Zad
A variety of scavenger bird; the Gorean vulture.
"The birds are called zads." — Tribesmen of Gor, page 232.
Zadit
A small, insectivorous bird of the desert.
"The zadit is a small, tawny-feathered, sharp-billed bird. It feeds on insects." — Tribesmen of Gor, page 152.
Zar
A favored boardgame of the Tahari, marked like a Kaissa board, the playing pieces alled "pebbles;" movement is somewhat like that of checkers.
"He retired to the canopy beneath which, with water, he sat, cross-legged, with his companion. Between them they had, in the crusts, scratched a board for Zar. This resembles the Kaissa board. Pieces, however, may he placed only on the intersections of lines either within or at the edges of the board." — Tribesmen of Gor, page 265.
Zarendargar
Attempted literal translation: "Half-Ear." A Kur word; the name of the War General of the Kur.
Zarendargar. War General of the People. "It is Half-Ear," said Samos, "high Kur, war general of the Kurii."
"The word 'Zarendargar'," I said, "is an attempt to render a Kur expression into Gorean."
"Yes," said Samos. The Kurii are not men but beasts. Their phonemes for the most part elude representation in the alphabets of men. It would be like trying to write down the noises of animals. Our letters would not suffice. — Beasts of Gor, page 24.
Zarlit Fly
Similar to an Earth dragonfly.
"I did see a large, harmless zarlit fly, purple, about two feet long with four translucent wings, spanning about a yard, humming over the surface of the water, then alighting and, on its pad-like feet, daintily picking its way across the surface." — Raiders Gor, page 5.
Zeder
A small, carnivorous mammal, which resembles the sleen; inhabits the rainforests inland of Schendi.
"Conspicuously absent in the rain forests of the Ua were sleen. There is, however, a sleenlike animal, though much smaller, about two feet in length and some eight to ten pounds in weight, the zeder, which frequents the Ua and her tributaries. It knifes through the water by day and, at night, returns to its nest, built from sticks and mud in the branches of a tree overlooking the water." — Explorers of Gor, page 312.
Zevar
A minor tribe of the Tahari.
Zills
Finger cymbals, small metal disks, worn on fingers and played by kajirae while performing a dance.
In Turkey, zils (also zills) (finger cymbals) are tiny cymbals used in belly dancing and similar performances. The word zil in Turkish means "cymbal". These small metal disks are an absolute accourtement for belly dancing. A set of zils consists of four cymbals, two for each hand; one is worn on each thumb, and one on the middle finger of each hand. In Morocco, there is a style of playing the finger cymbals that employs only three finger cymbals: two on one hand, and one on the other hand. Zils commonly have a diameter of about 5 cm (2 in). Accomplished dancers will often have a second — slightly larger — set for use in noisy situations. Dancers speak of silver tone and gold tone, and may have several sets with different tones for different dances, or of different colours to match different costumes.
"… I heard from within the clash of slave bells and the bright sound of zills, or finger cymbals." — Explorers of Gor, page 21.
Zontaheca
A red savage term meaning "honest."
She pointed to Grunt. "Wopeton," she said. "Akihoka Zontaheca."
I looked at Grunt. I knew one of his names among the red savages was Wopeton, which means Trader, or Merchant.
"She says I am a skillful and honest fellow," he said. — Savages of Gor, page 216.
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.