“TRADITION!”

The word tradition comes from the Latin traditionem, acc. of traditio which means “a giving up, delivering up, surrendering” and is used in a number of ways in the English language.

  • Beliefs or customs taught by one generation to the next, often orally (i.e., the tradition of sending birth announcements).
  • A set of customs or practices (i.e., Christmas traditions).
  • A broad religious movement made up of religious denominations or church bodies that have a common history, customs, culture, and, to some extent, body of teachings.

Everytime I hear (or read) someone spout “Tradition!” I think of “Fiddler on the Roof” …

A tradition is a practice, custom, or story that is memorized and passed down from generation to generation, originally without the need for a writing system. Tools to aid this process include poetic devices such as rhyme and alliteration. The stories thus preserved are also referred to as tradition, or as part of an oral tradition.   Some traditions were deliberately invented for one reason or another, often to highlight or enhance the importance of a certain institution.Traditions may also be changed to suit the needs of the day, and the changes can become accepted as a part of the ancient tradition.

Traditions were made for a reason, for a particular good at the time the event which led to the creation of it; traditions grow outdated and unnecessary.

 Examples of this can be found in religious culture, for example, Judaism.

Many modern Jews no longer follow the religious tradition of eating kosher foods.  The practice of kosher foods was a tradition developed in a time when refrigeration was unheard of, and therefore, those foods that were eliminated because of bacterial influence that would render the food poisonous became traditionally unfit to be kosher.  A prime example is pork.

Sometimes traditions can do a world of good … and sometimes, traditions can leave one stagnant.

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So-Called “True” or “Old Gor” Homes…

A friend of mine belongs to one such home, which is unfortunately not her choice, for she is a Gorean slave.  It’s a slaver’s house that boasts how “old Gorean” it is, blah blah… Yeah. You got it http://genericoitalia.it/.

You open their webpages and find it full of errors. Bad errors.

You open up their so-called training platforms, and can’t help but try not to laugh. It’s so preposterous, and for a slaver’s house to publish such horrible CRAP is one reason why Gor is what it is today in the online world.

It’s one thing to boast how great and wonderful your home supposedly is, but when you offer erroneous information on your webpages, and expect slaves to train and learn this incorrect load of rubbish that is posted, is pure example of why a home should not be boastful.

Shame on those slaves who know better and voice the errors, not in a way to demean the home, but in a way that should have been taken as constructive criticism and the errors fixed.

Instead, the slave gets threatened (OOCly, at that).

Yeah. Big balls the fellow had, from what I’ve read of the scripts.

I’ve read the garbage that they call their training manual.  It’s something that should be flushed down the toilet and re-written by someone who actually knows and understands Gor.

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Face-Stripping of the Free Woman

This is not directed to any particular person. End of disclaimer.

I was prompted to do a bit of research after reading some rather ludicrous statements by a woman from a chat site that neither do I roleplay in nor do my friends. I was, however, led to the site to read the woman’s statements by someone who contacted me.The woman railed on about how face-stripping a freewoman would never be done, that it was illegal and used the following sentence to back up her claims:

“Face-stripping a free woman, against her will, can be a serious crime on Gor.” ~ Kajria of Gor, pg. 183.

So, now let’s explore, shall we?

Here is the full context of the quote that was mentioned:

“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. The hand of Miles of Argentum then brushed back my robes, that my whole head and features, to the throat, might be revealed to the crowd.” ~ Kajria of Gor, pg. 183.

Keeping in mind that in the above passage, is the face-stripping of Tiffany, who was playing the part of Sheila, Tatrix of Corcyrus, I searched all of my books, and came up with very little reference to face-stripping, and what was occasionally stated, was that face-stripping was considered a serious thing; never with the exception of Tiffany’s thoughts, did it say anywhere else in any of the books that to face-strip a woman was a crime.

Perhaps, Tiffany wanted it to be a crime? Perhaps she was conjecturing the fact that she was “Tatrix” and therefore, she could then impose it as a crime? Considering that in no other instance in “Kajira of Gor” was this mentioned, or further explained, perhaps it was a “crime” because she, an earth girl, thought that it would be criminal against a powerful woman like a Tatrix. Or, perhaps, free women want it to be a crime, because it invades their privacy?

I found several websites who mention the “crime” with no back up quotes. One site I found used a quote that would support Tiffany’s thought/statement, however, that particular quote is not found in any of my books, and especially not in the book it is quoted along with the page number, nor is it found in the edited e-book versions. Here’s one example where it was stated that this was an actual quote from the books:

“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.

This is a prime example of someone that has basically put together and created a quote to make it appear a real passage from the books, or simply just added what they wanted to in order to justify a statement they were making. I looked at MY first-edition paperback, and there is no such passage. I looked at my fully legal John Norman edited e-book version, and there is no such passage. Here is what the passage instead says:

“Slavery is sometimes accorded to free prisoners,” I said.
“This is particularly the case with free women who, when stripped, are found desirable enough for the collar.” This may be done in various ways. Normally, a free woman, unceremoniously, is simply enslaved. She deserves no consideration, whatsoever. She is a female of an enemy city. Accordingly, she belongs at the feet of the conqueror, with other spoils. A warrior may secure such women with devices so simple as thumb-cuffs, like tiny, joined rings, and snap-lock, or pronged, tension-closed, nose-rings, with strands of wire, to fasten them together.
The material for securing ten women, in such cases, fits into a corner of the warrior’s pack and weighs no more than a few ounces. If the cities are long-time, hereditary enemies snap-lock, or pronged, tension-closed, earrings might be used instead of nose-rings, as a gesture of contempt, a pierced ear, or ears, on Gor, culturally, commonly, being regarded as the mark of the lowest, the most sensuous and the most despicable of slaves. To be perfectly honest, however, ear piercing for Gorean slaves is now much more common than it was a few years ago. Perhaps the time will come when the slave will be a rarity who has not felt the two thrusts of the leather-worker’s needle. The growing prevalence of ear piercing probably has to do, at least significantly, with its tendency to stimulate the sexual aggression of the Gorean male. Accordingly, girls with pierced ears, “pierced-ear girls,” tend to bring higher prices in the markets. Slavers, thus, prior to putting their properties on the block, are more and more inclined to have this done to them.
Some girls, knowing how desirable this can make them, beg their master to have their ears pierced. The piercing of the ears is not only symbolic and aesthetic to the master and the slave but it can be tactually arousing, as well, playing with the earring, the girl feeling it brush the side of her cheek or neck, and so on. 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 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, pp. 336-337.

