World of Gor

-[ H ]-[ I ]-[ J ]-[ K ]-
-[ L ]-[ M ]-

-H-

haik (noun): the black outer garment worn by women in the Tahari. It drapes the woman from head to toe with only a small lace-covered slit, one inch in height and four in width, at the eyes, through which she may see.
---Tribesmen of Gor, 2:44-45

hala (noun): the Kailla word for hinti, the small, active flea-like insects of the Barrens; unlike fleas, they are not parasitic.
---Blood Brothers of Gor, 22:219*220

Hall of Processing (noun): an area within the Nest where those entering are brought to be decontaminated. Inside the portal designated for humans, Tarl Cabot was disinfected, both internally as well as externally, by a robotic system under the supervision of a Priest-King. Since he was considered to be a Matok rather than a Mul, he was permitted to keep his hair, usually removed during the processing.
---Priest-Kings of Gor, 13:99-100 and 14:106-107

hammer (noun): the war ax of the Hunjer; no description is offered but it is most likely typical of a northern weapon.
---Marauders of Gor, 15:227

hand (noun): the Gorean week, consisting of five days. There are five hands to a Gorean month, plus a passage hand between months. The last month of the year is followed by a passage hand as well as a waiting hand before the new year begins.   So in effect, then, the Gorean year consists of 73 hands: twelve five-hand months, twelve passage hands and one waiting hand.
---Assassin of Gor, 5:78

hard larma (noun): a firm, single-seeded, applelike fruit, quite unlike the segmented, juicy larma. It is sometimes called, and perhaps more aptly, the pit fruit, because of its large single stone. Favored by the urt people.
---Players of Gor, 13:267

harfaxian drape (noun): a modest manner of wearing a belly silk that is rectangular and fastened at the left hip, concealing the right leg but revealing all of the left as the wearer moves.
---Witness of Gor, 7:72

harl ring (noun): named after the slaver who first used them, Harl of Turia, comprised of a locking ankle ring that has closed rings welded to the front and back of the ankle ring. A length of chain is fastened to the front ring which may then be fastened to another ankle ring, or wrapped around a stationary object and locked back upon the other loop of the ankle ring for a simple and effective way to secure a slave.
---Hunters of Gor, 15:208

harriga (noun): Gorean word for a large congregation of bosk wagons.
---Nomads of Gor, 6:34

har-ta! (command): faster!
---Tarnsman of Gor, 4:57

haruspex (noun): those readers of portents and omens in the organs, entrails and blood of slaughtered animals or slaves. They can also take readings in things as simple as the wind, the sky, the grass and the flight of birds.
---Nomads of Gor, 2:13 and 5:27

hci (noun): the Kailla word used to describe a type of gap from a sharp object, or a gash as in a cut in a tree, or a scar.
---Blood Brothers of Gor, 1:9

hei (imperative): the Red Savages word for faster.
---Savages of Gor, 9:145

hemaca (noun): the Red Savages word for 'I am.'
---Savages of Gor, 19:321

hemp (noun): mentioned as used in the making of bow strings.
---Raiders of Gor, 1:2

herlit (noun): the taloned carnivorous bird of the Barrens, probably similar to Earth's eagle, also called the Sun Striker due to its habit of striking its prey with the sun above and behind it. It is an impressively large bird, some four feet in height with a wingspan of seven to eight feet. The herlit is highly prized, its black-tipped yellow tail feathers utilized in the marking of coups; the wing feathers used for ceremonial or religious purposes. Ceremonial headdresses or bonnets are made from the tail feathers and the breath feathers taken from the base of the tail. Whistles made from the wing bones provide direction during combat.
---Savages of Gor, 9:143 and Blood Brothers of Gor, 37:315

Hersius (noun): the Gorean word for the fifth ring, the planet Jupiter; named for a legendary hero of Ar.
---Assassin of Gor, 5:65

High Castes (noun): Initiates, Scribes, Physicians, Builders and Warriors; only members of which may occupy positions on the High Councils of the cities.
---Nomads of Gor, 9:84

high farm girl (noun): a disparaging term used by southern slave girls to refer to their counterparts in the north. Southern slaves tend to think of bond-maids as bumpkins who perform menial farm chores as opposed to the highly trained and refined pleasures silk slaves provide their masters.
---Marauders of Gor, 10:144

hinti (nounl): small, active flea-like insects of the Barrens; unlike fleas, they are not parasitic.
---Blood Brothers of Gor, 22:220

hith (noun): the Gorean python snake. This huge constrictor is mentioned as the rare golden hith found in the vivarium of the Priest-Kings and the many-banded hith.
---Priest-Kings of Gor, 25:191 and Outlaw of Gor, 3:26

Holy Disease (noun): Dar-Kosis, also called the Sacred Affliction; an incurable, wasting disease akin to the Earth disease of leprosy. Highly contagious, those infected are required to wear yellow robes and carry a wooden noisemaker to warn others of their approach. Many are confined in pits arranged for by the Priest-Kings as an act of charity, where they are fed with food tossed from tarnback. While it is considered heretical to shed the blood of an Afflicted, stoning them to death is, interestingly enough, not regarded as a violation of the Priest-King's injunction against shedding their blood.
---Tarnsman of Gor, 13:150-151

homan (noun): the Gorean word for one of the letters in the Gorean alphabet; possibly derived from Cretan.
---Explorers of Gor, 1:9

