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All About the Free Men of Gor |
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What is "Mastery"? Why would you care to know?
"Mastery" of a man over a woman is achieving control, but it
is something more than merely that. A man is usually, but
not always, larger and stronger than the female. Mastery in
this sense, does not depend on that. There is a manner, a
way, in which a handicapped male may wield as much control,
as a large, muscular vibrant man. Show me a man being harsh
with a woman to prove he is a tough man, and I will show you
a fool with no more grace or talent of mastery, than a
brute.
Granted that Gor is and should be all things stated, still
Gor and mastery of women requires a further step. This step
is the distinction between intelligent mastery and abuse.
Remember that famous Gorean quote: Perhaps it should only be
added that the Gorean master, though often strict, is seldom
cruel. The girl knows, if she pleases him, her lot will be
an easy one. She will almost never encounter sadism or
wanton cruelty, for the psychological environment that tends
to breed these diseases is largely absent on Gor. this does
not mean that she will not expect to be beaten if she
disobeys, or fails to please her Master.
~ Outlaws of Gor, pages 53-54
It is mindless force, mental and/or physical, to force a
woman to do something, merely to show one is a "strong or
Dominant man". The mastery, and the Gorean way, is to treat
a pleasing slave in such a way as to cause her to be more
pleasing, or to achieve some other logical purpose or
outcome.
Men and women think differently, and are better at different
things. The skillful Master uses knowledge of this, and
other gender-general and individual-specific nuisances, so
as to achieve his perfect "slave".
Hopefully the following pages will help You achieve the
balance needed to be a Master on Gor. |
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Quotes |
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Even though
each Master is different, in Their ways, it is also
important to understand, from the scrolls, the wisdom
they follow....
Honor is
important to Goreans, in a way that those of Earth might
find it hard to understand; for example, those of Earth
find it natural that men should go to war over matters
of gold and riches, but not honor; the Gorean,
contrariwise, is more willing to submit matters of honor
to the adjudication of steel than he is matters of
riches and gold; there is a simple explanation for this;
honor is more important to him." ~ BEASTS OF GOR, Pg. 42
"It is said
in a Gorean proverb, that a man, in his heart, desires
freedom, and that a woman, in her belly, yearns for
love. The collar, in its way, answers both needs. The
man is most free, owning the slave. He may do what he
wishes with her. The woman, on the other hand is
institutionally and helplessly subject, in her status as
slave, to the submission of love."
~ Slave Girl of Gor Page 180
"Among many men, it might be mentioned, however the
monthly anniversary of a girls acquisition as a slave
would be marked by this and similar ceremonies. A slave
girl is a delight to her man; she is extremely prized
and precious; that the day of her acquisition should be
celebrated each month with special ceremonies and rites
is not surprising."
~ Slave Girl of Gor page 46
But a Gorean Master will know every inch, and care
for every inch of one of his slave girls. He will know
every hair, every sweet blemish on her. In a way she is
nothing to him, for she is only slave. But in another
way she is very important to him. She is one of his
women. He will want to know her completely, every inch
of her body, every inch of her mind. Nothing less will
satisfy him. She is his property. He will choose to know
his property thoroughly." ~ Hunters of Gor, page 145
"One of the pleasant things about owning a slave, " I
said, "is the opportunity to converse with her, to
listen to her, to hear her express herself, her feelings
and ideas. One can learn much from a slave. Many slaves,
like yourself, are highly articulate, clearly,
trenchantly and lyrically. It is great pleasure to talk
with them." "I see", she said. "Then when one wishes," I
said, "One puts them again on their knees"
~ Beasts of Gor (Book 12) page 203
They know that another girl, at the masters whim, may
become first girl, and that they themselves may then be
under her almost absolute power. In my own house I often
rotated the positions of the first girl among my slaves
who were native Goreans. I never made an Earth Girl
slave first girl. This is fitting, let them always be
slaves of slaves. ~ Explorers of Gor |
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Clothing
of Free Men |
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Tunics
Note that we don't
see pants, trousers, or "leathers" among the men of
cities. The belted tunics and sandals likely look
something like the tunic.
On a Warrior in
Koroba
I was clad in some sort of tunic of a reddish
color, which was tied at the waist with a yellow cord.