While I believe Luther published some very informative educational scrolls, I actually looked at what he had in his free women section. The only thing he posted was basically the same line that Tiffany remarked, but showed no other proof from the books. That’s very easy to state the reason why…. I’ve gone through ALL of my books, both my entire collection of paperbacks (most first edition printing, with some duplicates of later edition printing to compare) as well as my entire collection of the new legal e-books that John Norman has edited and permitted to be published. No other mention it being a crime. However, there are a (very) few references on it being a “serious SOCIAL matter” because it basically displays the most private thing a person can have, namely, the expressions of emotions that are evident in facial features, and too, by their peers, they could be shunned. Also, in the books, I found a few references that state that generally free women of a given city are not face-stripped and collared by men of their home unless they themselves have committed a crime, or have been caught acting in slave-like manner. It’s basically a “don’t defecate in one’s own kitchen” sort of scenario, where men will go to enemy cities to face-strip free women there for the fun of capture. Other passages imply that the only “crime” is truly on the shoulders of the free woman to bear; no matter the reason that she is face-stripped, it becomes a legal matter with judicial rammifications mdash; against her.

I will further explore all of this and then some here.

First, what must be remembered is that the wearing of veils is cultural, and not practiced in every city, and therefore, “face-stripping” would only apply to those cities in which such were law.

While face-stripping was not then not much detailed in respect to say, enslaving a free woman, it would be safe to consider that the “valid” reasons for face stripping would be the same as enslavement. The enslavement of a free woman occurs as the end result of any number of events; each subject to particular conditions and criteria, inherently legal. However, enslaving a woman within the territory of her home usually requires that she be found guilty of a crime, each city with its own variations of what is law within their boundaries. For example, the city of Ar recognizes the Couching Law, and many a free women fell victim to the seductions of Milo. Other examples of reasons a free woman might be enslaved, would be perceived slave behavior, such as found dancing a sensual dance, or secretly wearing slave silks. Of course, one does collar a free woman without some form of legal intervention so that the enslavement will be deemed official. Note that these rules would not apply to the rights of capture with regards to free women not of the city of their captor.

“Any free woman who couches with another’s slave, or readies herself to couch with another’s slave, becomes herself a slave, and the slave of the slave’s master.” ~ Magicians of Gor, pg. 7.

I rejoiced that in at least one city on Gor the free women were not expected to wear the Robes of Concealment, confine their activities largely to their own quarters, and speak only to their blood relatives and, eventually, the Free Companion.
I thought that much of the barbarity of Gor might perhaps be traced to this foolish suppression of the fair sex, whose gentleness and intelligence might have made such a contribution in softening her harsh ways. To be sure, in certain cities, as had been the case in Ko-ro-ba, women were permitted status within the caste system and had a relatively unrestricted existence.
Indeed, in Ko-ro-ba, a woman might even leave her quarters without first obtaining the permission of a male relative or the Free Companion, a freedom which was unusual on Gor. The women of Ko-ro-ba might even be found sitting unattended in the theater or at the reading of epics. ~ Outlaw of Gor, pp. 49-50.

On Gor a woman normally travels only with a suitable retinue of armed guards. Women, on this barbaric world, are often regarded, unfortunately, as little more than love prizes, the fruits of conquest and seizure. Too often they are seen less as persons, human beings with rights, individuals worthy of concern and regard than as potential pleasure slaves, silken, bangled prisoners, possible adornments to the pleasure gardens of their captors. There is a saying on Gor that the laws of a city extend no further than its walls. ~ Outlaw of Gor, pg. 50.

“In Ar’s Station,” he said, “as in Ar, robes of concealment, precisely, are not legally obligatory for free women, no more than the veil. Such things are more a matter of custom. On the other hand, as you know, there are statutes 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 in violation of these standards of decorum, for example, with her arms or legs too much bared, may be made a slave.”
“There was no crime then,” she said, “in my appearing in public as I did, even though, say, I wore but a single layer and my calves, ankles and feet were bared.”
“Whether 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, pp. 367-368.

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 and 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 sensuous 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 sentence of bondage is mandatory for such a woman.
“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 Goreans believe that all women are natural slaves, and thus, in a sense, are all 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, for example, the seeming misrepresentation of caste, the baring of certain portions of the body, perhaps violating codes of decorum, the adoption of exciting habiliments, with the possible result of jeopardizing less attractively clad women, the gold carried, giving her a presumed advantage in mollifying captors, her refusal to have her hair shorn, this again perhaps comparatively jeopardizing other women, and such, constituted behavior for which the collar might be suitably imposed. Also important, of course, at least in the eyes of some, might be her failures in the defense effort, her refusal to be shorn, contributing her hair for use as catapult cordage, in spite of the desperate need for such materials, and the fact that it was only after the imposition of a severe penalty for noncompliance that she accepted even a small duty in the siege. It was on the basis of considerations such as these, and perhaps cumulatively, taking into consideration their conjoint weight, that a determination might be made as to whether or not it was fitting that she be made a slave. Her begging for a Cosian collar but moments ago, and her open admission of the fittingness and rightness of her being collared, interestingly, would probably not be considered at all. In most cities such things are taken for granted, the natural rightfulness of slavery for females, and such, and are accordingly seldom regarded as germane with respect to the legal imposition of a sentence of bondage. ~ Renegades of Gor, pp. 372-373.

Veils are worn in various numbers and combinations by Gorean free women, this tending to vary by preference and caste. Many low-caste Gorean women own only a single veil which must do for all purposes. Not all high-caste women wear a large number of veils. A free woman, publicly, will commonly wear one or two veils; a frequent combination is the light veil, or last veil, and the house or street veil. Rich, vain women of high caste may wear ostentatiously as many as nine or ten veils. In certain cities, in connection with the free companionship, the betrothed or pledged beauty may wear eight veils, several of which are ritualistically removed during various phases of the ceremony of companionship; the final veils, and robes, of course, are removed in private by the male who, following their removal, arms interlocked with the girl, drinks with her the wine of the companionship, after which he completes the ceremony. This sort of thing, however, varies considerably from city to city.
In some cities the girl is unveiled, though not disrobed, of course, during the public ceremony. The friends of the male may then express their pleasure and joy in her beauty, and their celebration of the good fortune of their friend. 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-caste, 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. … The cities of Gor are numerous and pluralistic. Each has its own history, customs and traditions. On the whole, however, Gorean culture prescribes the veil for free women. Slave Girl of Gor, pp. 107-108.

