Online ‘Gorisms’
The list below has been compiled of what we would now come to call online ‘Gorisms’ or ‘Cyberisms’. Most of these have been made up by the online ‘Gor’ population for whatever reason, whereas others are the result of misinterpretations of John Norman’s Gor series. A lot of these ‘Gorisms’ actually contradict the philosophies and protocols portrayed in the books.
The number of online Goreans using these ‘Gorisms’ has steadily been growing and has left a heritage which is very difficult to circumvent or root out. A lot of people new to online Gor are confronted with these practices and are prone to absorb them, not knowing that some of them might actually be contradicting the Gorean philosophies.
* Serving Myths; the following are false
o When parting from a free person, one should take three paces back;
o Inspecting and / or cleaning a vessel;
o Sweetening a beverage;
o Holding a vessel to the heart for three beats;
o Proving a drink or food item;
o Special serve for a member of the Caste of Assassins
* The myth about the kissing of a vessel.
In the books, the acceptance of a slave kissing the vessel depends on whether the vessel has already been touched by the lips of the free. The following quotes will show the difference:
“You may serve me wine,” I said.
She reached to the wine, a sweet Ka-la-na of Ar, and filled the goblet to the third ring. Then, as I sat back against the couch, she knelt before me. She, head down, pressed the heavy metal goblet deep into her lower abdomen, and then she lifted it to her lips and, holding it with both hands, kissed it lingeringly and lovingly. Then, kneeling back on her heels she put down her head and, humbly, her arms extended, her head down between them, proffered me the goblet. “Wine, Master?” she asked. (Guardsman of Gor)
He extended his goblet to me “Drink,” he said, offering me the cup. I looked at rim of the cup. I shook with terror. “A slave dares not touch with her lips the rim of the cup which has been touched with the lips of her master,” I whispered. “Excellent,” said Verna. “She was trained in the pens of Ko-ro-ba,” said Rask of Treve.
He then, from his own cup, poured some wine into a small bowl, which he handed to me. “Thank you, Master,” I breathed.
(Captive of Gor, page 302)
* Myth:The use of the greeting of ‘Tal’ is reserved for the free, slave do not use this.
The girls stood straight, proud under the gaze of a warrior. “Tal, Master,” said many of them, as I rode slowly by. “Buy me in Tor, Master,” called another.
. . .
“Tal, Master,” they said to me. “Tal, Slave Girls,” I said to them.
(Tribesmen of Gor, Page 344 – 345)
* Myth: The farewell sayings of ‘ Winds’ or ‘Steel and Honor’.
These sayings never apear in the series. The common Gorean farewell is simply “I wish you well”, used both by free persons and slaves.
“I wish you well’, said Nar, using a common Gorean phrase of farewell.” (Tarnsman of Gor)
“A slave girl is pleased,” she said, “that such a man as you is her master.”
I turned to go.
I heard her voice over my shoulder. “I wish you well, Master,” she said.
(Priest-Kings of Gor, Page 207)
* Myth: The use of the word ‘rask’ refering to a person’s ‘bottom’ or ‘buttocks’.
The word ‘rask’ in the books, is the name of a Warrior of Treve. Otherwise, there is no other meaning.
“The terrible Rask of Treve, one of the most dreaded warriors on all Gor.”
(Captive of Gor, page 62)
* Myth: The use of the word ‘ko-lar’.
In the books only used for phonetic purposes. There is, for example, no such thing as a ‘kollaring’.
“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. (Slave Girl of Gor, page 80)
* Onto more online ‘Gorisms’
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Online ‘Gorisms’
* Myth: The online language of Kassar
It is amazing to see what people can come up with. Online one can find entire English-Kassar dictionaries or Kassar speaking communities. Trying to find these words back in the books might pose a serious problem though.
Avan’shea: …Mistress
Vana’she: …Master
Urth:… Earth
jashi: …thank you
dela: …you’re welcome
nidan: …greetings, hello
jerag: …sister
i’mota: …brother
chaq: …penis
fadu: …slave heat
* Myth: Slaves may use the Free’s names when addressing them.
This is false as well. It serves its online purposes though.
It is true that some gorean men like to hear their name upon the lips of their slave girl, but generally, Goreans are very sensitive about their names and who may use then. The use of a free person’s name is regarded as a privilegde not to be bestowed upon the lower castes, and incidentally too, slaves.
“I smiled a Vika’s very natural correction of her mode of addressing me, for a slave girl is seldom permitted, at least publicly, to address her master by his name, only his title. The privilege of using his name, of having it on her lips, is, according to the most approved custom, reserved for that of a free woman, in particular a Free Companion.” (Priest Kings of Gor)
“…Goreans are extremely sensitive about names, and who may speak them… Similarly, slaves on the whole, do not address free men by their names.” (Assassins of Gor)
* Myth: Slaves are to speak in third person only.