~ Tarnsman
I shook the thought from my aching head, made an
unsuccessful effort to muster a decent sense of shame,
failed, and was belting my tunic when the Older Tarl
entered the room. ~ Tarnsman
I opened the leather bundle. In it I found the
scarlet tunic, sandals and cloak which constitute the
normal garb of a member of the Caste of Warriors. ~
Outlaw
On a Scribe in
Koroba
Torm was of slight build and reminded me of an
angry bird which enjoys nothing so much as scolding
squirrels. His blue robes were worn through in a dozen
spots, only two or three of which had been ineptly
attacked by thread. One of his sandals had a broken
strap that had been carelessly knotted back together.
~ Tarnsman
I was honoured that the little scribe had separated
himself from his beloved scrolls long enough to share
my happiness, only that of a warrior. He was wearing a
new robe and sandals, perhaps for the first time in
years. ~ Tarnsman
On a Tavern
Proprieter, of the Merchant Caste, in Ar
The Assassin turned to the man in a black apron, a
fat, grimy man, who wore a soiled tunic of white and
gold, stained with sweat and spilled paga. ~
Assassin
On a Vintner in
Ar
"Game!" I heard, an answering cry, and a fat
fellow, of the Caste of Vintners, puffing and bright
eyed, wearing a white tunic with a representation in
green cloth of leaves about the collar and down the
sleeves of the garment, stepped forth from a doorway.
~ Assassin
On a Man of the
Caste of Thieves
The man, who wore a simple dark tunic and sandals,
dropped out to the ground. His hair was dark and
clipped short; his face intelligent, but hard. On his
right cheek, over the cheekbone was the Thief brand of
the Caste of Thieves of Port Kar, who use the small
brand to identify their members. "Look," said the man
to Cernus, leading him about the side of the ship. ~
Assassin
On Warriors in
the employ of a Slaver Caravan
The men, saving the one called Targo, wore tunics,
with helmets. They looked rather frightening. The
opening in the helmets reminded me vaguely of a "Y".
the swords they carried in scabbards slung over their
left shoulder. They wore heavy sandals, laced with
thick straps, more than a foot up their leg. Several
of them, besides the small swords, carried a knife as
well, this attached to a leather belt. They wore
pouches also at the belt. ~ Captive
In Port Kar
One of the guards fetched Rim a tunic, and he drew
it on his body. He belted the broad belt, with its
large buckle. He shook his shaggy black hair. ~
Hunters
The tunics of
sea men, entering Lydius
I did not, on nearing Lydius, fly the flag of Bosk,
that bearing the head of a bosk, black, across a field
of vertical green bars, the famous flag of Bosk, from
the Marshes.
I did not wish to be recognized. I, and Rim and
Thurnock, wore the simple tunics of seamen. ~
Hunters
The tunic of
Tyros
He stood alone, high on the beach, his sandals on
its pebbles, a lonely figure. He was unshaven. The
tunic of Tyros, once a bright yellow, was now stained
and tattered.
~ Hunters
The men in the tunics of Tyros threw their yellow
caps into the air and cheered, and splashed water on
one another, laughing. The forest was behind them.
They had come safely to the sea. In the darkness of
the forest, I smiled.
~ Hunters
Sandals
On Marlenus, even in
a cave in the Voltai mountains
One of the tarnsmen of Marlenus thrust his hand in
my hair and forced my lips down to his sandal. I
forced my head up and kept my back straight, my eyes
granting my captor no satisfaction. I knelt on the
granite floor of a shallow cave in one of tha Voltai
peaks, a sheltered fire on each side of me. Before me,
on a rough throne of piled rocks, sat Marlenus, his
long hair over his shoulders, his great beard reaching
almost to his sword belt. ~ Tarnsman
On a Warrior in
a storm, on the road to Tharna
I continued forward and stood where it had struck.
In spite of the icy wind and rain I could feel the
heat of the stones through my sandals. I raised my
eyes to the storm, and my spear and shield, and
shouted into the storm, a defiant puff of wind hurled
against the forces that seemed arrayed against me. ~
Outlaw
On a Peasant in
Tharna
On market day I saw a peasant, his sack of Sa-Tarna
meal on his back, whose sandals were tied with silver
straps.
