who was concerned about such things, being arrested, impaled, and such." "Magicians of Gor" page 9

"Kurrus, of the Caste of Assassins, entered the great gate of Ar. Guardsmen did not detain him, for he wore on his forehead the mark of the black dagger." "Assassin of Gor" page 6

"When he of the Caste of Assassins has been paid his gold and has received his charge he affixes on his forehead that sign, and he may enter whatever city he pleases, and none may interfere with his work." "Assassin of Gor" page 7

CASTE

Outlaws

"A man who refused to practice his livelihood or strove to alter status without the consent of the Council of High Castes was, by definition, an outlaw and subject to impalement." "Tarnsman of Gor" page 46

Caste knowledge

"On the other hand, I suspect that they fear too broad a dissemination of the caste knowledge. Physicians, interestingly, perhaps for a similar reason, tend to keep records in archaic Gorean, which is incomprehensible to most Goreans. Many craftsmen, incidentally, keep such things as formulas for certain kinds of glass and alloys, and manufacturing processes, generally, in cipher. Merchant law has been unsuccessful, as yet, in introducing such things as patents and copyrights on Gor. Such things do exist in municipal law on Gor but the jurisdictions involved are, of course, local." "Magicians of Gor" page 394

Change Caste

"In rare cases, one might have been permitted by the Council of High Caste to raise caste. None of course would accept a lower caste, and there were lower castes, the caste of Peasants for example, the most basic Caste of all Gor." "Outlaw of Gor" page 27

Codes

"Lastly it might be mentioned that it is a capital offense for a locksmith, normally a member of the Metal Workers, to make an unauthorized copy of a key, either to keep for himself or for another." "Assassin of Gor" page 52

Players

"In most cities it is regarded, incidentally, as a criminal offense to enslave one of the caste of players. A similar decree, in most cities, stands against the enslavement of one who is of the caste of musicians." "Beasts of Gor" page 44

"The only other caste on Gor which is generally considered, for most practical purposes, as immune from bondage is the caste of players. These are the fellows who make their living from the game of Kaissa, playing it for prizes, charging for games, giving instruction and exhibitions, annotating games, and so on. They are usually poor fellows but generally have little trouble securing a night's food and lodging for a game or two. The general affection and respect which Goreans feel for the game of Kaissa is probably the explanation for the practical immunity from bondage commonly accorded the members of the caste of players." "Kajira of Gor" page 298

Musicians

"Musicians on Gor, that is, members of the caste of musicians, are seldom, if ever, enslaved. Their immunity from bondage, or practical immunity from bondage, is a matter of custom. There is a saying to the effect that he who makes music must, like the tarn and the Vosk gull, be free. This is a saying, however, which I suspect was invented by the caste of musicians, to protect itself from bondage." "Kajira of Gor" page 297/8

Thieves

"The caste of thieves was important in Port Kar, and even honored. It represented a skill which in the city was held in high repute. Indeed, so jealous of their prerogatives were the caste of thieves that they often hunted thieves who did not belong to the caste, and slew them, throwing their bodies to the urts in the canals. Indeed, there was less thievery in Port Kar than there might have been were there no caste of thieves in the city. They protected, jealously, their own territories from amateur competition. Ear notching and mutilation, common punishment on Gor for thieves, were not found in Port Kar. The caste was too powerful. On the other hand, it was regarded as permissible to slay a male thief or take a female thief slave if the culprit could be apprehended within an Ahn of the theft. After an Ahn the thief, if apprehended and a caste member, was be remanded to the police of the arsenal. If found guilty in the court of the arsenal, the male thief would be sentenced, for a week to a year, to hard labor in the arsenal or on the wharves; the female thief would be sentenced to service, for a week to a year, in a straw-strewn cell in one of Port Kar's penal brothels. They are chained by the left ankle to a ring in the stone. Their food is that of a galley slave, peas, black bread and onions. If they serve well, however, their customers often bring them a bit of meat or fruit. Few thieves of Port Kar have not served time, depending on their sex, either in the arsenal or on the wharves, or in the brothels." "Hunters of Gor" page 304

FREE MEN

Family

"Some clue, then, as to her origins, may be there," I said. Goreans are usually rather careful about such things as crests, signs, family emblems, and such. Sometimes such things are actually registered, and legally restricted in their use to given lines (...)" "Mercenaries of Gor" page 292

Outlaws

"A man who refused to practice his livelihood or strove to alter status without the consent of the Council of High Castes was, by definition, an outlaw and subject to impalement." "Tarnsman of Gor" page 45/6

Brigands

"Surely you are a brigand," said the woman to me. "No," I said. "Then you are a deserter," she said. "It would be death for you to be found." "No," I said. "I am not a deserter." "Mercenaries of Gor" page 18

Spies and deserters

"Beside the road, on the right, a human figure, head and legs dangling downward, on each side, was fixed on an impaling stake. The stake was some ten feet in height, and some four inches in diameter. It had been wedged between rocks and braced with stones. Its point was roughly sharpened, probably with an adz. This point had been entered in the victim's back and thrust through with great force. It emerged from the belly, and protruded some two feet above the body. "Perhaps that is a spy," I said. "More likely it is a straggler or a deserter," said the driver." "Mercenaries of Gor" page 40

Thieves

"I then grew again bitter. "She sold a slave of mine," I said "unknown to me and without right." "For a man," said Peggy, "such an offense is punishable by exile. For a woman, remanded by a praetor, the penality is commonly that she herself will then wear the collar." "Oh?" I asked. "Yes," she said. "Enslave her." "Rogue of Gor" page 146

"Men would find us with the loot about, and impale us!" said the leader. That was not improbable. Thieves are often dealt with harshly on Gor." "Renegades of Gor" page 11

"Turgus of Port Kar," said the praetor, "in virtue of what we have here today established, and in virtue of the general warrant outstanding upon you, you are sentenced to banishment. If you are found within the limits of the city after sunset this day you will be impaled." "Explorers of Gor" page 58

"Chain them and hang them in collars at the inn!" said a fellow. Sometimes a man lasts two or three days in this fashion.
"Chain them on the boards," cried another. That is a similar form of punishment. In it the victim is fastened, by collars and shackles, on structures of parallel, upright boards, vertical platforms, in effect, mounted on posts. These structures are most common in harbor cities, near the wharves. The fellow who had made the suggestion was probably from the river port of Ar’s Station. In the country, impalement is often used, the pole usually being set up near a crossroads.
"Let them be trampled by tharlarion," said a fellow.
"No, let them be torn apart by them," said another. In this fashion ropes are tied separately to the victim’s wrists and ankles, these ropes then attached to the harnesses of two different tharlarion, which are, of course, then driven in opposite directions.
“Yes, that is better,” agreed the first.
If one shares a Home Stone with the victim, of course, the punishment is often more humane. A common punishment where this mitigating feature obtains is to strip the victim, tie him to a post, beat him with rods and then behead him. This, like the hanging in chains, the exposure on boards, and such, is a very ancient modality of execution." "Renegades of Gor" page 14/5

