As long as we’re discussing some of the minor details which don’t quite seem to fit the preconceived notions held by many about Gor, this is probably a good time to mention that Goreans generally consider themselves a part of the D/s culture, but not the BDSM culture. Their reasoning is typically based on the belief that Gor is a philosophy and a way of life that fits neatly within the D/s worldview, rather than an assemblage of activities, techniques or scenes. Most Goreans (quite rightly, in my view) see BDSM as something you do, versus D/s as being something you are. Even so, just as there will always be a great deal of overlap when it comes to BDSM and D/s, one should also expect to find aspects of Gor just about anywhere you look in either lifestyle.
What Do Goreans Really Believe?
If we’re going to discuss what Goreans really believe, we must be willing to make a distinction between what is described in the Gor novels, what is actually preached and practiced by those in the real-world Gorean subculture, and how it is misinterpreted and caricatured by chat room role players who, more often than not, have never actually read any of the novels. As if all of that isn’t already enough to make your head spin, we’ll finish up with some real-life true stories involving the Gorean lifestyle. Good times ahead; get in, buckle up, and hang on.
Over the course of writing thirty-two novels about the planet Gor, Norman meticulously developed and refined his vision of Gorean culture and traditions. Considering the contemporary standards for the pulp fiction genre within which he worked, many found Norman’s vision to be surprisingly consistent and cogent. This is significant when one considers the fact that contemporary Goreans attempt to emulate, as much as possible, the cultural beliefs and practices of Gorean society. According to Norman’s novels, the “Three Pillars” of Gorean society are Home Stone, Caste, and Natural Order.
Home Stone. The home stone is representative of Gorean sovereignty, which can be applicable to a home, village, or city. It is typically a small stone marked with a letter or symbol, and displayed in the center of the sovereign territory it represents. It is, in some ways, analogous to the way we use flags as symbols of our sovereign nation-states. A practicing real-life Gorean would mostly likely adopt and apply this concept to reinforce the notion that he is the sovereign ruler of his home.
Caste. Goreans are defined primarily by their caste, which is based primarily on profession and city. There are some castes designated as high castes (comprised of those in governance and other elites) or low castes (comprised primarily of tradesmen and craftsmen). The application of this concept by real-world Goreans is generally manifested in the high esteem they typically place on a person’s practical skills and warrior ethos.
Natural Order. In the Gorean culture, it is considered part of the natural order that males are considered to be naturally dominant, while females are considered to be inherently submissive. Even so, there are many significant exceptions to the rule, even on the fictional world of Gor. The practical end result, however, is that most modern-day real-world Goreans tend to be rather dismissive of any notion of female domination, in any form.
Interestingly, despite the fact that the Gor novels are probably best known for their erotic depictions of women in slavery, there is a widespread misconception - occasionally even among Goreans, themselves - that all of the women of Gor are slaves. In actuality, even though the great majority of Gorean slaves are women, only about one woman in forty is a slave. Female slaves are individually called kajira, and kajirae in the plural. There are male slaves on Gor, as well, however they are far fewer in number and, unlike the women who are either bred for slavery or kidnapped from Earth, the male slaves of Gor typically become slaves as the result of war, criminality, or indebtedness. Male slaves are individually called kajirus, and kajiri in the plural. Slaves may be owned by free persons (men or women), entire households, or even municipalities.
The Gorean Slave
Gorean slaves are categorized in a variety of ways, such as pedigree, virginity, training and utility. In general, barbarian slave girls are women who have been abducted from Earth by the insect race of Priest-Kings on their voyages of acquisition. True Gorean slave girls are those who are native-born to Gor, whether they were born free or slave. Pedigree also is a factor when it comes to passion slaves and exotics, which are slave specifically bred by a slaver from slave stock to perpetuate desired traits and attributes.
Virginity, to absolutely no one’s surprise, is a big deal on the planet Gor. A female slave who is a virgin is referred to as a “white silk girl.” A female slave who is not a virgin is referred to as a “red silk girl.” The distinction is largely semantic and ceremonial, as it is neither required, nor even customary, for white silk girls to wear only white, or red silk girls to wear only red. It is, however, common for the appropriate colors to be worn for special occasions, ceremonial purposes, and sometimes for a number of days following those events.
Slaves are also categorized by the types of training they have received. For example, most slave girls are expected to know how to dance in order to entertain their Masters, however a slave girl of Gor who has been formally trained and certified by a recognized school of dance has earned the right to be specifically referred to as a Dancer. A lady’s serving slave, which is a slave who has been specifically trained in the skills required for attending to the needs of high-bred Gorean women, would be expected to know far more about the subjects of clothing, bathing, hygiene, serving, table service, and social protocols than any typical slave girl.
A Gorean slave’s training, like her virginity, is also a really big deal. When we think of the word training, we usually think in terms of skills that require specialized abilities or an abundance of technical knowledge. This is typically not the case when it comes to the training of Gorean slaves. They must be taught everything they know again from scratch, and the most difficult part of that process is the unlearning of the old habits. A Gorean slave must be taught how to stand, sit, kneel, walk, speak, be silent, serve, entertain, assume various poses and positions as required, and perform a wide assortment of other mundane tasks in a very specific fashion. Even a task as seemingly simple as entering a room becomes infinitely more complicated, if you happened to be a slave girl of Gor:
“Observe," once had said Elizabeth to me, to my amusement, in the secrecy of our compartment, "the twelfth way to enter a room."
