Myth or Fact: Pain Sluts on Gor

There is argument on virtual chat Gor, as to whether or not pain sluts were found on Gor. What leads to this argument is a simple quote which has often been mis-quoted.

"Excellent slaves are seldom beaten, for there is little, if any, reason to do so. To be sure, such a girl, particularly a love slave, occasionally desires to feel the stroke of the lash, wanting to feel pain at the hands of a beloved master, wanting to be whipped by him because she loves him, in this way symbolizing to herself her relationship to him, that of slave to master, her acceptance of that relationship, and her rejoicing in it. To be sure, she is soon likely to be merely, again, a whipped slave, begging her master for mercy." — Magicians of Gor, pages 124-125.

While the quote certainly states that she wants to feel the pain at the hands of her master, the slave in question is a love slave; a slave subject to the harshests of lives, because she has gained the love of her master.

But does this make her a pain slut?

Not at all.

In fact, in the BDSM culture, a "Painslut" is a person who enjoys receiving a heavy degree of pain but may or may not necessarily enjoy being submissive. On a physical level, BDSM "sensation play" often involves inflicting pain, even if without actual injury. This releases endorphins, creating a sensation somewhat like runner's high or the afterglow of orgasm, sometimes called "subspace", which many find enjoyable. Some use the term "body stress" to describe this physiological sensation. More eloquently, the philosopher Edmund Burke defines this sensation of pleasure derived from pain by the word sublime. The regions of the brain that manage sexual stimuli and pain overlap, resulting in some individuals associating pain with sexual pleasure as the neurological reactions are intertwined.

The kajirae of Gor have no choice in their slavery; their "submission" brought to surface with training from their masters, releasing their inhibitions of hiding their sexuality and femininity. The love slave has not only attained this "submission" but she has found that master she loves deeply. In this profound love, she desires whatever attention he should want of her, including the touch of his whip. It is such described, as follows:

I looked down at Feiqa, walking beside the wagon, the rope on her neck. "Tharlarion," I told her, expanding on the driver's remark, "show little susceptibility to pain."
      "Yes, Master," she said.
      "In this," I said, "they closely resemble female slaves."
      "Oh, no Master!" she cried. "No!"
      "No?" I said.
      "No," she said, looking up earnestly, frightened, "we are terribly susceptible to pain, truly!"
      "Doubtless you were as a free woman," I said, "but now you are a slave."
      "I am even more susceptible to pain now," she said, "for now I have felt pain, and know what it is like, and now I have a slave girl's total vulnerability and helplessness, and know that anything can be done to me! Too, my entire body has become a thousand times more responsive and sensitive a thousand times more meaningful and alive, since I have been locked in the collar. I assure you Master, I am a thousand times more susceptible to pain now than ever I was before!"
      I smiled. Such transformations were common in the female slave. Just as their sensitivities to pleasure and feeling, sexual and otherwise, physical and psychological, conscious and subconscious, were greatly increased and intensified by being imbonded, so too, concomitantly, naturally, were their sensitivities to pain. The same changes that so considerably increased their capacities in certain directions increased them also in others, and put them ever so more helplessly, and hopelessly, at the mercy of their masters. Mercenaries of Gor, pages 34-35.

Painsluts, in truth, go against the natural order philosophy of Gor. They would be considered an aberration.

 

 

*



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.