November 20 1997
- "I dream
of 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!
I
have collected a few choice bits of info for you this week, plus
several readers have sent in their own quotable quotes, each of
which demonstrates a different aspect of the fictional world of
Gor. I add that I am quite pleased that this column seems to have
revived flagging interest in the vast amount of knowledge
contained in the source books themselves... indeed, I have seen
more John Norman quotes in Gorean channels and on Gorean websites
during the past few days than I had ever seen before. If nothing
else, maybe people are paying more attention to what they read
and how it might apply to Gorean IRC.
That
said, let's just get right to the heart of the matter; namely,
this week's collection of quotations and commentary.
GOR
according to Norman
- I'll
start out by revisiting a matter I discussed in my column
of 11/06/97; namely, whether or not slaves were allowed
to say "Tal." In that column I mentioned that I
had found a reference which seemed to suggest that usage
of the word "Tal" was reserved to freepersons.
Below I have updated that statement:
- UPDATE:
_MARCUS_ PUTS FOOT IN MOUTH, DEVOURS WHOLE
SANDAL! BLEAAH!
- This
week I was sent this little gem of info from a fellow
Gorean:
- "The
girls stood straight, proud under the gaze of a warrior.
- `Tal,
Master,' said many of them, as I rode slowly by."
- --p.344,
Tribesmen of Gor
- (submitted by
Mastiff)
- And I myself found this one:
- "`Tal,
Master,' they said to me.
- `Tal,
Slave Girls,' I said to them."
- --p.345,
Tribesmen of Gor
- Yikes.
The context and content of the sentences around these
references leave no doubt that the females, or girls, in
question, are tethered slaves. And Tarl shows no sign of
beating them for using the word "Tal."
- The
score now stands at "Slaves say Tal"=2,
"Slaves don't say Tal"=1.
PRETTY
RIBBONS OF RED & WHITE SILK
Of
all the misuses of Gorean terms online, this one remains the
ultimate pet peeve of many Goreans. Although the terms
"red-silk" and "white-silk" are quite Gorean
in origin, their definition remains in question in many IRC
channels. I have heard it argued that these terms refer only to
physical virginity, that there are no colored ribbons attached to
collars, and that there is only one acceptible definition for
those terms as described in the books. While this statement is
basically true, there is more to the matter than meets the eye.
Since this matter is the source of much debate, I will start by
listing what I consider to be the "grandaddy of all
red-silk/white-silk quotes," the long and rather confusing
"glana/falarina" speech:
- "The
buyers were also informed that I was `glana' or a virgin.
The correlated term is `metaglana,' used to designate the
state to which the glana state looks forward, or that
which it is regarded as anticipating. Though the word was
not used of me I was also `profalarina', which term term
designates the state preceding, and anticipating, that of
`falarina,' the state Goreans seem to think of as that of
being a full woman, or, at least, as those of Earth might
think of it, one who certainly is no longer a virgin. In
both terms, `glana' and `profalarina,' incidentally, it
seems that the states they designate are regarded as
immature or transitory, state to be succeeded by more
fully developed, superior states, those of `metaglana' or
`falarina.' Among slaves, not free women, these things
are sometimes spoken of along the lines as to whether or
not the girl as been `opened' for the uses of men. Other
common terms, used generally of slaves, are `white silk'
and `red silk', for girls who have not yet been opened,
or have been opened, for the uses of men, respectively."
- --p.128,
Dancer of Gor
[The above quote is classic,
mid-1980's John Norman. A more convoluted paragraph has never
been written.]
[Translation for the
Norman impaired: The word "glana" means
"virgin," the word "metaglana" means
"not a virgin." The word "profalarina" means
"virgin," the word "falarina" means "not
a virgin." Goreans believe that a woman is not complete
until she has lost her virginity. Women who are "glana"
and "profalarina" (virgins) are considered to be
immature and somewhat inferior to women who are no longer
virgins. "Not yet opened for the uses of men" means
"virgin," while "opened for the uses of men"
means "no longer a virgin." The common slave terms for
these two conditions are "white silk" (virgin) and
"red silk" (no longer a virgin).]
Here
is another quote which seems to indicate the meaning of
"white-silk girl":
- "She
trembled. I kissed her upon the lips. Her body, that of a
white-silk girl, fresh to the collar, was terribly
frightened."
- --p.95,
Hunters of Gor
Hmmm.
Sounds like a virgin to me. And to remove any doubt, here's
another:
- "`I
am a virgin,' she said.
- `You
are white-silk,' I said.
- `Please
do not use that vulgar expression of me,' she begged.
- `Do
not fear,' I said, `it will soon be inappropriate.'"
- --120, Beasts
of Gor
While
I have dozens of such references which indicate that red/white
silk are used to refer to a slave's state of physical virginity,
I have found only two references which indicate that the terms
red-silk and white-silk are ever used in any other way. The
first, shown below, merely implies it, using the words
"tends to be" and "usually" rather than
"is always" and "invariably."
