Uh Oh, I Did It Again

As many know, the books written by John Norman are filled with errors and contradictions galore. This page is dedicated to such, strictly to put a smile on faces. For some reason, when I read this page, I picture Yosemite Sam stomping his feet, all beet-red in the face, saying, "I made a boo-boo! I made a BOO-BOO! I MADE A BOO-BOO!" :)

To Curla or Not to Koora

In this blooper, Mr. Norman seems to have forgotten exactly what a Curla is:

"Indeed, when Elizabeth finished, Tuka wore only the Curla, the red band that ties back the hair, and this band now knotted her wrists behind her back." — Nomads of Gor, page 342.

Kalda, How Do I Spell Thee, Let Me Count the Ways…

In this blooper, either Mr. Norman misspells Kal-da, or someone did a bad job proofing:

"I swilled down the last of the Cal-da. I had not had it since Tharna." — Beasts of Gor, page 61.

Tospit Bush Baby or Tree Swinger?

Okay. So which is it that bears the tospit fruit — a Tospit Bush or a Tospit Tree? It would seem that John Norman made an error.

"… I raced past a wooden wand fixed in the earth, on the top of which was placed a dried tospit, a small, wrinkled, yellowish-white peachlike fruit, about the size of a plum, which grows on the tospit bush, patches of which are indigenous to the drier valleys of the western Cartius. They are bitter but edible." — Nomads of Gor, page 59.

"On the way back to the hall, cutting through the tospit trees, we had passed by the sul patch." — Marauders of Gor, page 103.

The answer to this question could be quite simple: just as the larma comes in two very different, yet similar varieties, the tospit also comes in two (2) varieties: the rare, long-stemmed variety, which grows on the tospit bush, indigenous to the dry valleys of the western Cartius, and the common tospit, which grows on trees and are often grown commercially in orchards.

Cherries are an example of fruit that is grown on both bush and tree. Also, citrus trees tend to grow like bushes, with branches low to the ground.

So, perhaps John Norman should be allowed the benefit of the doubt on this one, since citrus fruits are known to have both tree and bush forms.

TWO Cities Named Kasra?

Would Norman do this to us? Or did he forget he already had a city named Kasra?

I tend to believe the latter for various reasons. Of course, the most obvious reason is that Norman is known for this sort of thing. However, my idea that it was indeed a blooper has more to do with reasoning of probability.

Gor is one huge continent surrounded by Thassa, the sea. We know only of those ports on the western shores of the continent, but nothing on the eastern side. Norman teaches us that Gor is mostly terra incognita, and this eastern part of the continent is the land area known as the Barrens, and beyond this? Untamed land, according to the author.

Keeping all this in mind, the main portion of the continent is that which extends from the southern plains to the northern tundras; the cities Turia and Tor to the south, the holdings of the jarls of Torvaldsland and the intermittent villages of the tundra in the north. Travel was limited to the animals utilized; tarn, tharlarion, kaiila, and bosk. Long-term travel relied upon ships. Therefore, most of the populous areas on the mainland were well-traveled by the merchant caravans, keeping each end of Gor united, through the trade of goods; weapons to the south served by those caravans bearing goods from the north, specifically Ar, and spices and silks served by those caravans bearing goods from the south, specifically Tor.

Therefore, the cities famed for certain exports were well-known by most Goreans; at least as far as names and associations. For example: Tor, for its dates, silks, and spices; Schendi for the palm wine and gems; Cos, for the fine ta-wines; Ar for the ka-la-na and paga breweries and Cur-lon fiber mills; and … Kasra for its red salt.

To have yet another Kasra, another city of great import, the capital city of the island of Tyros — seems confusing and not in following with the cultural differences found on Gor. Kasra is a city within the desert lands — and — Kasra is a fortress on a major island populated by a different culture? It doesn't ring as true and definitely feels like a blooper on Norman's part.

Or. Somehow, Tyros floats in both Thassa and the Lower Fayeen River. ;)

• Kasra [1]
Port city located on the Lower Fayeen River, famous for its red salt.

We went to the man. "This is Ibn Saran, salt merchant of the river port of Kasra," said Samos. The red salt of Kasra, so called from its port of embarkation, was famed on Gor. It was brought from secret pits and mines, actually, deep in the interior, bound in heavy cylinders on the backs of pack kaiila. — Tribesmen of Gor, page 20.

