December 4 1997

December 4 1997

"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!

During the course of the past few weeks I have acquired many excellent quotes from various sources, some of them rather long. The long ones I usually tuck away for a rainy day. Since a quick glance outside the window shows me that it is indeed raining, I shall share some of these with you.

I am pleased to note that the majority of the longer ones are quotations which concern the members of that hearty band, the Warriors of Gor. Norman writes quite prolifically on the subject, and often Tarl makes speeches concerning that caste which stretch across whole chapters. Since we Warriors love nothing better than to read about ourselves (aside from engaging in a bloody row or drinking ourselves under the table), I have devoted a large portion of this week's column to those tireless guardians of Gorean honor, the scarlet clad fellows of the caste of Warriors.

GOR according to Norman

The following quotes speak for themselves, for the most part. Through them we may divine a bit of the blunt and often harsh aspect of the typical Gorean warrior in action: how he thinks, how he is regarded, and most important of all, what he does in the face of iminent conflict.

THE GOREAN WARRIOR UNMASKED

"I am of the Caste of Warriors, and it is in our codes that the only death fit for a man is that in battle, but I can no longer believe that this is true, for the man I met once on the road to Ko-ro-ba died well, and taught me that all wisdom and truth does not lie in my own codes."
--p.14, Priest Kings of Gor
"`Until you find Talena,' he said, `your companion is peril and steel.'
It was an old Warrior saying."
--p.307, Priest Kings of Gor
"Warriors, it is said in the codes, have a common Home Stone. Its name is battle."
--p.343, Renegades of Gor.
"`I am a warrior,' said the young man proudly.
Kamchak signaled the archers and they came forward, their arrows trained on the young man. He then threw, one after another, a dozen bags of gold to the floor.
`Save your gold, Tuchuk sleen,' said the young man. `I am a warrior and I know my codes.'"
--p.315, Nomads of Gor
"Gold had been nothing to Rim. I suspected, then, he might once have been of the warriors."
--p.17, Hunters of Gor
"`You are of the Warriors,' said he...
`You have their stupidity, their grit, their courage.'
--p.227, Tribesmen of Gor
[In this quote, Tarl responds when asked why he is impressed by the bravery of one who is not of the warriors.]
"`Do you think that only Warriors are men?' he asked.
`No,' I said. `I have never been of that opinion.'"
--p.413, Beasts of Gor
[The following occurs when Callimachus of Port Cos, once a noble warrior but now fallen to disgrace, is compelled to recall his past by Jason of Victoria. Callimachus, at the time this scene takes place, has been an alcoholic for years, lurking in paga taverns and drowning his despair in liquor:]
"`I am no longer what I once was', he said.
`I gather you once stood high among the guardsmen of Port Cos,' I said.
`Once I was a Captain in Port Cos,' he said... `But that was long ago... I no longer remember that captain. I think he is gone now.'
`What occurred?' I asked.
`He grew more fond of paga than of his codes,' he said. `Disgraced, he was dismissed. He came west upon the river, to Victoria.'
`What was his name?' I asked.
`I have forgotten,' he said, sullenly...
He extended his right hand. It was large, but unsteady. It shook.
`At one time,' he said, `I could strike a thousand blows to the accuracy of a hair, I could thrust a thousand times, within the circle of half a hort, but now--now, see what has become of me.' His hand, shaking, fell."
--p.180-181, Rogue of Gor
[Moments later, Jason watches as, stung by his words of pity, Callimachus regains himself and recollects his honor:]
"I know that you have been disgraced," I said. "I know that the scarlet has been taken from you."
"No one," said he, "can take the scarlet from me, once it is granted, unless it be by the sword."
He tore open the tunic he wore, revealing beneath it, dark, blackish in appearance, in the moonlight, the scarlet.
"This," said he, "can be taken from me only by the sword. Let him dare to do so who will."
"You are finished," I said. "Drink."
He looked dismally, angrily, at the bottle clutched in his right hand.
"You have forgotten the name of the warrior," I said, "who was once of Port Cos. He is no more. Drink."
The man then held the bottle near the neck, with both hands. For a long moment he looked at it. His shoulders then hunched forward, and he moaned in pain. Then, slowly, he straightened his body. He lifted his head to the Gorean moons and, in the dark street, in anguish uttered a wild cry. It began as a cry of anguish, and pain, and ended as a howl of rage. He turned about and, with two hands, broke the bottle suddenly into a thousand fragments against the stone. In the darkness he was cut with glass and soiled with scattered paga.
"I remember him," he said.
"What was his name?" I asked.
"Callimachus," he said. "His name is Callimachus, of Port Cos."
"Is he gone?" I asked.
Then the man, with two fists, struck against the wall. "No," he said, with a terrible ferocity. There was blood on his hands, dark, running between the fingers.
"Where is he?" I asked.
Slowly the man turned to face me. "He is here," he said. "I am he."
"I am pleased to hear it," I said. I reached down and picked up the fallen blade. I handed it to him.
"This," I said, "is yours."
--p.182, "Rogue of Gor" (submitted by JaKil)
[In the quote below, Samos, a slaver of Port Kar, comments on the Tarl's warrior nature.]
`You are a monster, Captain,' he laughed.
`I am of the warriors,' I said.
`I know your sort,' he said. `It is the fight you relish. What a wicked sort you are, and yet how useful!'
I shrugged.