~ Outlaw
Boots
In
addition, the mounted warriors inevitably wear a high,
soft pair of boots called tharlarion boots. These
protect their legs from the abrasive hides of their
mounts. When a tharlarion runs, its hide could tear
the unprotected flesh from a man's bones. ~
Tarnsman
Talena blushed and lowered her face, rubbing
vigorously on the leather of my tharlarion boots.
~ Tarnsman
Captain of the Palms
of Schendi
A closely woven red aba (cloak) Ankle-length white
robe, loosely sleeved All eyes turned toward the
back. A tall man stood there, lean and black. He wore
a closely woven seaman’s aba, red, striped with white,
which fell from his shoulders; this was worn over an
ankle-length, white robe, loosely sleeved, embroidered
with gold, with a golden sash. In the sash was thrust
a curved dagger. On his head he wore a cap on which
were fixed the two golden tassels of Schendi. ~
Explorers
Tribal men are
commonly bare-armed
“Are you armed?” asked Msaliti, both in the inland
speech, some of which I had learned-from Ayari, and in
Gorean.
“Why, yes,” I said pleasantly, revealing the sleeve
sheath, and handing him the dagger. For an
instant, just an instant, I saw in the eyes of Msaliti
a flash of incredible fury. Then he nodded, and
accepted the dagger, which he handed to an askari.
I showed the sleeve sheath to Bila Huruma, who was
interested in it. Such sheaths are common in the
Tahari but, in the equatorial interior, where men are
commonly bare-armed, I gathered they were an
interesting novelty. ~ Explorers
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Being Responsible |
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Although Gor is a
hard and unforgiving place in the books written by
John Norman and many of the role-play rooms strive
for realism according to the books it is important
to remember that this is about fantasy role-play
and regardless of how realistically you can
portray a true man of Gor. There are still real
human beings at the keyboard on the other end of
the chat room. Earth people that come from
the real world, not a fantasy world and they have
real feelings and emotions. Aside from
the real-time aspects we talk about in the
'Real-Time' & 'Online Gor' sections on the main
menu, please keep the following guidelines in mind
when engaging in Gorean online role-play:
(These rules were found some time ago on
another site that I can no longer locate so
forgive me for not giving the appropriate credits)
1. Approach Mastery
with humility. Consider the gift your slave gives
you in granting you control of her mind and body.
Abuse her gift at your peril.
2. Know that the slave controls the ultimate
limits of her submission. You may test her limits.
may be even encouraged to do so, but respect her
fears. Grant her a safe-word, discuss limits, hers
and yours. (This should be done before in depth rp
begins.
3. Read up on Gor. Look at the Gor web pages, find
a couple of Norman's books to read. Gor is more
complicated than it first appears, and many (most)
Masters are less well educated in it's lore than
are their slaves.
4. Consider the concept of honor. A Gorean Master
is nothing without it.
5. Consider the concept of pride. A Master's pride
is in himself and his honor, his slaves pride in
her Master and in her submission.
6. Examine the Homes you frequent. Some Homes are
strict, some relaxed. Fit your behavior to the
Home you are in. Do not expect the Home to change
to fit you.
7. Be polite.
8. Show respect. Do not abuse the property of
other Masters. When speaking to a slave find out
who her Master is, what limits he has placed on
her service, and respect those limits. Just
because slaves in Gor serviced any Master that
wished them, does not mean you should try to dive
into the furs with every slave you find in
role-play. SHOW RESPECT!
9. Know your caste, color, and history...the
question keeps coming up...and doh? isn't much of
an answer.
10. Gorean Masters don't take a lot of crap from
anyone, (see 4 & 5)..but this is is Gor, and any
battle here is a battle of wits...try to come
armed. Also remember that although you may
think you can master a virtual sword, many here
have spent years developing their characters and
just because its a mere Saturday evening thrill
for you, doesn't mean you should rush in to kill
off a character that simply happened to cross your
path when you were in the mood to kill something.
Be realistic and respect the level of realism that
others put in their role-play. A warrior
would not just kill some traveling merchant simply
cause he was in a kill/capture zone or insulted
you on an out of character basis.
