Certain expressions in Gorean are quite similar to those in English, most likely because the very first Goreans were probably Earthlings brought to Gor by Priest-Kings during various voyages of acquisition. Thus it is that the word collar is pronounced ko-lar (Slave Girl of Gor) and that certain barbarian names are all but unpronounceable to native Goreans (Nomads of Gor).
As with any language, one does not necessarily have to speak in order to communicate certain emotions and expressions. Goreans also have unique gestures which indicate greeting, applause, respect, and requests for silence, to name but a few.
“Gorean speech is no less complex than that of any of the great natural language communities of the Earth nor are its speakers any the less diverse. It is, incidentally, a beautiful language; it can be as subtle as Greek; as direct as Latin; as expressive as Russian; as rich as English; as forceful as German. To the Goreans it is always, simply, The Language, as though there were no others, and those who do not speak it are regarded immediately as barbarians. This sweet, fierce, liquid speech is the common bond that tends to hold together the Gorean world. It is the common property of the Administrator of Ar, a herdsman beside the Vosk, a peasant from Tor, a scribe from Thentis, a metalworker from Tharna, a physician from Cos, a pirate from Port Kar, a warrior from Ko-ro-ba.”—Priest-Kings, 52
“There are, of course, many languages spoken on Gor, but that language I have called Gorean, in its various dialects, is the lingua franca of the planet. It is spoken most everywhere, except in remote areas. One of these remote areas, of course, is the equatorial interior.”—Explorers, 100
Basic Gorean
Common
Gorean Expressions:
Enemy/stranger-“The words for stranger and enemy in Gorean are the same.”—Nomads, 9
Rarius-“’Lo, Rask,’ said he, ‘Rarius. Civitatis Trevis.’“’I am Rask,’ he said, ‘Of the caste of warriors, of the city of Treve.’”—Captive, 266
Mine-“’Yes,’ I had told her. ‘Yes, Vella, Kajira mira. I am pleased. I am pleased indeed.”—Nomads, 320
No-“’Ki’ signifies negation…”—Nomads, 3
“I went to the cave, Eta following. I lifted one of the chest's covers. I took from the chest a string of pearls, then one of pieces of gold, then one of rubies. ‘Bina?’ I asked, each time. Eta laughed. ‘Bana,’ she said, ‘Ki Bina. Bana.’ Then, from another box, Eta produced another necklace, one with cheap glass beads, and another with simple, small wooden beads. She indicated the latter two necklaces. ‘Bina,’ she said, pointing to them.”—Slave Girl, 82-3
Where is the..?-“’Var’ means a turning…”—Nomads, 3
“’Var Ko-lar!’ asked Eta. I pointed to the collar on her throat. ‘Var Ta-Teera?’ asked Eta, smiling. I pointed to the brief rag which I wore. Eta seemed pleased. She had laid out a number of articles. My lessons in Gorean had begun.”—Slave Girl, 83
Directions:
"Accordingly, the main divisions of the map are Ta-Sardar-Var, and the other seven; taking the Sardar as our "north pole" the other directions, clockwise as Earth clocks move (Gorean clock hands move in the opposite direction) would be, first, Ta-Sardar-Var, then, in order, Ror, Rim, Tun, Vask (sometimes spoken of as Verus Var. or the true turning away), Cart, Klim, and Kail, and then again, of course, Ta-Sardar-Var." —Nomads, 3
Greetings:
“’Tal!’ I called, lifting my hand, palm inward, in Gorean greeting.”—Nomads, 15
Masculine and Feminine Pronouns:
I am/you are-“’Ute,’ she said, pointing to herself. Then she pointed at me.‘La?’ she asked…“’Ute,’ repeated the short, dark-eyed girl, pointing to herself. Then she again pointed to me. ‘La?’ she inquired…“’La?’ persisted the dark-eyed girl, pointing at me with her strapped hand. ‘La?’“’Elinor,” I whispered.“’El-in-or,” she repeated, smiling.—Captive, 55
“’Lo, Rask,’ said he, ‘Rarius. Civitatis Trevis.’“’I am Rask,’ he said, ‘Of the caste of warriors, of the city of Treve.’”—Captive, 266"’La Kajira,’ said Eta, pointing to herself. ‘Tu Kajira,’ she said, pointing to me. ‘La Kajira,’ I said, pointing to myself. ‘Tu Kajira,’ I said, pointing to Eta. I am a slave girl. You are a slave girl.”—Slave Girl, 81
Mine-“’Yes,’ I had told her. ‘Yes, Vella, Kajira mira. I am pleased. I am pleased indeed.”—Nomads, 320
Pronunciations:
“Kamchak had never been able to pronounce her name, which he regarded as of barbarian length and complexity.‘E-liz-a-beth-card-vella’ he would try to say, adding the ‘a’ sound because it is a common ending of feminine names on Gor. He could never, like most native speakers of Gorean, properly handle the ‘w’sound, for it is extremely rare in Gorean, existing only in certain unusual words of obviously barbarian origin. The ‘w’ sound, incidentally, is a complex one, and, like many such sounds, is best learned only during the brief years of childhood when a child's linguistic flexibility is at a maximum...” –Nomads of Gor, 173-4
"’I will give you a name,’ I said.“She looked at me."’Alyena,’ I told her. The “l” sound in this name is rolled, one of two common "l" sounds in Gorean. An English transliteration, though not a perfect one, would be rather along the lines of “Ahl-yieh-ain-nah,” where the “ain” is pronounced such that it would rhyme with the English expression “rain.” The accent falls on the first and third syllable. It is a melodic name.’ “—Tribesmen, 54