Home Stone (noun): both a physical item and an intangible concept, the Home Stone represents a sense of sovereignty as well as a place of belonging. Gorean mythology tells us that Hersius, in reward for his deeds, was given, instead of silver or gold, a simple, plain, flat stone inscribed with the first letter of the name of his village. When the stone was placed, weapons were laid down, and peace came to end a time of strife. The name of this village was Ar. More practically, the Home Stone can be that around which a peasant hut is built, carrying the family sign, or central in the market of a village or placed atop the highest tower of a city. It is that which gives a Gorean a sense of belonging. The word Gor itself means Home Stone.
---Tarnsman of Gor, 2:26, Dancer of Gor, 20:302 and Magicians of Gor, 28:486

hopa (noun): the Red Savages word for pretty or attractive.
---Savages of Gor, 14:216

hook-billed gort (noun): a bird found in the jungles of Schendi; preys largely on rodents.
---Explorers of Gor, 32:311

hook knife (noun): a knife with a small, thick curved blade; also, a wagering game of sport using male slaves.
---Assassin of Gor, 2:12 and 19 and 6:86-88

Horn Bow of the Inuits: similar to the horn bow of the Wagon Peoples, used by the Red Hunters of the Polar region, but made of split tabuk horn and bound with sinew. Ineffective beyond 30 yards.
---Marauders of Gor, 3:52 and Beasts of Gor, 13:205

Horn Bow of the Wagon Peoples(noun): the small, powerful bow much favored by the Wagon Peoples. Effective in close quarters, their wagons have small portals notched into the wagon box, so well-suited is it to cramped spaces. A bow of layered bosk horn, double curved and about four feet in length, reinforced with leather and metal, highly tensile but lacking the power and range of the long bow or the crossbow, it is still a powerfully intimidating weapon when wielded by one who is capable of firing it rapidly.
---Nomads of Gor, 2:11, 8:66

horned gim (noun): the Gorean word for an owl-like bird that is sparrow-sized, purplish, with tufts over the eyes and found in the northern forests.
---Captive of Gor, 5:39 and 8:97, Hunters of Gor, p 106

hort (noun): Gorean measurement, approximately an inch and a quarter.
---Tribesmen of Gor, 2:49

hou (interjection): the Red Savages word used as a greeting.
---Savages of Gor, 14:213

house veil (noun): one of many veils worn by free women, generally under the street veil. Worn indoors when in the company of those not of her family.
---Slave Girl of Gor, 5:107

howe (adverb): the Red Savages word giving assent or agreement.
---Blood Brothers of Gor, 4:55

howo (imperative): Red Savages word for 'come.'
---Savages of Gor, 19:320, 327

hrimgar (noun): the Gorean word for barrier; also, the Hrimgar Mountains in the north.
---Beasts of Gor, 12:192

huda (noun): a unit of measurement in the Tahari consisting of five tefa, or small baskets.
---Tribesmen of Gor, 2:46

hunting arrow: a type of flight or sheaf arrow with a long, tapering point, enabling it to be easily withdrawn intact from its target.
---Savages of Gor, 1:40

hurlit (noun): more specifically referred to as forest hurlit; mentioned briefly in Nomads of Gor as a migrating species.
---Nomads of Gor, 11:138

hurt (noun): a domesticated two legged, bounding marsupial, whose wool is harvested four times a year and used for cloth.
---Assassin of Gor,4:39

-I-

I ask your favor (phrase): Gorean phrase equivalent to 'Please'.
---Outlaw of Gor, 3:31

I wish you well (phrase): a common Gorean phrase of farewell
---Tarnsman of Gor, 7:94

ieska (noun): Red Savages word for one who speaks well.
---Savages of Gor, 14:225

ihdazicaka (noun): Red Savages word for one who counts himself rich.
---Blood Brothers of Gor, 1:9

ihn (noun): the Gorean equivalent of one second; there are 80 ihn in one ehn (minute).
---Outlaw of Gor, 3:26

implanted, the (noun): humans altered by the Priest-Kings by implanting a control web and transmitting device; they eyes are also altered so as to transmit what is seen to the Priest-Kings as well. Activation of the control web permits the Priest-Kings to act and speak through these implanted ones.
---Priest Kings of Gor, 16:126

ina (noun): the Gorean word for one of the letters in the Gorean alphabet.
---Slave Girl of Gor, 25:383-384

inahan (noun): the Red Savages word for slave.
---Savages of Gor, 14:216

Inititate (noun): Gorean aesthetes who claim to be the intermediaries between the Priest-Kings and men; they eschew many of the pleasures of life and appear to live austerely. The powerful but parasitic Caste of Initiates is one of the five High Castes, acting as the religious branch of the government. Their caste color is white.
---Tarnsman of Gor, 3:40 and John Norman, Letter to the Gorean Group, Sept 20th 2000

initiatory whipping (noun): practiced in some areas of Gor; an introductory disciplinary whipping administered to a girl new to the household; it is intended to impress upon her the absolute helplessness of her position as slave.
---Guardsman of Gor, 19:200-201

insulae (noun): the multiple-dwelling tenements of the cities.
---Magicians of Gor, 1:9

iron belt (noun): protective device locked upon slavegirls, most commonly used upon white silk slaves, similar to the Earth chastity belt.
---Assassin of Gor, 12:147 and 214

iron pens (noun): a general term for the subterraniean retention facilities in slaver houses rather than a descriptive term; inclused not only cages, but pits, steel drums, wall chains and the like.
---Assassin of Gor, 11:122

isanna (noun): the Red Savages word for little knife.
---Blood Brothers of Gor, 1:10

Isanna (noun): the Little Knives, one of the five bands comprising the Kaiila tribe. Their lands lay north of the northern fork of the Kaiila River and west of the Snake.
---Blood Brothers of Gor, 1:10, 24

isbu (noun): Red Savages word for little stones.
---Blood Brothers of Gor, 1:10

Isbu Band (noun): the Little Stones Band, a sub-group of the All Comrades, a prestigious warrior society, and one of the five bands comprising the Kaiila tribe. Their lands lay in the southern area, between the northern and the southern branches of the Kaiila river.
---Savages of Gor, 19:314-315 and Blood Brothers of Gor, 1:10, 24

