The Not-so-Gentle Giants

"The bosk, without which the Wagon Peoples could not live, is an oxlike creature. It is a huge, shambling animal, with a thick, humped neck and long, shaggy hair. It has a wide head and tiny red eyes, a temper to match that of a sleen, and two long, wicked horns that reach out from its head and suddenly curve forward to terminate in fearful points. Some of these horns, on the larger animals, measured from tip to tip, exceed the length of two spears." — Nomads of Gor, pages 4-5.

Bosk The bosk is an oxlike creature, huge, shambling, with a thick, humped neck and long shaggy fur, a wide head with two tiny red eyes, two long, curving horns, viciously pointed, and a temper to match that of a sleen. These are not the docile cattle found on Earth, and even then, Earthen cattle are not all that docile. Their temperament would be more akin to that of the bison.

The bison of Earth have a massive head and forequarters covered with long, dark brown woolly hair, with a short broad forehead, short neck, and high humped shoulders, and tufted tail. Long hairs of the chin form a long beard. The hips and hindquarters are much smaller and without long hair thus forming a distinct slope from hump to tail. Some stand six feet at the shoulder and weigh as much as a ton. The bison have short, sharp, upcurved horns. During the winter, they grow a shaggy, thick coat of hair which then falls off in patches in spring; their color is dark brown in winter, lighter in summer. Grazing mostly in the morning and evening, grooming is an important part of their daily activity. Bison scrub their heads, necks, and sides on trees, branches and tree trunks and like to wallow in dust or mud. Their verbage takes the form of grunts while they are on the move, and roaring-like sounds when mating. Bison will charge when cornered; bulls can run up to 30 m.p.h. Herd size varies from a family unit to thousands for migration periods; the cow is leader. Their lifespan is 18-22 years.

"Either of two species of oxlike grazing mammals that constitute the genus Bison of the family Bovidae. The American bison (B. bison), commonly known as the buffalo or the plains buffalo, is native to North America, while the European bison (B. bonasus), or wisent, is native to Europe." — Encyclopaedia Brittanica ©2006.

The bosk is found in a variety of coloring, though the most common color is a dark brown. There are, however, incidences of black bosk named, as well as the white, snow bosk. Incidentally, the white bosk is used by the Initiates in sacrificial rites.

"The two wagons he bought were merchant wagons, with rain canvas. The back wheels were larger than the front wheels. Each was drawn by two bosk, large brown creatures with spreading, polished horns, hung with beads. Their hoofs were also polished and their long, shaggy coats groomed to a shine." — Captive of Gor, page 65.

"We could see a large, flat wagon, drawn by four huge, beautifully groomed black bosk." — Captive of Gor, page 72.

"They should be out hunting snow bosk… " — Beasts of Gor, page 334.

Most notably, the bosk is known as the Mother of the Wagon People. Not only does the flesh provide food and the milk provide nourishment in forms such as butter and cheese, there is nothing of the bosk that is not used. The hides are used to cover the dome-like wagons. Skins are tanned and sewn providing clothing. The warriors make their shields using the leather of the hump. Thread is made of the sinew and bones and horns are split and tooled into hundreds of types of implements, including awls, punches, spoons, drinking flagons, and weapon tips. The hooves are used to make glue and the oils of the bosk are used to grease the bodies of the Wagon People to protect them against the cold. Even the dung of the bosk is used by the Wagon People for fuel for their fires, as the Plains of Turia are a hot, dry, treeless desert.

The man who kills a bosk foolishly is strangled in thongs or suffocated in the hide of the animal he slew. Because of the reverence the Wagon People have for these beasts, should a man kill a bosk out of foolishness, then he is strangled in thongs or suffocated in the hide of the beast he slew; and if a man should kill a bosk cow with unborn young, no matter what reason, he is then staked out alive in the path of the herd, and then trampled to death.

"Not only does the flesh of the bosk and the milk of its cows furnish the Wagon Peoples with food and drink, but its hides cover the domelike wagons in which they dwell; its tanned and sewn skins cover their bodies; the leather of its hump is used for their shields; its sinews forms their thread; its bones and horns are split and tooled into implements of a hundred sorts, from awls, punches and spoons to drinking flagons and weapon tips; its hoofs are used for glues; its oils are used to grease their bodies against the cold. Even the dung of the bosk finds its uses on the treeless prairies, being dried and used for fuel. The bosk is said to be the Mother of the Wagon Peoples, and they reverence it as such. The man who kills one foolishly is strangled in thongs or suffocated in the hide of the animal he slew; if, for any reason, the man should kill a bosk cow with unborn young he is staked out, alive, in the path of the herd, and the march of the Wagon Peoples takes its way over him." — Nomads of Gor, page 5.