Debtors

"Male slaves are usually debtors or criminals." "Beasts of Gor" page 236

Murderers

"Ha-Keel had been banished from Ar. It has been a matter of murder. A woman had been involved. He had captured, raped and enslaved her, then selling her." "Fighting Slave of Gor" page 266

"Menicius!" he cried. "It was he who slew the Warrior of Thentis! Not I!" "I have taken gold," I told him. I would not yet speak to him of Sura.
"It was Menicius!" he wept.
"It was you who gave the order," I said.
"I will give you gold!" he cried.
"You have nothing," said I, "Cernus." I regarded him evenly. "You have lost all."(...)
In an instant our blades had met in the swift discourse of flashing steel. He was an excellent swordsman, very fast, cunning, strong.
"Excellent," I told him.
We moved about the room, over the tables and behind them, across the square of sand. Once Cernus, moving backward, defending himself, fell over the dais, and my sword was at his throat.
"Well," I said, "will it be my steel or the impaling spear of Ar's justice?" "Let it be your steel," he said.
"Assassin of Gor" page 382/3

Enter a city

"As was wise I avoided cities in my long journey, though I passed several, for to enter a city without permission or without satisfactory reason is tantamount to a capital crime, and the punishment is usually a swift and brutal impalement. Pikes on the walls of Gorean cities are often surmounted with the remains of unwelcome guests.2 "Outlaw of Gor" page 49

False accusation of slavery

"Once, in Ko-ro-ba, I saw a slaver, before a magistrate, distinguish such a girl, not even one of his own, from eleven free women. Each, in turn, was asked to pour him a cup of wine, and then withdraw, nothing more. At the end, the slaver rose to his feet and pointed to one of the women.
“No!” she had cried. “I am free!” officers of the court, by order of the magistrate, removed her garments. If she were free, the slaver would be impaled." "Hunters of Gor" page 156

Face-stripping

"Face-stripping a free woman, against her will, can be a serious crime on Gor. On the other hand, Corcyrus had now fallen. Her women, thusly, now at the feet of her conquerors, would be little better than slaves. Any fate could now be inflicted on them that the conquerors might wish, including making them actual slaves." "Kajira of Gor" page 183

"Public face-stripping is the removal of the veils from a FreeWoman's face by force. This is equivalent to stripping her completely naked, but not so insulting is the removal of her Robes of Concealment. This is consider the worst offense which might be performed against a FreeWoman. It is the right, duty and privilege of a Gorean FreeWoman to remain veiled. Even when captured by the Warriors of an enemy city, the Freewoman will commonly be allowed to retain her veils at least until her final fate has been decided. Sometimes, rather, she, stripped, and presented before officers, is offered the choice between swift, honorable decapitation and slavery. If she chooses slavery, she may be expected to step onto a submission mat, and kneel there, head down, enter a slave pen of her own accord, or, say, fully acknowledging herself a slave, belly to an officer, kissing his feet. The question is sometimes put to her in somewhat the following fashion. "If you are a free woman, speak your freedom and advance now to the headsman's block, or, if you are truly a slave, and have only been masquerading until now as a free woman, step now, if you wish, upon the mat of submission and kneel there, in this act becoming at last, explicitly, a legal slave." She is then expected, sometimes, kneeling, to lick the feet of a soldier, who then rapes her on the mat. It is commonly regarded as an acceptable introduction for a woman to her explicit and legal slavery." "Blood Brothers of Gor" page 337

Property

"By the laws of Port Kar, the ships, properties and chattles of Surbus, he having been vanquished in fair combat and permitted the death of blood and sea, became mine; his men stood ready to obey me; his ships became mine to command; his hall became my h all; his riches mine, his slaves mine. It was thus that I had become a captain in Port Kar, jewel of gleaming Thassa." "Marauders of Gor" page 2

"It then occurred to me, suddenly, that, following Gorean civic law, the properties and titles, assets and goods of a given individual who is reduced to slavery are automatically regarded as having been transferred to the nearest male relative--or nearest relative if no adult male relative is available--or to the city--or to, if pertinent, a guardian. Thus if Aphris of Turia, by some mischance, were to fall to Kamchak, and surely slavery, her considerable riches would be immediately assigned to Saphrar, merchant of Turia. Moreover, to avoid legal complications and free the assets for investment and manipulation, the transfer is assymetrical, in the sense that the individual, even should he somehow later recover his freedom, retains no legal claim whatsoever on the transferred assets." "Nomads of Gor" page 103

Taxes

"The next fellow had lied about his taxes. He would be hung, a hook through his tongue, in a market. His properties were to be confiscated and distributed, half to be given to members of his village and half to the state. It was conjectured that, when he was removed from the pole, if he were still alive, he would be more careful in his accounts." "Explorers of Gor" page 231

Punishment of Free Man

"I gathered, from the blinding and the mark on his forehead, that the man had once offended a slaver, a man of power in the city." "Assassin of Gor" page 31

FREE WOMEN

Treason

"I wished that I were a slave, that I might have a chance for life, that I might have an opportunity to convince a master somehow, in any way possible, that I might be worth sparing. But I was a free woman and would be subjected to the cold and inhuman mercies of the law. I was being transported to Argentum for impalement." "Kajira of Gor" page 190

Home Stone

“You understand further, of course,” said he, “that under Gorean merchant law, which is the only law commonly acknowledged binding between cities, that you stand under separate permissions of enslavement. First, were you of Ar, it would be my right, could I be successful, to make of you a slave, for we share no Home Stone. Secondly, though you speak of yourself as the Lady Elicia of Ar, of Six Towers, you are, in actuality, Miss Elicia Nevins of the planet Earth. You are an Earth girl and thus stand within a general permission of enslavement, fair beauty quarry to any Gorean male whatsoever." "Slave Girl of Gor" page 394

Use of veils

"In some cities, and among some groups and tribes, it might be mentioned, though this is not common, veils may be, for most practical purposes unknown, even among free women. The cities of Gor are numerous and pluralistic. Each has its own history, customs and traditions." "Slave Girl of Gor" page 108

"She was veiled, as is common for Gorean women in the high cities, particularly those of station. In some cities the veil is prescribed by law for free women, as well as by custom and etiquette. "Vagabonds of Gor" page 26

"In some cities an unveiled free woman is susceptible to being taken into custody by guardsmen, veiled, by force if necessary, and publicly conducted back to her home. Indeed, in some cities she is marched back to her home stripped, except for the face veil, which has been put on her. In these cases a crowd usually follows, to see what home it is that she is to be returned. Repeated offenses in such a city usually result in the enslavement of the female. Such serious measures, of course, are seldom required to protect such familiar Gorean proprieties. Custom, by itself, normally suffices." "Players of Gor" page 125

"Veils are worn in various numbers and combinations by Gorean free women, this tending to vary by preference and caste. Many low-class Gorean women own only a single veil which must do for all purposes.(...) The veil, it might be noted, is not legally imperative for a free woman; it is rather a matter of modesty and custom. Some low-class, uncompanioned, free girls do not wear veils. Similarly certain bold free women neglect the veil. Neglect of the veil is not a crime in Gorean cities, though in some it is deemed a brazen and scandalous omission." "Slave Girl of Gor" page 107

