Gor 201 - Home Stones and Castes
Sep. 30th, 2018 10:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kissa_bitesFirst and foremost that Gor is a LOT more than just Masters and slaves. It's a whole planet of STUFF going on and the M/s is only a small portion of it. You will see this in the books if you have a chance to read them.
30/09 19:10
kissaHKM
Of course, because the M/s is the sexy stuff and can engender the imagination to such heights of desire, that's what sticks with most.
30/09 19:11
kissaHKM
Sooooo today isn't all about the sexy stuff. It's about life on Gor. It's in no way comprehensive, lol, but it'll show that there's way more than anal hooks stuck in walls.
kissaHKM
So, honestly, without diving deep and taking years, we can only cover some of it, and we don't want to make Gor the focus of the site.
kissaHKM
First of all, Gor means, literally "Home Stone". A Home Stone is the core of almost every Gorean's being and identity
kissaHKM
So, we have several Home Stones, just as you and i have several ways to identify ourselves
kissaHKM
Country, State/City, Home/house
30/09 19:32
kissaHKM
in that you, too, have three homes, it's the same in Gor. A Home Stone is both an idea and a reality. In every city and town, in every home, there is a literal rock that is the Home Stone. It is usually flat, sometimes with a symbol carved into it, but it's real and, if an invader takes it, all hell breaks loose because the heart of the city and a major part of the town's identity has been stolen. There WILL be a bloody war to retrieve the stone.
More than one are the peasant fields of Gor which have been freshened with the blood of foolish warriors." (Outlaw of Gor, p.29)
30/09 19:32
kissaHKM
In Gor, though, the FREE (folks that aren't slaves) have one more way of identifying self - Caste.
kissaHKM
To us, caste is a job, but in someplace like India, it's also your social standing - that's Gor.
kissaHKM
In Gor, one can not have a caste without the other things too. To have a caste - a social standing, you must have a Home Stone.
kissaHKM
House, City, Country.
kissaHKM
There are those without caste - outlaws, Red Savages, Red Hunters, Torvaslandians, and the people of the Tahari
the reason is that in a city, there is the luxury of having a specialised job
kissaHKM
Outside of a city - in Native American lands, Wild Scandinavia, and in the Middle Eastern Desert, survival is the focus and so people have to be generalists
kissaHKM
i consider myself a southern Gorean, though, so am going to give you that information because,
kissaHKM
So, "All" Free have a Caste (and we're going to ignore the exceptions)
kissaHKM
There are Five High Castes and dozens of low castes
kissaHKM
The difference is the cache of status, AND the type of education that the Free receive.
kissaHKM
The high castes are taught advanced education that is "the truth" and the low castes are frequently lied to - why? to keep the man down.
"The caste system was socially efficient, given its openness with respect to merit, but I regarded it as somehow ethically objectionable. It was still too rigid, in my opinion, particularly with respect to the selection of rulers from the High Castes and with respect to the Double Knowledge."
Tarnsman of Gor, page 45
I was also instructed in the Double Knowledge - that is, I was instructed in what the people, on the whole, believed, and then I was instructed in what the intellectuals were expected to know. Sometimes there was a surprising discrepancy between the two. For example, the population as a whole, the castes below the High Castes, were encouraged to believe that their world was a broad flat disc. Perhaps this was to discourage them from exploration or to develop in them a habit of relying on commonsense prejudices -- something of a social control device.
On the other hand, the High Castes, specifically the Warriors, Builders, Scribes, Initiates and Physicians, were told the truth in such matters, perhaps because it was thought they would eventually determine it for themselves, from observations such as the shadow of their planet on one or another ofGor's three small moons during eclipses, the phenomenon of sighting the tops of distant objects first, and the fact that certain stars could not be seen from certain geographical positions; if the planet had been flat, precisely the same set of stars would have been observable from every position on its surface.
