"They
all wear collars," is the first portion of a familiar
exchange, of which Goreans are fond. The second, and concluding,
portion of the exchange is, "But each in her collar
is different." This exchange, I think, makes clear
the attitude of the Gorean toward the slave girl. In one
sense, she is nothing, and is to be treated as such, but,
in another sense, she is precious, and is everything.
---Guardsman of Gor
, 20:260
Collaring
(Collars and collaring are discussed on
the collar page)
Eye
Contact
Commonly, in the presence of free men
and women, and especially in public, the slave
keeps her head down, her eyes to the ground.
This rule of attitude and demeanor is not,
however, as simple as it would seem. On one
hand, the condition of slavery basically forbids
the slave from presuming that she is allowed
to dare look into the eyes of any free person;
on the other, the extreme personal nature
of the master/slave relationship makes eye
contact yet another way the slave shows she
hides nothing.
I thought Grunt was wise not to have the girls
look into the eyes of the Fleer warrior. Such
an exchange of glances or looks, can be like
an electric shock, an encounter almost fearfully
significant. Who knows what each might recognize
in the eyes of the other? Does she see in
his eyes that he is one such as might be her
master? Does he see in her eyes that she is
one who could not help but acknowledge herself
and soon, despite what she might now take
to be her desires, his helpless and natural
slave? Sometimes, at as little as a meeting
of eyes, masters and slaves know one another.
"I must have her. She is mine,"'
he tells himself. "I belong to him. I
am his slave," her hearts whispers to
her.
This
matter of eye contact is interesting and has
many facets. One
of the most initially frightening and disturbing
things to Earth women brought to Gor as slaves
is the way Gorean men look at them. They are
not used to being looked at as women, truly,
with appraisal, desire and ownership. This
tends, in the beginning, when they are still
new to their collars, to confuse and frighten
them, but also, of course, as it will continue
to do, and even more powerfully, to stimulate
them. It is the first time that they have
found themselves in the order of nature, and
as what they are, and it is the first time
that they have found themselves being looked
at, frankly, and honestly, within the order
of nature, and as what they are, females,
appropriate objects of male predation and
desire. This
recognition of her femaleness, and this joy
in release and self-discovery, often comes
as a stunning revelation to the Earth female.
Never again, once having discovered this,
does she retreat to the conditioned ideals
of neuterism and pseudomasculinity, nor, indeed,
even if she desired to do so, would her masters
permit it. Sometimes in training, incidentally,
or as a discipline or punishment, the slave
is not permitted to look into the eyes of
the master. Indeed, sometimes, in training,
she is not permitted to raise her eyes above
the belt of the trainer. Also,
it must be recognized that many slaves often,
and perhaps all slaves sometimes, find it
difficult to look into the eyes of the master.
He, after all, holds total power over them
and they fear to displease him. What if he
should interpret her gaze as suggesting the
least insubordination or insolence? Are they
truly prepared to have the soles of their
feet lashed or to live on bread crusts for
the next five days? But, on the other hand,
there is, on Gor, in circles of the mastery,
no discouragement, commonly, of eye contact
between masters and slaves.
Indeed,
in the deep and profound relationships of
love and bondage, such eye contact is usually
welcomed and encouraged. What can be understood
of the glances of masters and slaves by those
who have been united only in lesser relationships?
Too, to be sure, from the practical point
of view, it is useful for the girl to be able
to look into the eyes of the master. In this
way she may be able to better read his moods,
and desires, and, accordingly, be able the
better to serve him, in the process perhaps
saving herself a few cuffings and beatings,
such as might be garnered by a less alert,
more slothful, laxer girl. Yo be
sure, all girls, upon occasion, are cuffed
or beaten. This is good for them, and helps
to remind them that they are slaves. Beauty
in a slave girl, incidentally, and most slaves
are beautiful, for this is the sort of woman
that tends to be enslaved, does not excuse
poor service. The
most beautiful girl must serve with the same
perfection as the lesser girl. Gorean masters
are uncompromising on this point.
From
the point of view of the master, too, not
only is it pleasant to look into the eyes
of a slave, but there are certain practical
advantages attached to doing so. For
example, one might, in her eyes, read desire,
and thus order her to perform an act which
she, even though a slave, might not have dared
to beg to perform, or, say, by looking into
her eyes, one might determine if she has been
up to something or has neglected something
to which she should have attended. Has she
been into the sweets? Has she, perhaps gossiping
and dawdling with the other girls, been amiss
in the discharge of her duties? Perhaps the
shopping has not yet been done? Perhaps the
laundry has not yet been finished? Such infractions
call for discipline. But perhaps, in lieu
of discipline, the master will accept the
performance of desperate placatory services
on the part of the offending slave. The decision
is his. I would, incidentally, advise the
slave to be superb.