Enslavement as a result of voluntary submission in a context of choice or by a form of social debt as would be considered owed to one who saves a woman’s life, for example. Goreans feel that a woman whose life has been saved by a man must accordingly belong to him and that in fact even her family would consider her submission, voluntary or forced, as necessary to be the honorable thing to do.

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. Indeed, there have been cases in which a girl’s brothers have had her clad as a slave, bound in slave bracelets, and handed over to her rescuer, in order that the honor of the family and her city not be besmirched. There is, of course, a natural tendency in the rescued female to feel and demonstrate great gratitude to the man who has saved her life, and the Gorean custom is perhaps no more than an institutionalization of this customary response. There are cases where a free woman in the vicinity of a man she desired has deliberately placed herself in jeopardy. The man then, after having been forced to risk his life, is seldom in a mood to use the girl other than as his slave. I have wondered upon occasion about this practice, so different on Gor than on Earth. On my old world when a woman is saved by a man she may, I understand, with propriety bestow upon him a grateful kiss and perhaps, if we may believe the tales in these matters, consider him more seriously because of his action as a possible, eventual companion in wedlock. One of these girls, if rescued on Gor, would probably be dumbfounded at what would happen to her. After her kiss of gratitude, which might last a good deal longer than she had anticipated, she would find herself forced to kneel and be collared and then, stripped, her wrists confined behind her back in slave bracelets, she would find herself led stumbling away on a slave leash from the field of her champion’s valor. Yes, undoubtedly our Earth girls would find this most surprising. On the other hand the Gorean attitude is that she would be dead were it not for his brave action and thus it is his right, now that he has won her life, to make her live it for him precisely as he pleases, which is usually, it must unfortunately be noted, as his slave girl, for the privileges of a Free Companionship are never bestowed lightly. Also of course a Free Companionship might be refused, in all Gorean right, by the girl, and thus a warrior can hardly be blamed, after risking his life, for not wanting to risk losing the precious prize which he has just, at great peril to himself, succeeded in winning. 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, pp. 161-162.

As I stated earlier, while never expressed as a “crime” to face-strip free woman, it was noted a few times that such face-stripping is conceived to be a most serious social matter. Not only do veils offer that privacy and secrecy that only a woman who is free is entitled to, but it’s a social thing, and to be accepted among peer free-women, to not wear a veil could well mean being shunned by them, or, mistaken to be a slave. Surely not a crime, at least in the eyes of men, but to the woman herself, it would be more a “personal crime.” Perhaps it is such that Tiffany was expressing in that one single sole quote ever in all the books where face-stripping is mentioned to be a “crime.”

It must be understood, of course, to fully appreciate what was going on, that the public exposure of the features of a free woman, particularly one of high caste, or with some pretense to position or status, is a socially serious matter in many Gorean localities. Indeed, in some cities an unveiled free woman is susceptible to being taken into custody by guardsmen, then to be 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 to 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.
Social pressures, too, in various ways, contribute to the same end. An unveiled woman, for example, may find other women turning away from her in a market, perhaps with expressions of disgust. Indeed, she may not even be waited upon, or dealt with, in a market by a free woman unless she first kneels. It would not be unusual for her, in a crowded place, to overhear remarks, perhaps whispers or sneers, of which she is the obvious object, such as “Shameless slut,” “Brazen baggage,” “As immodest as a slave,” “I wonder who her master is,” and “Put a collar on her!” And if she should attempt to confront or challenge her assailants, she will merely find such remarks repeated articulately and clearly to her face. ~ Players of Gor, pg. 125.

She pulled futilely at her back-pinioned wrists. They were well bound, held within her removed, knotted veil.
The cloth shackling in which we had placed her allowed her only tiny, awkward steps. Twice she almost stumbled. If she fell it would be difficult for her to regain her feet. It would doubtless take her some time to regain her residence.
We hoped she would profit from this lesson.
Most crucially her face was bared. She had been, as the vulgar Gorean expression has it, face-stripped.
To one of Earth this may seem trivial, or inconsequential. I assure you, however, it is not a trivial or inconsequential matter on Gor.
Perhaps a moment’s disquisition on this matter may prove illuminating.
To a Gorean free woman, particularly to one of station, given Gorean customs, proprieties and traditions, having one’s face bared in public, with respect to matters of shock, distress, embarrassment, and such, would be very much akin to a civilized woman of Earth’s being put out naked on the streets. These things may be hard to understand and so a moment’s attention might not be inadvisable. Although there is some variance from caste to caste, and city to city, it is common for free women to veil themselves in public. On Gor the bared face of a woman is provocative. Too, much of a woman’s individuality and uniqueness is associated with her features, which are taken to be private to her, and personal to her, and precious to her. She does not reveal them to everyone. Thus her face, with all its uniqueness and individuality, that wondrous flag, window and mirror of her emotions and nature, is not to be publicly exposed. Indeed, some Gorean slavers try to keep from their customers that many women of Earth go about unveiled. It is their view, a reasonably plausible view, given Gorean preconceptions, that that would cheapen the merchandise and make it seem tawdry. Magicians of Gor, Chapter 10, newly revised by John Norman in the e-book version.

I smiled inwardly. My trick had worked. I had been reasonably confident that she would choose to exert her authority in this fashion. She was obviously in some sort of competitive relationship with the male. There was a tautness, a tension, between them. She seemed jealous of him and his power. She was very defensive about her status in his eyes. I conjectured that they were theoretically on the same level, or nearly on the same level, perhaps reporting to the same superior, or superiors, presumably Priest-Kings. If it were acceptable to discuss sensitive matters before his slaves, women like herself, but reduced to a status as negligible as that of furniture or animals, then surely it should be similarly acceptable to discuss such matters before a male, she must have reasoned, one who shared his sex, but was now to her only as total servant. … Clearly, of course, she did not understand the differences between men and women. They are not the same. No more fundamental mistake can be made. Too, in making his identification, he had had her face-stripped. This is not a small thing from the point of view of a Gorean woman. I saw that it was important to her to pretend to be his equal. From his point of view, of course, she was only a woman. He must have often conjectured, like any strong man, what she would have looked like at his feet, stripped and in chains. If any roughnesses remained in their relationship after that, they could always be smoothed out with the whip. ~ Players of Gor, pg. 97

It must be understood, of course, to fully appreciate what was going on, that the public exposure of the features of a free woman, particularly one of high caste, or with some pretense to position or status, is a socially serious matter in many Gorean localities. Indeed, in some cities an unveiled free woman is susceptible to being taken into custody by guardsmen, then to be 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 to 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, pp. 124-125.