I wondered, however, if the Second Knowledge, that of the intellectuals, might not be as carefully tailored to preclude inquiry on their level as the First Knowledge apparently was to preclude inquiry on the level of the Lower Castes. I would guess that there is a Third Knowledge, that reserved to the Priest-Kings.
Tarnsman of Gor, page 41
kissaHKM
Even the Free aren't quite as Free as they might seem from reading various Gorean sites and listening to Gorean blather by people that may not have actually read the books
kissaHKM
Caste wise, the high castes are Initiates - that is the devotees/priests/intermediaries between everyone else and the Priest Kings - that is, the alien insecty gods that Goreans collectively worship.
"It was common, of course, for Initiates to claim to speak for the Priest-Kings; indeed, it was presumably the calling of their caste to interpret the will of the Priest-Kings to men."
Outlaw of Gor, page 41
"Four times a year, correlated with the solstices and equinoxes, there are fairs held in the plains below the mountains, presided over by committees of Initiates"
Outlaw of Gor, page 47
kissaHKM
their caste color is white - that has nothing to do with what they wear or the color of their flags, etc. That is simply the color they may wear to be recognised. They are NOT "silks" (only slaves wear "silks") The Free wear whatever the hell they want
kissaHKM
Scribes wear blue. They write stuff. Laws, memos, slave papers, histories, etc. Scribes are writey.
"Many castes, incidentally, have branches and divisions. Lawyers and Scholars, for example, and Record Keepers, Teachers, Clerks, Historians and Accountants are all Scribes."
Assassin of Gor, page 208
kissaHKM
Builders' color is yellow. Construction, architects, makers, etc.
"The road, like most Gorean roads, was built like a wall in the earth and was intended to last a hundred generations. The Gorean, having little idea of progress in our sense, takes great care in his building and workmanship. What he builds he expects men to use until the storms of time have worn it to dust. Yet this road, for all of the loving craft of the Caste of Builders which had been lavished upon it, was only an unpretentious, subsidiary road, hardly wide enough for two carts to pass. Indeed, even the main roads toKo-ro-ba were a far cry from the great highways that led to an from a metropolis like Ar."
Outlaw of Gor, page 25
"Inside, the tunnel, though dim, was not altogether dark, being lit by domelike, wire-protected energy bulbs, spaced in pairs every hundred yards or so. These bulbs, invented more than a century ago by the Caste of Builders, produce a clear, soft light for years without replacement."
Tarnsman of Gor, page 200
kissaHKM
Physicians's caste color is green. A lot of online Free women claim to be Physicians, however, on Gor, only a woman in a Free Companionship (marriage) that has had two children, may be a working Physcian
"Less impressive perhaps but even more essential to the operation of the House were its kitchens, its laundries, commissaries and storerooms; its medical facilities, in which dental care is also provided."
Assassin of Gor, page 111
"You spoke of knowing the Cabot's for four hundredyears" I said "Yes" said Misk "and your father who is a brave and noble man, has served us upon occasion, though he dealt only, unknowingly, with Implanted Ones. He first came to Gor more than six hundred years ago." "Impossible!" I cried "Not with the stabilization serums" remarked Misk." Priest Kings of Gor, page 126
"Dar-Kosis" I said "is regarded as an instrument of Priest Kings, used to smite those who displease them." "Another myth of Initiates" said Flaminius unpleasantly. "But how do you know that?" I queried. "I do not care," said Flaminius, "if it is true or not. I am a Physician."
Assassin of Gor, page 266
kissaHKM
Last but not least is the Warrior Caste. They have a caste color of red or scarlet. They explore, they defend, they flight
"What is invisible but more beautiful than diamonds? That which is silent but deafens thunder. It is the same as that which depresses no scale but is weightier than gold.It is Honour."The Code of the Warrior was, in general, characterized by a rudimentary chivalry, emphasizing loyalty to the Pride Chiefs and the Home Stone. It was harsh, but with a certain gallantry, a sense of honour that I could respect. A man could do no worse than live by such a Code."