11. The same thing applies to slaves. it's a tough
life sometimes. Don't confuse submission with
weakness. Or with stupidity.....
12. Gor is supposed to be enjoyable. Enjoy it. Let
others enjoy it. Or go elsewhere. We are not here
to boost your ego or make you feel more like a
man. If you are confused on those
points or are here simply cause your looking to
make up for the bully that beat you up after
school, MOVE ON. Your not mature enough to
engage in this sort in depth role-play and are
probably not old enough either. |
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Sword Brothers |
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Among the caste
of warriors, one who has shed your blood, or
whose blood you have shed, becomes a sword
brother Do not harm him," said Kazrak. "He is
my sword brother, Tarl of Bristol." Kazrak's
remark was in accord with the strange warrior
codes of Gor, codes which were as natural to him
as the air he breathed, and codes which I, in
the Chamber of the Council of Ko-ro-ba, had
sworn to uphold. One who has shed your blood, or
whose blood you have shed, becomes your sword
brother, unless you formally repudiate the blood
on your weapons. It is a part of the kinship of
Gorean warriors regardless of what city it is to
which they owe their allegiance. It is a matter
of caste, an expression of respect for those who
share their station and profession, having
nothing to do with cities or Home Stones.
~ Tarnsman page 119
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Sharing Salt |
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Men of regions that are traditional enemies
(here Torvaldsland and Port Kar), having respect
for one another, agree to be friends and share
salt "Your city," he asked, "what is it?"
"You may think of me," I had said, "as one of
Port Kar." "Very well," said he, "but I think we
shall not make a great deal of that, for the men
of Port Kar are not overly popular in the
north." "The men of Torvaldsland," I assured
him, "are not overly popular in the south."
"The men of Port Kar, however," said the
Forkbeard, "are respected in the north." "The
men of Torvaldsland," I told him, "are similarly
respected in the south." Gorean enemies, if
skilled, often hold one another in high regard.
"You play Kaissa well," had said Ivar Forkbeard.
"Let us be friends." "You, too, are quite
skilled," I told him. Indeed, he had much bested
me. I still had not fathomed the devious
variations of the Jarl’s Ax’s gambit as played
in the north. I expected, however, to solve it.
We had shaken hands over the board. "Friend," he
had said. "Friend," I had said. We had then
tasted salt, each from the back of the wrist of
the other.
~ Marauders
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Sharing Salt |
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Men of regions that are traditional enemies
(here Torvaldsland and Port Kar), having respect
for one another, agree to be friends and share
salt "Your city," he asked, "what is it?"
"You may think of me," I had said, "as one of
Port Kar." "Very well," said he, "but I think we
shall not make a great deal of that, for the men
of Port Kar are not overly popular in the
north." "The men of Torvaldsland," I assured
him, "are not overly popular in the south."
"The men of Port Kar, however," said the
Forkbeard, "are respected in the north." "The
men of Torvaldsland," I told him, "are similarly
respected in the south." Gorean enemies, if
skilled, often hold one another in high regard.
"You play Kaissa well," had said Ivar Forkbeard.
"Let us be friends." "You, too, are quite
skilled," I told him. Indeed, he had much bested
me. I still had not fathomed the devious
variations of the Jarl’s Ax’s gambit as played
in the north. I expected, however, to solve it.
We had shaken hands over the board. "Friend," he
had said. "Friend," I had said. We had then
tasted salt, each from the back of the wrist of
the other.
~ Marauders
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Blood Brothers |
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Cuwignaka’s knife moved
on his own forearm, and then on mine, and then
on Hci’s. “You cannot be a member of the Sleen
Soldiers of the All Comrades,” had said Hci,
“for you are not Kaiila, and you do not know our
dances and mysteries, the contents of our
medicine bundles.” “There is another thing,” had
said Cuwignaka, “which can be done.” “Do it,”
had said Hci. Cuwignaka held his arm to mine,
and then I held my arm to that of Hci, and then
Hci, in turn, held his arm to that of Cuwignaka.
Thus was the circle of blood closed. “It is
done,” said Cuwignaka. “Brothers,” I said.
“Brothers,” said Hci. “Brothers,” said Cuwignaka.
Blood Brothers
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