Quala
Plural: Qualae
A small mammal that lives on the plains.
"… but as the tarn passed, it scattered into a scampering flock of tiny creatures, probably the small, three-toed mammals called qualae, dun-colored and with a stiff brushy mane of black hair." — Tarnsman of Gor, pages 141-142.
Quarrel
Quarrels are the bolts of a crossbow, or the arrows of a long bow or short bow.
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, square-headed arrow, building stone, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin quadrellum, diminutive of Latin quadrum square; Date: 13th century:
"A square-headed bolt or arrow especially for a crossbow." — Merriam-Webster Dictionary ©2004-2006
"I mounted my tarn, that fierce, black magnificent bird. My shield and spear were secured by saddle straps; my sword was slung over my shoulder. On each side of the saddle hung a missile weapon, a crossbow with a quiver of a dozen quarrels, or bolts, on the left, a longbow with a quiver of thirty arrows on the right." — Tarnsman of Gor, page 64.
"My weapon," he said, simply extending his hand. A crossbow was immediately placed in his grip. It was a large steel bow, wound and set, the iron quarrel placed in the guide. — Tarnsman of Gor, page 137.
Quern
An ancient device for the grinding of grain into flour. Most Sa-Tarna grain is commercially ground into flour at large mills using large querns, made of large stones, turned generally by water power, but also, at times, by male slaves, or tharlarion. Females cannot turn these large querns. In the smaller villages, a smaller version of the quern, somewhat akin to the mortar and pestle, is used, however, this type of quern is operated by men or boys, depending on the size of the quern. A smaller, hand-held quern in which a female can operate, uses a similar principal, but turned with a wooden handle.
Etymology:Middle English, from Old English cweorn; akin to Old High German quirn, quirna hand mill, millstone,
Old Norse kvern hand mill, Gothic -qairnus millstone, Old Irish brau millstone, Old Slavic zruny mill, and probably to Gothic kaurjos (nominative plural) heavy;
"1) A primitive mill for grinding grain consisting of two circular stones with the upper one being turned by hand;
2) a small hand mill (as for grinding spices or nuts)." — Merriam-Webster Dictionary ©2004-2006"An ancient device for grinding grain. The saddle quern, consisting simply of a flat stone bed and a rounded stone to be operated manually against it, dates from Neolithic times (before 5600 BC). The true quern, a heavy device worked by slave or animal power, appeared by Roman times. Cato the Elder describes a 2nd-century-BC rotary quern consisting of a concave lower stone and a convex upper, turned by a pair of asses. Many such large querns were found in the ruins of Pompeii. The upper stone was set on a spindle that fitted into the lower. The ground grain passed down through holes in the lower stone." — Encyclopaedia Britannica ©2004-2006
"This was a reference to an old form of grinding, for some reason still attributed to Priest-Kings, in which a pestle, striking down, is used with a mortar. Most Sa-Tarna is now ground in mills, between stones, the top stone usually turned by water power, but sometimes by tharlarion, or slaves. In some villages, however, something approximating the old mortar and pestle is sometimes used, the two blocks, a pounding block strung to a springy, bent pole, and the mortar block, or anvil block. The pole has one or more ropes attached to it, near its end. When these are drawn downward the pounding block descends into the mortar block, and the springiness of the pole, of course, straightening, then raises it for another blow. More commonly, however, querns are used, usually, if they are large, operated by two men, if smaller, by two boys. Hand querns, which may be turned by are a woman, are also not unknown. The principle of the common quern is as follows: it consists primarily of a mount, two stones, an overhead beam and a pole. The two stones are circular grinding stones. The bottom stone has a small hub on its upper surface which fits into an inverted concave depression in the upper stone. This helps to keep the stones together. It also has shallow, radiating surface grooves through which the grindings may escape between the stones, to be caught in the sturdy boxlike mount supporting the stones, often then funneled to a waiting receptacle or sack. The upper stone has two holes in it, in the center a funnel-shaped hole through which grain is poured, and, near the edge, another hole into which one end of the turning pole is placed. This pole is normally managed by two operators. Its upper portion is fitted into an aperture in the overhead beam, which supplies leverage and, of course, by affording a steadying rest, makes the pole easier to handle. The principle of the hand quern is similar, but is usually turned with a small wooden handle. The meal or flour emerging from these devices is usually sifted, as it must often be reground, sometimes several times. The sifter usually is made of hide stretched over a wooden hoop. The holes are punched in the hide with a hot wire." — Renegades of Gor, pages 17-18.
Quicksand
The same sticky stuff as is on Earth.
Etymology: Middle English qwykkesand, from quik, quike quick + sand;
1: a bed of sand which is usually saturated with upward flowing water and made up of smooth rounded grains with little tendency to mutual adherence and in which the admixture of smooth grains and water constitutes a soft highly mobile shifting mass that yields easily to pressure and that tends to suck down and engulf objects resting on its surface;
2: an area marked by the presence of one or more such beds; b: sand of the kind found in such a bed." — Merriam-Webster Dictionary ©2004-2006
"We had been wading for about twenty minutes when the girl suddenly screamed, and I spun around. She had sunk to her waist in the marsh water. She had slipped into a pocket of quicksand." — Tarnsman of Gor, page 95.
Quirt
A small leather riding whip favored amongst the free women, as it is light and easy for them to wield, yet it delivers a vicious bite.
Etymology: Mexican Spanish cuarta;
"A riding whip with a short handle and a rawhide lash" — Merriam-Webster Dictionary ©2003-2006
"In her hand she carried a long supple kaiila quirt of leather, about a half inch in width and a yard long." — Tribesmen of Gor, page 55.
Quiva
The Tuchuk Saddle Knife, also know as the "Southern Quiva."
"This Tuchuk horn bow was now strung, the quiver attached to the saddle with the rope sword; I carried the killing knife I had taken from the back of Mip; lastly, thrust in my belt, was the double-edged quiva, the Tuchuk saddle knife." — Assassin of Gor, page 366.
"Bring me," I said, to the crossbowman, standing at the foot of the perch, "from the belongings of Gladius of Cos, kept in the compound of the Steels, the bola of the Tuchuks, the kaiila rope, the southern quiva." — Assassin of Gor, page 364.
Quiver
The leather case in which arrows and quarrels are carried; can also refer to the arrows inside a quiver.
Etymology:Middle English, from Anglo-French quiveir, from Old French quivre, cuevre, of Germanic origin; akin to the root of English cocker;
"A case for carrying arrows; also: the arrows in a quiver." — Merriam-Webster Dictionary ©2004-2006
"I mounted my tarn, that fierce, black magnificent bird. My shield and spear were secured by saddle straps; my sword was slung over my shoulder. On each side of the saddle hung a missile weapon, a crossbow with a quiver of a dozen quarrels, or bolts, on the left, a longbow with a quiver of thirty arrows on the right." — Tarnsman of Gor, page 64.
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.