I had observed. It was not bad. But I think I preferred the tenth, that with the girl’s back against the side of the door, the palms of her hands on the jamb, her head up, lips slightly parted, eyes to the right, smoldering at just the right temperature.
"How many ways are there," I asked, sitting cross-legged in the center of the compartment, on the stone couch, "to enter a room?"
"It depends on the city," said Elizabeth. "In Ar we are the best; we have the most ways to enter a room. One hundred and four."
I whistled. "What about," I asked, "just walking straight through?"
She looked at me. "Ah," said she, "one hundred and five!"
(John Norman, Assassin of Gor, 1970)
Gorean slaves may be used for any purpose their Masters desire, whether it is for utilitarian purposes or for pleasure, she would be classified primarily by her assigned duties. This is the fourth way by which Gorean slaves at categorized: by how they are utilized. A slave who has been formerly trained as a Dancer, yet is employed by her Master as a Bath Girl, is for all intents and purposes, a Bath Girl.
The following is just a partial list of the various types of Gorean slaves, as described by John Norman:
Bath Girl. Bath girls are slaves who are kept either by the owner of a bath house or, in the case of public bath houses run by the village or city, city slaves. Sexual use of the bath girl by patrons is typically included in the bath house entry fee.
Below Deck Girl. When Gorean slaves are transported by ship, some are kept top-side, or “on deck,” while others are kept in the hold of the ship, or “below deck.” The slaves on deck ar
e given a certain degree of freedom in exchange for their labor, whereas the below deck girls are kept in cages and shorn of their body hair in an effort to discourage nits and lice.
Bond-maid. Bond-maids are slave girls who have been won in battle or captured by raiding parties. They refer to their Masters as “Jarl”, and are typically more bold, boisterous and playful than the typical kajira, whom they view with some distaste. Their collars are made of iron, and riveted by hammer around their necks. The role of a bondmaid tends to be a favorite among those who are new to role-playing the Gorean lifestyle, as it provides a simple and convenient back-story (“I was taken in a raid, and forced to become a slave”) and it provides a semi-plausible explanation for behavior that would, in reality, be better suited to a BDSM brat-sub than a kajirae trained Gorean. The following passage from Marauders of Gor beautifully illustrates the typical behavior of bondmaids:
A bond-maid thrust through the crowd. "Does my Jarl not remember Gunnhild?" she asked. She whimpered, and slipped to his side, holding him, lifting her lips to kiss him on the throat, beneath the beard. About her neck, riveted, was a collar of black iron, with a welded ring, to which a chain might be attached.
"What of Pouting Lips?" said another girl, kneeling before him, lifting her eyes to his. Sometimes bondmaids are given descriptive names. The girl had full, sensuous lips, she was blond; she also smelled of verr; it had doubtless been she whom I had seen on the slope herding verr. "Pouting Lips has been in agony awaiting the return of her Jarl," she whimpered.
The Forkbeard shook her head with his great hand.
"What of Olga?" whined another wench, sweet and strapping, black-haired.
"Do not forget Pretty Ankles, my Jarl," said another wench, a delicious little thing, perhaps not more than sixteen. She thrust her lips greedily to the back of his left hand, biting at the hair there.
"Away you wenches!" laughed Ottar. "The Forkbeard has new prizes, fresher meat to chew!"
(John Norman, Marauders of Gor, 1975)
Admittedly, it is extremely difficult for anyone familiar with the Gorean lifestyle to imagine any kajira, under any circumstances, trained or untrained, conducting herself in such a fashion. On the other hand, the role of a bond-maid is a tempting role indeed for anyone wishing to adopt Gorean ways and become a slave, without becoming a kajira.
Camp Slave. Camp slaves are slave girls who are kept in a military camp and who travel with the military unit in accordance with the terms of a contract between a slave merchant and the military leaders.
Chamber Slave. Chamber slaves are human slaves kept by the insect race of Priest-Kings for the sole purpose of servicing other humans who find their way to the Nest and become enslaved themselves.
City Slave. Refers to any slave that is owned by the governing body of a village or city.
Coin Girl. A coin girl is a slave who is prostituted for sexual favors as a means of generating income for her Master. She wanders the streets naked, wearing only a necklace with coin box attached, into which her customers are expected to deposit coins in exchange for sex.
“Coin girls were a form of street slave, usually sent into the streets around dusk by their masters, who commonly own several of them, with a chain on their neck, to which would be attached, normally, a bell, to call attention to their whereabouts, and a small, locked coin box. And woe to the girl who returns with coins jangling in the box! To be sure, in some places, one might even have a paga slave, or a brothel slave, for as little as a tarsk bit.”
(John Norman, Renegades of Gor, 1986)
Draft Slave. A draft slave is one who is used primarily to pull carts.