- "Similarly,
the expression `red-silk,' in Gorean, tends to be used as
a category in slaving, and also, outside of the slaving
context, as an expression in vulgar discourse, indicating
that the woman is no longer a virgin, or, as the Goreans
say, at least vulgarly of slaves, that her body has been
opened by men. Its contrasting term is `white-silk,'
usually used of slaves who are still virgins, or,
equivalently, slaves whose bodies have not yet been
opened by men. Needless to say, slaves seldom spend a
great deal of time in the `white-silk' category. It is
common not to dally in initiating a slave into the
realities of her condition."
- --p.472,
Blood Brothers of Gor
The
other reference describes a deliberate misuse of the term as a
joke, used to punish an errant slavegirl:
- "`Tela,
when captured,' he said, indicating a blonde, `begged to
be kept in white silk.' He laughed. `After throwing her
to a crew, for their pleasure, we put her, as she had
asked, in white silk.'
- `Amusing,'
I said.
- `She
now often begs for red silk,' he said.
- --p.197,
Rogue of Gor
As
to the matter of "collar-ribbons," such things are
certainly in use upon Gor. They may be used to indicate a slave's
state of virginity, or anything else which her Master wishes to
indicate. It seems to be an effective way of keeping track of
certain things in regards to a naked slave, without relying on a
grease pencil to mark her body or an ear-tag similar to those
used in Treve to mark capture girls. The quote below illustrates
their existence quite clearly:
- "Then I
felt him... remove the white-silk ribbon from my collar.
In a moment he had fastened something else there, in its
place, doubtless another ribbon, doubtless the red-silk
ribbon which had been given to him earlier by Mirus. He
jerked it down on the collar, snugly."
- --p.209,
Dancer of Gor
So
that's it, in a nutshell. White-silk means "virgin" and
red-silk means "other." The term is only used
differently in very rare circumstances, either as a joke or to
dupe someone into believing that the slave in question is
something other than she is. You can, of course, dress a slave in
any color of silk which suits your fancy... but if a female slave
is said to be "white-silk" on Gor, then she had better
be an honest-to-goodness virgin, since lying about such matters
in regards to slaves is tantamount to fraud. On the other hand,
one may designate a red-silk girl as white-silk to deprive her of
sexual contact with men, who will not bother to use her when
there are willing red-silk slaves about. But this is a punishment
to her, not an indication of her actual status
THE
RITE OF SUBMISSION
Lately
I have seen it set forth on several websites that, when a female
seeks to be collared by a certain male, that she may assume the
position of submission and submit herself to him. Then,
supposedly, if he does not want her he is required to slay her.
This is partially true; however, the books are quite clear in
specifying that the only time the "keep me or slay me"
rule is in effect is when the woman who submits herself is a freewoman
and the male to whom she submits is a member of the caste
of Warriors. The excerpts below are quite clear on this
matter:
- "Then,
to my astonishment, the daughter of the Ubar Marlenus,
daughter of the Ubar of Ar, knelt before me, a simple
warrior of Ko-ro-ba, and lowered her head, lifting and
extending her arms, wrists crossed. It was... the
submission of the captive female. Without raising her
eyes from the ground, the daughter of the Ubar said in a
clear, distinct voice: `I submit myself.'
...I was speechless for a moment, but then, remembering
that harsh Gorean custom required me either to accept the
submission or slay the captive, I took her wrists in my
hands and said, `I accept your submission.'"
- --p.93-94,
Tarnsman of Gor
- "`I
can force you to take me,' she said.
- `How?'
I asked.
- `Like
this,' she responded, kneeling before me, lowering her
head and lifting her arms, the wrists crossed. She
laughed. `Now you must take me with you or slay me.'
- I
cursed her, for she took unfair advantage of the Warrior
Codes of Gor."
- --p.109,
Tarnsman of Gor
- "And
then, angrily, loftily, she walked to the deck before me
and then, movement by movement, to my fury, knelt before
me, back on her heels, head down, arms extended, wrists
crossed, as though for binding.
- `You
are a fool!' I told her.
- She
lifted her head, and smiled. `You may simply leave me
here if you wish,' she said.
- `It
is not in the codes,' I said.
- `I
thought,' said she, `that you no longer kept the codes.'
- ...`I
do not want you!' I said.
- `Then
slay me,' she said.'"
- --p.97-98,
Raiders of Gor
- "...in
most cities, on the other hand, a free woman may, with
legal tolerance, submit herself as a slave to a specific
man. If he refuses her, she is then still free. If he
accepts her, she is then, categorically, a slave, and he
may do with her what he pleases, even selling her or
giving her away, or slaying her, if he wishes. Here we
may note a distinction between laws and codes. In the
codes of the warriors, if a warrior accepts a woman as a
slave, it is prescribed that, at least for a time, an
amount of time up to his discretion, she be spared. If
she should be the least displeasing, of course, or should
prove recalcitrant in even a tiny way, she may be
immediately disposed of. It should be noted that this
does place a legal obligation on the warrior. It has to
do, rather, with the proprieties of the codes."
