January 8 1998
- "I shout
for madder music, and I call for stronger wine;
- But when the
moons are swollen and my questing heart seeks more
- The veil
parts and draws me forth beyond my Earthly door
- To trace your
footfalls, Cabot! For the world I seek is thine.
- And Enemies
surround me, but my spirit will not bow
- Nor falter
like the weak who came before;
- And I will
follow, Cabot! In the best way I know how,
- And keep
alive the wonder that is Gor."
Tal,
Goreans!
This
week I spend a large portion of this column answering the
question of a person who wrote in to me asking about the
specifics of Gorean garb. If there is enough interest, perhaps
I'll do an illustrated page of Gorean clothing for the web.
In
the meantime, my thanks to JaKil for his many excellent quotes,
most of which are displayed below.
GOR
according to Norman
SOLITUDE
AND THOUGHT
- "It
was lonely here.
- Yet
such times are good in the life of a Warrior, times to be
alone, to think.
- He
who cannot think is not a man, so saith the codes. Yet
neither, too, they continue, is he who can only
think."
- --p.65,
Vagabonds of Gor
A
NEW ORDER OF SOCIETY
- "Suppose
an old order should collapse, or disintegrate, or be
destroyed. What would be the nature of the new order?
Surely it need not be built on the failed model of the
old order. That was an experiment which was tested, and
found wanting. It was a mistake. It did not work. What
would the new order be like? Let us hope it would be a
sounder order, one, for once, fully in harmony with
nature."
- --p.119,
Vagabonds of Gor
THE
CONCERN FOR FEELINGS
- "Does
a thirsting man of the Tahari concern himself with the
feelings of the water with which he at last slacks his
thirst? Does a starving man of Torvaldsland concern
himself with the feelings of the viands on which he at
last feasts?"
- --p.215,
Vagabonds of Gor
FRIENDSHIP
- "To
be sure, he had had a difficult night, keeping his
lonely, tense vigil in the ally behind the tavern, while
I rested and sported about inside. I remind myself,
however, that such sacrifices are only to be expected in
the course of true friendship."
- --p.425,
Vagabonds of Gor
ATTITUDE
- "I
had been so much a fool as to be sad. That is not the
mood in which to enter battle, even the battle which one
knows one cannot win, even the ultimate battle in which
knows one is doomed to defeat. Do not be sad. Better to
take the field with laughter, with a joke, with a light
heart, with a buoyant heart, or to go forward with
sterness, or in fury, or with hatred, or defiance, or
calculation, but never with self pity, never with
sadness. Never such things, never them! The warrior does
not kill himself or aid others in the doing of it. It is
not in the codes."
- --p.446,
Vagabonds of Gor
DISDAIN
FOR WEALTH
- "`No,'
he said. `I do not keep you because of the gold. I am of
the scarlet caste. I am of the warriors. I could cast the
gold away, as a gesture.'"
- --p.490,
Vagabonds of Gor
TRUST
- "Labienus
released my hand. He had a strong grip.
- `You
trust me?' I asked.
- `Of
course.' he said.
- `Why?'
I asked.
- `Because
of what is invisible and yet more beautiful than
diamonds.' said Labienus, `Because of the silence that
deafens thunder, because of that which depresses no scale
and is yet weightier than gold.'
- `You
cannot even see,' I said.
- `There
is more than one way to see,' he said.
- --Vagabonds
of Gor
CONDUCT
INDICATING SUITABILITY FOR SLAVERY
- "The
principle he had alluded to pertains to conduct in a free
woman which is taken as sufficient to warrent her
reduction to slavery. The most common application of this
principle occurs in areas such as fraud or theft. Other
applications may occur, for example, in cases of
indigency and vagrancy. Prostitution, rare on Gor because
of female slaves, is another case. The women are taken,
enslaved, cleaned up and controlled. Indulgence in
sensual dance is another case. Sensuous dance is almost
always performed by slaves on Gor. A free woman who
performs such dancing publicly is almost begging for the
collar. In some cities the setence of bondage is
mandatory for such a woman."