I cast the veil aside. Her maidens screamed.
She, the proud Lady Vivina, then stood before me, held, helpless, face-stripped.
She shuddered, and, humiliated, wept with rage and shame. Her face, running with tears, was now bared, as bared as that of a slave. It was now public to any who might care, even casually, to look upon it.
To those of some cultures the significance of this may not be clear, but, without comment, let me remark that its effect in certain other cultures, such as that of Gor, is momentous. On Gor there is an absolute and dreadful chasm separating the lofty, dignified free woman from the debased, degraded, meaningless female slave, who must strive to be pleasing to a master, who must serve eagerly, totally and unquestioningly. And one of the symbols of this chasm is that female slaves are not permitted the veil. The fact that many women of Earth do not affect the veil is one of the reasons that many Goreans, who are familiar with the Second Knowledge, or have witnessed such women being brought in chains to the market, perhaps still in shreds of their Earth clothing, regard them as shameless, and as curvaceous meat fit for nothing other than love, service and the collar. ~ Raiders of Gor, pg. 209.

The captain’s hand fixed itself in the sheen of the last veil, the fifth veil. Beneath it my features, frightened, could be seen. It was only a token, but, when it was torn away, even the token would be gone. I would stand before men, facestripped. It is interesting to me, how I thought of this at the time. Doubtless much depends upon context and is relative to the culture. On Earth, few women veil their face, and yet many will veil their bodies. On Earth body veiling tends to be cultural, and not face veiling. On Gor, for free women, both body veiling and face veiling are cultural, and tend to be widely practiced. I suppose, objectively, there is something more to be said for face veiling than body veiling. Bodies, though differing remarkably, one to the other, tend perhaps to be somewhat more similar than faces. Accordingly, if one should be concerned to protect one’s privacy and one’s feelings, and such, it seems that the face might preferably be veiled. In the face, surely, it is easier to read emotion and individuality than in a body. Should not the face then, if one is concerned with concealment and privacy, be veiled? Is the face not more personal and revealing than the body? Does it not make sense then to consider it a proper object of concealment in a free person? Is one not entitled, so to speak, to privacy in the matter of one’s thoughts and feelings, sometimes so manifest in one’s facial expressions? However this may be, there are congruencies and dispositions which seem appropriate in given contexts. Veils seem correct, and right, with the robes of concealment. Too, seeing the lust of men to discern your features, and understanding what face veiling and unveiling means to them, tends to influence one’s views of these matters. I was terrified that such men see my face. I did not want my face to be seen by them. In many Gorean cities, only a slave girl goes unveiled. Slave Girl of Gor, pp. 123-124.

I think, of all the quotes, the following is the best summation of the “crime” of face-stripping a free woman:

My master had unbuckled and unlaced, and pulled away, the stifling, degrading hood. Beneath it, of course, the Lady Sabina had been face-stripped. She turned her face away, that we be unable to look upon it. My master, to my pleasure, simply took her by the hair and turned her face brazenly to all of us, exposing and baring it to all of us for our full gaze. She twisted but, hurt, could not turn her face away. He held it before us, letting us savor it, for a full Ehn. Then, after an Ehn, he released her hair. She sobbed. She regarded us, angrily. But no longer did she try to hide her face. It was pointless now to do so. My master had not seen fit to tolerate her game of modesty. She had been face-stripped, publicly. My master stepped to where she might more clearly see him, in the moonlight.
“Who are you!” she said.
He did not respond to her.
“I am the Lady Sabina of Fortress of Saphronicus,” she said. “Beware!”
The veils, by a man behind her, were lifted from about her shoulders, and dropped to the ground.
“Return my veils,” she said.
The veils lay fallen, gently, upon the ground.
“I am the Lady Sabina of Fortress of Saphronicus,” she said.
My master did not speak to her.
“Who are you!” she demanded. “You wear no insignia on your tunics. Who are you?” She pulled at the slave bracelets. The chain scraped at the bark. “Beware my wrath!” she said.
My master gave a sign and a man, from behind, lifting her feet, one by one, slipped her sandals from her. She then stood barefoot, her small feet in the crushed leaves and twigs at the foot of the tree. She shuddered. She was a rich, spoiled girl. I supposed she had never been barefoot out of doors before.
“Who are you?” she whispered. No longer was she arrogant. She was now afraid. Commonly slaves go barefoot.
“Your captor,” said my master, speaking to her for the first time.
“I will bring a high ransom,” she said.
He put his thumb under her chin, and pushed up her head. She was, the veils gone, a delicately featured, beautiful girl. Her head was up, painfully high, his thumb under her chin. She had a lovely throat. He was perhaps considering in what sort of collar it might look best. Her hair was dark. I could not tell its color in the light. The Lady Sabina, I supposed, was more beautiful than I, but I did not think she was more beautiful than her maids. As a slave, she would be less than they, on most blocks.
“Keep me for ransom, Warrior,” she said, frightened. I think she knew her face and throat were being assessed, as might have been those of a slave.
He removed his thumb from under her chin.
“It would be irrational not to keep me for ransom,” she said. “My ransom will be far higher than any price you could realize on me in a market.”
This was surely true, though it was true, too, she was quite beautiful.
“Surely,” said she, “you did not attack my retinue merely to carry off a girl to wear your collar.”
“No,” said my master. “There is, of course, the matter of the treasure dowry.”
“Of course,” she said. She now breathed more easily. “You are common bandits,” she said. Then she said, “You have done well, stout fellows. Your loot is valuable. The dowry is immense and rich. And I, too, in ransom, will bring you much, more even than the dowry you have so boldly taken. But return to me now my veils, and my sandals, too, for my ransom surely will be less if it be understood my modesty has been so grievously compromised. Your boldness, for the honor of my name and the security of your skins, may remain our secret.”
“The Lady Sabina is generous,” said my master. ~ Slave Girl of Gor, pp. 147-148.

As earlier stated, not only is the institutions of capturing free women universal on Gor, it’s a normal part of every day life, a thing for free women to fear (or secretly thrill to). You can well imagine that these men weren’t convicted of any crime of face-stripping a free woman… A few quotes on the capturing of free women, their feelings on the matter, their upbringing to prepare for such a capture… just because. -smiles-

The harsh, exogamous institution of capture is woven into the very fabric of Gorean life. It is regarded as meritorious to abduct one’s women from a foreign, preferably hostile city. Perhaps this institution, which on the surface seems so deplorable, is profitable from the standpoint of the race, preventing the gradual inbreeding of otherwise largely isolated, self-sufficient cities. 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. One cruel courtesan in the great city of Ar, now little more than a toothless, wrinkled hag, boasted that more than four hundred men had died because of her beauty. ~ Outlaw of Gor, pp. 50-51.