---Savages
of Gor, 15:258-259
Initiatory
Rituals
The
first contacts and gestures between a man
and his slave, are often filled with symbols
and reminders meant to impress slavery and
the total dependant state of the girl's condition
to the one who now owns her. The reader will
note that, although some of these rituals
seem more common to City environments and
situations where the slave is likely to be
of more 'personal' use than the common field
or work slave, a number of the traditions
pertaining to the initiation of new slaves
such as hand feeding for example, are found
in almost all and any culture and types of
slavery.
"Of
course, my Master," she cried suddenly, delightedly.
"I have been carried across the threshold.
And now I have been put in whipping position!
I am being introduced into a house, in which
I am to be a slave. My mysterious master must,
thus, be of Victoria, or of some other city
in which are practiced the customs of the
capture carry and initiatory whipping!" The
point of these customs, of course, is clear.
The
girl knows that she is carried into the house
as a helpless slave, and then, in the initiatory
whipping, learns that it is a house in which
she is under discipline. These are thought
to be a salutary lessons for a new girl, when
she is first introduced into a new house.
To
be sure, whether in Victoria or not, or in
a city with comparable customs, new girls,
in one way or another, are usually reminded,
promptly and effectively, that their slavery
is uncompromising and actual, and that they
are fully at the disposition of their masters.
---Guardsman of Gor, 19:200-201
The
Threshold
We are told in Priest Kings, through Misk
and his teachings to Tarl about the history
of the planet, that a large portion of life
on Gor, is of earth stock. It would seem natural
then, and indeed we are often shown examples
of this, that many of Gor's traditions were
carried over from Earth. The gladiatorial
salute to the Ubar in Assassin for one, most
certainly leaves no doubt on its origins.
In
the rituals of bondage too, one can make links
to some of the traditions Earth has carried
on with not so much rememberance of meaning
or origin.
...Gorean
slaves, incidentally, are commonly carried
over the threshold when they first enter a
master's house or place of residence. This
is reminiscent of a bridal custom on Earth,
of course. That custom, an ancient one, makes
tacitly clear the bride's ownership by the
male, and has a clear implication of capture
and bondage. It is natural that the bride
desires this ceremony, and will plead for
it. The oafish male, commonly, does not even
understand what is going on. He should, of
course, take her directly to bed, and throw
her upon it, his.
...Not
all Gorean slaves, of course, are carried
over the threshold. Some are leashed and enter
on their hands and knees. Some, perhaps bound
and collared, are thrust through. The common
denominator of these customs, of course, is
that the slave must understand that force,
either explicitly or implicitly, is involved,
and that she will enter the stronghold of
the master, and as a slave, whether she wills
to or not.
---Explorers of Gor
, 14:186
Norman
then, tells us that this custom is related
to capture, and an introduction to first use.
Research on the subject of carrying the bride
over the threshold offers different hypothesis.
The
first explanation offered suggests this gesture
isdone for the purpose of protecting the bride
from evil spirits that were thought to be
lying in wait under the threshold.
Another
theory offers that the practice relates to
Roman times when it was believed that if the
bride stumbled when entering the new home
for the first time, it would bring bad luck
and harm to the marriage. Carrying the bride
across the threshold would prevent this from
happening.
The
explanation that would seem more in tune with
the Gorean perpetuation of this practice would
be the one which suggests the tradition comes
down to us from Roman times when observing
it indicated that a bride sacrificed her virginity
with appropriate reluctance in that she had
to be carried to her deflowering lest she
get away if set down.
This
last theory then, speaks of not voluntary
participation but rather a rite of capture
and ownership. It is further supported in
the explanation given to us of the 'Best Man'
tradition which would have been brought to
us by
the Germanic Goths. The offered explanation
is that around 200 C.E. it was customary for
a man to marry a woman who lived in his town
or village. But if there was a shortage of
women then the man would take a trip to a
nearby village and 'steal' a wife. The person
he would most likely take along for this would,
of course, be his best friend, i.e. the Best
Man. During the marriage ceremony the Best
Man remained at the side of the groom, armed,
in case the bride's family had ideas of trying
to take her back by force. Again, this 'taking
back by force' would clearly indicate not
consensual bonding, but rather a capture ritual.