"Then he jerked away the veil of state from my features. I, though a free woman, had been face-stripped before free men. My face was as bare to them as though I might be a slave. Face-stripping a free woman, against her will, can be a serious crime on Gor. On the other hand, Corcyrus had now fallen. Her women, thusly, now at the feet of her conquerors, would be little better than slaves. Any fate could now be inflicted on them that the conquerors might wish, including making them actual slaves." "Kajira of Gor" page 183

Robes of concealment

"On Ar's Station," he said, "as in Ar, robes of concealment, precisely, are not legally obligatory for free women, mo more than the veil. Such things are more a matter of custom. On the other hand, as you know, there are statues prescribing certain standards of decorum for free women, For example, they may not appear naked in the streets, as may slaves. Indeed, a free woman who appears in public violation of these standards of decorum, for example, with her arms or legs too much bared, may be a slave." "Renegades of Gor" page 367

Attacking Men

"After all, according to the rude codes of Gor, I owed her nothing; indeed, considering her attempt on my life, which had been foiled only by the fortuitous net of Nar's web, I would have been within my rights to slay her, abandoning her body to the water lizards." "Tarnsman of Gor" page 92

Addressing Men

"He now had her kneeling naked at his feet, addressing him as "Master". In the Gorean culture, of course, this sort of thing is very significant. Indeed, in some cities such things as kneeling before a man or addressing him as "Master" effects legal imbondment on the female, being interpreted as a gesture of submission." "Players of Gor" page 139

"I called you Master!" she cried. "Am I yet legally free?" "Yes," I said, "but I think it will be well for you to accustom yourself to calling free men Master." "Yes!" I decided that I would not yet grant her the collar, ripe for it though she might be. She was a free woman. I would make her wait longer, in frustration, for it." "Renegades of Gor" page 147

Slave behaviour

"Gorean Free Woman is expected to keep her virtuous status or else choose the fate of an honorable death than accept eternal slavery. It is very rare that a Free Woman would give up her freedom and is willing to suffer the cruel sentence of death than be humiliated and degraded into bondage. Many Gorean Freewomen would rarely visit, much less frequent, a public paga tavern, as such places are, in essence, a Gorean cross between a strip-joint and a brothel. The men who visit such places do so because they have come to have sex with the slaves for the price of a cup of paga, or because they wish to take their ease and comfort in such a den of disrepute. To the mind of the Gorean male, any FreeWoman showing true yearning desires of lust and submissive behavior that is openly displayed by a collared slave girl deserves to be one. It is said eventually the FreeWoman will sooner or later have to prove such accusations as false. However, if the honor of a FreeWoman, after many offenses committed, can not be held She will be stripped and collared. In the mind of the Gorean male and that of the rules of Gorean society, if the slave-like behavior is continued, the FreeWoman is actively wanting enslavement and is considered to be "courting the collar". It is general practice to bestow upon the FreeWoman a brand and collar of her very own." "Blood Brothers of Gor" page 221

"Conduct indicating suitability for the collar," of course, can be interpreted in various ways, and more broadly and narrowly. It is almost always understood, of course, fortunately for women, and as I suppose the phrase itself makes clear, in the special legal sense of the phrase, as having to do with overt behavior rather than psychological predispositions and such. Many Gorean men believe that all women are natural slaves, and thus, in a sense, all are eminently suitable for the collar. But even taken in the appropriate, legal behavioral sense the phrase is, as may well be imagined, subject to diverse interpretations.
For example, in the present case, a judge would be expected to decide whether or not the behaviors of the sort performed, constituted behavior for which the collar might be suitably imposed." "Renegades of Gor" page 372

"I had left some slave beads in recompense, of course, pretty beads of cheap wood, such as are cast about in festivals, sometimes even being seized up secretly by free women who put them on before their mirrors, in secret, as though they might be slaves. In many cities, incidentally, a woman who is discovered doing such a thing may be remanded to magistrates for impressment into bondage." "Vagabonds of Gor" page 69

Spy on Masters

"For example, sometimes free women attempt, sometimes even disguising themselves, to spy on the doings of masters and slaves. For example, they might attempt, disguised as lads, to gain entrance to paga taverns. And often such entrance in granted them but later, to their horror, they may find themselves thrown naked to the dancing sand and forced to perform under whips. Similarly if they attempt to enter such establishments as pretended slaves they may find themselves leaving them by the back entrance, soon to become true slaves. In many cities, such actions, attempting to spy on masters and slaves, disguising oneself as a slave, garbing oneself as a slave, even in the supposed secrecy of one's own compartments, lingering about slave shelves and markets, even exhibiting an interest in, or fascination with, bondage, can result in reduction to bondage. The theory is apparently that such actions and interests are those of a slave, and that the female who exhibits them should, accordingly, be imbonded." "Magicians of Gor" page 50

Nakedeness

"For example, they may not appear naked in the streets, as may slaves. Indeed, a free woman who appears in public in violation of these standards of decorum, for example, with her arms or legs too much bared, may be made a slave." "Renegades of Gor" page 367/8

"Contrarywise, almost no free woman would bare her legs. They would not dare to do so. They would be horrified even to think of it. The scandal of such an act could ruin a reputation. It is said on Gor, any woman who bares her legs is a slave. Indeed, in some cities a free woman who might be found with bare legs is taken in hand by magistrates, trialed and sentenced to bondage. After the judge's decision has been enacted, its effect carried out upon her, reducing her to the status of goods, sometimes publicly, that she may be suitably disgraced, sometimes privately, by a contract slaver, that the sensitivities of free women in the city not be offended, she is hooded and transported, stripped and chained, freshly branded and collared, a property female, slave cargo, to a distant market where, once sold, she will begin her life anew, fearfully, as a purchased girl, tremulously as the helpless and lowly slave she now is." "Mercenaries of Gor" page 69

"There was no crime then", she said, "in my appearing in public as I did, even thogh, say, I wore but a single layer and my calves, ankles and feet were bared."
Wether the degree of your exposure was sufficient to violate the codes of decorum is a subtle point," said Aemilianus, "but I will not press it."
"Surely many low-caste girls go about with only as much, or even less," she said." "Renegades of Gor" page 368

Public Dancing

"No free woman, for example, would dare place herself in such a position before Gorean free men, unless perhaps, weary of her misery and frustration, she was begging them, almost explicitly, to put her in a collar. There are many stories of Gorean free women, sometimes of high caste, who, as a lark or in a spirit of bold play, dared to dance in a paga tavern. Often, perhaps to their horror, they found themselves that very night hooded and gagged, locked in close chains, lying on their back, their legs drawn up, fastened in a wagon, chained by the neck and ankles, their small bodies bruised on the rough boards as they, helpless beneath a rough tarn blanket, are carried through the gates of their city." "Explorers of Gor" page 342

"The principle he had alluded to pertains to conduct in a free woman which is taken as sufficient to warrent her reduction to slavery. The most common application of this principle occurs in areas such as fraud or theft. Other applications may occur, for example, in cases of indigency and vagrancy. Prostitution, rare on Gor because of female slaves, is another case. The women are taken, enslaved, cleaned up and controlled. Indulgence in sensual dance is another case. Sensuous dance is almost always performed by slaves on Gor. A free woman who performs such dancing publicly is almost begging for the collar. In some cities the setence of bondage is mandatory for such a woman." "Renegade of Gor" page 372