Itancanka (noun): Red Savages word for master.
---Savages of Gor, 14:231

iwoso (noun): Red Savages word for pouting lips.
---Blood Brothers of Gor, 2:29

-J-

jard (noun): a small, yellow-winged scavenger bird; flies in large flocks. A flock, like flies, can strip the meat from a tabuk in minutes.
---Beasts of Gor, 9:149

Jarl (noun): the Gorean word used, instead of Ubar, for a leader of the Torvald. Bondsmaids address all free men as Jarl.
---Marauders of Gor, 4:63

jit monkey (noun): a monkey that inhabits the rainforests of Schendi.
---Explorers of Gor, 32:311-312

-Kef-

kaffiyeh (noun): a squarish scarf, folded over into a triangle, and placed over the head, two points at the side of the shoulders, one in back to protect the back of the neck. It is bound to the head by several loops of cord, the agal. The cording indicates tribe and district.
---Tribesman of Gor, 1:20

kahintokapa (noun): Red Savages word for one who walks before.
---Blood Brothers of Gor, 1:28

kaiila (noun): the large, carnivorous, silken, long-necked and graceful mount used by the Wagon Peoples with great effectiveness. Its two large eyes are triple-lidded, giving it great adaptability in the plains and desert environments, as the transparent third lid permits the animal to move about under conditions that prohibit other prairie or desert animals such freedom. A related breed, the black or tawny desert kaiila, which is omnivorous, is found in the Tahari. Both breeds are vicious in temperament but tameable for use. Another variety of kaiila is found in the Barrens, herded and used as mounts by the Red Savages. Although this particular kaiila is essentially described as very similar to the desert kaiila, it would differ in that it is mentioned to be herbivorous.
---Nomads of Gor, pp 13-14

Kaiila (noun): a Red Savages tribe, represented by one or more red horizontal bars (representing the lance); also known as the Cutthroat tribe; comprised of five smaller bands that employ variations upon the basic theme of horizontal bars to distinguish themselves: the Isbu (Little Stones Band), the Casmu (Sand Band), Isanna (Little Knife Band), Napoktan (Bracelets Band) and Wismahi (Arrowhead Band). Their language is related to that of the Dust Legs tribe.
---Savages of Gor, 19:314 and Blood Brothers of Gor, 1:10

kail (noun): a direction on the Gorean compass. True north would be known as Ta-Sardar-Var, since all directions on the planet are calculated from the Sardar Mountains, analgous to the Earth's North Pole. From Ta-Sardar-Var, moving clockwise, would be Ror, Rim, Tun, Vask (analgous to true south, sometimes spoken of as Verus Var, or the true turning away), then Cart, Klim and Kail, ending back again at Tar-Sardar-Var.
---Nomads of Gor, 1:3 (footnote)

kailiauk (noun): the Red Savages word for the large tri-horned, stocky ruminant herd animal described as a relative of the bosk. The kailiauk is to the Red Savages much what the bosk is to the Wagon Peoples. A short-trunked variety is mentioned as living on the southern plains.
---Blood Brothers of Gor, 1:10

Kailiauk (noun): a tribe of Red Savages, federated with the Kaiila.
---Savages of Gor, 4:234

Kaissa (noun): the Gorean word for 'game', but when used, refers only to the one game much loved throughout Gor. Kaissa is a board game quite similar to Earth's chess; played with pieces named in Gorean terms, the board consists of 100 red and yellow squares and twenty pieces to a side. Extremely popular in Torvaldsland through the long winters, there are pieces for Jarl and the Jarl's Woman rather than Ubar and Ubara, for example. The objective in Kaissa is to capture the opponent's Home Stone. Kaissa is often used as a non-violent means to settle disputes, so beloved is the game. There are those who make their living at playing the game; called Players, they are neither caste nor clan, simply those so consumed with the joy and beauty of the game that neither power nor gold nor women means as much to them as does playing the game. Slaves are not permitted to play Kaissa, presumably it would be insulting to lose to a slave. An excellent source of information on Kaissa can be found here.
---Assassin of Gor, 3:26-31 and Hunters of Gor, 3:47

Kaissa of En'Kara (noun): a standardized version of Kaissa adopted at the Sardar Fairs. Also called Player Kaissa or Merchant Kaissa.
---Players of Gor, 1:8

kajira (noun): the most common expression for a slavegirl; another is sa'fora, or chain daughter. Plural form is kajirae.
---Nomads of Gor, 5:29-30

kajirus (noun): common expression for a male slave; the plural form is kajiri.
---Nomads of Gor, 8:59

Kajuralia (noun): Gorean for 'holiday of slaves,' Kajuralia is the annual festival of slaves during which slaves are allowed much latitude in behavior and enact pranks upon free persons. Kajuralia is celebrated once a year in most Gorean cities at one of two different moments. The first chosen date for Kajuralia is the last day of the twelfth passage hand. The other common date which is used by the city or Ar among others, is the last day of the fifth month of the year which is the day preceding the Love Feast. The only city which is said not to celebrate Kajuralia is Port Kar though we are not told specifically why that is.
---Assassin of Gor, 17:223 and 229

ka-la-na (noun):

• fruit: from the golden-wooded ka-la-na tree, ka-la-na fruit is eaten as well as used to make wine.
  ---Tarnsman of Gor, 8:106 and Hunters of Gor, 8:124

• tree (noun): the golden-wooded ka-la-na tree, also known as the yellow wine tree of Gor; its supple and strong wood is prized in use where strength is desired, such as in the building of ships or in the incredibly powerful long bow of the peasants.
  ---Nomads of Gor, 19:217 and Raiders of Gor, 3:19