Slave Expressions:
“’She must learn Gorean,’ said Kamchak to me. ‘Teach her “La Kajira”.’“’You must learn Gorean,’ I told the girl.“She tried to protest, but I would not permit it.“’Say “La Kajira”,’ I told her.“She looked at me helplessly. Then she repeated, ‘La Kajira.’“…Elizabeth Cardwell had learned her first Gorean.“’What does it mean?’ she asked.“’It means,’ I told her, ‘I am a slave girl.’ “—Nomads, 40
“Kajira is perhaps the most common expression for a female slave. Another frequently heard expression is Sa-Fora, a compound word, meaning, rather literally, Chain Daughter, or Daughter of the Chain...A male slave, or Kajirus, of the Wagon Peoples, and there are few, save for the work chains…”—Nomads, 29-30
"’La Kajira,’ said Eta, pointing to herself. ‘Tu Kajira,’ she said, pointing to me. ‘La Kajira,’ I said, pointing to myself. ‘Tu Kajira,’ I said, pointing to Eta. I am a slave girl. You are a slave girl.“Eta smiled. She pointed to her brand. ‘Kan-lara,’ she said. She pointed to my brand. ‘Kan-lara Dina,’ she said. I repeated these words.“‘Ko-lar,’ she said, indicating her collar. ‘It is the same word in English,’ I cried. She did not understand my outburst. Gorean, as I would learn, is rich in words borrowed from Earth languages; how rich it is I am not a skilled enough philologist to conjecture. It may well be that almost all Gorean expressions may be traced to one or another Earth language. Yet, the language is fluid, rich and expressive. Borrowed expressions, as in linguistic borrowing generally, take on the coloration of the borrowing language; in time the borrowings become naturalized, so to speak, being fully incorporated into the borrowing language; at this point they are, for all practical purposes, words within the borrowing language. How many, in English, for example, think of expressions such as“automobile,” “corral,” and “lariat” as being foreign words?"’Collar!’ I said. Eta frowned.’Ko-lar,’ she repeated, again indicating the neck band of steel fashioned on her throat.‘Ko-lar,’ I said, carefully following her pronunciation. Eta accepted this.“Eta pulled at the bit of rag she wore. "Ta-Teera," she said.“I looked down at the scrap of rag, outrageously brief, so scandalous, so shameful, fit only for a slave girl, which I wore. I smiled. I had been placed in a Ta-Teera. ‘Ta-Teera,’ I said. I wore the Ta-Teera.“’Var Ko-lar!’ asked Eta. I pointed to the collar on her throat.‘Var Ta-Teera?’ asked Eta, smiling. I pointed to the brief rag which I wore. Eta seemed pleased. She had laid out a number of articles. My lessons in Gorean had begun.“Suddenly, stammering, I said, ‘Eta—var-var Bina?’“Eta looked at me, surprised."’Var Bina, Eta?’ I asked.“Eta lightly lifted herself to her feet and went to the cave. In a few moments, she emerged. She carried, in her hands, several strings of beads, simple necklaces, with small, wooden, colored beads. They were not valuable. She held the necklaces up for me to see. Then, with her finger, moving them on their string, she indicated the tiny, colored wooden beads. ‘Da Bina,’ she said, smiling. Then she lifted a necklace, looking at it. ‘Bina,’ she said. I then understood that “Bina” was the expression for beads, or for a necklace of beads. The necklaces and beads which Eta produced for me were delights of color and appeal; yet they were simple and surely of little value.“I went to the cave, Eta following. I lifted one of the chest's covers. I took from the chest a string of pearls, then one of pieces of gold, then one of rubies. ‘Bina?’ I asked, each time. Eta laughed. ‘Bana,’ she said,‘Ki Bina. Bana.’ Then, from another box, Eta produced another necklace, one with cheap glass beads, and another with simple, small wooden beads. She indicated the latter two necklaces. ‘Bina,’ she said, pointing to them. Bina, I then understood, were lesser beads, cheap beads, beads of little value, save for their aesthetic charm. Indeed, I would later learn that bina were sometimes spoken of, derisively, as Kajira bana. The most exact translation of “bina”would probably be 'slave beads.' They were valueless, save for being a cheap adornment sometimes permitted imbonded wenches.“Eta lifted up a stout whip, with a long handle, which might be wielded with two hands, and five dangling, soft, wide lashing surfaces, each about a yard long. ‘Kurt,’ she said. I shrank back. ‘Kurt,’ I repeated. She lifted up some loops of chain; there were linked ankle rings and linked wrist rings, and a lock collar, all connected by a length of gleaming chain running from the collar. It was rather lovely. It was too small for a man. I knew, however, it would fit me, perfectly, ‘Sirik,’ said Eta. ‘Sirik,’ I repeated.”--Slave Girl, 81-83
“In brief, the word sa-fora means ‘Chain Daughter’ or ‘Daughter of the Chain.’The word kajira, on the other hand, is by far the most common expression in Gorean for what I am, which is, as you have doubtless surmised, a female slave. Yes, slave. The male form is kajirus. The plural of the first word is kajirae, and of the second kajiri. As kajira is the most common expression in Gorean for a slave who is female, I suppose, it might, in English be most simply, and most accurately translated, as ‘slave girl.’ In a collar, you see, understandably, all women are ‘girls.’ “-Witness, 101-2