"Certainly, however, not all women are legal slaves. Many women are free , legally , whether it is in their best interest or not. Such dances then, "slave dances," at least on Gor, are not for such women. If a "free woman," that is, one legally free, were to publicaly perform such a dance on Gor she would probably find herself in a master's chains by morning. Her "legal freedom," we may speculate, would prove quite fleeting." "Dancer of Gor" page 172

Capture

"Sometimes, however, the free woman in a captured city is not, say, simply stripped, thrown down and tied, later to be turned over to an iron master for the searing kiss of his white hot metal. Sometimes, rather, she stripped, and presented before officers, is offered the choice between swift, honorable decapitation and slavery. If she chooses slavery, she may be expected to step onto a submission mat, and kneel there, head down, enter a slave pen of her own accord, or, say, fully acknowledging herself a slave, belly to an officer, kissing his feet. The question is sometimes put to her in somewhat the following fashion. "If you are a free woman, speak your freedom and advance, now, to the headman's block, or, if you are truly a slave, and have only been masquerading until now as a free woman, step now, if you wish, upon the mat of submission and kneel there, in this act becoming at last, explicitly, a legal slave." She is then expected, sometimes, kneeling to lick the feet of a soldier, who then rapes her on the mat. It is commonly regarded as an acceptable introduction for a woman to her explicit and legal slavery." "Blood Brothers of Gor" page 337

"We were put on the racks as free women," she said, "that we, the women of the enemy, be properly humiliated. Too is it not a rich joke for the men of Ar that more than a thousand of the free women of Vonda adorn their pleasure racks, fastened down like slave girls, their use available for a tarsk bit to the passers-by?" "Rogue of Gor" page 27

"The institution of capture is universal, to the best of my knowledge, on Gor; there is no city which does not honor it, provided females captured are those of the enemy, either their free women or their slaves." "Assassin of Gor" page. 159

"Few seem to object to the institution of capture, not even the women who might seem to be its victims. On the contrary, incredibly enough, their vanity is terribly outraged if they are not regarded as worth the risks, usually mutilation and impalement." "Outlaw of Gor" page 51.

"Something of the nature of the institution of capture, and the Gorean's attitude toward it becomes clear when it is understood that one of a young tarnsman's first missions is often the capture of a slave for his personal quarters. When he brings home his captive, bound naked across the saddle of his tarn, he gives her over, rejoicing, to his sisters, to be bathed, perfumed and clothed in the brief slave livery of Gor." "Outlaw of Gor" page 51/2

"On the other hand, in spite of the theories pertaining to such matters, free women are certainly not immune to the fates of capture and enslavement. Many men, despite the theories pertaining to such matters, and accepting the risks involved, enjoy taking them. Some slavers specialize in the capture of free women. Indeed, it is thought by some, perhaps largely because of the additional risks involved, and the interest in seeing what one has caught, that there is a special spice and flavor about taking them. Similarly it is said to be pleasant, if one has the time and patience, first to their horror and then to their joy, training them to the collar." "Rogue of Gor" page 42

"The free women is entitled to attempt to flee her captor , as best she can, and without penalty, even after the first night in his bonds, if she still chooses to do so. If she is enslaved, of course, then she is subject too, the same customs, and practices, and laws, as any other slave." "Dancer of Gor" page 95/6

"She was his by legitimate capture, and he could do with her whatever he pleased. Any court on Gor would have upheld this." "Players of Gor" page 15

Couching law

"I was taken pursuant to the couching laws," she said. "I see," I said. Any free woman who voluntarily couches with another's slave, or readies herself to do so, becomes the slave of the slave's master. By such an act, the couching with, or readying herself to couch with, a slave, as though she might be a girl of the slave's master, thrown to the slave, she shows herself as no more than a slave, and in this act, in law, becomes a slave. Who then should own her, this new slave? Why, of course, he to whom the law consigns her, the master of the slave with whom she has couched, or was preparing to couch." "Magicians of Gor" page 303

"Free me!" she said.
"You would have us compromise our honor?" asked Tolnar.
"I order you to do so," she said.
Tolnar smiled.
"Why do you smile?" she asked.
"How can a slave order a free person to do anything?" he asked.
"A slave!" she cried. "How dare you!"
"You are taken into bondage," said Tolnar, "under the couching laws of Marlenus of Ar. Any free woman who couches with, or prepares to couch with, a male slave, becomes herself a slave, and the property of the male slave's master." "Magicians of Gor" page 455

Indigence and vagrancy

"The principle he had alluded to pertains to conduct in a free woman which is taken as sufficient to warrant her reduction to slavery. The most common application of this principle occurs in areas such as fraud or theft. Other applications may occur, for example, in cases of indigence and vagrancy." "Renegades Of Gor" page 372

"I saw some girls rummaging through a garbage can. They wore short tunics but they were not slaves. Goreans sometimes refer to such women as "strays." They are civic nuisances. They are occasionally rounded up, guardsmen appearing at opposite ends of an alley, trapping them, and collared." "Kajira of Gor" page 139

"I might try to live by begging and scavenging garbage for a time as do those vagrant free women sometimes called she-urts, but I being collared, could never pass by one.(...) Once or twice a year, particularly when there are complaints, or they are becoming nuisances, many of them will be rounded up and taken before a praetor. Their sentence is almost invariably slavery." "Kajira of Gor" page 316

Debts - redemption laws

"She lived from men, following them and exploiting them," I said. "She was a debtor slut. I paid her bills and thus came into her de facto ownership, through the redemption laws." "Renegades of Gor" page 172

"Women such as these, those at the wall, would be surrendered by the management of the inn for the equivalent of their unpaid bills. They would then be in the power of their "redeemers," any who might make good their debts. Lacking such a "redemption" they might then expect to find themselves, sooner or later, sold as slaves. In this way the inn usually recovers its money and, not unoften, turns a profit. Particularly beautiful specimens are sometimes kept by the inn itself, as inn slaves." "Renegades of Gor" page 42

"Also, a female debtor, in many cities, is subject to judicial enslavement, she then coming rightlessly and categorically, identically with any other slave, into the ownership of the creditor." "Magicians of Gor" page 275

"Nela had been a slave since the age of fourteen. To my surprise she was a native of Ar. She had lived alone with her father, who had gambled heavily on the races. He had died and to satisfy his debts, no others coming forth to resolve them, the daughter, as Gorean law commonly prescribes, became state property; she was then, following the law, put up for sale at public auction; the proceeds of her sale were used, again following the mandate of the law, to liquidate as equitable as possible the unsatisfied claims of creditors." "Assassin of Gor" page 164

"The mills, incidentally, like certain other low slaveries, such as those of the fields, the kitchens and laundries, serve an almost penal function on Gor. For example, a free woman, sentenced to slavery for, say, crimes or debts, may find herself, once enslaved, by direction of the court, sold for a pittance into such a slavery. Such slaveries also provide a place to utilize women who are thought to be good for little else." "Kajira of Gor" page 265