• wine (noun): Made from the fruit of the golden-wooded ka-la-na tree, ka-la-na is a fermented dry red wine stored in bottles that bear the wax seal of the City from which it came; the best quality is said to be from Ar. It is also said to have 'warming' effects on females.
  ---Hunters of Gor, 8:124

kal-da (noun): A mixture of usually cheap ka-la-na, mulling spices and citrus juice, this potent drink is heated to almost scalding in a brewing pot over the fires and ladled into pots or bowls.
---Outlaw of Gor, 9:76

kalika (noun): a six-stringed plucked instrument with a rounded body and long neck; the tension on the strings is adjusted by means of small wooden cranks at the top of the neck, similar to the guitar or banjo of Earth.
---Nomads of Gor, 12:153

kalmak (noun): the short, open sleeveless vest of black leather worn by the slavegirls of the Wagon Peoples.
---Nomads of Gor, 5:30

kamba (noun): inland (Schendi) word for rope; also Kamba, one of two rivers emptying Lake Ushindi and flowing directly into Thassa.
---Explorers of Gor, 6:100

kanda (noun): a shrub of the Gorean deserts whose roots hold a lethal poison. Kanda leaves have a strong, addictive narcotic effect that may make this plant a cousin of the Earth Coca plant. An extremely potent poison is extracted from the roots of the kanda plant, and used to coat the tips of various weapons. The effect of kanda is said to be extremely rapid.
---Priest-Kings of Gor, 3:25, Nomads of Gor, 7:43 and Assassin of Gor, 4:42

kan-lara (noun): the Gorean word for brand.
---Slave Girl of Gor, 4:80

kantasawi (noun): the Red Savages word for the phase of the moon in which the plums become red, generally the hottest part of the Barrens summer.
---Savages of Gor, 15:257

kantharos (noun): drinking vessel mentioned in a visit to an inn. Described as a deeply cupped vessel with looped handles that arise from the body and extend well above the brim.
---Renegades of Gor, 5:71

kara (noun): Gorean word for turning.
---Outlaw of Gor, 20:178

karjuk (noun): Innuit word for arrow.
---Beasts of Gor, 24:317

Kashani (noun): one of four vassal tribes to the Taharian Kavars, the others being the Ta'Kara, the Char and the Bakah.
---Tribesmen of Gor, 23:301

kaska (noun): the small Gorean hand drum.
---Nomads of Gor, 12:153

Kassars (noun): known as the Blood People; one of the four nomadic tribes of the southern plains; their standard is the scarlet bola, hanging from a lance. Their brand is a representation of the bola, three circles joined at the center by straight lines.
---Nomads of Gor, 2:14

Kataii (noun): one of the four nomadic tribes of the Wagon Peoples of the southern plains; their standard is a yellow bow bound across a black lance. Their brand is that of a left-facing bow.
---Nomads of Gor, 2:14

katch (noun): a foliated leaf vegetable mentioned in
---Tribesmen of Gor, 2:37

Kavars (noun): one of the two High Tribes of the Tahari; their vassal tribes are the Ta'Kara, Char, Bakahs and Kashani; their war-cry is 'Kavars Supreme!'
---Tribesmen of Gor, 26:343

kef (noun): the Gorean word for a letter of the alphabet, most likely analogous to the Earth letter k; used most often as a slave brand with symbolic signficance: the straight line representing the staff of discipline and the two curled fronds designating the beauty of a woman, the overall impact when used as a brand is rather floral and the significance of the whole meaning beauty subject to the staff of discipline.
---Fighting Slave of Gor, 4:68

keleustes (noun): the one who beats out the rowing timing on a galley.
---Raiders of Gor, 7:61and Hunters of Gor, 6:81

kennel (noun): refers to a kind of small, cement cell, customarily about three feet by three feet by four feet, with an iron gate, which can be raised and lowered; similar cells, but entirely of bars, are also common, and are to be found in the house of slavers; the smaller cells can function as separate units, and may be used to ship slaves, but they can also be locked together in groups to provide tiers of cells, usually bolted into a wall, conserving space.
---Assassin of Gor, 11:122-123

kes (noun): a small, deeply rooted shrub whose salty, blue secondary roots are a main ingredient in the common Gorean soup sullage; also the short sleeveless work tunic of black leather worn by the male slaves of the Wagon Peoples; also referred to as the Kes, or the workdress of a woman.
---Priest Kings of Gor, 6:45 and Nomads of Gor, 8:30 and 8:68

kettle girl (noun): a slave who serves doing household duties.
---Assassin of Gor, 12:152

kettle-and-mat girl (noun): a dual-use slave who functions as a serving slave and a pleasure slave, also called pot-and-mat girl.
---Raiders of Gor, 8:98-99 and Beasts of Gor, 3:70

key box (noun): the area where a key for a particular cell or kennel is safely stored, out of reach of the confined person.
---Assassin of Gor, 18:274-275

ki (adv.): a negative, 'not'.
---Slave Girl of Gor, 4:80

kite (noun): a migratory bird of the southern plains.
---Nomads of Gor, 1:4 and 11:138

ki-var (adjective): one of the two generally considered directions on Gor, var and ki-var; part of Ta-Sardar-Ki-Var, or turning away from the Sardar.
---Nomads of Gor, 1:3 (footnote)

Klim (noun): a direction on the Gorean compass. True north would be known as Ta-Sardar-Var, since all directions on the planet are calculated from the Sardar Mountains, analgous to the Earth's North Pole. From Ta-Sardar-Var, moving clockwise, would be Ror, Rim, Tun, Vask (analgous to true south, sometimes spoken of as Verus Var, or the true turning away), then Cart, Klim and Kail, ending back again at Tar-Sardar-Var.
---Nomads of Gor, 1:3 (footnote)

knives (noun): found in great variety on Gor.