Feast Slave. A slave who is specially trained to serve at large banquets or special events is commonly referred to as a feast slave.
Fighting Slave. Specially trained in the martial arts, fighting slaves typically serve as body guards and site security. They sometimes are pitted against one another, like gladiators, in various kinds of mortal combat for the entertainment of the free.
House Slave. A Gorean house slave, sometimes also referred to as a tower slave, is considered to be a slave of relatively low status, if there can be such a thing as status among slaves, at all. Their duties typically involve housekeeping, cooking, serving, sewing, washing and other domestic chores. The label is almost always preceded by the descriptive word “mere,” as it is in this passage:
"Even though she had then been turned in effect into a pleasure slave, much as might be purchased in any market, he had, it seems, considered having her serve in his city as a mere house slave, or even, in spite of what she had now become, if it pleased him, denying her the collar, as a mere cleaning prisoner, a confined servant, a mere housekeeper in captivity." (John Norman, Vagabonds of Gor, 1987)
Kettle Slave. A kettle slave is a sub-category of house slave that is utilized primarily in the kitchen to perform food preparation, cooking, and cleaning. Kettle slaves are sometimes referred to as pot girls.
Love Slave. A love slave is a slave who has fallen in love with her Master, although there is some debate among Goreans about whether she must be loved by her Master, in return. In Gorean tradition, it is believed that the life of a love slave is necessarily harsher than for any other kind of slave. That is because her Master must always be vigilant against accusations of favoritism, and will often over-compensate for his secret desire to go easy on her. Love between Master and slave isn’t always spoken of openly, but when it is, it is done so powerfully:
He took me by the hair and thrust my head down to the furs. "A man can truly love only that woman," he said, "who is truly his, who belongs to him. Otherwise he is only a party to a contract."
"A woman," I said, "can love only that man to whom she truly belongs."
"To whom do you truly belong, Slave?" he asked.
"To you, Master," I said.
"You please me, Slave Girl," he said.
(John Norman, Slave Girl of Gor, 1977)
Luck Slave. A luck slave is a shipboard slave who - for whatever reason - is kept because it is believed she will bring good luck, and serves as a sort of mascot and pleasure slave for the crew.
Lure Girl. A lure girl is a slave whose primary purpose is to draw men from an enemy’s camp into a trap. Once the trap has been sprung, the prisoners are often put to work as slaves, themselves.
Mat and Kettle Slave. Actually, a fusion of two different types of slaves - a mat slave is used primarily for sexual purposes, while a kettle slave is a kitchen domestic. In many households, a single slave may be forced to perform domestic kitchen duties as well as please her Master sexually, and so she is known as a mat and kettle slave.
Message Girl. A message girl refers to a slave who is utilized as a courier to transmit secret messages. The message girl's head is shaved and the message, which is sometimes encoded, is tattooed on her head. The girl chosen for this sort of duty is usually illiterate, even though it would be almost impossible for her to see the message on the back or top of her head, even if she weren’t. Her hair is then allowed to grow back before she is sent to deliver her message. The recipient shaves her head to read the message, and then typically keeps her as part of the bargain.
Mul. Mul is the Priest-King word for the human slaves that serve them. Muls are bred in their nest by the insect-like race of Priest-Kings, and fed an extremely bland, pale, whitish, fibrous vegetable-like paste called mul-fungus. Obviously, you probably won’t be meeting many muls here on Earth.
Paga Slave. Sometimes known as a tavern slave, the paga slave is owned by a tavern keeper and offered to patrons for the price of a cup of paga, which is a fermented brew made from yellow grain and consumed at room temperature. Think: Tavern wench.
Passion Slave. A passion slave is one who has been specifically bred and trained in the arts of lovemaking. As Gorean slave roles go, this one is immensely popular for fairly obvious reasons.
Personal Serving Slave. A personal serving slave is typically assigned to care exclusively for a
specific individual who may or may not necessarily be her owner.
Pierced-Ear Slave. On Gor, ear piercing is a symbol of low status or degradation. A slave that is marked by the piercing of her ears is considered the lowest of the low, and will likely never win her freedom. In Norman’s novels, this was often portrayed as a unique and ironic problem for slave girls formerly from Earth:
“Many Gorean slave girls live in terror of having their ears pierced... Woe to the Earth girl brought to Gor whose ears are pierced. She will be sold publicly, as a pierced-ear girl." (John Norman, Prize of Gor, 2008)
Rent Slave. A rent slave is a slave who is regularly rented out to others as a way of generating income for her Master.
Seduction Slave. A seduction slave is typically a male slave who seduces a female free woman with the intent of placing her in a compromising situation that can be used to put her into slavery.
Self Contract Slave. A self contract slave is a free woman who enters into a temporary contract of slavery in order to satisfy a debt or to learn what it is like to be a slave. Needless to say, this is an uncommon practice among Gorean free women in John Norman’s novels. It can, however, provide a credible backstory for a uniquely temporary slave role for a novice Gorean role player.
Silk Girl. Silk girl is a somewhat pejorative term used by the bondmaidens of the northern climes (who typically wear wool) for kajirae, who usually wear silks.
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