`You see a fight you want, you take it,' he said, `You see a woman you like, you take her.'
`Perhaps if she pleased me,' I said.
`You would do as you wished,' he said.
`Of course,' I said.
`Warrior!' said he.
`Yes, Warrior,' I said."
--p.33, Beasts of Gor
[In the quote below, Tarl stands his ground against many, while a slave exhorts him to flee and save his own life.]
"`Flee!' she said.
`I am of the Warriors,' I said.
`But you may die,' she said.
`That is acknowledged in the codes,' I said.
`What are the codes?' she asked.
`They are nothing and, and everything,' I said. `They are a bit of noise, and the steel of the heart. They are meaningless, and all significant. They are the difference. Without the codes men would be Kurii.'
`Kurii?' she asked.
`Beasts, such as ice beasts, and worse,' I said. `Beasts such as the face you saw in the sky.'
`You need not keep the codes,' she said.
`I once betrayed my codes,' I said. `It is not my intention to do so again.' I looked at her. `One does not know, truly what it is to stand, until one has fallen. Once one has fallen, then one knows, you see, what it is to stand.'
`None would know know if you betrayed the codes,' she said.
`I would know,' I said, `and I am of the Warriors.'
`What is it to be a warrior?' she asked.
`It is to keep the codes,' I said. `You may think that to be a warrior is to be large, or strong, and to be skilled with weapons, to have a blade at your hip, to know the grasp of the spear, to wear the scarlet, to know the fitting of the iron helm upon one's countenance, but these are things are not truly needful; they are not, truely what makes one man a warrior and another not. Many men are strong, and large, and skilled with weapons. Any man might, if he dared, don the scarlet and gird himself with weapons. Any man might place upon his brow the helm of iron. But it is not the scarlet, not the steel, not the helm which makes a warrior.'
She looked at me.
`It is the codes,' I said.
`Abandon your codes,' she said.
`One does not speak to slaves of the codes,' I said.
--p.340, "Beasts of Gor" (submitted by JaKil)
[The following quote shows how the Warrior Clitus Vitellius of Ar responds to the threats of a treacherous female.]
"`The vengeance of a girl,' I said, `is not a light thing.'
`Neither,' said he, looking at me, `is the vengeance of a warrior.'"
--p.352, Slave Girl of Gor
[In the quote below, Tarl discusses the codes with Warriors of Ar, proving to them that he is of the scarlet caste:]
"`Are you of the Warriors?' asked Labenius.
`Yes,' I said.
`Hear,' said Labenius to his men. `He is of the Warriors.'
`He says he is,' said a fellow, glumly.
`What is the 97th Aphorism in the Codes?' inquired Labenius.
`My scrolls may not be those of Ar,' I said. To be sure, the scrolls should be, at least among the high cities, in virtue of conventions held at the Sardar Fairs, particularly the Fair of En'Kara, much in agreement.
`Will you speak?' asked Labenius.
`Remove the female,' I said.
`He is a Warrior,' said one of the men.
One of the men lifted the bound Ina in his arms, one hand behind the back of her knees, and the other behind her back, and carried her from where we were gathered. In a few moments he returned.
`The female is now out of earshot?' inquired Labenius, staring ahead.
`Yes,' said the fellow, `and she will stay where I left her, on her back, as I tied her hair about the base of a stout shrub.'
`The 97th Aphorism in the Codes I was taught,' I said, `is in the form of a riddle: `What is invisible but more beautiful than diamonds?'
`And the answer?' inquired Labenius.
`That which is silent but deafens thunder.'
The men regarded one another.
`And what is that?' asked Labenius.
`The same,' said I, `as that which depresses no scale but is weightier than gold.'
`And what is that?' asked Labenius.
`Honor,' I said.
`He is of the Warriors,' said a man."
--p.304-305, Vagabonds of Gor
[In the following quote, Tarl Cabot walks alone and unaided into the stockhold of Sarus of Tyros, and shows that a lone warrior, even a fallen one, can still inspire fear even against seemingly unbeatable odds:]
"`How many men do you have?' I asked.
`Fifty-five,' he said.
`I was not always of the merchants,' I told him.
`I do not understand,' said Sarus.
`Once,' I said, `long ago, I was of the Warriors.'
`There are fifty-five of us,' said Sarus.
`My city,' I said, `was the city of Ko-ro-ba. It is sometimes called the Towers of the Morning.'
`Surrender,' whispered Sarus.
`Long ago,' I said, `I dishonored my caste, my Home Stone, my blade. Long ago, I fell from the warriors. Long ago, I lost my honor.'
Sarus slowly drew his blade, as did those behind him.
`But once,' I said, `I was of the city of Ko-ro-ba. That must not be forgotten. That cannot be taken from me.'
`He is mad,' said one of the men of Tyros.
`Yes,' I said, `once long ago, in the delta of the Vosk, I lost my honor. I know that never can I find it again. That honor, which was to me my most precious possession, was lost. It is gone, and gone forever. It is like a tarn with wings of gold, that sits but once upon a warrior's helm, and when it departs, it returns no more. It is gone, and gone forever.' I looked at them, and looked, too, upward at the stars of the Gorean night. They were beautiful, like points of fire, marking the camps of the armies of the night. `Yes,' I said, again regarding the men of Tyros, `I have lost my honor, but you must not understand by that that I have forgotten it. On some nights, on such a night as this, sometimes, I recollect it.'
`We are fifty-five men!' screamed Sarus...
He turned to face me, wildly. He saw that my blade was now drawn.
`You are not of Ar!' he cried.
`It would be better for you,' said I, `if I were.'"
--p.275-276 Hunters of Gor
"`I am of the Warriors,' I said. `I will take by the sword what women please me.'"
--p.348, Beasts of Gor