Enemy/stranger-“The words for stranger and enemy in Gorean are the same.”—Nomads, 9
Rarius-“’Lo, Rask,’ said he, ‘Rarius. Civitatis Trevis.’“’I am Rask,’ he said, ‘Of the caste of warriors, of the city of Treve.’”—Captive, 266
Mine-“’Yes,’ I had told her. ‘Yes, Vella, Kajira mira. I am pleased. I am pleased indeed.”—Nomads, 320
No-“’Ki’ signifies negation…”—Nomads, 3
“I went to the cave, Eta following. I lifted one of the chest's covers. I took from the chest a string of pearls, then one of pieces of gold, then one of rubies. ‘Bina?’ I asked, each time. Eta laughed. ‘Bana,’ she said, ‘Ki Bina. Bana.’ Then, from another box, Eta produced another necklace, one with cheap glass beads, and another with simple, small wooden beads. She indicated the latter two necklaces. ‘Bina,’ she said, pointing to them.”—Slave Girl, 82-3
Where is the..?-“’Var’ means a turning…”—Nomads, 3
“’Var Ko-lar!’ asked Eta. I pointed to the collar on her throat. ‘Var Ta-Teera?’ asked Eta, smiling. I pointed to the brief rag which I wore. Eta seemed pleased. She had laid out a number of articles. My lessons in Gorean had begun.”—Slave Girl, 83
Directions:
"Accordingly, the main divisions of the map are Ta-Sardar-Var, and the other seven; taking the Sardar as our "north pole" the other directions, clockwise as Earth clocks move (Gorean clock hands move in the opposite direction) would be, first, Ta-Sardar-Var, then, in order, Ror, Rim, Tun, Vask (sometimes spoken of as Verus Var. or the true turning away), Cart, Klim, and Kail, and then again, of course, Ta-Sardar-Var." —Nomads, 3
Greetings:
“’Tal!’ I called, lifting my hand, palm inward, in Gorean greeting.”—Nomads, 15
Masculine and Feminine Pronouns:
I am/you are-“’Ute,’ she said, pointing to herself. Then she pointed at me.‘La?’ she asked…“’Ute,’ repeated the short, dark-eyed girl, pointing to herself. Then she again pointed to me. ‘La?’ she inquired…“’La?’ persisted the dark-eyed girl, pointing at me with her strapped hand. ‘La?’“’Elinor,” I whispered.“’El-in-or,” she repeated, smiling.—Captive, 55
“’Lo, Rask,’ said he, ‘Rarius. Civitatis Trevis.’“’I am Rask,’ he said, ‘Of the caste of warriors, of the city of Treve.’”—Captive, 266"’La Kajira,’ said Eta, pointing to herself. ‘Tu Kajira,’ she said, pointing to me. ‘La Kajira,’ I said, pointing to myself. ‘Tu Kajira,’ I said, pointing to Eta. I am a slave girl. You are a slave girl.”—Slave Girl, 81
Mine-“’Yes,’ I had told her. ‘Yes, Vella, Kajira mira. I am pleased. I am pleased indeed.”—Nomads, 320
Pronunciations:
“Kamchak had never been able to pronounce her name, which he regarded as of barbarian length and complexity.‘E-liz-a-beth-card-vella’ he would try to say, adding the ‘a’ sound because it is a common ending of feminine names on Gor. He could never, like most native speakers of Gorean, properly handle the ‘w’sound, for it is extremely rare in Gorean, existing only in certain unusual words of obviously barbarian origin. The ‘w’ sound, incidentally, is a complex one, and, like many such sounds, is best learned only during the brief years of childhood when a child's linguistic flexibility is at a maximum...” –Nomads of Gor, 173-4
"’I will give you a name,’ I said.“She looked at me."’Alyena,’ I told her. The “l” sound in this name is rolled, one of two common "l" sounds in Gorean. An English transliteration, though not a perfect one, would be rather along the lines of “Ahl-yieh-ain-nah,” where the “ain” is pronounced such that it would rhyme with the English expression “rain.” The accent falls on the first and third syllable. It is a melodic name.’ “—Tribesmen, 54
Slave Expressions:
“’She must learn Gorean,’ said Kamchak to me. ‘Teach her “La Kajira”.’“’You must learn Gorean,’ I told the girl.“She tried to protest, but I would not permit it.“’Say “La Kajira”,’ I told her.“She looked at me helplessly. Then she repeated, ‘La Kajira.’“…Elizabeth Cardwell had learned her first Gorean.“’What does it mean?’ she asked.“’It means,’ I told her, ‘I am a slave girl.’ “—Nomads, 40
“Kajira is perhaps the most common expression for a female slave. Another frequently heard expression is Sa-Fora, a compound word, meaning, rather literally, Chain Daughter, or Daughter of the Chain...A male slave, or Kajirus, of the Wagon Peoples, and there are few, save for the work chains…”—Nomads, 29-30
"’La Kajira,’ said Eta, pointing to herself. ‘Tu Kajira,’ she said, pointing to me. ‘La Kajira,’ I said, pointing to myself. ‘Tu Kajira,’ I said, pointing to Eta. I am a slave girl. You are a slave girl.“Eta smiled. She pointed to her brand. ‘Kan-lara,’ she said. She pointed to my brand. ‘Kan-lara Dina,’ she said. I repeated these words.“‘Ko-lar,’ she said, indicating her collar. ‘It is the same word in English,’ I cried. She did not understand my outburst. Gorean, as I would learn, is rich in words borrowed from Earth languages; how rich it is I am not a skilled enough philologist to conjecture. It may well be that almost all Gorean expressions may be traced to one or another Earth language. Yet, the language is fluid, rich and expressive. Borrowed expressions, as in linguistic borrowing generally, take on the coloration of the borrowing language; in time the borrowings become naturalized, so to speak, being fully incorporated into the borrowing language; at this point they are, for all practical purposes, words within the borrowing language. How many, in English, for example, think of expressions such as“automobile,” “corral,” and “lariat” as being foreign words?"’Collar!’ I said. Eta frowned.’Ko-lar,’ she repeated, again indicating the neck band of steel fashioned on her throat.‘Ko-lar,’ I said, carefully following her pronunciation. Eta accepted this.“Eta pulled at the bit of rag she wore. "Ta-Teera," she said.“I looked down at the scrap of rag, outrageously brief, so scandalous, so shameful, fit only for a slave girl, which I wore. I smiled. I had been placed in a Ta-Teera. ‘Ta-Teera,’ I said. I wore the Ta-Teera.“’Var Ko-lar!’ asked Eta. I pointed to the collar on her throat.‘Var Ta-Teera?’ asked Eta, smiling. I pointed to the brief rag which I wore. Eta seemed pleased. She had laid out a number of articles. My lessons in Gorean had begun.“Suddenly, stammering, I said, ‘Eta—var-var Bina?’“Eta looked at me, surprised."’Var Bina, Eta?’ I asked.“Eta lightly lifted herself to her feet and went to the cave. In a few moments, she emerged. She carried, in her hands, several strings of beads, simple necklaces, with small, wooden, colored beads. They were not valuable. She held the necklaces up for me to see. Then, with her finger, moving them on their string, she indicated the tiny, colored wooden beads. ‘Da Bina,’ she said, smiling. Then she lifted a necklace, looking at it. ‘Bina,’ she said. I then understood that “Bina” was the expression for beads, or for a necklace of beads. The necklaces and beads which Eta produced for me were delights of color and appeal; yet they were simple and surely of little value.“I went to the cave, Eta following. I lifted one of the chest's covers. I took from the chest a string of pearls, then one of pieces of gold, then one of rubies. ‘Bina?’ I asked, each time. Eta laughed. ‘Bana,’ she said,‘Ki Bina. Bana.’ Then, from another box, Eta produced another necklace, one with cheap glass beads, and another with simple, small wooden beads. She indicated the latter two necklaces. ‘Bina,’ she said, pointing to them. Bina, I then understood, were lesser beads, cheap beads, beads of little value, save for their aesthetic charm. Indeed, I would later learn that bina were sometimes spoken of, derisively, as Kajira bana. The most exact translation of “bina”would probably be 'slave beads.' They were valueless, save for being a cheap adornment sometimes permitted imbonded wenches.“Eta lifted up a stout whip, with a long handle, which might be wielded with two hands, and five dangling, soft, wide lashing surfaces, each about a yard long. ‘Kurt,’ she said. I shrank back. ‘Kurt,’ I repeated. She lifted up some loops of chain; there were linked ankle rings and linked wrist rings, and a lock collar, all connected by a length of gleaming chain running from the collar. It was rather lovely. It was too small for a man. I knew, however, it would fit me, perfectly, ‘Sirik,’ said Eta. ‘Sirik,’ I repeated.”--Slave Girl, 81-83
“In brief, the word sa-fora means ‘Chain Daughter’ or ‘Daughter of the Chain.’The word kajira, on the other hand, is by far the most common expression in Gorean for what I am, which is, as you have doubtless surmised, a female slave. Yes, slave. The male form is kajirus. The plural of the first word is kajirae, and of the second kajiri. As kajira is the most common expression in Gorean for a slave who is female, I suppose, it might, in English be most simply, and most accurately translated, as ‘slave girl.’ In a collar, you see, understandably, all women are ‘girls.’ “-Witness, 101-2
Dialects
Barbarians:
“I was pleased with how well, in the past months, Elizabeth had done with the language. Of course, Kamchak had rented three Turian girls, slaves, to train her; they had done so, binding her wrists and leading her about the wagons, teaching her the words for things, beating her with switches when she made mistakes; Elizabeth had learned quickly.”—Nomads, 60
“Tuka, in the matter of teaching Elizabeth the language, had been especially cruel. Elizabeth, bound, could not resist and did she try, Tuka’s companions, the others of her wagon, would leap upon her with their switches flailing.”—Nomads, 69
“She turned her eyes on Elizabeth, whom she seemed to see then for the first time. ’Your accent,’ said Aphris, slowly. ‘You are barbarian.’ She said it with a kind of horror.”—Nomads, 135.
“’I will speak high-caste Gorean,’ I told Inge.“’But you are a barbarian,’ said Inge."—Captive, 71
Lower Classes:
“Once I noted, speaking to Inge, that Ute, regularly, made certain grammatical errors.“’Yes,” said Inge, matter-of-factly, ‘she is of the Leather Workers.’
Nomads:
“I knew [the Wagon Peoples] spoke a dialect of Gorean, and I hoped I would be able to understand them.”—Nomads, 9
“’Do you speak Gorean?’ I called…“The man behind me called out, speaking Gorean with a harsh accent.”—Nomads, 15
“I repeated the name slowly, trying to sound it out. It is pronounced in four syllables, divided thus: Ku-tai-tu-chik.”--Nomads, 32
Slave speech
Third person:
Although slaves quite often speak in first person, third person speech may be employed as a training device. It is also used voluntarily by slaves who find themselves in positions of great vulnerability, such as when begging for forgiveness, the granting of a request, or slave rape.