The institution of capture is universal, to the best of my knowledge, on Gor; there is no city which does not honor it, provided the females captured are those of the enemy, either their free women or their slaves; it is often a young tarnsman’s first mission, the securing of a female, preferably free, from an enemy city, to enslave, that his sisters may be relieved of the burden of serving him; indeed, his sisters often encourage him to be prompt in the capture of an enemy wench that their own tasks may be made the lighter; when the young tarnsman, if successful, returns home from his capture flight, a girl bound naked across the saddle, his sisters welcome her with delight, and with great enthusiasm prepare her for the Feast of Collaring. ~ Tribesmen of Gor, pg. 159.

She, the free woman, a free person, might be trampled by tharlarion, or be run through, or have her throat cut, by victors. Such things were certainly possible. On the other hand, the free women of a conquered city, or at least the fairest among them, are often reckoned by besiegers as counting within the yield of prospective loot. Many is the free female in such a city who has torn away her robes before enemies, confessed her natural slavery, disavowed her previous masquerade as a free woman, and begged for the rightfulness of the brand and collar. This is a scene which many free woman have enacted in their imagination. Such things figure, too, in the dreams of woman, those doors to the secret truths of their being. ~ Magicians of Gor, pg. 19.

The Gorean girl is, even if free, accustomed to slavery; she will perhaps own one or more slaves herself; she knows that she is weaker than men and what this can mean; she knows that cities fall and caravans are plundered; she knows she might even, by a sufficiently bold warrior, be captured in her own quarters and, bound and hooded, be carried by tarnback over the walls of her own city. Moreover, even if she is never enslaved, she is familiar with the duties of slaves and what is expected of them; if she should be enslaved she will know, on the whole, what is expected of her, what is permitted her and what is not; moreover the Gorean girl is literally educated, fortunately or not, to the notion that it is of great importance to know how to please men; accordingly, even girls who will be free companions, and never slaves, learn the preparation and serving of exotic dishes, the arts of walking, and standing, and being beautiful, the care of a man’s equipment, the love dances of their city, and so on. ~ Nomads of Gor, pg. 63.</blockquote>

Now, it’s very true that free women were highly prized and respected. These women are the key to the insurance of the family name and caste continuing to thrive, as slaves are not allowed to birth a free child. Companionship on Gor has nothing to do with love, but in most cases, is simply a contracturally binding tool. Such is a Gorean reasoning, that while the free woman is free, that truly only the slave is more free in her slavery, and that only a slave really knows love. While the free woman may be sexually active, insofar as being a Companion that generally is for the reason of procreation, while the slave is the true lover of a Gorean man. Of course, there are those exceptions in which the woman may be his Companion, but in the intimacy of his bedroom, may be his secret slave.

<blockquote>”A free woman is inordinately precious. She is a thousand times, and more, above a mere slave.” ~ Players of Gor, pg. 92.

Goreans, in their simplistic fashion, often contend, categorically, that man is naturally free and woman is naturally slave. But even for them the issues are more complex than these simple formulations would suggest. For example, there is no higher person, nor one more respected, than the Gorean free woman. Even a slaver who has captured a free woman often treats her with great solicitude until she is branded. Then his behavior toward her is immediately and utterly transformed. She is then merely an animal, and is treated as such. Goreans do believe, however, that every woman has a natural master or set of masters, with respect to whom she could not help but be a complete and passionate slave girl. These men occur in her dreams and fantasies. She lives in terror that she might meet one in real life. ~ Hunters of Gor, pg. 311.

The Goreans claim that in each woman there is a free companion, proud and beautiful, worthy and noble, and in each, too, a slave girl. The companion seeks for her companion; the slave girl for her master. It is further said, that on the couch, the Gorean girl, whether slave or free, who has had the experience, who has tried all loves, begs for a master. She wishes to belong completely to a man, withholding nothing, permitted to withhold nothing. And, of course, of all women, only a slave girl may truly belong to a man, only a slave girl can be truly his, in all ways, utterly, totally, completely, his, selflessly, at his mercy, his ecstatic slave, helpless and joyous in the total submission which she is given no choice but to yield. ~ Hunters of Gor, pp. 102-103.

His companion, I supposed, was no longer attractive to him, or, perhaps, in the prides of her freedom, was too remote to be much in his attention. It is easiest for a man to see a woman who is at his feet, begging to be seen. ~ Slave Girl of Gor, pg. 139.

“Frigidity is a neurotic luxury,” I told her. “It is allowed only to free women, probably because no one cares that much about them. Indeed, frigidity is one of the titles and permissions implicated in the lofty status of a free woman. For many it is, in effect, their proudest possession. It distinguishes them from the lowly slave girl. It proves to themselves and others that they are free. Should they be enslaved, of course, it is, for better or for worse, taken from them, like their property and their clothing.”
“Not all free women are frigid,” she said.
“Of course not,” I said, “but there is actually a scale, so to speak, in such matters. But just as some free women are insufficiently inert, or cold, to qualify, strictly, as frigid, perhaps to their chagrin, so none of them, I think, are sufficiently ignited to qualify in the ranges of “slave-girl hot,” so to speak. A free woman’s sexuality may generally be thought of in terms of degrees of inertness, or coolness; a slave girl’s sexuality, on the other hand, may generally be thought of in terms of degrees of responsive passion, or heat. Some slave girls are hotter than others, of course, just as some free women are less cold than others, whether this pleases them or not. Whereas the free woman normally maintains a plateau of frigidity, however, the slave girl will usually increase in degrees of heat, this a function of her master, his strength, her training, and such. The slave girl grows in passion; the free woman languishes in her frigidity, congratulating herself on the starvation of her needs.” ~ Beasts of Gor, pp. 243-244.