Stealing

"Her ear," I said. "Her ear was notched." Rim and Thurnock laughed. "A thief," said Thurnock. (...) I suddenly recognized the girl. It was she who had cut my purse earlier in the day, the sensuous little wench, whose ear had been notched.(...) I well knew what the punishment was for a Gorean female, following her second conviction for theft. "Hunters of Gor" page 47/9

"The Lady Sasi, of Port Kar," said the praetor, "in virtue of what we have here today established, and in virtue of the general warrant outstanding upon her, must come under sentence." "Please, my officer," she begged. "Please sentence me only to a penal brothel!" "The penal brothel is too good for you," said the praetor." "Explorers of Gor" page 58

"A female thief in Tor, even on a first offense, is immediately reduced to slavery." "Tribesmen of Gor" page 52

Self enslavement

"They had declared themselves slaves. The slave herself, of course, once the declaration has been made, cannot revoke it. That would be impossible, for she is then only a slave. The slave can only be freed by one who is at the time her master, or, if it should be the case, her mistress." "Explorers of Gor" page 409

'You understand, do you not,' I asked the girl, 'the meaning of this?'
'Yes,' she said.
'You may freely enter into the state of bondage,' I told her, 'but you may not freely leave it. This thing, once it is done to you, is, one your part, irreversible. It is not then within your power to break, alter or amend it in any way. You will then, you see, no longer be a free person, but only a slave.'
'I understand,' she said. She then turned to the young man, 'I am ready,' she said, 'Make me a slave." "Blood Brothers of Gor" page 298

"Pronounce yourself slave," said Samos. The fellow relaxed his grip on the hilth.
"I am a slave," she said, pronouncing herself slave. Several of the slave girls cried out. There was now a new slave on Gor.
At a gesture from Samos the fellow with the blade resheathed the weapon, and the two guards who had held the girl in position released her, standing up. She was now on her hands and knees, naked on the tiles, before the table. She looked wildly at Samos. "See the slave!" laughed more than one of the slave girls pointing at her. They were not reprimended. The girl, frightened, looked from face to face. The words had been spoken. They could not now be unspoken. She was now rightless, only a nameless animal, incapable of doing anything whatsoever to qualify or alter her status." "Players of Gor" page 17

"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 what he pleases, even selling her or giving her away, or slaying her, if he wishes. Here we may note a distinction between laws and codes. In the codes of the warriors, if a warrior accepts a woman as a slave, it is prescribed that, at least for a time, an amount of time up to his discretion, she be spared. If she should be the least displeasing, of course, or should prove recalcitrant in even a tiny way, she may be immediately disposed of. It should be noted that this does place a legal obligation on the warrior. It has to do, rather, with the proprieties of the codes." "Players of Gor" page 21

"He might have you sign a slave document, in the presence of witnesses. As soon as your signature is on the document, of course, you are a slave. On the other hand, he might proceed even more simply. He might merely have you utter a formula of enslavement, though, again, doubtless in the presence of witnesses, who might sign a paper certifying their witnessing of your declaration. Let us suppose you utter such a formula. The simplest is perhaps, ‘I am a slave.’ You are then a slave. He will perhaps then say, ‘You are my slave.’ This claims you. You are then his slave." "Mercenaries of Gor" page 417
"Sometimes a free woman, seeking to save her life, even at the expense of a slave, will remove the slave's collar and put it on her own throat, thinking thereby to pass for a slave.(...)
What the woman in her collar seldom understands is that she, herself, is now also, genuinely, a female slave. She, by her own action, in locking the collar on her own neck, as much as if she had spoken a formula of enslavement, is now also a slave." "Vagabonds of Gor" page 70/1

self-contracting

"If a free woman would assure herself of a man's love she could not do better than, in effect, become his slave. She can beg of him, if she senses in herself the true bondage of love, an enslavement ceremony, in which she proclaims herself, and becomes, his slave. In their most secret and intimate relations thereafter she lives and loves as his slave. If a woman fears to do this she may, on an experimental basis, resort to limited self-contracting, in which her documents will contain stated termination dates. Thus, by her own free will, she becomes a slave for a specific period, ranging usually from an evening to a year. The woman enters into this arrangement freely; she cannot, of course, withdraw from it in the same way. The reason for this is clear. As soon as the words are spoken, or her signature is placed on the pertinant document, or documents, she is no longer a free person. She is then only a slave, an animal, no longer with any legal powers whatsoever. She is then, until the completion of the contractual period, until the expiration date of the arrangement, totally subject to the will of her Master." "Blood Brothers of Gor" page 101/2

Saving life

"And yet it was not a strange thing, particularly not on Gor, where bravery is highly esteemed and to save a female's life is in effect to win title to it, for it is the option of a Gorean male to enslave any woman whose life he has saved, a right which is seldom denied even by the citizens of the girl's city or her family. The Gorean man, as a man, cheerfully and dutifully attends to the rescuing of his female in distress, but as a Gorean, as a true Gorean, he feels, perhaps justifiably and being somewhat less or more romantic than ourselves, that he should have something more for his pains than her kiss of gratitude and so, in typical Gorean fashion, puts his chain on the wench, claiming both her and her body as his payment." "Priest Kings of Gor" page 138

Selling women

"In most Gorean cities it is illegal to offer an unbranded woman in a public sale. This is presumably in deference to the delicacy and sensibilities of free women. The brand draws a cataclysmic gulf between the Gorean free woman, secure in her arrogance, beauty and caste rights, and the stripped, nameless, rightless slaves, suitably vended as the mere lovely beasts they are in the flesh markets of this primitive, gorgeous world. Unbranded women, of course, may be sold privately, for example, as fresh captures to slavers, or, say to men who have speculated that they might find them of interest." "Savages of Gor" page 101

Property

"It then occurred to me, suddenly, that, following Gorean civic law, the properties and titles, assets and goods of a given individual who is reduced to slavery are automatically regarded as having been transferred to the nearest male relative--or nearest relative if no adult male relative is available--or to the city--or to, if pertinent, a guardian. Thus if Aphris of Turia, by some mischance, were to fall to Kamchak, and surely slavery, her considerable riches would be immediately assigned to Saphrar, merchant of Turia. Moreover, to avoid legal complications and free the assets for investment and manipulation, the transfer is assymetrical, in the sense that the individual, even should he somehow later recover his freedom, retains no legal claim whatsoever on the transferred assets." "Nomads of Gor" page 103

Caste and citizenship

"When a girl is enslaved, she loses caste, of course, as well as citizenship, rights and personhood, When she is enslaved, she becomes an animal, subject to the whips and wills of Master's." "Slave Girl of Gor" page 430

Punishment

“"I suppose," I said, "I should be pleased that you did not order me to strip completely and kneel before you." "You are, of course," he said, "a free woman." “Yet it seems,” I said, “ if only implicitly, you have threatened me.” "Suitable disciplines and punishments may be arranged for a free woman," he said, "suitable to her status and dignity." "I am sure of it," I said, ironically.” "Kajira of Gor" page 17