"At its northwestern corner lay Tor, West of Tor, on the Lower Fayeen, a sluggish, meandering tributary, like the Upper Fayeen, to the Cartius, lay the river port of Kasra, known for its export of salt. It was in this port that the warehouses of Ibn Saran, salt merchant, currently the guest of Samos of Port Kar, were to be found. This city, too, was indicated in the cording of his agal, and in the stripes of his djellaba." — Tribesmen of Gor, pages 32-33.

Tor, lying at the northwest corner of the Tahari, is the principal supplying point for the scattered oasis communities of that dry vastness, almost a continent of rock, and heat, and wind and sand. These communities, sometimes quite large, numbering in hundreds, sometimes thousands of citizens depending on the water available, are often hundreds of pasangs apart. They depend on caravans, usually from Tor, sometimes from Kasra, sometimes even from far Turia, to supply many of their needs." — Tribesmen of Gor, pages 36-37.

"I had arrived in Tor four days ago, after first taking tarn to Kasra. There I had sold the bird, for I did not wish to be conspicuous in Tor, as would surely as a tarnsman. From Kasra I had taken a dhow upriver on the Lower Fayeen, until I reached the village of Kurtzal, which lies north, overland, from Tor. Goods which are to be transported from Tor to Kasra sometimes are first taken overland to Kurtzal, and thence west on the river. Kurtzal is little more than a loading and shipping point." — Tribesmen of Gor, page 41.

• Kasra [2]
The capitol city of Tyros.

"Kasra is the capitol of Tyros; its only other major city is Tentium." — Raiders of Gor, page 41.

This Little Torvaldsland Ax o' Mine…

The Torvaldsland ax is considered to be one of the most fearsome weapons on Gor; a great, curved-bladed ax whose blade of up to twelve inches and the handle of three to five feet. Designed to be weilded two-handed, it can also be ultilized single-handed by one strong enough.

"I knew this man of Torvaldsland only by reputation. He was a rover, a great captain, a pirate, a trader, a warrior. It had been he, and his men, who had freed Chenbar of Tyros, the Sea Sleen, from a dungeon in Port Kar, breaking through to him, shattering his chains with the blunt hammerlike backs of their great, curved, single-bladed axes. He was said to be fearless, and mighty, swift with sword and axe, fond of jokes, a deep drinker, a master of pretty wenches, and a madman. But he had taken in fee from Chenbar Chenbar's weight in the sapphires of Shendi. I did not think him too mad." — Marauders of Gor, page 27.

"With a roar of laughter, hurling the shroud from him, to the horror of the High Initiate, and other initiates, and the congregation, Ivar Forkbeard, almost seven feet in height, leaped to his feet, in his right hand clutching a great, curved, single-bladed ax of hardened iron." — Marauders of Gor, page 39.

Though the hall of Ivar Forkbeard was built only of turf and stone, and though he himself was outlaw, he had met me at its door, after I had been bidden wait outside, in his finest garments of scarlet and gold, and carrying a bowl of water and a towel. "Welcome to the hall of Ivar Forkbeard," he had said. I had washed my hands and face in the bowl, held by the master of the house himself, and dried myself on the towel. Then invited within I had been seated across from him in the place of honor. Then from his chests, within the hall, he had given me a long, swirling cloak of the fur of sea sleen; a bronze-headed spear; a shield of painted wood, reinforced with bosses of iron; the shield was red in color, the bosses enameled yellow; a helmet, conical, of iron, with hanging chain, and a steel nosepiece, that might be raised and lowered in its bands; and, too, a shirt and trousers of skin; and, too, a broad ax, formed in the fashion of Torvaldsland, large, curved, single-bladed; and four rings of gold, that might be worn on the arm. — Marauders of Gor, page 96.

Oops! Now the Torvaldsland ax is double bladed like a Kurii ax!

"I looked to one side. There, lost to the bustle in the tavern, oblivious to the music, sat two men across a board of one hundred red and yellow squares, playing Kaissa, the game. One was a Player, a master who makes his living, though commonly poorly, from the game, playing for a cup of paga perhaps and the right to sleep in the taverns for the night. The other, sitting cross-legged with him, was the broad-shouldered, blond giant from Torvaldsland whom I had seen earlier. He wore a shaggy jacket. His hair was braided. His feet and legs were bound in skins and cords. The large, curved, double-bladed, long-handled ax lay beside him. On his large brown leather belt, confining the long shaggy jacket he wore, which would have fallen to his knees, were carved the luck signs of the north. Kaissa is popular in Torvaldsland as well as elsewhere on Gor. In halls, it is often played far into the night, by fires, by the northern giants. Sometimes disputes, which otherwise might be settled only by ax or sword, are willingly surrendered to a game of Kaissa, if only for the joy of engaging in the game. The big fellow was of Torvaldsland. The master might have been from as far away as Ar, or Tor, or Turia. But they had between them the game, its fascination and its beauty, reconciling whatever differences, in dialect, custom or way of light might divide them." — Hunters of Gor, page 47.