“’Does Phyllis remember the lash?’ asked Flaminius.“The girl's eyes widened with fear. ‘Yes,’ she said.“’Then say so,’ said Flaminius.“I whispered in Gorean to Ho-Tu, as though I could not understand what was transpiring. ‘What is he doing with them?’“Ho-Tu shrugged. ‘He is teaching them they are slaves,’he said."’I remember the lash,’ said Phyllis."’Phyllis remembers the lash,’ corrected Flaminius."’I am not a child!’ she cried."’You are a slave,’ said Flaminius."’No,’ she said. ‘No!’"’I see,’ said Flaminius, sadly, ‘it will be necessary to beat you.’"’Phyllis remembers the lash,’ said the girl numbly.”—Assassin, 131
"’Do you want Darlene branded?’ she asked."’No,’ I said, ‘of course not!’ I was surprised that she had spoken of herself as she did, using her name.“This is not uncommon, of course, among Gorean female slaves.”--Fighting Slave, 147
"’Master,’ she whispered."’Yes?’ I said."’May I be taught to dance?’ she asked."’Who is '”I”?’ I questioned."’Alyena, your slave girl, Master,’ she whispered, ‘begs to be taught to dance.’"’Perhaps she will be taught,’ I said."’She is grateful,’ said the girl.”—Tribesmen, 91
“I was pleased with how well, in the past months, Elizabeth had done with the language. Of course, Kamchak had rented three Turian girls, slaves, to train her; they had done so, binding her wrists and leading her about the wagons, teaching her the words for things, beating her with switches when she made mistakes; Elizabeth had learned quickly.”—Nomads, 60
“Tuka, in the matter of teaching Elizabeth the language, had been especially cruel. Elizabeth, bound, could not resist and did she try, Tuka’s companions, the others of her wagon, would leap upon her with their switches flailing.”—Nomads, 69
“She turned her eyes on Elizabeth, whom she seemed to see then for the first time. ’Your accent,’ said Aphris, slowly. ‘You are barbarian.’ She said it with a kind of horror.”—Nomads, 135.
“’I will speak high-caste Gorean,’ I told Inge.“’But you are a barbarian,’ said Inge."—Captive, 71
Lower Classes:
“Once I noted, speaking to Inge, that Ute, regularly, made certain grammatical errors.“’Yes,” said Inge, matter-of-factly, ‘she is of the Leather Workers.’
Nomads:
“I knew [the Wagon Peoples] spoke a dialect of Gorean, and I hoped I would be able to understand them.”—Nomads, 9
“’Do you speak Gorean?’ I called…“The man behind me called out, speaking Gorean with a harsh accent.”—Nomads, 15
“I repeated the name slowly, trying to sound it out. It is pronounced in four syllables, divided thus: Ku-tai-tu-chik.”--Nomads, 32
Slave speech
Third person:
Although slaves quite often speak in first person, third person speech may be employed as a training device. It is also used voluntarily by slaves who find themselves in positions of great vulnerability, such as when begging for forgiveness, the granting of a request, or slave rape.
“’Does Phyllis remember the lash?’ asked Flaminius.“The girl's eyes widened with fear. ‘Yes,’ she said.“’Then say so,’ said Flaminius.“I whispered in Gorean to Ho-Tu, as though I could not understand what was transpiring. ‘What is he doing with them?’“Ho-Tu shrugged. ‘He is teaching them they are slaves,’he said."’I remember the lash,’ said Phyllis."’Phyllis remembers the lash,’ corrected Flaminius."’I am not a child!’ she cried."’You are a slave,’ said Flaminius."’No,’ she said. ‘No!’"’I see,’ said Flaminius, sadly, ‘it will be necessary to beat you.’"’Phyllis remembers the lash,’ said the girl numbly.”—Assassin, 131
"’Do you want Darlene branded?’ she asked."’No,’ I said, ‘of course not!’ I was surprised that she had spoken of herself as she did, using her name.“This is not uncommon, of course, among Gorean female slaves.”--Fighting Slave, 147
"’Master,’ she whispered."’Yes?’ I said."’May I be taught to dance?’ she asked."’Who is '”I”?’ I questioned."’Alyena, your slave girl, Master,’ she whispered, ‘begs to be taught to dance.’"’Perhaps she will be taught,’ I said."’She is grateful,’ said the girl.”—Tribesmen, 91
The Planet
The planet Gor, based upon the novels by John
Norman, rotates around the exact same sun. This planet, although often savage,
is a beautiful place. The sky is a brilliant blue, the air is clean and grass
is green, basically a paradise. Due to its smaller size, the planet has a
lighter gravity pull, which allows feats completely impossible on earth an
every day occurrence on Gor. Man is able to jump higher; lift more weight and
throw objects a farther distance.
"But surely," I protested, "its existence could be discovered. One can't hide a planet the size of the Earth in our own solar system! It's impossible!"
"You underestimate the Priest-Kings and their science," said my father, smiling. "Any power that is capable of moving a planet--and I believe the Priest-Kings possess this power--is capable of effecting adjustments in the motion of the planet, such adjustments as might allow it to use the sun indefinitely as a concealing shield." Tarnsman of Gor
As he spoke, my father often referred to the planet Gor as the Counter-Earth, taking the name from the writings of the Pythagoreans who had first speculated on the existence of such a body. Oddly enough, one of the expressions in the tongue of Gor for our sun was Lar-Torvis, which means The Central Fire, another Pythagorean expression, except that it had not been, as I understand it, originally used by the Pythagoreans to refer to the sun but to another body. Tarnsman of Gor
"But surely," I protested, "its existence could be discovered. One can't hide a planet the size of the Earth in our own solar system! It's impossible!"
"You underestimate the Priest-Kings and their science," said my father, smiling. "Any power that is capable of moving a planet--and I believe the Priest-Kings possess this power--is capable of effecting adjustments in the motion of the planet, such adjustments as might allow it to use the sun indefinitely as a concealing shield." Tarnsman of Gor
As he spoke, my father often referred to the planet Gor as the Counter-Earth, taking the name from the writings of the Pythagoreans who had first speculated on the existence of such a body. Oddly enough, one of the expressions in the tongue of Gor for our sun was Lar-Torvis, which means The Central Fire, another Pythagorean expression, except that it had not been, as I understand it, originally used by the Pythagoreans to refer to the sun but to another body. Tarnsman of Gor
This image was made
by Lady Aneesha of the Isle of Hellisto permission was granted for its use.
Gor is the planet
ruled by the Priest-Kings, a species of higher intelligence which hides in the
depths of the Sardar Moutains. It is believed the planet shares the Earth's
solar system but remains concealed from Earth scientists by careful shielding.