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q: When I came to Gor ka-la-na was golden, or amber; now it seems to be every color, including red, white, pink (mixed red/white). It also appears the color of ka-la-na may change slightly from region to region....scroll to scroll....what is your opinion?
(submitted by Ken Knull)

A: In the very first book of the series we are told that Ka-la-na is red. In later books it is occasionally described as "rich" and "delicate" but to my knowledge it is never referred to as any color other than some variation, or shade, of red. I think some of the confusion might come from the fact that Ka-la-na trees, from which Ka-la-na fruit is harvested, are yellow, meaning they have yellow leaves and bright yellow wood. There are many references in the books to yellow Ka-la-na trees and wood, but I have yet to find such a reference to "yellow Ka-la-na wine."

Below I have listed a few of the more common quotations dealing with Ka-la-na:

[The first reference to the color of Ka-la-na in the series is in the first book, when Tarl attempts to locate the Home Stone of Ar, which is mixed in among several other captured Home Stones. He cannot tell which is the correct stone until he remembers that the stone he seeks was drenched with Ka-la-na mere moments before:]
"Yes! It would be the one that would be red with Ka-la-na..."
--p.79, Tarnsman of Gor (submitted by Zeb)
[Later in the same book we find another such reference. I add that, we also learn that Ka-la-na is fermented, like other wines, rather than being distilled like hard liquor:]
"I went to his locker near the mat and got out his Ka-la-na flask, taking a long draught myself and then shoving it into his hands. He drained the flask in one drink and wiped his hand across his beard, stained with the red juice of the fermented drink."
--p.168, Tarnsman of Gor (submitted by Zeb)
"I turned and, among the furnishings of the tent, found a bottle of Ka-la-na, of good vintage, from the vineyards of Ar, the loot of a caravan raid. I then took the wine, with a small copper bowl, and a black, red-rimmed wine crater, to the side of the fire. I poured some of the wine into the small copper bowl, and set it on the tripod over the tiny fire in the fire bowl... I swirled, slowly, the wine in the wine crater. I saw my reflection in the redness, the blondness of my hair, dark in the wine, and the collar, with its bells, about my throat... I did not know how he cared for his wine, for some men of Treve wish it warm, almost hot."
--p.331-332, Captive of Gor
[Interestingly enough, the passage above indicates that Ka-la-na, like Paga, is occasionally served warm. Norman describes many Gorean beverages which are served warm in such a fashion. One might surmise that Norman himself is rather fond of warmed beverages. The quote below tells us much about Ka-la-na, particularly how rich and delicate is its flavor, how plentiful it is, and its reputed aphrodisiac qualities in regards to females.]
"...a small bottle of Ka-la-na wine, in a wicker basket... I had never tasted so rich and delicate a wine on Earth, and yet here, on this world, it cost only a copper tarn disk and was so cheap, and plentiful, that it might be given even to a female slave... It was the first Gorean fermented beverage which I had tasted. It is said that Ka-la-na has an unusual effect on a female."
--p.114, Captive of Gor
[And the quote below, one of many such, indicates that the city of Ar is famous for its production of Ka-la-na:]
"Aphris got up and fetched not a skin, but a bottle, of wine, Ka-la-na wine, from the Ka-la-na orchards of great Ar itself..."
--p.151, Nomads of Gor
[The quote below is one of many indicating the yellow color of Ka-la-na trees. This may be the reason many assume that there is white or golden Ka-la-na.]
"The Ka-la-na thicket was yellow in the distance..."
--p.250, Captive of Gor
[Not to say that there is not white wine on Gor; far from it. There are dozens of different kinds of wine mentioned in the series:]
"I did not much care for the sweet, syrupy wines of Turia, flavored and sugared to the point where one could almost leave one's fingerprint on their surface."
--p.83-84, Nomads of Gor
"It was Ta wine, from the Ta grapes of the terraces of Cos...In the last year heavy import duties had been levied by the high council of Vonda against the wines of certain other cities, in particular against the Ka-la-nas of Ar."
--p.306, Fighting Slave of Gor
"The first wine, a light white wine, was being deferentially served..."
--p.276, Fighting Slave of Gor
"In a Gorean supper in a house of wealth, in the course of the supper, with varied courses, eight to ten wines might be served, each suitably and congruously matched with respect to texture and bouquet not only to one another but to the accompanying portions of food."
--p.277, Fighting Slave of Gor