A
similar sort of thing is done sometimes when
a master brings home a new girl to a house
which is completely empty, if necessary, by
prearrangement, and new to her, and orders
her to enter alone. "Warm wine"
he tells her. "Light the lamp of love.
Spread furs. Crawl naked into them, and await
me."
"Yes,
Master," she says.
She
then enters the house, obeying. Not a shackle
or a cord is on her body. But few women could
be more slave than she, entering fearfully
the strange, empty house, and preparing herself
for her master's pleasure.
---Explorers
of Gor, 14:187
First
Feeding
Elizabeth Cardwell took
the meat in her two hands, confined before
her by slave bracelets and the chain of the
sirik, and bending her head, her hair falling
forward, ate it.
She,
a slave, had accepted meat from the hand of
Kamchak of the Tuchuks.
She
belonged to him now.
---Nomads of Gor
, 7:54.
...The
ceremonial taking of food from the hand of
the man, as it had been done this evening
in the camp, would prove to be somewhat unusual,
though it would be reasonably common to be
handfed, when it amused him, or thrown scraps
of food....
---Slave girl of Gor, 3:66
...I
thrust it, some bread and fruit, in her mouth,
while she had knelt in the position of the
pleasure slave. This is something done with
a girl in her first feeding, or feedings,
and may, upon occasion be repeated. She is
fed as an animal, and from the hand of a master,
and while in the position of the pleasure
slave. This helps to reinforce the centrality
of her condition upon her. This helps her
to understand what she is.
---Explorers of Gor, 14:197
Initiatory
whipping
An introduction to discipline common to
many homes. The usual initiatory whipping
seems to consist of ten blows although there
is no set number. The ritual is closed by
an additional blow called the gratis or mnemonic
blow.
Sometimes
a girl is whipped when she is first brought
into a new house. It is regarded, in some
cities, including Victoria as a way of making
clear to her that the house in which she now
finds herself is a house in which she is a
slave.
Ten
strokes more then did I administer to the
fair beauty.
"Too," I said, "earlier you
dared to speak my name."
"Forgive me Master," she sobbed.
"That has earned you five extra strokes,"
I informed her.
She moaned and then was shaken five times,
encircled in the burning lashes, being repaid
for her insolence.
When
I lowered the whip she sagged in the leather,
fastened at the ring, and slipped from consciousness.
I went before her and slapped her awake. She
looked at me, startled, awakened in pain,
terrified. "And one more stroke,"
I told her, " to remind you that you
are slave."
"Yes Master," she whispered.
I delivered the blow, letting it be the fiercest
of her beating.
---Rogue of Gor
, 14:129-130
I
walked to a position behind her and to her
left. Gently I slid the whip, the blades folded
back, against her, moving it from her left
thigh to her waist, and thence upward against
her left side. 'Yes, Master,' she said. I
walked about her. The slave was beautiful
and exquisitely figured. I then stood behind
her, and slightly to her left. I shook out
the blades of the whip, with a gentle loosening
of the leather, so that she would know they
were free.
"Yes,
Master," she said. "I am a new girl, who is
being introduced into the house."
Then
I gave her ten strokes. This seemed to me
a suitable number for such a purpose....
...
I tapped her on the back of the left shoulder
with the whip. One more blow was to be struck.
"Yes,
Master," she said, "that blow which is to
remind me that I am slave."
I
then stood again behind her, and to her left.
I grasped the handle of the slave whip with
two hands. Then again, with unrestrained force,
the hardest blow of all, was she struck. She
cied out in pain. Then again, sobbing, she
hung in the bracelets, a whipped slave. This
last blow is often, though not invariably,
added to a slave's whipping. It is sometimes
referred to as the gratis blow, or
the mnemonic blow. Often it functions as little
more than a stroke for, say, good measure.
To be sure, whatever its purpose, it makes
it very clear to the slave that she is fully
under discipline, and that the master may,
if he wishes, beat her how, when and as much
as he pleases.
---Guardsman of Gor, 19:204-205
Pleas
The Gorean slave girl often has recourse
to wordless sounds and non-verbal signals.
Certains positions, gestures, and whimpers,
allow the girl a form of communication which
is habitually universally understood, and
offers the protection from breaking the rules
by which a slave girl may not speak unless
permitted to.