Gor is said to be on the exact opposite side of the sun from Earth and is
therefore undetectable from Earth. (the sun shielding theory)
There was another possibility I mentioned to my father--perhaps the planet had been in our system all the time, but had been undiscovered, unlikely though that might be, given the thousands of years of study of the skies by men, from the shambling creatures of the Neander Valley to the brilliant intellects of Mount Wilson and Palomar. To my surprise, this absurd hypothesis was welcomed by my father.
"That," he said with animation, "is the Theory of the Sun Shield." He added, "That is why I like to think of the planet as the Counter-Earth, not only because of its resemblance to our native world, but because, as a matter of fact, it is placed as a counterpoise to the Earth. It has the same plane of orbit and maintains its orbit in such a way as always to keep The Central Fire between it and its planetary sister, our Earth, even though this necessitates occasional adjustments in its speed of revolution."
"But surely," I protested, 'its existence could be discovered. One can't hide a planet the size of the Earth in our own solar system! It's impossible!"
"You underestimate the Priest-Kings and their science," said my father, smiling. "Any power that is capable of moving a planet--and I believe the Priest-Kings possess this power--is capable of effecting adjustments in the motion of the planet, such adjustments as might allow it to use the sun indefinitely as a concealing shield."
"The orbits of the other planets would be affected," I pointed out.
"Gravitational perturbations," said my father, "can be neutralized." His eyes shone. "It is my belief," he said, "that the Priest-Kings can control the forces of gravity, at least in localized areas, and, indeed, that they do so. In all probability their control over the motion of the planet is somehow connected with this capacity. Consider certain consequences of this power. Physical evidence, such as light or radio waves, which might reveal the presence of the planet, can be prevented from doing so. The Priest-Kings might gravitationally warp the space in their vicinity, causing light or radio waves to be diffused, curved, or deflected in such a way as not to expose their world."
I must have appeared unconvinced.
"Exploratory satellites can be similarly dealt with," added my father. He paused. "Of course, I only propose hypotheses, for what the Priest-Kings do and how it is done is known only to them."
I drained the last sip of the heady wine in the metal goblet.
"Actually," said my father, "there is evidence of the existence of the Counter-Earth."
I looked at him.
"Certain natural signals in the radio band of the spectrum," said my father.
My astonishment must have been obvious.
"Yes," he said, "but since the hypothesis of another world is regarded as so incredible, this evidence has been interpreted to accord with other theories; sometimes even imperfections in instrumentation have been supposed rather than admit the presence of another world in our solar system."
"But why would this evidence not be understood?" I asked.
"Surely you know," he laughed, "one must distinguish between the data to be interpreted and the interpretation of the data, and one chooses, normally, the interpretation that preserves as much as possible of the old world view, and, in the thinking of the Earth, there is no place for Gor, its true sister planet, the Counter-Earth." Tarnsman of Gor
Some million years before the journey of Tarl Cabot to the counter-earth, the Priest-Kings brought the planet into the solar system it now resided in by the manipulation of gravity.
"I myself was hatched," said Misk, "before we brought our world into your solar system." He looked down at me. "That was more than two million years ago," he said. Priest Kings of Gor
Indeed, it is through the control of gravity that the Priest-Kings had, long ago, brought their world into our system, an engineering feat that might have been otherwise impossible without perhaps the draining of the gleaming Thassa itself for its hydrogen nuclei. Priest Kings of Gor
Gor is a planet not unlike Earth, though said to be smaller in size and different in mass, making its gravity field lighter enough to have visible effects on those of Earth. Like Earth, Gor has satellites it calls moons; unlike earth, these moons are three.
...I leaped to the top of the table almost as I would have climbed a stair in the alumni house. It was different, a different movement. Less gravity. It had to be. The planet, then, was smaller than our earth, and, given the apparent size of the sun, perhaps somewhat closer to it. Tarnsman of Gor
I was aware again of the somewhat lesser gravity of the planet, but this awareness would pass as my system accommodated itself naturally to the new environment. Given the lesser gravity, feats of prowess that might seem superhuman on earth were commonplace on Gor. The sun, as I remembered it, seemed a bit larger than it did when viewed from the earth, but as before it was difficult to be altogether sure of this. Outlaw of Gor
The planet is populated by various species brought to it via the voyages of acquisition, from planets known to Priest-Kings. Earth is one of those planets, and certainly appears to be the source of most of Gor's population although these voyages took place during ancient Earth times. There are some Gorean's that refer to Earth as the "Slave Planet". The Priest-Kings control the technology available to Goreans so the Gorean population remains much more instinctive and uncivilized by today’s Earth standards.
Ellen knew that some Goreans referred to Earth as a “slave planet.” She did not know if this was because those of Earth, both men and women, tended to live unwittingly in eccentric, unnatural cultural prisons, products of monstrous, lingering historicalities, denying themselves and their natures, submitting mindlessly, uncritically, to pathological, stunting, life-shortening conventions, fearing to live, or if it merely referred to Earth as a welcome, vulnerable resource for the predations of slavers, a world where lovely animals, perhaps rather such as she herself now was, might be netted with impunity, and chained, or crated, and brought to distant markets for their sale. Prize of Gor
It is explained that the Priest-Kings brought men of Earth to Gor because they found them to be an interesting species and believed they would, on earth at least, end up destroying themselves. In essence, the intent explained here is one of protection of the species.
"We keep in touch with the earth," said Misk, "for it might, in time, become a threat to us and then we would have to limit it, or destroy it or leave the solar system."
"Which will you do?" I asked.
"None, I suspect," said Misk. "According to our calculations, which may of course be mistaken, life as you know it on the earth will destroy itself within the next thousand years."
I shook my head sadly.
"As I said," went on Misk, "man is sub rational. Consider what would happen if we allowed him free technological development on our world."