• dagger: the most common combat weapon on Gor of multitudinous styles--a simple or ornate handle fitted with either a double of single-edged blade ranging from four to eight inches in length. Can be worn openly in a belt-sheath or concealed beneath one's clothing, often strapped to the wrist beneath the sleeve, tucked into the collar behind the neck, or hidden in a boot. Used by many freewomen as a personal means of self-defense.
  ---Marauders of Gor, 3:50 and 10:156

• hook knife: a short weapon, consisting of a thick, ridged fighting handle and a wide curved blade, sharpened on both sides. The hook knife is used primarily in duels and ritual combats. During displays or sport it is kept sheathed and the sheath itself is coated with colored powder, so that a successful attack scored by the user can be easily seen by judges.
  ---Assassin of Gor, 2:12

• panga: the two-foot long, heavy curve-bladed bush knife of the jungles of Schendi, used both as a weapon and a trail cutter. Most likely similar to the Earth panga and machete, this broad sword is excellent for cutting down heavy vegetation and described as being sharp enough to slice through small trees with ease.
  ---Explorers of Gor, 27:287

• quiva: the flat-bladed, double-edged knife balanced for throwing, about a foot in length, used with great skill by the Wagon Peoples; also found throughout Gor. Commonly found strapped to a rider's kailla in a matched set of seven, it is a fast and efficient weapon, normally thrown but also used in hand-to-hand combat.
  ---Nomads of Gor, 2:11 and 8:67

• saddle knife: see quiva

• sleen knife: not well-described; most likely a hunter's knife with a sharp point that can be used to carve symbols in trees, as well as the more obvious uses.
  ---Captive of Gor, 9:122

• snow knife: the large curved, saw-toothed bone knife of the Red Hunters, used both as a weapon and a building tool.
  ---Beasts of Gor, 26:325 and 328

• tarn knife: not well-described; most likely part of the tarnsman's saddle pack gear.
  ---Assassin of Gor, 22:363

• throwing knife: described as a smaller knife than a quiva, tapered on only one side. Referred to as a killing knife, designed to be thrown at the body of a targeted victim, one can infer that it was used by assassins, but it is also mentioned as commonly used by Tarn Keepers.
  ---Assassin of Gor, 13:174

• turf knife: a wooden-bladed, saw-edged paddlelike tool used to cut and saw sod as well as to move dirt when the blade is supported with the free hand.
  ---Blood Brothers of Gor, 36:311-312

• ulo: referred to as a woman's knife of the Red Hunters, it has a semicircular blade which is customarily fixed into a wooden handle. This knife is not suitable for slicing and carving, rather for cutting chunks of meat and slicing tendons.
  ---Beasts of Gor, 20:262

• whip knife: complex arrangements of small, thin knives woven into the last eighteen inches of whips, arranged in sets of four, twenty thin, narrow blades; unique to Port Kar. Some whips include a stunning lead weight to fell the victim first.
  ---Assassin of Gor, 22:363-364

koda (noun): the Red Savages Dust Leg word for friend.
---Savages of Gor, 15:257

kola (noun): the Red Savages Kaiila word for friend.
---Savages of Gor, 15:257

kodakiciyapi (noun): the Dust Leg word for peace and friendship.
---Savages of Gor, 15:257

ko-lar (noun): the phonetic rendering of the word 'collar', used in a demonstration of the accent of the Gorean language to a newly acquired barbarian girl. It is made clear that the word is the same in both languages, but that the accent of Gor renders the word pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable.
---Slave Girl of Gor, 4:80-81

koora (noun): the Gorean word for one part of 'clad Kajir' and used mostly by the Wagon Peoples; one of the four articles donned by female slaves of the Wagon Peoples; a strip of red cloth, matching the curla, that is wound around the head to hold back the hair. Amongst the Wagon Peoples, slavegirls are not permitted to braid or otherwise dress their hair, save for the koora.
---Nomads of Gor, 5:30

ko-ro-ba (noun): the Gorean word for village market; also an important city-state, Ko-Ro-Ba, known as the Towers of the Morning.
---Outlaw of Gor, 5:39-40

kort (noun): a large, brownish-skinned, thick-skinned, sphere-shaped vegetable, usually some six inches in width, the interior of which is yellowish, fibrous and heavily seeded. Noted as served with melted cheese and nutmeg.
---Tribesmen of Gor, 2:37 and 47-48

kosis (noun): the Gorean word for disease.
---Tarnsman of Gor, 13:150

Kur, Kurii (noun): the Torvaldsland word for beast, and a Gorean corruption of the Kurii's word for themselves; they are an alien race locked in combat with the Priest-Kings for control of Gor. Brutal and violent, and capable of space technology, some were marooned upon Gor and suffered to live by the Priest-Kings, usually in the northern regions; they regard humans as cattle for consumption. Huge creatures, standing some eight to nine feet, their arms are seven feet in length, terminating in six-digited, extrajointed pawlike hands. The legs are thick, and short, and the creature can run on all fours similar to a simian, with great rapidity.
---Marauders of Gor, 1:21, 6:92 and 11:169-170

kurdah (noun): the small, semicircular structure, covered in white rep-cloth, that is mounted atop a pack kaiila and closed in front by a curtain. The frame is usually tem, and braces against the pack blankets keep it in place. Used in the Tahari to transport women, both slave and free.
---Tribesmen of Gor, 4:69

Kurii ax (noun): the gigantic two-headed ax of the Kurii, easily capable of chopping a man in half and certainly too large to be used even by the huge men of Torvaldsland. The double-bladed head is iron and the handle is some four inches in diameter, making the ax seven to eight feet in length.
---Marauders of Gor, 12:171