Dazed and Confused in the Swamps

The Swamp Forest so noted in Tarnsman, in the swamplands outside of Ar, seems to have a confusing location. Later, we read that not only does it border Ar to the north, but also to the south. At least at first glance it does. However, when you actually read the two quotes, you see that John Norman simply forgot where he had initially put the characters and the swamp forest in relation to that of Ar.

"The third day's camp was made in the swamp forest that borders the city of Ar on the north. I had chosen this area because it is the most uninhabitable area within tarn strike of Ar. I had seen to many village cooking fires last night, and twice I had heard the tarn whistles of nearby patrols - groups of three warriors flying their rounds. The thought crossed my mind, of giving up the project, turning outlaw, if you will, deserter, if you like, but of saving my own skin, trying to get out of this mad scheme if only with my life, and that only for a time." — Tarnsman of Gor, page 74.

"I remembered her as I had seen her, in the swamp forest, south of Ar, with Nar the spider, and in the Ka-la-na grove, where I had freed her from the chains of a slave, only to put mine upon her; and in the caravan of Mintar, of the Merchants, in her collar, mine, and slave tunic, with Kazrak, my sword brother; and her dancing in my tent; and she upon the lofty cylinder of justice, in Ar, threatened with impalement, and as she had been, beautiful and loving, in the hours of our Free Companionship in Ko-ro-ba, before I had awakened again, stiff, bewildered, in the mountains of New Hampshire." — Captive of Gor, page 368.

This Just Torques My Dino

The walled, crossroads city of Torcadino is also found to be spelled Torcodino. In the Chapter 9 title, John Norman spells it Torcodino, as well in a small passage within the chapter. However, all subsequent mention of the city within Mercenaries, as well as in both previously printed and subsequently printed books, is spelt Torcadino, and this seems to apparently be the correct spelling.

"These wholesalers usually distribute to retailers, in their individual cities, or, often, also, in well-known slaving centers, of which there are many, for example, Ar, Ko-ro-ba, Venna, Vonda, Victoria, on the Vosk, Market of Semris, Besnit, Esalinus, Harfax, Corcyus, Argentum, Torcadino, and others." — Dancer of Gor, page 102.

Torcodino, on the flats of Serpeto, is a crossroads city. It is located at the intersection of various routes, the Genesian, connecting Brundisium and other coastal cities with the south, the Northern Salt Line and the Northern Silk Road, leading respectively west and north from the east and south, the Pilgrim's Road, leading to the Sardar , and the Eastern way, sometimes called the Treasure Road, which links the western cities with Ar. Supposedly Torcodino, with its strategic location, was an ally of Ar. I gathered, however, that it had, in recent weeks, shifted its allegiances. It is sometimes said that any city can fall, behind the walls of which can be placed a tharlarion laden with gold. Perhaps, too, the councils of Torcodino, did not care to dispute their gates with forces as considerable as those which now surrounded them. The choice between riches and death is one that few men will ponder at length. Still I was surprised that Ar had not moved swiftly on behalf of her ally. Torcodino, as far as I knew, had been left at the mercy of the Cosian armies. The city was now used as a Cosian stronghold and staging area. Mincon, for example, after delivering his goods in Torcodino, was to return northward on the Genesian to Brundisium, where he was scheduled to pick up a new cargo. Certainly the movements of Cos seemed quite leisurely, particularly as it was late in the season. Mercenaries, as I may have mentioned, are often mustered out in the fall, to be recruited anew in the spring. To be sure, in these latitudes, cold though it might become, the red games of war need seldom be canceled.
      "These are the aqueducts of Torcodino!" said Mincon.
      "I see them," I said. The natural wells of Torcodino, originally sufficing for a small population, had, more than a century ago, proved inadequate to furnish sufficient water for an expanding city. Two aqueducts now brought fresh water to Torcodino from more than a hundred pasangs away, one from the Issus, a northwestwardly flowing tributary to the Vosk and the other from springs in the Hills of Eteocles, southwest of Corcyrus. The remote termini of both aqueducts themselves are usually patrolled and, of course, engineers and workmen attend regularly to their inspection and repair. These aqueducts are marvelous constructions, actually, having a pitch of as little as a hort for every pasang. — Mercenaries of Gor, pages 101-102.