...On
Gor, the female slave, desiring her master,
yet sometimes fearing to speak to him, frightened
that she may be struck, has recourse upon
occasion to certain devices, the meaning of
which is generally established and culturally
well understood....
---Tribesmen of Gor
, 1:27
Note
however, that in some cases, even the use
of these signals is considered impertinent
if permission has not been granted to move
and/or express oneself. If many times the
gestures are permitted without prior permission,
there are always those times when the mood
and tolerance level of men will place a girl's
initiative and choice of expression on shaky
grounds.
...I
did not think Philebus would use the whip
on her for having parted her silk, unbidden,
or for having put herself to the dirt before
Borton, his customer. Such delicious spontaneities,
incidentally, are often encouraged in a slave
by a private master. Bondage is a condition
in which imagination and inventiveness in
a slave are highly appropriate. Indeed, some
masters encourage them with the whip. In
a public situation, however, as in a paga
tavern, it is advisable that the girl be very
careful, at least in her master's presence.
She must not let it appear that she is, even
for an instant, out of the master's complete
control, and, of course, in the ultimate sense,
this is entirely true. She is, in the end,
his, and completely. If a girl, say, one new
to slavery, does not kow this, she soon learns
it, and well.
---Vagabonds of Gor
, 1:35
"Is Master angry with the slave?" she asked.
He smiled. He cracked the whip once, viciously.
She drew back, fearfully.
"Use it on her well, Borton, my friend," said
Philebus. "It is well deserved by any slut
and perhaps particularly so by one such as
she. Did she not part her silk without permission?
Did she not put herself to the dirt before
you, unbidden? Did she not speak at least
once without permission, either implicit or
explicit?"
---Vagabonds
of Gor, 1:45-46
Bellying
Falling to her belly at a free man's feet
is used by the slave girl as a placatory gesture,
a demonstration of vulnerability and the statement
that she not only is acutely aware that she
is at his mercy, but that she embraces this
helplessness. Bellying is used for begging
mercy, begging use and in most of the varieties
of performing what Goreans refer to as 'obeisance'.
"Now
inch forward," I said, "remaining
low on your belly, and when you reach my feet,
once again, as before, lifting your head a
little, tenderly and humbly, and beautifully,
as though you were a slave , lick and kiss
them. Good. Good. Now take my foot and place
it gently on your head. Very good. Now place
it again on the Mat, and kiss it again. Good.
You may now belly back a little, humbly. I
have not yet given you permission to rise
of course."
---Mercenaries of Gor
, 26:411
"I
belly to you!" said the girl,her head
down, over my foot. She held still to my ankle,
her small hands about it. Her hair was about
my foot. I felt her hot lips, press again
and again to my foot....
---Magicians of Gor
, 3:34-35
Talender
The
talender, fixed in her hair, is a slave girl's
wordless confession, which, commonly, she
dares not speak, that she cares for her Master.
---Hunters
of Gor, 5:65
The
Bondage Knot
...On
Gor, the female slave, desiring her master,
yet sometimes fearing to speak to him, frightened
that she may be struck, has recourse upon
occasion to certain devices, the meaning of
which is generally established and culturally
well understood. I shall mention two such
devices. There
is, first, the bondage knot. Most Gorean slave
girls have long hair. The bondage knot is
a simple looped knot tied into the girl's
hair and worn at the side of her right cheek
or before her right shoulder. The girl approaches
the master naked and kneels, the bondage knot
soft, curled, fallen at the side of her right
cheek or before her right shoulder....
---Tribesmen
of Gor, 1:27
Offering
fruit
The much used larma fruit. Despite the common
belief, the following quote shows a girl needs
not limit herself to larma.
...Another
device, common in Port Kar, is for the girl
to kneel before the master and put her head
down and lift her arms, offering him fruit,
usually a larma, or a yellow Gorean peach,
ripe and fresh. These
devices, incidentally, may be used even by
a slave girl who hates her master but whose
body, trained to love, cannot endure the absence
of the masculine caress....
---Tribesmen
of Gor, 1:27
Offering
Wine
The
girl turned and withdrew, then approached
again, climbing the stairs, delicately, as
though timidly, head down. Then she leaned
forward, bending her knees slightly, her body
graceful, and spoke, her voice a whisper in
my ear, an invitation, "Wine, Master?" as
though offering not wine, but herself. In
a large house, with various slave girls, it
is thought only an act of courtesy on the
part of a host to permit a guest the use of
one of the girls for the evening. Each of
the girls considered eligible for this service,
at one time or another during the evening,
will approach the guest and offer him wine.