- --p.21,
Players of Gor
For
more detailed information regarding the freewoman's Rite of
Submission, visit the "Role of the Freewoman of Gor"
webpage at the following URL:
http://www2.1starnet.com/mharris/tavern/tavern/freewomn.html
QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
- Q: Some
Gorean taverns on IRC seem to have chairs, but in others
the Masters sit on furs and cushions on the floor. Which
is correct? Are there no chairs on Gor?
- (submitted by
jiliana{Bli})
A: There are
chairs on Gor, though they are quite rare and usually serve
special purposes. A Ubar or Administrator might have a
throne-like chair, for instance, or the members of a High Council
have chairs in their Meeting Hall. Much depends upon the context.
This is illustrated in the quotations below:
- "On Gor,
incidentally, chairs have special significance, and do
not often occur in private dwellings. They tend to be
reserved for significant personages, such as
administrators and judges. Moreover, although you may
find this hard to understand, they are not thought to be
comfortable."
- --p.45-46,
Priest Kings of Gor
- "The
Gorean male, at ease, usually sits cross-legged and the
female kneels, resting back on her heels."
- --p.46,
Priest Kings of Gor
Since
one would probably find it difficult either to sit cross-legged
in most chairs, or to kneel in one, it is a safe assumption that,
since Gorean males usually sit cross-legged and Gorean females
usually kneel, they are usually not residing in a chair.
QUOTES
OF INTEREST
Below I have again included a few
quotes which my fellow Goreans might find interesting:
- "The
fools of Earth, confused by the rhetoric of law and
morality, shielding short-sighted greed and madness, had
stood aside, permitting the poisoning of the air they
breathe, the water they drink, the food they ate. That
the poisoners will die with the poisoned will perhaps
yield them some comfort."
- --p.362-363,
Tribesmen of Gor
- (submitted by
JaKil)
- "`Masculinity
and femininity are complementary properties,' I told her.
`If a man wishes a woman to be more feminine, he must be
more masculine. If a woman wishes a man to be more
masculine, she must be more feminine.'"
- --p.205,
Explorers of Gor
- (submitted by
JaKil)
- "`Did
you strike me because I challenged your manhood?' she
asked...
- `You
were not struck for such an absurd reason,' I said...
`You were struck, rather, because you were attempting to
manipulate me.'"
- --p.422,
Mercenaries of Gor
- "`Are
most Gorean women slaves?' she asked.
- `No,'
I said. `Indeed, statistically, in those parts of Gor
with which I am familiar, very few. Commonly only one
woman in say, forty or fifty is a slave. This varies
somewhat, of course, from city to city.The major
exception to these ratios is the city of Tharna, in which
almost every woman is a slave... there are special
historical reasons for that.'"
- --p.246,
Beasts of Gor
- My Quote for
the Week:
- "It is
seldom wise, incidentally, to impugn, or attempt to
manipulate, the honor of a Gorean."
- --Tarl Cabot,
p.297, Mercenaries of Gor
I
received an e-mail this week in which the writer, who shall
remain unnamed (I myself had never heard of him before) informed
me at great length precisely how stupid it is for any of us to be
concerned with what he called "the endless boring trivia
found in the Gor books themselves." Gor, he informed me, is
to be found in the heart, and having a working knowledge of how
that planet functions is unimportant. He also informed me that
what we have created on IRC owes little or nothing to the works
of John Norman, and he added that he himself has never even read
a Gor book, but considered himself to be just as Gorean as
myself, or anyone else, for that matter.
While
this latter might be true, since I do not classify "how
Gorean someone is" according to how many books they have
read either, the fact remains: this person honestly believes that
the existence of our Gorean channels owes nothing to the Gor
books themselves. This belief is, in my opinion, simply too
idiotic to argue against. But I will include my personal feelings
on the matter below, in answer to that fellow's statement:
Without
the Gor books, there is no Gor. Period. Anyone who would argue
this fact seems to me to be a complete moron. Anyone who would
dispute that their own IRC inventions and customs are "more
Gorean" than those created by Gor's creator, John Norman,
proves themself to be a total idiot.
Ignorance
is excusable. Apathy is not. If you read the references on this
page and say, "I did not know," then you are one of us,
and strive to know more about your "adopted world." If
you read these references and say "I do not care," then
you prove yourself a person of Earth, unconcerned with the truth
about the world of Gor, unconcerned with anything other than your
own little corner of cyberspace and your control over it.
Many
will tell you we must make sweeping changes to Norman's Gor in
order to adapt it to the environment of IRC. That is, in my
opinion, rather shaky logic. In truth we should strive to makes
as few changes as possible to it in order to adapt it and
recreate it on IRC.
My
version of Gor is no better than yours, because I do not have a
version of Gor. There is only one version of Gor, and it belongs
to its author. We should all try to share in his version with
him, and be travellers and visitors to his world, rather than
trespassers.
- 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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