Within the series, slaves commonly speak first person unless otherwise commanded to “speak as a slave”. This third person speech seems to serve disciplinary purposes or to remind a slave of her status..
“Who!” she demanded. “I did,” I cried. “I did!” “Speak as a slave!” demanded Ute. “El-in-or betrayed Ute!” I cried. “El-in-nor betrayed Ute!” (Captive of Gor, page 287)
* The following slave positions never appear within the series, although one can find them on certain Gorean websites.
-high leasha
-table
-she-sleen
-karta
The word ‘karta’ never appears in the series, although a similar position is part of a slave girl’s display of obeisance (which is simply a gesture of respect).
…’Now’, I said, ‘and this is clearly a form of obeisance, bend forward and put your head to the mat, the palms of your hands on the mat. Good. Now lift your head little and come forward, substantially keeping the position. Forward a little more.’ ‘But then my face will be at your feet’, she said, ‘my lips will be over them!’ ‘Yes’, I said, ‘Good, now, put your head down and lick and kiss my feet’.
(Mercenaries of Gor, p. 409-410)
-suga
The word ‘suga’ never appears in the series and all quotes to support its exsistence are actually describing the ‘submission of the gorean female’. Obviously ‘suga’ was a creation solely based on misinterpreting a given quote.
-sula-ki
The word ‘sula’ is defined in the series although there is never mention of a alternate position known as ‘sula-ki’.
* Myth: There is no such thing as forgiveness on Gor. One should always beg mercy.
“Forgive me, Mistress,” I begged. “Did you lie?” she asked. “Yes, Mistress,” I said. “I lied! I lied! Forgive me, Mistress. Please, forgive me!” (Fighting Slave of Gor, page 67)
“Do you bargain?” I asked. “No, Master,” she cried. “No, Master! Forgive me, Master! Please forgive me, Master!”
(Fighting Slave of Gor, page 97)
* Myth: There is red sugar on Gor.
There is no mention of red sugar within any of the books, only yellow and white.
* Onto more online ‘Gorisms’
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Online ‘Gorisms’
* Myth: The color of silk a girl wears denotes her ‘training status’; of which there are several.
There are many colors of silks on Gor, although they symbolize nothing more than the owner’s whim, as he may dress his girls in whatever he chooses. The two colors specifically mentioned not used to describe the actual color of silk a girl wears, but as a reference to whether or not she is virgin – Red denoting a girl has lost her virginity; and white denoting she is a virgin.
So there is no karate-belt training path for silks; progressing from white to blue to yellow and eventually to red silks. Neither were there any ‘silk tests’ in the books.
“The expression “red silk,” in Gorean, tends to be used as a category in slaving, and also, outside 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.”
(Blood Brothers of Gor, page 472)
* Myth: An unowned slave wears black silks
The quote below should sum this up quickly. A slave owns nothing and only wears what her Owner gives her. Another question is whether there are even unowned slaves within the books; this is very debatable.
“Surely you are aware,” said Saphrar, “that a slave cannot own property any more than a kaiila, a tharlarion or sleen.”
(Nomads of Gor, page 132)
* The Bazi Tea Ceremony
The extremely long serve online is just another ‘Gorism’. In the books the serve was as follows:
“‘Make me tea,’ I said. ‘Is it ready?’ I asked. I looked at the tiny copper kettle on the small stand. A tiny kaiila-dung fire burned under it. A small, heavy, curved glass was nearby, on a flat box, which would hold some two ounces of the tea. Bazi tea is drunk in tiny glasses, usually three at a time, carefully measured. She did not make herself tea, of course. She lifted the kettle from the fire and, carefully, poured me a tiny glass of tea. I took the glass.”
(Tribesmen of Gor, page 139)
* Myth: All three Gorean moons are named.
In the books all three are often mentioned although, for no apparent reason only one of their names has been specifically mentioned.
“I looked up and saw the three moons of Gor, the large moon and the two small ones, one of the latter called the Prison Moon, for no reason I understood.” (Assassin of Gor, page 170)
* Myth: A girl’s “Slave belly” is, more or less, a feeling a girl has, expressing her submission.
This is commonly used by girls when they wish to talk about how submissive they feel, or the excitement of being a slave; but in reality it is literally the girls navel.
“I tore down one of the hangings, a yellow one, and ripped a narrow strip from it. I wound this about the girl’s thighs, low, to reveal her navel. It is called the slave belly. On Gor it is only slave girls who expose their navels.” (Tribesmen of Gor, page 335)
“I pushed it down so that her navel might be well revealed. It is called the `slave belly’ on Gor. Only slave girls, on Gor, reveal their navels.”
(Explorers of Gor, page 334)
Asha`di
Harrison Smith
harrisonsmith66