Women who have not been previously owned, like free women, for the most part, even if naked and collared, do not yet understand their sexuality. That can only be taught to them by a man, they helpless, in his power. An unowned girl, a free woman, thus, can never experience her full sexuality. A corollary to this, of course, is that a man who has never had an owned woman in his arms does not understand the full power of his manhood. Sexual heat, it might be mentioned, is looked upon in free women with mixed feelings; it is commanded, however, in a slave girl. Passion, it is thought, deprives the free woman to some extent of her freedom and self-control; it is frowned upon because it makes her behave, to some extent, like a degraded female slave; free women, thus, to protect their honor and dignity, their freedom and personhood, their individuality, must fight passion; the slave girl, of course, is not entitled to this privilege; it is denied to her, both by her society and her master; while the free woman must remain cool and in control of herself, even in the arms of her companion, to avoid being truly “had,” so to speak, the slave girl is permitted no such luxury; no woman is so frequently, so profoundly, so uncompromisingly, so helplessly, so completely, so irresistibly “had” as she; her control, you see, is in the hands of her master, and she must, upon the mere word of her master, surrender herself, writhing, to the humiliating heats of a degraded slave girl’s ecstasy. Only when a woman is owned can she be fully enjoyed. ~ Tribesmen of Gor, pg. 17.

Freedom and love are both estimable values. Some women choose freedom; others choose love. ~ Slave Girl of Gor, pg. 333.

… even among free lovers, I have heard, the man, in the fullness of his heat, often laughs at the woman’s illusion of freedom and seizes her to him as a slave; how marvelous to the man, then, if she is truly a slave. ~ Slave Girl of Gor, pg. 361.

A woman, I had learned, must choose between freedom and love. Both are estimable virtues. Let each choose which is best for her. ~ Slave Girl of Gor, pg. 442.

Now … as far as disrespect of free women toward men, indeed they might well open their mouths and be impudent. Most Gorean men find it amusing. There are usually repercussions.

Whereas a free woman may often make a man angry with impunity, she being lofty and free, this latitude is seldom extended to the slave. ~ Blood Brothers of Gor, pg. 221.

It is not difficult, of course, to take insolence from a woman, considering what might later be done with them. Indeed, it can sometimes be amusing, considering what might later be done with them. ~ Mercenaries of Gor, pg. 7.

Once in Ar, several years ago, several free women, in their anger at slaves, and perhaps jealous of the pleasures of masters and slaves, entered a paga tavern with clubs and axes, seeking to destroy it. This is, I believe, an example, though a rather extreme one, of a not unprecedented sort of psychological reaction, the attempt, by disparagement or action, motivated by envy, jealousy, resentment, or such, to keep from others pleasures which one oneself is unable, or unwilling, to enjoy. In any event, as a historical note, the men in the tavern, being Gorean, and thus not being inhibited or confused by negativistic, antibiological traditions, quickly disarmed the women. They then stripped them, bound their hands behind their back, put them on a neck rope, and, by means of switches, conducted them swiftly outside the tavern. The women were then, outside the tavern, on the bridge of twenty lanterns, forced to witness the burning of their garments. They were then permitted to leave, though still bound and in coffle. Gorean men do not surrender their birthright as males, their rightful dominance, their appropriate mastery. They do not choose to be dictated to by females. ~ Magicians of Gor, pg. 51.

Which brings us to the case of Elizabeth, who was only for a short time a free woman in Assassin of Gor. During this time, Tarl had brought her to Ko-ro-ba, where she caused quite a stir. In fact, she did face-strip a free woman, but not to degrade her, but rather to enlist assistance in her Earthly feminist effort to cause rebellion amongst free women and the laws regarding women in general. In fact, it even allowed for the slave Rena to address the free woman by name! Note, too, that a few of the men made, of course, catcalls to the women, which is why Relia slapped one of them. I’ll discuss this in a moment, but first, the affront of Elizabeth…

Then Elizabeth strode to her and, to the girl’s horror, on one of the public high bridges, face-stripped her. The girl screamed but no one came to her aid, and Elizabeth spun her about, peeling off layers of Robes of Concealment until, in a heavy pile of silk, brocade, satin and starched muslin the girl stood in a sleeveless, rather brief orange tunic, attractive, of a sort sometimes worn by free women in the privacy of their own quarters. The girl stood there, wringing her hands and wailing. The slave girl had backed off, looking as though she might topple off the bridge in sheer terror.
Elizabeth regarded the free woman. “Well,” she said, “you are rather beautiful, aren’t you?”
The free woman stopped wailing. “Do you think so?” she asked.
“Twenty gold pieces, I’d say,” appraised Elizabeth.
“I’d give twenty-three,” said one of the men watching, the same fellow whom Elizabeth had slapped.
In fury the free woman turned about and slapped him again, it not being his day in Ko-ro-ba.
“What do you think?” asked Elizabeth of the cringing slave girl.
“Oh, I would not know,” she said, “I am only a poor girl of Tyros.”
“That is your misfortune,” said Elizabeth. “What is your name?”
“Rena,” said she, “if it pleases Mistress.”
“It will do,” said Elizabeth. “Now, what do you think?”
“Rena?” asked the girl.
“Yes,” snapped Elizabeth. “Perhaps you are a dull-witted slave?”
The girl smiled. “I would say twenty-five gold pieces,” she said.
Elizabeth, with the others, inspected the free girl. “Yes,” said Elizabeth, “Rena, I think you’re right.” Then she looked at the free girl. “What is your name, Wench?” she demanded. The girl blushed. “Relia,” she said. Then she looked at the slave girl. “Do you really think I would bring so high a price-Rena?”
“Yes, Mistress,” said the girl.
“Yes, Relia,” corrected Elizabeth.
The girl looked frightened for a moment. “Yes-Relia,” she said.
Relia laughed with pleasure.
“I don’t suppose an exalted free woman like yourself,” said Elizabeth, “drinks Ka-la-na?”
“Of course I do,” said Relia.
“Well,” said Elizabeth, turning to me, who had been standing there, as flabbergasted as any on the bridge, “we shall have some.” She looked at me. “You there,” she said, “a coin for Ka-la-na.”
Dumbfounded I reached in my pouch and handed her a coin, a silver Tarsk.
Elizabeth then took Relia by one arm and Rena by the other. “We are off,” she announced, “to buy a bottle of wine.”
“Wait,” I said, “I’ll come along.”
“No, you will not,” she said, with one foot kicking Relia’s discarded Robes of Concealment from the bridge. “You,” she announced, “are not welcome.”
Then, arm in arm, the three girls started off down the bridge.
“What are you going to talk about?” I asked, plaintively.
“Men,” said Elizabeth, and went her way, the two girls, much pleased, laughing beside her. ~ Assassin of Gor, pp. 75-76.