Judicial Enslavement

"It is a judicial enslavement," he said.
With Rim and Thurnock, moving in the crowd, I craned for a look.
I saw first the girl, stumbling. She was already stripped. Her hands were tied behind her back. Something, pushing her from behind, had been fastened on her neck. Behind her came a flat-topped wagon, of some four feet in height. It was moved by eight tunicked, collared slave girls, two to each wheel, pushing at the wheels. It was guided by a man walking behind it, by means of a lever extending back, under the wagon, from the front axle. Flanking the wagon, on both sides, were the musicians, with their drums and flutes. Behind the wagon, in the white robes trimmed with gold and purple of merchant magistrates, came five men. I recognized them as judges.
A pole extended from the front of the wagon, some eight or nine feet. There was, at its termination, a semicircular leather cushion, with a short chain. The girl's neck had been forced back against the cushion, and then the chain had been fastened, securing her, standing, in place. As the wagon moved forward, she was, thus, forced to walk before it. The pole, projecting out from the wagon, isolated her, keeping her from other human beings. The music became louder.
I suddenly recognized the girl. It was she who had cut my purse earlier in the day, the sensuous little wench, whose ear had been notched. I gather that she had not had such good fortune later in the day. I well knew what the punishment was for a Gorean female, following her second conviction for theft.
On the flat-topped wagon, fastened to one side on a metal plate, already white with heat, was a brazier, from which protruded the handles of two irons. Also mounted on the wagon was a branding rack, of the sort popular in Tyros. It was, I conjectured another instance of the cultural minglings which characterized the port of Lydius.
The wagon stopped on the broad street, before the wharves, where the crowd could gather about.
A judge climbed, on wooden stairs at the back of the wagon, to its surface. The other judges stood below him, on the street.
The girl pulled at the leather binding fiber fastening her wrists behind her back. She moved her neck and head in the confinement of the chain and leather, at the end of the pole.
"Will the Lady Tina of Lydius deign to face me?" asked the judge, using the courteous tones and terminology with which Gorean free women, often inordinately honored, are addressed. I looked quickly at Rim and Thurnock. "Tina!" I said.
They grinned. "It must be she," said Rim, "who drugged Arn, and took his gold." Thurnock grinned.
I, too, smiled. It must indeed be she. Arn, I supposed, would have much relished being here.
I suspected that little Tina would cut few purses in the future.
"Will the Lady Tina of Lydius please deign to face me?" asked the judge, with the same courtesy as before.
The girl turned in the chain and leather to face her judge, standing removed from her and above her, in his white robes, trimmed with two borders, one of gold, the other of purple. "You have been tried, and convicted, of the crime of theft," intoned the judge.
"She stole two gold pieces from me!" cried a man standing in the crowd. "And I had witnesses!"
"It took an Ahn to catch her," said another man, laughing.
The judge paid no attention to these speakings.
"You have been tried and convicted of the crime of theft," said the judge, "for the second time."
The girl's eyes were terrified. "It is now my duty, Lady Tina," said the judge, "to pass sentence upon you."
She looked up at him.
"Do you understand?" he asked.
"Yes," she said, "my judge."
"Are you prepared now, Lady Tina of Lydius," asked the judge, to hear your sentence?"
"Yes," she said, regarding him, "my judge."
"I herewith sentence you, Lady Tina of Lydius," said the judge, "to slavery." There was a shout of pleasure from the crowd. The girl's head was down. She had been sentenced.
"Bring her to the rack," said the judge.
The man who had guided the wagon from the rear, and had now locked the brake on the front wheels, went to the bound girl. He unfastened the chain that bound her against the curved leather at the end of the pole; and, holding her by the arm, her wrists still tied behind her, led her to the rear of the wagon, and up the steps. She then stood beside her judge, barefoot on the flat-topped, wooden wagon. Her head was down.
"Lady Tina," requested the judge, "go to the rack."
Wordlessly, the girl went and stood by the rack, her back to the curved iron. The man who had brought her to the wagon now knelt before her, locking metal clasps on her ankles.
He then went behind her, and unbound her wrists. "Place your hands over your head," he said. She did so. "Bend your elbows," he said. She did so. "Lie back," he then said, supporting her. She did so, and was stretched over the curved iron. He then took her wrists and pulled her arms almost straight. He then locked her wrists in metal clasps, similar to those, though smaller, which confined her ankles. Her head was down. He then bent to metal pieces, heavy, curved and hinged, which were attached to the sides of the rack, and a bit forward. Each piece consisted of two curved, flattish bands, joining at the top. He lifted them, and dropped them into place. Then, with two keys, hanging on tiny chains at the sides, he tightened the bands. They were vises. She might now be branded on either the left or right thigh. There was ample room, I noted, between the bands, on either side, to press the iron. She was held perfectly. Her tanned thigh could not protest so much as by the slightest tremor. She would be marked cleanly.
The man, placing heavy gloves on his hands, withdrew from the brazier a slave iron. Its tip was a figure some inch and a half high, the first letter in cursive script, in the Gorean alphabet, of the expression Kajira. It is a beautiful letter.
The judge looked down upon the Lady Tina of Lydius. She, fastened over the rack, stripped, looked up at him, in his robes, those with two borders, one of gold, the other of purple. Her eyes were wild.
"Brand the Lady Tina of Lydius," he said. "Brand her slave." Then he turned, and departed from the platform.
The girl gave a terrible scream.
There was a shout from the crowd.
The man now, swiftly, brutally, released the girl, spinning open the vises, and dropping them against the rack, unfastening her wrists and ankles, and dragged her to her feet. Her hair was over her face. She was weeping.
The man's hand was strong on her arm. "Here is a nameless slave!" he cried. "What am I bid for her?"
"Hunters of Gor" page 48/51

SLAVES

Testimony

"The judge gave a signal and the long handle of the rack, fitting through a rectangular hole in the axle, moved again.
The girl winced, but she did not cry out.
"Look again carefully upon the accused," said Ibn Saran. I saw her eyes upon me. "Was it he who struck Suleiman Pasha?"
"It was he," she said.
"Are you absolutely certain?" he asked.
"Yes," she said.
"It is enough," said the judge. He gave a signal. The handle spun back. The girl's body fell into the network of knotted ropes."
"Tribesmen of Gor" page 114

"The bodies of two girls, stripped, lay on the narrow rectangle, networks, of knotted ropes, on the racks. The hand were at their sides, but ropes were attached to them, and fixed on the axle of the windlass, above their heads. Both wore collars. Their ankles were roped to the foot of the device.(...) Her wrists, and those of the other girl, as the long wooden handles turned, were pulled up and over her head. The red-haired girl writhed on the cords. (...)
At a sign from the judge the handle moved once, dropping the wooden pawl into the ratchet notch. Her body was now tight on the rack; her toes were pointed; her hands were high over her head, the rough rope slipped up her wrists, prohibited from moving further by its knots and the wide part of her hands." "Tribesmen of Gor" page 111

Legal Status

"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." "Explorers of Gor" page 316