- --p.372,
Renegades of Gor
ROMANCE
VS. PRACTICALITY
- "On
Earth, as I understand it, there are certain romantic
notions about, for example, that heroes may be expected
to `win' damsels in distress, so to speak, by the
performance of certain heroic behaviors which, for
example, might bode little good to dragons, evil wizards,
wicked knights, and such. These damsels in distress, once
rescued, are then expected to elatedly bestow their
fervent affectations on the blushing, bashful heroes, and
so on. Needless to say, in real life, to the
disappointment, and sometimes chagrin, of the blushing,
bashful heroes, this denouement often fails to
materialize. Although such notions are not unknown on
Gor, the average Gorean tends to be somewhat more
practical and businesslike than the average hero of such
stories, if we may believe the stories. For example, the
damsel of Earth, if she found herself rescued on Gor,
might not have to spend a great deal of time gravely
considering whether or not to bestow herself on the
rescuer. She might rather find her wrists, to her
surprise, being chained behind her, her clothing being
removed and a rope being put on her neck. She might then
find herself hurrying along on foot, beside his mount,
roped by the neck to his stirrup."
- --p.99-100,
Renegades of Gor
QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
- Q: aerith
wishes to know, Master, what is 'usually' worn by
Masters. For example, a girl was chastised recently for
not 'assuming' a Master's attire correctly. If possible,
perhaps you could do a piece relating to attire?
- (submitted by
aerith{U})
A: Well,
aerith, Gor is certainly a big place, with a lot of different
people, and subcultures, to be found upon its surface. Therefore,
it only stands to reason that styles of clothing would vary from
place to place, just as they do upon our world. There is no one
"Gorean uniform" for the same reason there is no one
"Earth uniform." If one was to say "Earth people
wear tee-shirts and bluejeans," that would certainly be true
to a certain extent; however, a Finnish Laplander or a Sherpa
tribesman might not even know what a tee-shirt looks like. In
additions, there are as many specific Gorean costumes as there
are Goreans to wear them, each designed for a special purpose.
The garments of a Huntsman of the Northern Forests therefore
would differ from the hunting garb affected in the south. And so
on.
What we do have
is Norman's descriptions of some typical Gorean garb. I have
drawn my own mental picture of these garments through countless
readings, a little detective work and through researching the
clothing styles of various historical cultures here on Earth,
especially the ancient Greeks and the Romans. For ease of
reference and since I don't feel like filling this column up with
endless "he wore a tunic and sandals" quotations, I
have left out the actual quotes. But there are a thousand
references to tunics, sandals, and the other garments which I
describe here, believe me. In addition, part of the information
below is taken by me from my own "Beginner's Survival Guide
to Gor" webpage.
GOREAN
GARB
- Male
Goreans of the cities dress simply, typically in a
thigh-length belted tunic in his caste or city colors.
This tunic can be of almost any material, may lace up or
be drawn over the head, and is sometimes lined with fur
or quilted for cold weather wear. Leather and suede
tunics are not uncommon, nor are those made from Gorean
wool, taken from the fleece of the Gorean hurt, an animal
not unlike an Earth goat. Most common Gorean tunics are,
I suspect, one of two types of "tunic" garment;
either the Greek Chiton, the Roman Tunica, or, as I
personally believe, a combination and assortment of both.
- The Greek
Chiton is a universal, multi-purpose garment which is
drawn over the head and which has closures at either
shoulder. It is typically thigh-length and hangs a bit
open on one shoulder due to its tubular construction;
alternately, it may be worn with only one
shoulder-closure and allowed to hang from one shoulder,
similar to the Roman Toga. A good example of such
garments can be seen in the early 1980's film "Clash
of the Titans." The actor Harry Hamlin wears a
Chiton several times in the movie, as do numerous others.
- The Roman
Tunica, from whence we get the word "tunic," is
a loose fitting, long or short-sleeved garment similar in
many respects to the Victorian nightshirt. It can be as
long as ankle-length at the hem, or it may fall only to
the upper thighs. The Tunica was often worn under the
Roman Toga of Citizenship during cold weather, as an
undershirt, since togas tended to be a bit drafty. It is
functionally identical to a long or short-sleeved
pullover shirt of Earth, with the exception of a rather
long hem length.