Kurii dart thrower (noun): a missile weapon of the Kurii somewhat reminiscent of a rifle; it discharges gas-propelled darts of various types. It is seen being used by Kurii agents.
---Beasts of Gor, 29:350

kurt (noun): the Gorean slave whip; long-handled, with five soft lashes. While capable of delivering severe punishment, it does not disfigure the flesh of property.
---Slave Girl of Gor, 4:82-83

kwah (noun): the Gorean word for the letter analagous to 'q'.
---Mercenaries of Gor, 1:13

-L-

la (verb): the Gorean word for 'I am' or 'you are'.
---Captive of Gor, 6:55

lamp of love (noun): the lamp used by Goreans to illuminate, with its soft, sensual light, the every expression and movement of a slavegirl as her master uses her. Also referred to as ravishment lamp and love lamp.
---Guardsman of Gor, 19:203

Lances (noun):

• kaiila lance, hunting: the lance most often used by the Wagon Peoples from kaiilaback to unseat a foe. Lightweight and supple, they are a weapon of finesse rather than blunt force. Made of young tem, they are so flexible that they can be bent almost in half before they break. Kept in hand by a loose loop of boskhide wound twice around the wrist, the weapon is, therefore, seldom thrown. Also used among the Red Savages in hunting kailiauk and is longer, heavier and thicker than the war lance used by these peoples.
  ---Nomads of Gor, 2:15 and Savages of Gor, 1:42-43

• kailla lance, war: used by the Red savages, this weapon is almost identical to the kaiila lance of the Wagon Peoples, though it is more heavily carved and decorated.
  ---Savages of Gor, 1:42-43

• tarn lance: used by those Red Savages who have mastered the use of a tarn, it is similar in most respects to the kaiila lance, save that it is longer and more slender.
  ---Savages of Gor, 1:42-43

• tharlarion lance: longer and heavier than the kaiila lance, designed for use from tharlarionback, this lance is often used with a lance rest for stability.
  ---Savages of Gor, 1:42

• harpoon: used by the Red Hunters in the hunting of the black Hunjer whales, about eight feet in length and two and a half inches in diameter. The main shaft is wood but there is a foreshaft of bone, in which is set the head of the harpoon, also bone, drilled with a point of sharpened slate. A rawhide line passes through a drilled hole some four inches below the slate point.
  ---Beasts of Gor, 18:258

• trident: used with a net, the traditional weapons of the fishermen of the western shore and western islands around Port Kar.
  ---Raiders of Gor, 9:112

larl (noun): the ferocious wild feline of Gor; most often seen as tawny red or black, although Tarl does encounter a very large white larl in the Sardar mountains. They commonly stand at least seven feet tall at the shoulder and are much vaunted for their grace and sinuous power. The head is broadly triangular, reminiscent of that of a viper save that it is furred. The upper canines extend down at least a foot, in the manner of ancient saber-toothed tigers. There are four nostril slits. The black larl hunts nocturnally; the red hunts at will, regardless of the hour. The larl cannot be satisfactorily tamed; even when hand-raised from young, they are known to turn atavistic, slaying their masters one moonlit night and returning to the wild.
---Priest-Kings of Gor, 2:18-19

larma (noun): a fruit found in two varieties on Gor.

• juicy larma: described as red, with a fairly thin, brittle shell that covers a fleshy, succulent and segmented interior. It is noted that, as a cultural device for a slave who desires her master but fears to speak, she will offer a larma or peach to him as a silent plea for use.
  ---Assassin of Gor, 8:106 and Tribesmen of Gor, 1:27

• hard larma: also known as the pit fruit, this variety has a more applelike texture with a single large pit. It is said that the urt people are particularly fond of pit fruit.
  ---Players of Gor, 13:267

lart, snow (noun): a smallish Arctic mammal, eight to ten pounds, possessing two stomachs and which lives on bird eggs and leem. Its fur is snow white in the winter.
---Beasts of Gor, 3:74

Lar-Torvis (noun): the Gorean expression for the sun; literally, The Central Fire.
---Outlaw of Gor, 20:178

Last Spear (noun): the spearsman standing last in the line of spearsmen in a larl hunt. Each spearsman, after casting his spear, throws himself down to provide a clear field of aim for the next in line until the Last Spear, who must remain standing and receive the larl's frenzied attack in order to save his brethren's lives.
---Priest-Kings of Gor, 3:20

leading position (command): a position which requires the slave girl to bend forward at the waist, keeping her head at the master's hip, knees flexed, where he might put his hand in her hair to lead her.
---Magicians of Gor, 3:46

Leather Workers, Caste of (noun): mentioned in
---Assassin of Gor, 9:111

leech (noun): salt leeches are mentioned in Tarl's journeys through the delta of the Vosk.
---Vagabonds of Gor, 9:97

leech plant (noun): a carnivorous plant that lashes out with a whip-like action to sink two hollow thorns into the flesh of its victim, whereupon bladderlike pods pump the victim's blood into the plant.
---Outlaw of Gor, 4:33

leem (noun): a small (5 to 10 ounces) arctic rodent hunted by the Red Hunters for its pelt. A winter hibernating species, its summer coat is described as brown.
---Beasts of Gor, 3:74-75

lelt (noun): a small (five to seven inches) white long-finned fish of the brine pits in the Tahari; food to the salt shark, the lelt is blind and depends upon fernlike protrusions from their heads to detect movement. Drawn most likely to the heat of the lamps used in the pits, these little fish will thrust their heads from the water and orient themselves to the lamp.
---Tribesmen of Gor, 16:247

lesha (noun): the Gorean word for leash, used as a command, wherein a girl presents herself with hands behind her, head turned to the left, chin lifted, so that she may easily be braceleted and leashed.
---Explorers of Gor, 5:76 and Dancer of Gor, 27:365

lice (noun): commonly mentioned as the large, marble-sized variety found on tarns, but other mention is made referring to a more common type, including the fact that they are, as on Earth, responsible for the spread of epidemic diseases.
---Tarnsman of Gor, 12:142-143, Slave Girl of Gor, 16:321 and 17:325-236