I nodded. I could see that from the Priest-Kings' point of view it would be more dangerous than handing out automatic weapons to chimpanzees and gorillas. Man had not proved himself worthy of a superior technology to the Priest-Kings. I mused that man had not proved himself worthy of such a technology even to himself.
"Indeed," said Misk, "it was partly because of this tendency that we brought man to the Counter-Earth, for he is an interesting species and it would be sad to us if he disappeared from the universe."
"I suppose we are to be grateful," I said.
"No," said Misk, "we have similarly brought various species to the Counter-Earth, from other locations." Priest Kings of Gor
The self-destructive tendencies of the men of Earth are believed by Priest-Kings to be a direct result of access to advanced technologies, and to prevent such tendencies from manifesting themselves, such access on Gor is limited. Indeed, if the Priests-Kings remain hidden from the human eye, they keep tight and constant control of man's access to technology, believing it to be something man is not yet ready to handle safely. In areas as simple as weaponry and sometimes as advanced as political alliances, careful surveillance and intervention are maintained and handled swiftly.
...I would have supposed that armor, or chain mail perhaps, would have been a desirable addition to the accoutrements of the Gorean warrior, but it had been forbidden by the Priest-Kings. A possible hypothesis to explain this is that the Priest-Kings may have wished war to be a biologically selective process in which the weaker and slower perish and fail to reproduce themselves. This might account for the relatively primitive weapons allowed to the Men Below the Mountains. On Gor it was not the case that a cavern-chested toothpick could close a switch and devastate an army. Also, the primitive weapons guaranteed that what selection went on would proceed with sufficient slowness to establish its direction, and alter it, if necessary. Tarnsman of Gor
..."From Sarm's point of view of course your utilization there was simply to curtail the spread of the Empire of Ar, for we prefer humans to dwell in isolated communities. It is better for observing their variations, from the scientific point of view, and it is safer for us if they remain disunited, for being rational they might develop a science, and being sub rational it might be dangerous for us and for themselves if they did so."
"That is the reason then for your limitations of their weaponry and technology?"
"Of course," said Misk... Priest Kings of Gor
The result: A savage world where survival is ensured by strength and the ability of man to take his place in the natural order of things, be it in relation to other animal species, amongst the human species or surviving the elements of nature, either alone or via cultural and social standards-based primitive instincts. On Gor, the strong survive, the weak die. A world where incredible advances in medicine have essentially eliminated disease and even aging, yet where men must walk or ride journeys of thousands of passangs without the help of a motor and where predators of prehistoric size roam free to hold their place in the food chain.
The society ranges from savage to relatively civilized. Men live by an unwritten code of conduct, where loyalty, passion and honor always prevail, and rule this world. On this planet, men are men and women, whether slave or Free, are here to please the men. Their complete existence relies on a man and they should remember that at all times. If for some reason a woman forgets her place, the sting of a whip, or any other means the man finds necessary, will quickly remind her.
There was another possibility I mentioned to my father--perhaps the planet had been in our system all the time, but had been undiscovered, unlikely though that might be, given the thousands of years of study of the skies by men, from the shambling creatures of the Neander Valley to the brilliant intellects of Mount Wilson and Palomar. To my surprise, this absurd hypothesis was welcomed by my father.
"That," he said with animation, "is the Theory of the Sun Shield." He added, "That is why I like to think of the planet as the Counter-Earth, not only because of its resemblance to our native world, but because, as a matter of fact, it is placed as a counterpoise to the Earth. It has the same plane of orbit and maintains its orbit in such a way as always to keep The Central Fire between it and its planetary sister, our Earth, even though this necessitates occasional adjustments in its speed of revolution."
"But surely," I protested, 'its existence could be discovered. One can't hide a planet the size of the Earth in our own solar system! It's impossible!"
"You underestimate the Priest-Kings and their science," said my father, smiling. "Any power that is capable of moving a planet--and I believe the Priest-Kings possess this power--is capable of effecting adjustments in the motion of the planet, such adjustments as might allow it to use the sun indefinitely as a concealing shield."
"The orbits of the other planets would be affected," I pointed out.
"Gravitational perturbations," said my father, "can be neutralized." His eyes shone. "It is my belief," he said, "that the Priest-Kings can control the forces of gravity, at least in localized areas, and, indeed, that they do so. In all probability their control over the motion of the planet is somehow connected with this capacity. Consider certain consequences of this power. Physical evidence, such as light or radio waves, which might reveal the presence of the planet, can be prevented from doing so. The Priest-Kings might gravitationally warp the space in their vicinity, causing light or radio waves to be diffused, curved, or deflected in such a way as not to expose their world."
I must have appeared unconvinced.
"Exploratory satellites can be similarly dealt with," added my father. He paused. "Of course, I only propose hypotheses, for what the Priest-Kings do and how it is done is known only to them."
I drained the last sip of the heady wine in the metal goblet.
"Actually," said my father, "there is evidence of the existence of the Counter-Earth."
I looked at him.
"Certain natural signals in the radio band of the spectrum," said my father.
My astonishment must have been obvious.
"Yes," he said, "but since the hypothesis of another world is regarded as so incredible, this evidence has been interpreted to accord with other theories; sometimes even imperfections in instrumentation have been supposed rather than admit the presence of another world in our solar system."
"But why would this evidence not be understood?" I asked.
"Surely you know," he laughed, "one must distinguish between the data to be interpreted and the interpretation of the data, and one chooses, normally, the interpretation that preserves as much as possible of the old world view, and, in the thinking of the Earth, there is no place for Gor, its true sister planet, the Counter-Earth." Tarnsman of Gor
Some million years before the journey of Tarl Cabot to the counter-earth, the Priest-Kings brought the planet into the solar system it now resided in by the manipulation of gravity.