- Over the
tunic, many Goreans wear a short cloak joined at the
throat. The cloak is often worn gathered and pinned on
one side, flung back to free the sword-arm in the case of
warriors or guardsmen. Longer cloaks are also in
evidence, some hooded, and are worn either in cold or wet
weather or atop formal robes of state. Hooded cowls worn
over long capes serve the same purpose. The short Gorean
over-cloak seems to me to be identical to the Greek
garment known as the Chlamys, which is a tubular garment
constructed by doubling a rectangular piece of cloth in
half and pinning it off-center. The wearer then puts his
head through the opening made by the pinned fold. This
garment appears in numerous films which deal with the
Greek period, and is similar in form and function to the
short Celtic cloak and it's requisite brooch or cloak-pin
in use among early Celtic cultures. In addition, garments
similar to the Chlamys were in use among early Norse
cultures as well. The garment's design is quite
functional and simple; I have no doubt the Goreans would
have adopted it from ancient Earth garmenture.
- Gorean
workmen and tradesmen wear similar garments to those
described above, though often they wear the apron or
workbelt of their trade as well.
- Robes are
also popular, they being the Gorean equivalent of the
suit. They are typically worn by members of castes which
do not engage in manual labor, or simply when a Gorean
male wishes to "dress up." These robes often
consist of several different layers, each with its own
distinctive cut to separate it from the others. Such
robes can be hooded or not, though cold/wet-weather
versions would be appropriately hooded and lined for
their wearers comfort.
FREE
WOMEN
- The most
common garments of Gorean Free Women in the High Cities
are the "Robes of Concealment," which consist
of several layers of thick brocaded robes and heavy
confining garments designed to conceal the wearer's
figure and physical attributes. In addition, anywhere
from one to seven veils are worn to conceal the face.
Although Gorean women are not required by law to wear
such robes and veils, it is considered both customary and
prudent for free females to go veiled if they can afford
to do so. Failure to dress at least modestly, and to wear
at least one veil over the face, is considered by most
civilized Goreans to be either a sign of abject poverty
or utter brazenness. This practice is most pronounced in
the "high cities" or northern Gor, and varies
according to culture. A free woman of the Wagon Peoples,
Alars, Red Savages and Red Hunters is not required by her
local culture to go veiled, nor are freewomen of the
caste of peasants expected to do so. Much depends upon
the situation and location. Veils and robes are
considered a wise precaution, however, as many Gorean
males assume that an unveiled woman must be a slave, and
treat her so. A Gorean Free Woman NEVER wears earrings;
these are considered the mark of the slave girl.
SLAVES
- Male slaves
commonly dress in a similar fashion to free men, though
they are often kept stripped to the waist, clad in brief
loincloths or, in the case of male silk-slaves, in
toga-type garments (Chitons).
- Female
slaves, when permitted garments, commonly wear the simple
Gorean camisk or "slave-rag." This is a
poncho-like garment which slips over the head, is belted
at the waist (often with a bit of rope or cord), and
which is commonly cut high at the thigh level, exposing
her legs almost completely. In wet weather or when in a
public place, favored slaves are often permitted to wear
a poncho atop their regular garments. Jewelry is rare,
worn only when presented to the slave by her Master.
Earrings are often worn, though this displays to all that
the slave in question is a "pierced-ear girl,"
the lowest and hottest of slaves, and such earrings are
only bestowed upon the slave by her Master. The same is
true of such items as slave-bells, anklets, armlets, etc.
- The
garments of slaves can be made from any convenient
material; the most common is rep-cloth, a somewhat
coarse, cotton-like Gorean material. The use of expensive
materials such as silk is commonly reserved for trained
pleasure slaves, paga slaves or dancers.