The Wagon Peoples deal in some trading with Turia, many goods passing between the two cultures. Although bosk meat and by-products of the bosk are often trade items, never is a living bosk traded by the Wagon Peoples.

"I had learned, to my surprise, that trade did occasionally take place with Turia. The Wagon Peoples, though enemies of Turia, needed and wanted her goods, in particular materials of metal and cloth, which are highly prized among the Wagons… The Turians, on the other hand, take factor or trade in trade for their goods obtained by manufacture or trade with other cities principally the horn and hide of the bosk, which naturally the Wagon Peoples, who live on the bosk, have in plenty… It might be added that there are two items which the Wagon Peoples will not sell or trade to Turia, one is a living bosk and the other is a girl from the city itself, though the latter are sometimes, for the sport of the young men, allowed, as it is said, to run for the city." — Nomads of Gor, pages 57-58.

A herding beast by nature, it is thusly so they remain to herd, even those owned by any of the nomadic peoples, such as the Alars or the Wagon People. Many of the bosk pull the wagons of these people, however, the main part of the herd is actually the means by which the Wagon People migrate. These herds are all of one main herd, branded and then divided into sub-herds. Each of these sub-herds have their own set of riders to herd and watch over them. The bosk are sometimes goaded along with pointed sticks, by boys who work the herds.

"Kamchak strode among the wagons, toward the sound, and I followed him closely. Many others, too, rushed to the sound, and we were jostled by armed warriors, scarred and fierce; by boys with unscarred faces, carrying the pointed sticks used often for goading the wagon bosk… " — Nomads of Gor, page 34.

"I could now see the herds quite clearly, making out individual animals, the shaggy humps moving through the dust, see the sun of the late afternoon glinting off thousands of horns… Soon the animals would be turned in on themselves, to mill together in knots, until they were stopped by the shaggy walls of their own kind, to stand and grew until the morning. The wagons would, of course, follow the herds. The herd forms both vanguard and rampart for the advance of the wagons… the Ubars of the Wagon Peoples know well each wagon and the number of branded beasts in the various herds; each herd is, incidentally, composed of several smaller herds, each watched over by its own riders." — Nomads of Gor, page 21.

"… boys with unscarred faces, carrying the pointed sticks used often for goading the wagon bosk … " — Nomads of Gor, page 34.

As with the bovine of Earth, the bosk gender is designated between the bull (the male) and the cow (the female). I remember coming across a few sites that were adamant this wasn't spoken of in the books. Maybe they missed this page.

"After looking at the kaiila Kamchak visited a wagon where he discussed the crossing of one of his cows with the owner's bull, in exchange for a similar favor on his own part. — Nomads of Gor, page 170.

Many peoples on Gor depend on the bosk for survival. The Alars, whom are a people very much like the Wagon Peoples, move their wagons in accordance with the bosk. Other peoples may raise bosk herds in domestic ranches. The Torvaldslanders treasure the bosk for their precious milk.

"The Bosk is a large, horned, shambling ruminant of the Gorean plains. It is herded below the Gorean equator by the Wagon Peoples, but there are Bosk herds on ranches in the north as well, and peasants often keep some of the animals." — Raiders of Gor, page 26.

"There were only a few bosk visible, and they were milk bosk. The sheds I saw would accommodate many more animals. I surmised, as is common in Torvaldsland, most of the cattle had been driven higher into the mountains, to graze wild during the summer, to be fetched back to the shed only in the fall, with the coming of winter." — Marauders of Gor, page 82.

"Twice we stopped at palisaded villages, those of simple bosk herders. I liked these stops, for there we would have fresh bosk milk, still hot, and would have a roof over our heads for a night, be it only of grass. These villagers would always spread fresh straw in the hut in which we would be chained for the night. It smelled clean and dry. I loved to lie on it, after the canvas spread over the hard boards of the wagons." — Captive of Gor, page 70.

 

 

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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.