"In something like a half of an Ahn we had come to Torcadino's Sun Gate." — Mercenaries of Gor, page 102.

"Judging from the condition of the bodies, the effects of the predations of birds, some still about, jards primarily, and the tattering of the winds and rains, they had been there for several weeks. The ropes on the necks had been tarred to protect them from the weather, and indication that it had been intended they should remain in place for some time. These inert, suspended, desiccated weights, now little more than skulls and the bones of men, with some bits of cloth, fluttering in the air's stirrings, and threads and patches of dried flesh clinging about them, had been arranged in a line along the Avenue of Adminius, the main thoroughfare of Torcadino , near the Semnium, the hall of the high council, doubtless as some sort of mnemonic and admonitory display. They swung creaking, a few feet off the ground, some turning slowly, backward and forward, at the rope's terminations. A child reached up and struck the feet of one, to set it into motion." — Mercenaries of Gor, page 108.

Where OH Where is that Outpost?

John Norman attempts to confuse us once again. He has a river town called Turmus located far to the west on the eastern end of the Vosk's delta. He has a Turian outpost called Turmus located at the southeastern edge of the Tahari, and he has the Stones of Turmus, an outpost of Turia located in Ar! Obviously "Turmus" is a Turian name, and Merchants of this city has possibly built a few outposts — and town — for trade.

"This was irritating to Hassan, and did not much please me either, for the oasis of the Battle of Red Rock was the last of the major oases of the Tahari for more than two thousand pasangs eastward; it lay, in effect, on the borders of the dreaded dune country; there are oases in the dune country but they are small and infrequent, and often lie more than two hundred pasangs apart; in the sands they are not always easy to find: among the dunes one can, unknowingly, pass within ten pasangs of an oasis, missing it entirely. Little but salt caravans ply the dune country. Caravans with goods tend to travel the western or distant eastern edge of the Tahari; caravans do, it might be mentioned, occasionally travel from Tor or Kasra to Turmas, a Turian outpost and kasbah, in the southeastern edge of the Tahari, but even these commonly avoid the dune country, either moving south, then east, or east, then south, skirting the sands. Few men, without good reason, enter the dune country." — Tribesmen of Gor, page 179.

"In the distance, even from the pool, I could see the white, looming walls of the merchant keep, Stones of Turmus, a Turian outpost, licensed for the storage of goods within the realm of Ar. Such outposts are not uncommon on Gor. They are useful in maintaining the security of trade. Their function is not military but commercial. Turia is one of the great trading centers of Gor. It lies far to the south, in the middle latitudes of her southern hemisphere." — Slave Girl of Gor, page 248.

"The next towns west on the river were Victoria and Tafa. West of Tafa was Port Cos, which had been founded by settlers from Cos over a century ago. The major towns west of Port Cos, discounting minor towns were Tetrapoli, Ven and Turmus. Ven at the junction of the Ta-Thassa Cartius and the Vosk, and Turmus, at the eastern end of the Vosk's great delta, the last town on the river itself." — Rogue of Gor, page 65.

Editor's Note

This page is an on-going project and will be updated as time allows.

 

 

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Special Note

Because of the differences in publishing the books, depending upon whether published in the U.S. or Europe, depending upon whether a first publishing or a Masquerade Books release, page numbers will often vary. All of my quotes are from original, first-printing U.S. publications (see The Books page for a listing of publishers and dates) with the exception of the following books:

  • Tarnsman of Gor (2nd Printing, Balantine)
  • Outlaw of Gor (11th Printing, Balantine)
  • Priest-Kings of Gor (2nd Printing, Balantine)
  • Assassin of Gor (10th Printing, Balantine)
  • Raiders of Gor (15th Printing, Balantine)
  • Captive of Gor (3rd Printing, Balantine)

Disclaimer

These pages are not written for any specific home, but rather as informational pages for those not able to get ahold of the books and read them yourself. Opinions and commentaries are strictly my own personal views, therefore, if you don't like what you are reading — then don't. The information in these pages is realistic to what is found within the books. Many sites have added information, assuming the existences of certain products and practices, such as willowbark and agrimony for healing, and travel to earth and back for the collection of goods. I've explored the books, the flora, the fauna, and the beasts, and have compiled from those mentioned, the probabilities of certain practices, and what vegetation mentioned in the books is suitable for healing purposes, as well as given practicalities to other sorts of roleplaying assumptions.