liana vine (noun): a creeping vine of the rainforests; can be used as a source of drinking water.
---Explorers of Gor, 32:310

lit (noun): the common, crested and needle tail varieties of this brightly plumaged bird inhabit the rainforest inland of Schendi.
---Explorers of Gor, 32:236 and 311

living wand (noun): the name of a rather cruel sport of the Wagon Peoples, wherein a slavegirl holds a tospit in her mouth, acting as the wand for a rider to lance the tospit as he passes by on his kaiila. The girl is slain should she move or in any way withdraw from the lance.
---Nomads of Gor, 8:79

lo (verb): the masculine version of 'la': I am, you are.
---Captive of Gor, 13:266

lock, knife (noun): a type of lock that, when tampered with, triggers the release of one or more blades at the individual, sometimes from behind. Seldom effective against one who knows what to look for.
---Assassin of Gor, 5:52

lock, pit (noun): a more difficult security device to detect due to the crevices naturally occurring in Gorean tiling, commonly found in the corridors of cylinders. When tampered with, a trap falls away beneath the tamperer, dropping him to a pit below which may contain fixed, poison knives or even osts, half-starved sleen or water tharliarion. Sometimes the pit is just that: an empty pit which permits the tamperer to be collected afterwards for questioning and torture.
---Assassin of Gor, 5:52

lock-collar (noun): see collar

lock, poison (noun): a type of lock much more dangerous than the simple knife lock; it uses an extremely small opening through which tiny, poison-tipped pins extrude to penetrate the flesh of a tamperer.
---Assassin of Gor, 5:52

longboat (noun): the smaller, oared boat commonly used for ship-to-shore transportation.
---Hunters of Gor, 18:259

longbow (noun): also referred to as the great bow of the Peasants, it is an enormous bow made from the pliant yellow Ka-la-na wood, the height of a tall man, an inch and a quarter thick at its center and tipped with bosk horn. It requires considerable strength to draw and is devastating in its effect, being able to travel through a four inch thick wood beam at point blank range or pin a man to a wall at two hundred yards. Best known as the weapon of the peasants and somewhat scorned by caste-conscious warriors, it remains virtually unknown in a great many cities, save Thentis and Ko-ro-ba, and is indeed the weapon that led Rencers to independence from Port Kar.
---Raiders of Gor, 1:2-4

longstaff (noun): also known as the peasant staff, the common peasant weapon, mentioned in
---letter to the Gorean Group from John Norman, Sept. 20, 2000

long ship (noun): a sleek, maneuverable oared ship, often used as ramships and ships of war; the lateen-rigged mast is removable for combat situations. They are more maneuverable than the roundships commonly used as merchant ships.
---Raiders of Gor, 10:127, 133-134 and Explorers of Gor, 4:53

long sword (noun): a generic term that describes any longer sword (in the 36-50 inches range) with a straight blade, sharpened on both sides and used primarily with one hand, they come in great variety on Gor, from the heavy sword of Torvaldslanders, to the long and heavy blade of the Alars.
---Marauders of Gor, 11:172 and Mercenaries of Gor, 4:45

love dance (noun): in the course of their education in running a household, free women were also taught the importance of pleasing men, to the extent that each city had its own variations of love dances that these women learned to perform as Free Companions for their mates. These women were always cognizant of the possibility that they, themselves, could fall slave to a sufficiently bold warrior; as well, they might, in the course of their Free Companionship, might be responsible for owning slaves and therefore needed to understand well a slave's duties. There is one mention of the Love Dance of the Newly Collared Slave, a dance done with variations in many cities that celebrates a slave's joy in anticipating soon being held in the arms of a strong Master.
---Tarnsman of Gor, 11:135, Nomads of Gor, 8:63 and Raiders of Gor, 9:116

Love Feast (noun): the five days of the Fifth Passage Hand, which comes late in summer. Known as the single greatest period for the sale of slaves. Also known as a time of great feasting, races and games.
---Assassin of Gor, 15:193

love lamp (noun): see lamp of love. The lamp lit prior to the using of a slavegirl or Companion.
---Assassin of Gor, 2:22

love furs (noun): the thick furs upon which slavegirls are used. Also referred to as furs of love.
---Assassin of Gor, 2:22

love silks (noun): the silks ritualistically worn by a Free Woman for her Companion.
---Assassin of Gor, 2:22

Love War (noun): an ancient tradition between the warriors of the Wagon Peoples and Turia; celebrated every spring on the Plains of a Thousand Stakes. Warriors from each side battle to take the Free Woman their opponent has carefully selected for her beauty and lashed to one of the many stakes on the plains. The victorious warrior takes his prize and makes her slave. Serving many purposes, the games provide for the acquisition of new slaves for each side as well as testing and honing the skills of the warriors.
---Nomads of Gor, 10:115-116

Luck Girl (noun): a slavegirl, in the instance mentioned, who belongs to the captain of a ship and becomes a sort of voyage mascot for the crew, serving to bring them the feeling of good luck.
---Guardsman of Gor, 8:61

Luraz (noun): a minor vassal tribe of the Aretai in the Tahari.
---Tribesmen of Gor, 23:307  

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-M-

Magicians, Caste of (noun): mentioned in
---Maticians of Gor, 17:259

mahpiya (noun): the Red Savages word for clouds.
---Blood Brothers of Gor, 19:315

mahpiyasapa (noun): the Red Savages word for black clouds.
---Blood Brothers of Gor, 19:315

mamba (noun): the Schendi word for river tharlarion, the predatory alligator-like creature which inhabits the rainforest rivers inland of Schendi; also a tribe of Schendi cannibals.
---Explorers of Gor, 32:326 and 44:393-394