"I myself was hatched," said Misk, "before we brought our world into your solar system." He looked down at me. "That was more than two million years ago," he said. Priest Kings of Gor
Indeed, it is through the control of gravity that the Priest-Kings had, long ago, brought their world into our system, an engineering feat that might have been otherwise impossible without perhaps the draining of the gleaming Thassa itself for its hydrogen nuclei. Priest Kings of Gor
Gor is a planet not unlike Earth, though said to be smaller in size and different in mass, making its gravity field lighter enough to have visible effects on those of Earth. Like Earth, Gor has satellites it calls moons; unlike earth, these moons are three.
...I leaped to the top of the table almost as I would have climbed a stair in the alumni house. It was different, a different movement. Less gravity. It had to be. The planet, then, was smaller than our earth, and, given the apparent size of the sun, perhaps somewhat closer to it. Tarnsman of Gor
I was aware again of the somewhat lesser gravity of the planet, but this awareness would pass as my system accommodated itself naturally to the new environment. Given the lesser gravity, feats of prowess that might seem superhuman on earth were commonplace on Gor. The sun, as I remembered it, seemed a bit larger than it did when viewed from the earth, but as before it was difficult to be altogether sure of this. Outlaw of Gor
The planet is populated by various species brought to it via the voyages of acquisition, from planets known to Priest-Kings. Earth is one of those planets, and certainly appears to be the source of most of Gor's population although these voyages took place during ancient Earth times. There are some Gorean's that refer to Earth as the "Slave Planet". The Priest-Kings control the technology available to Goreans so the Gorean population remains much more instinctive and uncivilized by today’s Earth standards.
Ellen knew that some Goreans referred to Earth as a “slave planet.” She did not know if this was because those of Earth, both men and women, tended to live unwittingly in eccentric, unnatural cultural prisons, products of monstrous, lingering historicalities, denying themselves and their natures, submitting mindlessly, uncritically, to pathological, stunting, life-shortening conventions, fearing to live, or if it merely referred to Earth as a welcome, vulnerable resource for the predations of slavers, a world where lovely animals, perhaps rather such as she herself now was, might be netted with impunity, and chained, or crated, and brought to distant markets for their sale. Prize of Gor
It is explained that the Priest-Kings brought men of Earth to Gor because they found them to be an interesting species and believed they would, on earth at least, end up destroying themselves. In essence, the intent explained here is one of protection of the species.
"We keep in touch with the earth," said Misk, "for it might, in time, become a threat to us and then we would have to limit it, or destroy it or leave the solar system."
"Which will you do?" I asked.
"None, I suspect," said Misk. "According to our calculations, which may of course be mistaken, life as you know it on the earth will destroy itself within the next thousand years."
I shook my head sadly.
"As I said," went on Misk, "man is sub rational. Consider what would happen if we allowed him free technological development on our world."
I nodded. I could see that from the Priest-Kings' point of view it would be more dangerous than handing out automatic weapons to chimpanzees and gorillas. Man had not proved himself worthy of a superior technology to the Priest-Kings. I mused that man had not proved himself worthy of such a technology even to himself.
"Indeed," said Misk, "it was partly because of this tendency that we brought man to the Counter-Earth, for he is an interesting species and it would be sad to us if he disappeared from the universe."
"I suppose we are to be grateful," I said.
"No," said Misk, "we have similarly brought various species to the Counter-Earth, from other locations." Priest Kings of Gor
The self-destructive tendencies of the men of Earth are believed by Priest-Kings to be a direct result of access to advanced technologies, and to prevent such tendencies from manifesting themselves, such access on Gor is limited. Indeed, if the Priests-Kings remain hidden from the human eye, they keep tight and constant control of man's access to technology, believing it to be something man is not yet ready to handle safely. In areas as simple as weaponry and sometimes as advanced as political alliances, careful surveillance and intervention are maintained and handled swiftly.
...I would have supposed that armor, or chain mail perhaps, would have been a desirable addition to the accoutrements of the Gorean warrior, but it had been forbidden by the Priest-Kings. A possible hypothesis to explain this is that the Priest-Kings may have wished war to be a biologically selective process in which the weaker and slower perish and fail to reproduce themselves. This might account for the relatively primitive weapons allowed to the Men Below the Mountains. On Gor it was not the case that a cavern-chested toothpick could close a switch and devastate an army. Also, the primitive weapons guaranteed that what selection went on would proceed with sufficient slowness to establish its direction, and alter it, if necessary. Tarnsman of Gor
..."From Sarm's point of view of course your utilization there was simply to curtail the spread of the Empire of Ar, for we prefer humans to dwell in isolated communities. It is better for observing their variations, from the scientific point of view, and it is safer for us if they remain disunited, for being rational they might develop a science, and being sub rational it might be dangerous for us and for themselves if they did so."
"That is the reason then for your limitations of their weaponry and technology?"
"Of course," said Misk... Priest Kings of Gor
The result: A savage world where survival is ensured by strength and the ability of man to take his place in the natural order of things, be it in relation to other animal species, amongst the human species or surviving the elements of nature, either alone or via cultural and social standards-based primitive instincts. On Gor, the strong survive, the weak die. A world where incredible advances in medicine have essentially eliminated disease and even aging, yet where men must walk or ride journeys of thousands of passangs without the help of a motor and where predators of prehistoric size roam free to hold their place in the food chain.
The society ranges from savage to relatively civilized. Men live by an unwritten code of conduct, where loyalty, passion and honor always prevail, and rule this world. On this planet, men are men and women, whether slave or Free, are here to please the men. Their complete existence relies on a man and they should remember that at all times. If for some reason a woman forgets her place, the sting of a whip, or any other means the man finds necessary, will quickly remind her.
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