His choice is indicated by the one from whom
he accepts wine.
---Assassin of Gor
, 6:89
To
Speak as a Slave
There
are many, who claim that 'in the books', a
slave girl does not always use the form of
third person speech. If this is basically
true, it certainly warrants another look as
to the intent of using, or making slaves use
this form. Norman gives use many clues as
to how the kajira is expected to conduct herself
in order to both please, and make statements
about her slavery. The rules that pertain
to how a girl may speak are never merely a
matter of whim, each one of them impresses
upon the girl, the fact that her existence
has the sole purpose of pleasing, and that
failing to do so, as well as failing to remember
this purpose, is punishable.
Third
person speech throughout the adventures of
Tarl Cabot on the counter earth, is often
described as 'slave speech', a reminder that
the girl has, in fact, no status. When a master
wants to remind his girl of this simple fact,
he will often demand that she speak this way.
Too, in the throes of passion, without being
told, or when begging, the girls the reader
meets in these books naturally revert to this
form of language.
"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.
"Excellent,"
said Flaminius. "Phyllis will be good.
Phyllis will eat her gruel. Phyllis will drink
her water."
She
looked at him with hatred.
His
eyes met hers and they conquered. She dropped
her head, turning it to one side. "Phyllis
will be good," she said. "Phyllis
will eat her gruel. Phyllis will drink her
water."
"Excellent,"
commended Flaminius.
---Assassin
of Gor, 11:131
"Buy
me," she whispered. "Buy me. You
are rich! You can buy me!"
"Is
that how a slave begs?" I asked.
"Buy
Tana!" she wept. "Buy Tana!"
---Hunters
of Gor, 4:61
"What
is your name?" I asked....
..."Tafa,
if it pleases Master," she said. That
is a common slave name on Gor.
"Do
you repent the error of your ways?" I
asked.
"Yes,
Master," she said.
"Who
repents the error of her ways?" I asked.
"Tafa
repents the error of her ways," she said.
"Who
is sorry, who begs forgiveness?" I asked.
"Tafa
is sorry! Tafa begs forgiveness!" she
said.
---Magicians
of Gor, 8:122-123
"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, 15:287
A
girl may not either, loosely use the given
name of her master, or any free person.
...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. Gorean
thinking on this matter tends to be expressed
by the saying that a slave girl grows bold
if her lips are allowed to touch the name
of her master. On
the other hand, I, like many Gorean masters,
provided the girl was not testing or challenging
me, and provided that free women, or others,
were not present whom I had no wish to offend
or upset, preferred as a matter of fact to
have my own name on the girl's lips, for I
think, with acknowledged vanity, that there
are few sounds as pleasurable as the sound
of one's own name on the lips of a beautiful
woman.
---Priest
Kings of Gor, 26:206
"'May
I call you Tarl?' she asked. 'Only if given
permission, ' I told her. this was normal
Gorean slave custom. Generally, of course,
such permission is not even asked, and , if
asked would be denied.
Sometimes
a girl is whipped for even daring to ask this
permission.
"A
girl asks permission to call her Master by
his name," she said.
"It
is denied," I said.
"Yes,
Master," she said. I would not permit
the slave girl to speak my name. It is not
fitting that the name of the master be soiled
by being touched by the lips of a slave girl.
---Tribesmen of Gor, 26:360
...Moreover,
Goreans are extremely sensitive about names,
and who may speak them. Indeed, particularly
those of low caste, even have use names, concealing
their true names, lest they be discovered
by enemies and used to conjure spells against
them. Similarly, slaves on the whole, do not
address free men by their names....
---Assassin of Gor, 2:12
Slave
girls, of course, may speak the name of their
masters to others, for example, as in locutions
such as, "I am the girl of Calliodorus of
Port Cos," or "I come from the house of Colliodorus."
It is only that they are seldom, in addressing
the master himself, permitted to use his name.
He is usually addressed simply as "Master,"
or as "my Master."
---Guardsman of Gor, 20:270
...A
Gorean slave, incidentally, always addresses
free men as "Master," and all free
women as "Mistress."
---Captive
of Gor, 7:73
Another
issue on slave speech is the use of imperative
phrases. Quite naturally the English language
is filled with expressions in everyday life
one seldom takes time to reflect on. From
the Gorean perspective though, the mood used
is of some importance. The simple Gorean "I
wish you well", for example, often becomes
"Be well". On closer examination,
think of how often phrases such as "Good
night", "Have a nice day",
"Be safe" etc., are used. What does
it mean, semantically, to tell one to "Be
well"? Clearly, the expression is a command.