While we got to enjoy that particular scene, we never were given any vision of what eventually happened to Relia, or Rena. Or what would have happened to Elizabeth had she and Tarl not headed off for their investigative work in Ar to save the world. Tarl does conjecture, however:

I do not know whether or not Elizabeth’s continued presence in Ko-ro-ba would have initiated a revolution among the city’s free women or not. Surely there had been scandalized mention of her in circles even as august as that of the High Council of the City. My own father, Administrator of the City, seemed unnerved by her. ~ Assassin of Gor, pp. 76-77.

Of course, there are other instances of women outraged by lack of decorum by men, though again, while for the moment they might get away with it, the future might catch up to them and their behavior:

Though on Gor the free maiden is by custom expected to see her future companion only after her parents have selected him, it is common knowledge that he is often a youth she has met in the marketplace. He who speaks for her hand, especially if she is of low caste, is seldom unknown to her, although the parents and the young people as well solemnly act as though this were the case. The same maiden whom her father must harshly order into the presence of her suitor, the same shy girl who, her parents approvingly note, finds herself delicately unable to raise her eyes in his presence, is probably the same girl who slapped him with a fish yesterday and hurled such a stream of invective at him that his ears still smart, and all because he had accidentally happened to be looking in her direction when an unpredictable wind had, in spite of her best efforts, temporarily disarranged the folds of her veil. ~ Outlaw of Gor, pp. 67-68.

I conclude that while the books are in black and white, there are many things not so clearly in black and white. The “crime” mentioned could well have been a personal crime, as opposed to a man jailed for face-stripping a woman.

The only thing to remember, is that Gor is a man’s world.

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The Capitalization of Slave Names

Capitalization of particular words, such as nouns is done much differently in the Gorean language. Rather than being based on the word being a noun, the context of the words determines capitalization.

“Interestingly, Goreans, although they do not capitalize all nouns do capitalize many more of them than would be capitalized in, say, English or French. Sometimes context determines capitalization.” — Beasts of Gor, page 37.

I had someone tell me once that in one of the books, two free men discussed lower-casing a slave’s name.  I suppose that person has different books than I have; I have first-editions of all, save 2 or 3, hard copies of the Gorean series, and none of my books contain anything like that.  Names, whether free or slave, were capitalized because they were considered nouns in the Gorean language.  While the quote above does not specifically mention names, there are various instances in the books were certain words were capitalized and at other times not. Prime examples are:  P/pager, U/ubar, K/kajira and M/master.  However, names were consistently capitalized.

Someone said to me, “Well, in the BOOKS it’s capitalized because it’s literary.”  Meaning, it’s in written word.  Hello!  That’s how online roleplaying takes place — with written word.

The idea of the lower case of a slave’s name comes not from Gor but from BDSM rooms.  This “tradition” which technically is not Gorean in the true sense of the word, was carried over into the Gorean world mostly because people wanted insta-knowledge.

This is a roleplay venue, and in such a venue, it adds to the intrigue, the all around roleplay environment and experience, to discover if a person is slave or free by — roleplaying!  What a concept, yes?  -smiles-   I know of a home that allowed no tags at all, other than an avatar, so that when you approach a person, you can “see” the person’s status (i.e., is he or she in robes of green? blue? yellow?  naked? ta-teera? silks? kes? collar?).  In fact, I had helped establish that home  hired to do their webpages.  I visited a few times as an observer just to watch, and it was rather remarkable roleplay mdash; and better still mdash; everyone ENJOYED it.  You learn about people a whole lot differently when you have to actually interact and not have that insta-knowledge that really is often times less than trustworthy.

I’m trying to picture a table-top roleplay scenario that would compare with say, an online scenario:

Man approaches a very obviously naked woman. He sees her wearing a collar of steel. Yet. He stops to question her: “Tal woman — is your name lower- or upper-cased first of all?”
“Tal capitalized Master, I am lower-cased shiela!”
“Tal lower-cased shiela http://viagr..otc-viagra/!”

Kind of silly, yes, but … I know there will be those that get it, and those that do not.

I am a Gorean from the time that Gor existed on a site known as Webmaze (I believe that goes back to 1998 if my brain serves me correctly!) and prior to that, I belonged to a select ragtag bunch that gathered together in the halls of AOL back in 1996, in a private room that was named not where a “Gorean” might recognize, but did engage in Gorean roleplay. In that room, names were capitalized. It was when I arrived in HTML chat to discover the lower capping of names.

There are those that argue that having your name lower-cased not only makes you a slave, but makes you feel like a slave.

That’s a bunch of bosk dung.

What makes a person a slave is what is within an individual.  What makes a person feel like a slave is the manner by which frees treats one who is a slave.  While a person may have a submissive nature, it’s up to the dominant to exert that control in such a way that one knows and understands their status.

I’ve worn my name lower-cased for many a year.  I’d say that 99% of the time, I did not feel like I was treated like a slave; oftentimes treated as an equal by select frees who still considered me their “sister.” However, there was one who did make me feel like I was a slave, but it had nothing to do with capitalization of the first letter of my name.  It was the manner in which he treated me, guided me.  Unfortunately, that lasted all of but a few months before real life took him away permanently. 

It has been argued by those in favor the of the lower case use of a slave’s name being that a name in itself is a gift of the free person who owns the slave, and by utilizing the lower case provides lesser emphasis on the slave’s name and increases importance of the free person’s name.

While it’s true that a name is the gift of one’s owner, to lower case the name doesn’t cause me to feel lesser emphasis on my name; it’s more a glaring defiance of good grammar.  As a slave, the importance of a free person’s name really ISN’T important to a slave, for slaves do not use the name of their owner.  Oftentimes, slaves did not know the name of who owned them.

There are dozens of influences which make up a slave, transform a slave.  I would say that a shift in capitalization is one of the more minor influences, but it is a clear distinction which began not as some sort of metagaming “insta-knowledge” but as a method to reinforce the slave’s condition.

Whenever owned and instructed by my owner to capitalize my name, I feel no superiority by wearing it as such.  Quite the contrary.  My master ensured that I did not feel superior, that I did feel and know that I am without a doubt, absolutely a slave.  In my few short months with a capitalized name, I had far exceeded feeling like a slave, acting like a slave in comparison to 8+ years of having a lower-cased name.  My master wass far from being a newbie, and I am certain that if I gave him just cause to take something away from me, there would be no hesitation on his part to do so. 

I had one master, briefly, who also kept my name capped.  However, if I did something wrong, he would speak to me using my name lower-cased, as a means of inflecting his demeanor, to know that he was reminding me of my status as his slave.  If he typed my name with a capital, then I knew I was not under punishment. It was a means of enunciating through written word, the demeanor of temperament.  Since roleplay relies heavily on the written word and expression of enuciation, it worked incredibly and I truly felt his displeasure.