Margin of Desolation (noun): the burned, barren strip, cleared of all life that Ar placed around her northern borders, presumably to protect against invasion. The area was an empty, unpopulated, desertlike area without water and beneficient vegetation a thousand pasangs deep. Wells had been poisoned and fields burned and salted. During the time of Marlenus, the area was allowed to begin to regrow, most likely because Marlenus had become so confident of Ar's supremacy and was looking to move north, against the Salerian Confederation, in conquest. Also the military significance of such a buffer had diminished with the development of large-scale tarn transport capable of supplying troops in the field.
---Tarnsman of Gor, 11:129, 12:140, Assassin of Gor 13:255, Slave Girl of Gor, 7:145

marking stick (noun): the Gorean term for a variety of writing implements.
---Slave Girl of Gor, 17:326

marsh barge (noun): narrow barges with high, curved prows, oared, which slip easily through the dense marshes. Anchored at both ends, there is no keleustes, but an oar-master who calls the rowing beat.
---Raiders of Gor, 7:61

marsh shark (noun): a species of shark adapted to fresh water; physically appearing almost eel-like with nine gills.
---Raiders of Gor, 7:58 and Vagabonds of Gor, 7:93

Master Ships (noun): the spaceships of the Kurii, each as elaborate as an artificial planet, in which they live during their struggle with Priest-Kings for the planet Gor.
---Assassin of Gor, 5:65

Matok (noun): the Priest-King word for those who live in the Nest but are not of the Nest. Matoks are usually non-humans, as the humans who live in the Nest are Muls, the Priest-King term for slaves. Tarl Cabot was an exception; the Priest-Kings viewed him as Matok--a human, not of the Nest but who also was not Mul. The Matoks encountered in the Nest are mostly insects of extraordinary proportions, serving a particular purpose in the Nest food chain.
---Priest-Kings of Gor, 12:92

maza (noun): the Red Savages word for metal.
---Savages of Gor, 14:246

mazahuhu (noun): the Red Savages Dust Leg word for bracelets.
---Blood Brothers of Gor, 1:10-11

Mazahuhu (noun): the Red Savages Dust Leg word for the Napoktan, or Bracelets, band of Kaiila tribe.
---Savages of Gor, 19:326

mazasa (noun): the Red Savages word for red metal, i.e., copper.
---Savages of Gor, 19:326

mazasapa (noun): the Red Savages word for black metal, i.e., iron.
---Savages of Gor, 14:246

Merchant fortress (noun): palisaded, defensible compounds established by the caste of Merchants on trade routes between Ar and Ko-ro-ba, and Tor and Ar, about a day's caravan march apart, providing risk-free overnights for marching caravans. They will welcome all travelers and are governed under Merchant Law. They are constructed with double walls, the interior wall higher, and tarn wire covers the compound.
---Captive of Gor, 10:219

Merchant Kaissa (noun): a standardized version of Kaissa adopted at the Sardar Fairs, so named for the role of the caste of Merchants in bringing this about. Also called Player Kaissa or the Kaissa of En'Kara.
---Players of Gor, 1:8

Merchants, Caste of (noun): represented by white and gold, the caste of those who deal in commerce. The saying 'gold has no caste' is one of which the Merchants are said to be fond. Merchants exercise a great deal ow behind-the-scenes power via bribery, gratuities and the less obvious control of the availability of credit. Merchant law, developed by the Merchants, is the only common legal arrangement between cities. Merchants also organize and manage the four Sardar Fairs. Noted, also, as administrators of the island of Anango. Most memorably represented by the repugnant Saphrar of Turia. Merchants secretly consider themselves as the highest of all castes, although they are not commonly regarded as one of the five High Castes.
---Nomads of Gor, 9:84 and Players of Gor, 1:8

Metal Workers, Caste of (noun): the caste of those skilled in the working of metals, from weapons to shackles and collars to fine jewelry.
---Outlaw of Gor, 19:167 and Captive of Gor, 11:167

mindar (noun): a short-winged, sharp-billed yellow and red bird of the rainforests inland of Schendi; its short wings adapt it for quick, sudden flurries of brief, rapid flight between branches of the flower trees where it hides for camoflauge and lives off grubs and larvae drilled from their bark with its sharp bill.
---Explorers of Gor, 26:282

miniwozan (noun): the Red Savages word for mist or slow-falling rain.
---Blood Brothers of Gor, 4:54

mita (noun): the Red Savages word for my.
---Savages of Gor, 15:257 and Blood Brothers of Gor, 22:214

mitakoda (noun): the Red Savages Dust Leg word for my friend.
---Savages of Gor, 15:257

mitakola (noun): the Red Savages Kaiila word for my friend.
---Savages of Gor, 15:257

mnemonic blow (noun): the last strike of the whip given when a slavegirl is beaten, considered to be an extra stroke that demonstrates clearly to her that she is fully under discipline and that her master may beat her how, when and as much as he pleases. Also referred to as the gratis blow.
---Guardsman of Gor, 19:205

Mul (noun): the Priest-King word for a slave of the Nest.
---Priest-Kings of Gor, 12:94

Mul-Fungus (noun): the very bland, whitish, fibrous vegetablelike matter fed the Muls in the Nest of the Priest-Kings. It is fed four times a day: the first meal consists of ground Mul-Fungus mixed with water into a kind of porridge; the second meal is chopped Mul-Fungus; for the third meal it is minced with Mul-Pellets and served as a cold hash; for the last meal, it is pressed into a large, flat cake and sprinkled with a few grains of salt. It is an inferior kind of fungus dined upon by the Priest-Kings.
---Priest-Kings of Gor, 14:109

Mul-Pellets (noun): a form of dietary supplement to the bland Mul-Fungus diet fed in the Nest of the Priest-Kings.
---Priest-Kings of Gor, 14:109

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