You are ordering the person you speak to to
"be" a certain way, note, not hoping
they will be, not wishing them well, but telling
them to be. As opposed to the use of "I
wish you well" or, applying the other
principles of "slave speech" to
this expression, more appropriately: "azzizza
wishes you well", both of which express
a wish rather than a command. Even in the
apologetic form, consider that "forgive
a girl" is in fact, as far as grammar
goes, a command.
"Forgive
me, Masters!" she wept. "You are
men! You are men! A slave begs forgiveness!"
---Magicians of Gor, 14:226
It
is difficult not to slip into imperative mood
when one has spoken a language that uses it
so freely all of their life. Perhaps awareness
is a good first step and allows the exploration
of alternatives.
The
writer wishes to express thanks to Master
Zeb, of the Silk and Steel Tavern, for inspiring
this part of her commentary. His essay on
"The
Imperative Mood" as well as many
others of great interest may be found on the
Silk
and Steel Tavern Home page. (linked with
permission)
The
Greeting
Is
the use of Tal reserved to free men and women?
"Tal,"
cried Ute, greeting me as a free person.
---Captive of Gor
, 13:237
It
is unclear whether this quote means:
a) 'greeting me as free persons are greeted'
ie; the word is not
used to greet slaves or
b) 'greeting me as free persons greet' ie;
the word is not used by slaves to greet
or
c) both
Note
however, that in that quote, the person using
the word is a slave. In context though, it
is pertinent to look at more than the two
line quote. In this particular passage, Ute
and Elinor have escaped and it may be that
they were experimenting with use of phrases
reserved to free persons. The conclusion remains
difficult to draw.
Further
searches have, on many occasions, slaves both
using the word to greet, AND being greeted
by it.
"Tal,
Kajirae!" cried one of the men, waving.
---Captive of Gor, 8:86-87
"Greetings,
Ute," said I, smiling.
"Tal,
El-in-or," smiled Ute
---Captive of Gor, 13:245
The
girls stood straight, proud under the gaze
of a warrior. "Tal, Master," said
many of them, as I rode slowly by....
---Tribesmen of Gor, 26:344
"Tal,
Master," they said to me.
`Tal,
Slave Girls," I said to them.
---Tribesmen of Gor, 26:345
This
leaves the reader in a position where he cannot
quite clearly establish whether this exclusive
use of the word is in fact, a habitual thing,
a local custom, or a rule.
The
Couch, the Love Furs
I
would allow Vika to share the great stone
couch, its sleeping pelts, and silken sheets.
This
was unusual, however, for normally the Gorean
slave girl sleeps at the foot of her masters
couch, often on a straw mat with only a thin,
cotton-like blanket, woven from the soft fibers
of the Rep Plant, to protect her from the
cold.
If
she has not pleased her Master of late, she
may be, of course, as a disciplinary measure,
simply chained nude to the slave ring in the
bottom of the couch, sans both blanket and
mat. The stones of the floor are hard and
the Gorean nights are cold and it is a rare
girl who, when unchained in the morning, does
not seek more dutifully to serve her master.
---Priest Kings of Gor
, 9:67
Of
custom, a slave girl may not even ascend the
couch to serve her Masters pleasure. The point
of this restriction , I suppose, is to draw
a clearer distinction between her status and
that of a Free Companion. At any rate the
dignities of the couch are, by custom, reserved
for the Free Companion.
When
a Master wishes to make use of a slave girl
he tells her to light the lamp of love which
she obediently does, placing it in the window
of his chamber that they may not be disturbed.
Then with his own hand he throws upon the
floor of his chamber luxurious love furs,
perhaps from the larl itself, and commands
her to them.
---Priest
Kings of Gor, 9:68
Anniversaries
...Among
many men, it might be mentioned, however,
the monthly anniversary of a girl's acquisition
as a slave would be marked by this, and similar
ceremonies. A slave girl is a delight to a
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. These numerous
anniversaries are deliciously celebrated,
as they may be with a girl who is only a slave,
and seldom forgotten; should such an anniversary
be forgotten, should it be such that it is
commonly celebrated, the girl redoubles her
efforts to please, fearing she is to be soon
to be sold.
---Slave girl of Gor, 3:66