FOOTWEAR
- For
footwear the free Gorean male usually wears leather
sandals which lace up the calf, the Gorean equivalent of
the Earth "tennis shoe." These are typically
open-toed. Boots or buskins may also be worn, either tall
or short, thick or soft, but boots are commonly
considered less comfortable than sandals. Tarnsmen and
Tharlarion Riders will often wear thigh-high riding boots
or leather leggings to protect their legs from saddle
abrasions, and Norman mentions that Gorean sailors wear
"sea-boots," which I assume are high boots
which have been waterproofed against the elements of salt
and sea. The Gorean Free Woman wears slippers, soft boots
or shoes; these shoes can even be high platform
monstrosities up to a foot in height, designed to enable
the wearer to "look down" upon those around
her. Male slaves are permitted sandals or boots only when
such footwear is required for the work that the slave is
performing. Female slaves are rarely permitted shoes of
any kind unless in a cold weather situation, and
sometimes not even then. Much depends upon the kindness
and financial wherewithal of her Master.
PURSES
- A free
Gorean typically carries his or her money and small
valuables in a lace-up purse or pouch attached to the
belt. Most Gorean garments lack pockets (except for those
of the tradesmen castes such as tinker or locksmith).
- Slaves are
not permitted pouches, pockets, or purses of any kind.
When a slave must handle small objects, a coin for
example, he or she normally carries such items in his or
her mouth.
WEAPONS
- The two
most common weapons in use upon Gor are the common Gorean
shortsword and the dagger. Any free person may carry a
sword as a personal sidearm, although most Gorean males
are not proficient in the use of such. Daggers are much
more practical and popular. Apart from the distant lands
of the North, where longswords and axes are in use, or
the southern Tahari desert regions where long curved
scimitars are carried, the dagger and shortsword, as well
as the spear, are most often encountered in Gorean
cities. A Gorean warrior will carry his round shield
slung over his right shoulder and his swordbelt casually
looped over his left shoulder unless he is marching or in
combat. If on the march he will sling the shield on his
back and buckle the swordbelt diagonally across his back
also, the strap over his right shoulder and neck. If in
combat he will wear his shortsword belted over his tunic
at his hip, like any other sword belt. He also carries
his helmet lashed to his marching pack unless in a battle
situation, in which case he of course wears it.
No Gorean slave may touch, or
wear, any form of weaponry unless expressly commanded to do so by
his or her owner. Slaves who violate this rule typically forfeit
their lives.
QUOTES
OF INTEREST
A
BIT OF GOREAN MYTHOLOGY
- "There
is even the legend of the tarntauros, or creature, half
man, and half tarn, which in Gorean myth, plays a
similar, one might even say, equivalent, role to that of
the centaur in the myths of Earth."
- --p.138,
Renegades of Gor
MYTHOLOGY
AS IT APPLIES TO PEOPLE
- "There
are many mythologies having to do with human beings. Many
function like ideological garments, designed to conceal
and misrepresent reality."
- --p.100,
Renegades of Gor
- My Quote for
the Week:
- "The
name of truth all prize; the face of truth most
fear."
- --p.100,
Renegades of Gor
That's
all for this week. I remind anyone who is interested in
subscribing to Vision Entertainment's new Gorean Magazine to
visit the website at the URL below to record your vote. This will
not automatically subscribe you, rather it is an indication that
you WOULD subscribe in advance if given the opportunity. I for
one am quite happy that John Norman is again working on adding to
the already huge amount of published Gorean information, and can
hardly wait for the next book to be published. If for no other
reason than to learn what finally happens in the continental
struggle between Ar and Cos
The website I spoke of can be
viewed at:
http://www2.1starnet.com/mharris/vision
and is part of an unofficial poll
which is currently going on at the request of Vision
Entertainment. Remember, the more persons who subscribe to the
magazine in advance, the faster it will go to print.
- Until next week... I wish you
well!
- _Marcus_
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
If you have any of the above, have queries regarding the source
books, or have a quote or brief passage from the books which you
would share here, feel free to e-mail me through the link below.
- This page brought to you by
- courtesy of the Gorean Daily
Times
- (When you're bored with the
First and Second Knowledge, you're ready for the Third.)
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