So, there you have it. I have combed the books extensively, and while white wines of various types are found on Gor, I have yet to find a reference to Ka-la-na being anything but red. Many Goreans on IRC make the common mistake of assuming that, since Ka-la-na wine is so often mentioned in the books, that it is the only type of wine produced on Gor. I liken its consistency of color with Earth plum wine, which is, to my knowledge, plum colored. It may be darker, or lighter, depending upon how it is produced, but it is always the color of the fruit it is made from; namely, the Earth plum. If Ka-la-na fruit is red, then so is Ka-la-na wine. There are many colors of Earth and Gorean grapes, but I have found no evidence that there is more than one type of Ka-la-na fruit. If anyone finds a quote which refutes this, or which suggests the existence of white Ka-la-na, I'd love to see it, and will happily display it in a future column.

QUOTES OF INTEREST

Behold! Proof from the books that Initiates are a bunch of weenies:

"Behind the Initiates, standing, as befits the men of other castes, I saw men of a hundred cities, joined here in their common fear and plea to the denizens of the Sardar. Well I could suppose the terror and upheavals that had brought these men, normally so divided against one another in the strife of their warring cities, to that palisade, to the dark shadows of the Sardar...I was pleased to see that the men of other castes, unlike the Initiates, did not grovel. There were men in that crowd from Ar, from Thentis, from Tharna, recognized by the yellow cords in their belt; from Port Kar; from Tor, Cos, Tyros; perhaps from Treve...perhaps even from...Ko-ro-ba. And the men in that crowd were of all castes, and even of castes as low as the Peasants, the Saddle-Makers, the Weavers, the Goat-Keepers, the Poets and the Merchants, but none of them grovelled as did the Initiates; how strange, I thought---the Initiates claimed to be most like Priest-Kings, even to be formed in their image, and yet I knew that a Priest-King would never grovel; it seemed the Initiates, in their efforts to be like gods, behaved like slaves."
--p 294-295, Priest Kings of Gor
"The meaning of history has its own terrain, its own mountains and summits, here and there, wherever they be found. It is not all prologue to a last act, following which comes nothing."
--p.336, Renegades of Gor

My Quote for the Week:
"I have fought, but so, too, might a tarn fly and a kailla run."
--Tarl Cabot, p.343, Renegades of Gor

I'll keep my summation brief this week, since I have already used up my assigned bandwidth on all the quotes above. Suffice it to say that the Gor books, consisting of well over a million words of published text, are packed with information on thousands of subjects... Gorean life, Gorean flora and fauna, Gorean customs and most importantly, Gorean philosophy. The next time you are tempted to shrug and dismiss the Gor series as mere pornographic fluff, remember that, whatever flaws one might attribute to John Norman's style of writing, the fact remains that his work is both entertaining and educational. As Norman often suggests, there is a little bit of the Gorean slave, and the Gorean Warrior, in all of us. One must merely find in oneself which is the truest part of who we are, and strive to excel within the boundaries of our own place in Gorean society... though as Norman himself suggests, the only boundaries which exist to confine us are the boundaries we set for ourselves.

Keep sending in those questions and quotes and I'll do my level best to get to them all.

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.

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