Everytime I hear (or read) someone spout “Tradition!” I think of “Fiddler on the Roof” … Traditions were made for a reason, for a particular good at the time the event which led to the creation of it; traditions grow outdated and/or unnecessary.

However, the one and truly only valid point I will end with is this: 

As has been argued, it is the gift of the owner that a slave have a name. It’s also up to that absolutely up to the slave’s owner what is done with his slave, which includes whatever name is given, how it is spelled, written and/or typed.

“The relationship between a master and his slave is absolute,” it is said by John Norman.

I wish you well.

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Questioning Gorean Leader(ship)s

In the natural order of things, we as humans seek safety in numbers; such provides for survival, despite that it does tend to dampen individual thinking. 

And so, we have rooms filled with those of like minds, perhaps people drawn to such room because the leader proclaims his belief of Gor as 1, 2 and 3 with no ifs ands or butts.  Some people may have similar ideals, others simply think, “man this fellow has his shit together” and then others who simply look to the numbers in the room and decide well something must be right, and it looks safe.

Without room to debate, because the leader of the room has already decided that Gor is his way, rather than more in accordance with what John Norman has provided, to deviate that line of thinking, to offer your own individual opinion and suggestions, is to ultimately divide you; you against him, or them, however you want to view it.  Each individual who raises their hand and questions eventually breaks off and seeks to find that place that will allow them to ask questions.

I remember the church I was raised in and when I got older and braver and started questioning specific doctrine of that church (not of Christianity, per se, but the particular belief of that sect), I was met with a mix of reactions; some favorable, and a lot of wide shocked faces.  Who knew inside that shy dutiful girl laid a mind ticking away at all the inconsistencies and then daring to question.  -chuckles-  Ah, good times. 

Comparatively, that questioning girl left that sect as much as the questioning girl left a home on Gor under quite similar conditions. 

And comparatively, that questioning girl has since enjoyed many a conversation with others within the Christian faith, but of different sects, sharing and exploring the differences of philosophical opinion, just as that questioning girl had enjoyed many a conversation with others in the Gorean community about the differences of opinion about Gor.  On occasion, that girl is met with those that take the stance that their opinion (be it of religion, Gor, et al)  is the sole correct and absolute opinion; kind of sad really when you think about it.

Gorean Leaders, those rulers of a chat room, are nobody special. They are human. They are infallible. They do not know everything.

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The Natural Order

Every time I read about the “Natural Order” it makes me giggle. 

You see, John Norman’s view of the “Natural Order” is just one of a zillion different philosophies on what exactly the natural order is.  John Norman tackles the natural order as it applies to humankind and the natural inclination of dominance and submission.  He is not alone, and as there are different philosophers that have also broached this subject, their philosophies are as different as they are. 

We, as participants in this genre are somewhat philosophers.  Those of you who practice, preach, et al religious theory are somewhat philosophers.

So, whose philosophy is right?

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On Gorean Men (in the books)

I’ve read various things, be it posts on message boards, or in discussions in a room among other Goreans, on those men portrayed in the various books of Gor written by John Norman, as to which of them were the epitome of a Gorean man, those men who should serve as a positive role model.

I’ll begin with Tarl, being that he was the protagonist in most of the book series.

Tarl is a rather laughable ideal of the typical Gorean man, or a positive role model for Gorean men.  There are far better such men who were born on Gor, and exemplify both the strengths and weaknesses.

Tarl was a man of Earth, who eventually adapted to Gor, though not in entirety.  He grew Earth-weak when forced to choose life over death, yet -gasp- he was supposed to be a Gorean warrior!  How sickened I grew of him in Raiders, and I longed to see his end, and a greater man of Gor become more focused upon.

It is said, I believe in Savages or Blood Brothers, I read it recently which is why it lingers in my mind, that simply the name Tarl Cabot spoken, illicits the majority of women on Gor to become aroused. 

Oh please …

Then we got Jason, who was even worse than Tarl.

I read a post on a message board not long ago in which the fellow considered Jason one of the best Gorean men to fashion oneself after.  Oh good grief…

Jason was weaker still than Tarl, his epoch mostly involving his desire to find the woman of Earth he had been infatuated with, Beverly Henderson, and to save her from the evil world of Gor.  While he went on to help rid the Vosk of pirates, it was never clearly believed as a reader that Jason became “Gorean.”

Now, Drusus Rencius…  To have him as one of the main characters in a long series would be superbly delightful …

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On Restricting Slaves

This subject is one that has given me a few eye rolls and chuckles, of hearing the rants of those that claim to know all there is to know of Gor and submission and all that, to then turn around and say, there was no such thing as resticting slaves on Gor.  Better yet is when that person actually has had a slave he himself had restricted!

I will comment further on this in short time, as well as provide adequate quotes to show that there was such a thing as a restricted slave.

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Slave Abandonment on Gor

Oh. I know you’re thinking, EEK! Not another one of THOSE posts”  of the whining abandoned slave…

Mmmmhmmm…  nope.   -chuckles-

At various points in time, we have all seen posts on message boards through out Gor on the subject of slave abandonment.  Everyone is certain that this just did not happen on Gor, that this is an online anomaly.

I was one of those that believed it so as well, but in one of my re-readings of Mercenaries, I happened upon this interesting passage:

We passed a slave girl, kneeling, chained by the neck to a slave ring. It was fixed in the side of a building, fastened to its bolted plate, about a yard above the level of the street. Her face was stained with tears. She had her hands clutched desperately on the chain, near the ring. I did not know if her master had put her there, intending to return for her, or if she had been abandoned. She was naked. She would remain where she was. She was chained there.   ~  Mercenaries of Gor, pp. 130-31

Unfortunately, this was all that was ever mentioned, but apparently, abandonment isn’t just an online anomaly after all…

Of course, the above quote cannot be taken just as it stands; one has to know the story of why such a comment made.  This, of course, was a period in time when war and strife fell a city, and the likelihood that the owner of the slave could be dead, or simply left to ensure the safety and welfare of his family.

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On Loving Gor … or Not Loving Gor

What really irks me are people who say, “I’m quitting Gor because there are too many idiots. I cannot love Gor anymore.”

To love Gor is to love not only the good, but the bad.  Even in the books, there were encountered the idiots.  You didn’t see those Goreans throwing up their hands and crying, “OH! The idiots are destroying our love of our world! *sobsobsob*”

More on this subject shortly…

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