Freedom

"The slave cannot free herself. She can be freed only by an owner. The condition of slavery does not require the collar, or the brand, or an anklet, bracelet or ring, or any such overt sign of bondage. Such things, as symbolic as they are, as profoundly meaningful as they are, and as useful as they are for marking properties, identifying masters, and such, are not necessary to slavery. They are, in effect, though their affixing can legally effect imbondment, ultimately, in themselves, tokens of bondage, and are not to be confused with the reality itself. The uncollared slave is not then a free woman but only a slave who is not then in a collar. Similarly a slave is still a slave even if her brand could be made to magically disappear or, if she has been made a slave in some other way, if she has not yet been branded. Indeed, some masters, somewhat foolishly, I think, dally in the branding of their slaves. Indeed, some, perhaps the most foolish, do not brand them at all. Such girls, however, when they come into the keeping of new masters, usually discover that oversight is promptly remedied." "Renegades of Gor" page 273

Home Stone

"You are an Earth girl and thus stand within a general permission of enslavement, fair beauty quarry to any Gorean male whatsoever." Earth had no Home Stones. No legalities, thus, were contravened in capturing them and making of them abject slave girls. "The first to capture you, owns you," he said. "Prepare to be leashed as a slave." "Slave Girl of Gor" page 394

Property

"Surely you are aware," said Saphrar, "that a slave cannot own property --- any more than a kaiila, a tharlarion or sleen." "Nomads of Gor" page 132

Name

"On Gor a slave, not being legally a person, does not have a name in his own right, just as, on earth, our domestic animals, not being persons before the law, do not have names. That name which he has had from birth, by which he has called himself and knows himself, that name which is so much a part of his own conception of himself, of his own true and most intimate identity, is suddenly gone." "Outlaw of Gor" page 197

Slave Markets at the Fair

"Although no one may be enslaved at the fair, slaves may be bought and sold within its precincts." "Priest Kings of Gor" page 12

Slave Documents

"Some female slaves, incidentally, have a pedigreed lineage going back through several generations of slave matings, and their masters hold the papers to prove this. It is a felony in Gorean law to forge or falsify such papers." "Savages of Gor" page 69

"Vart, once Publius Quintus of Ar, banished from that city, and nearly impaled, for falsifying slave data. He had advertised a girl as a trained pleasure slave who, as it turned out, did not even know the eleven kisses." "Explorers of Gor." page 36?

"And these papers," I said, "are pertinent to you. They are all in order. I had Tolnar and Venlisius prepare them, before they left."
"Papers, Master?" he asked.
"You can read?" I asked.
"Yes, Master," he said.
"Do not call me 'Master'." I said.
"Master?" he asked.
"The papers are papers of manumission," I said. "I am no longer your master. You no longer have a master."
"Manumission," he asked.
"You are free," I told him." "Magicians of Gor" page 460

Capture

"The fact that I now realized I was subject to theft frightened me, but it, too, like many other things, seemed an attachment of my condition, a simple consequence of what I was. 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. I had not thought much about such things, in a real, or practical sense, until now, now that I was outside of the house. I tried to recall my lessons. 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 has 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. Analogies are that is not permitted to animals to challenge the tethers on their necks, or flee the posts within which they find themselves penned, that money must retain its value, and buying power, regardless of who has it in hand, and so on. Strictures of this sort, of course, do not apply to free persons, such as free women. A free woman is entitled to try to escape a 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. The point of these statutes, it seems, it to keep the slave in perfect custody, at all times, and to encourage boldness on the part of males. After the slave had been in the possession of the their, or captor, for one week she counts as being legally his. To be sure, the original master may attempt to steal her back. A popular sport with young men is trying "chain luck." This refers to the capture of women, either free or bond, viewed as a sport. In war, of course, women of this world, slave and free, like silver and gold, rank high as booty." "Dancer of Gor" page 95/6

Slave Rape

"The unauthorized rape of slave girls, without the permission of their masters, is officially frowned on in most cities, but, too, it is as often winked at. There are thought to be two major advantages to the custom of permitting, and, sometimes, of even encouraging, the practice. First, it provides a way of satisfying the sexual needs of young men who may not yet own their own girls, and, secondly, it is thought to provide a useful protection for free women. Free women, incidentally, are almost never raped on Gor, unless it be perhaps a preparatory lesson proceeding their total enslavement. There seem to be two major reasons why free women are seldom raped on Gor. First, it is thought that they, being free, are to be accorded the highest respect, and, secondly, slave females are regarded as being much more desirable." "Guardsman of Gor" Page 184

Bond-maid circle

"Go to the bond-maid circle," said Ivar Forkbeard, indicating the circle he had drawn in the dirt. The women cried out in misery. To enter the circle, if one is a female, is, by the laws of Torvaldsland, to declare oneself a bond-maid. A woman, of course, need not enter the circle of her own free will. She may, for example be thrown within it naked and bound. Howsoever, she enters the circle, voluntarily or by force, free or secured, she emerges from it, by the laws of Torvaldsland, as a bond-maid. " "Marauders of Gor" page 44/5

Brands

"Some fellows do not brand their slaves," I said. "That is stupid!" she said. "It is also contrary to the laws of most cities," I said, "and to merchant law, as well." "Vagabonds of Gor" page 188

Discipline

"Any free man may discipline an insolent or errant slave,` I said, `even one who is the least bit displeasing, even one he might merely feel like disciplining. If she is killed, or injured, he need only pay compensation to her master, and that only if the master can be located within a specific amount of time and requests such compensation.` In virtue of such customs and statutes the perfect discipline under which Gorean slaves are kept is maintained and guaranteed even when they are not within the direct purview of their masters or their appointed agents." "Players of Gor" page 235

"The discipline of a slave may be attended to by any free person, otherwise she might do much what she wished, provided only her Master did not learn of it. The legal principle is clear, and has been upheld in several courts, in several cities, including Ar." "Magicians of Gor" page 122

"You cannot punish me!' she cried. 'You are not my masters!' 'Any free person can punish an errant slave girl,' I said. 'Surely you do not think that her behavior fails to be subject to supervision and correction as soon as she is out of her Master's sight?'" "Magicians of Gor" page 225

Touching FW

"A male slave can be slain for touching a free woman." "Kajira of Gor" page 144

Demeaning men

"Forgive me, Masters!" she wept. "You are men! You are men! A slave begs forgiveness!" Her concern was certainly not out of place. The demeaning of men, whereas it is permitted to, and not unknown among, free women, is not permitted to female slaves. Such, on their part, can be a capital offense." "Magicians of Gor" page 226

Failing to kneel

"Certain of these things, such as failing to kneel in the presence of a free man, may be regarded as a capital offense on the part of a Gorean slave girl, even if it is inadvertent. If intent is involved in such an omission, it can be an occasion for death by torture." "Players of Gor" page 252

Playing Kaissa

"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." "Players of Gor" page 235

Collars

"This was my first owner collar. The laws of Ar, incidentally, do not require a similar visible token of bondage on the bodies of male slaves, or even any distinctive type of garments." "Kajira of Gor" page 269

Pretend to be Free Woman

"She had attempted to take advantage of the fact that she had not yet been branded and collared. She had attempted to pass herself off as a free woman. In many cities, such a thing is a capital offense." "Renegades of Gor" page 389

Attacking free persons

"When one who is a slave strikes a free person the penalty is not infrequently death by impalement, preceded by lengthy torture." "Assassins of Gor" page 74

"A girl dares not raise a weapon against a free man. Some girls have been slain, or had their hands cut off, for so much as touching a weapon." "Slave Girl of Gor" page 200

"It can be a capital offense on Gor, incidentally, for a slave to so much as touch a weapon." "Mercenaries of Gor" page 57

MERCHANT LAW

Technology

"Weapon technology is controlled to the point where the most powerful devices of war are the crossbow and lance. Further, there is no mechnanized transportion or communication equipment or detection devices such as the radar and sonar equipment so much in evidence in the military establishments of your world. From time to time these items are produced, but their owners are then destroyed, burthing into flame. It is the Flame Death merely to possess a weapon of the interdicted sort." "Tarnsman of Gor" page 31

Neutrality

"He himself resided, I understood, in Telnus, the capital of Cos, where his company had its headquarters. His work chains, however, were politically neutral, understood under merchant law as hirable instruments. They might, accordingly, and sometimes did, work for both sides in given conflicts." "Dancer of Gor" page 322

Slave Wars

"She was referring to a series of wars, loosely referred to as the Slave Wars, which occurred among various cities in the middle latitudes of Gor, off and on, over a period of approximately a generation. They had occurred long before my coming to Gor. Although large-scale slaving was involved in these wars, and was doubtless a sufficient condition for them, hence the name, other considerations, as would be expected, were often involved, as well, such as the levying of tribute and the control of trade routes. Out of the Slave Wars grew much of the merchant law pertaining to slaves." "Vagabonds of Gor" Page 272

Fairs

"The fairs incidentally are governed by Merchant Law and supported by booth rents and taxes levied on the items exchanged. The commercial facilities of these fairs, from money changing to general banking, are the finest I know of on Gor, save those in Ar’s Street of Coins, and letters of credit are accepted and loans negotiated, though often at usurious rates, with what seems reckless indifference. Yet perhaps this is not so puzzling, for the Gorean cities will, within their own walls, enforce the Merchant Law when pertinent, even against their own citizens. If they did not, of course, the fairs would be closed to the citizens of that city." "Priest-Kings of Gor" Page 11

Stockades

"The Merchants have, in the last few years, on certain trade routes, between Ar and Ko-ro-ba, and between Tor and Ar, established palisaded compounds, defensible stockades. These, where they exist, tend to be placed approximately a day’s caravan march apart. "Captive of Gor" Page 219

"Various cities, through their own Merchant Castes, lease land for these stockades and, for their fees, keep their garrisons, usually men of their own cities, supplied. The stockades are governed under Merchant Law, legislated and revised, and upheld, at the Sardar Fairs." "Captive of Gor" Page 219

"Normally, the merchant camp, like the better-organised military camps, not the melange that constituted the camp of Pa-Kur is laid out geometrically, and, night after night, one puts up one's tent in the same relative position. Whereas the military camp is usually laid out in a set of concentric squares, reflecting the fourfold principle of military organisation customary on Gor, the merchant camp is laid out in concentric circles, the guards' tents occupying the outermost ring, the craftsmen's, strap-masters', attendants and slaves' quarters occupying inner rings, and the centre being reserved for the merchant, his goods, and his body-guard." "Tarnsman of Gor" page 166

Ports

"The representative of the Merchants, to whom I reported my business, and to whom I paid for wharfage, asked no questions. He did not even demand the proof of registration of the Tesephone in Tabor. The Merchants, who control Lydius, under merchant law, for it is a free port, like Helmutsport, and Schendi and Bazi, are more interested in having their port heavily trafficked than strictly policed." "Hunters of Gor" Page 43

Standardized Measures

"I have calculated this figure from the Weight, a Gorean unit of measurement based on the Stone, which is about four Earth pounds. A Weight is ten Stone. The Weight and Stone, incidentally, are standardized through the Gorean cities by Merchant Law, the only common body of law existing among the cities. The official “Stone,” actually a solid metal cylinder, is kept, by the way, near the Sardar. Four times a year, on a given day in each of the four great fairs held annually near the Sardar, it is brought forth with scales, that merchants from whatever city may test their own standard “Stone” against it." "Raiders of Gor" page 127

"As in the case of the official “Stone”, so, too, at the Sardar is a metal rod, which determines the Merchant Foot, or Gorean foot, as I have called it." "Raiders of Gor" Page 127/8

"Every year at the Sardar Fair there is a motion before the bankers, literally, the coin merchants, to introduce a standardization of coinage among the major cities. To day, however this has not been accomplished. (...) I was not of the merchants, nor, among them, of the coin merchants." "Magicians of Gor" page 411

Patents

"On the other hand, I suspect that they fear too broad a dissemination of the caste knowledge. Physicians, interestingly, perhaps for a similar reason, tend to keep records in archaic Gorean, which is incomprehensible to most Goreans. Many craftsmen, incidentally, keep such things as formulas for certain kinds of glass and alloys, and manufacturing processes, generally, in cipher. Merchant law has been unsuccessful, as yet, in introducing such things as patents and copyrights on Gor. Such things do exist in municipal law on Gor but the jurisdictions involved are, of course, local." "Magicians of Gor" page 394

Dying Hair

"One would not wish to buy a girl thinking she was auburn, a rare and muchly prized hair color on Gor, for example, and then discover later that she was, say, blond. Against such fraud, needless to say, the law provides redress. Slavers will take pains in checking out new catches, or acquisitions, to ascertain the natural color of their hair, one of the items one expects to find, along with fingerprints and measurements, and such, on carefully prepared slave papers." "Vagabonds of Gor" page 186

Brands and collars

"But her left thigh worn no brand. Her right thigh, too, as I soon noted, did not wear the slave mark, nor did her lower left abdomen. These are the three standard marking places, following the recommendations of Merchant Law, for the marking of Kajirae, with the left thigh being, in practice, the overwhelmingly favored brand site." "Fighting Slave of Gor" Page 312

"The thighs and the lower left abdomen are the brand sites recommended by Merchant Law." "Fighting Slave of Gor" Page 349

"In the case of the girl, Rowena, of course, as she was already a self-pronounced slave, the brand and collar were little more than identificatory formalities. Nonetheless she would wear them. They would be fixed visibly and clearly upon her. This is in accord with the prescriptions of merchant law." "Players of Gor" Page 36

Sharing Home Stone

"“You understand further, of course,” said he, “that under Gorean merchant law, which is the only law commonly acknowledged binding between cities, that you stand under separate permissions of enslavement. First, were you of Ar, it would be my right, could I be successful, to make of you a slave, for we share no Home Stone. Secondly, though you speak of yourself as the Lady Elicia of Ar, of Six Towers, you are, in actuality, Miss Elicia Nevins of the planet Earth. You are an Earth girl and thus stand within a general permission of enslavement, fair beauty quarry to any Gorean male whatsoever.” "Slave Girl of Gor" page 394