Tarnsman of Gor, page 41
"Flee!" she said. "I am of the Warriors," I said. "But you may die," she said. "That is acknowledged in the codes," I said. "What are the codes?" she asked. "They are nothing and, and everything," I said. "They are a bit ofnoise, and the steel of the heart. They are meaningless, and all significant. They are the difference. Without the codes men would be Kurii." "Kurii?" she asked. "Beasts, such as ice beasts, and worse," I said. "Beasts such as the face you saw in the sky." "You need not keep the codes," she said. "I once betrayed my codes," I said. "It is not my intention to do so again." I looked at her. "One does not know, truly what it is to stand, until one has fallen. Once one has fallen, then one knows, you see, what it is to stand." "None would know if you betrayed the codes," she said. "I would know," I said, "and I am of the Warriors." "What is it to be a warrior?" she asked. "It is to keep the codes," I said. "You may think that to be a warrior is to be large, or strong, and to be skilled with weapons, to have a blade at your hip, to know the grasp of the spear, to wear the scarlet, to know the fitting of the iron helm upon one's countenance, but these are things are not truly needful; they are not, truly what makes one man a warrior and another not. Many men are strong, and large, and skilled with weapons. Any man might place upon his brow the helm of iron. But it is not the scarlet, not the steel, not the helm of iron which makes the warrior." She looked up at me. "It is the codes," I said.
"Abandon your codes," she said. "One does not speak to slaves of the codes," I said."
Beasts of Gor, page 340
"In the Code of the Warriors, there is a saying: Be strong, and do as you will, the swords of others will set you your limits."
Marauders of Gor, page 16
"Warriors, it is said in the codes, have a common Home Stone. Its name is battle."
Renegades of Gor, page 343
kissaHKM
Online, you'll find a LOT of warriors because it's nifty and cool.
kissaHKM
Warriors also hunt but they do NOT hunt slaves to collar. I don’t know where that silliness came from, but, no. Low castes are everything from assassins (yeah, that's a caste!) bakers to woodsmen (people that carry wood) who are very, very quiet.
kissaHKM
Castes are born into and are rarely left. It IS possible to be upwardly mobile (and to drop)
kissaHKM
One can raise and lower caste through a woman's Free Companionship (caste is carried by the male) and through hard work. One would have to prove expertise to the Caste, to city administrators, and then would have to be accepted by the caste
Caste, commonly, though not invariably. is a matter of birth. One may, too, be received into a caste by investment. Normally mating takes place among caste members, but if the mating is of mixed caste, the woman may elect to retain caste, which is commonly done, or be received into the caste of the male companion. Caste membership of the children born of such a union is a function of the caste of the father.
Similar considerations, in cities, hold the citizenship. caste is important to Goreans in a way that is difficult for members of non-caste to understand. Though there are doubtless difficulties involved with caste structure the caste situation lends and individual identity and pride, allies him with thousands of caste brothers, and proved him with various opportunities and services. Recreation on Gor is often associated with caste and tournaments and entertainments.
kissaHKM
Rarely do people lower caste.
kissaHKM
IF one is enslaved, one loses caste automatically. A slave has no caste, male or female. Even an Ubar or Ubara can be enslaved by invaders.
kissaHKM
Any questions?
HidoiKaeru
kissaHKM so an adminstrator within a city can be kidnapped and enslaved
kissaHKM
In general, people are PROUD of their caste because they know that they are needed for the city to function
"Similarly, most public charity on Gor is administered through caste structure. The caste system is not inflexible and there are opportunities for altering caste, but men seldom avail themselves of them; they take great pride in their castes, often comparing others castes unfavorably to their own; a Gorean's caste , by the time he reaches adulthood, seems to have become apart of his very blood and being; the average Gorean would not more think of altering caste than the average man of Earth would of altering his citizenship, from say American to Russian, or French to Chinese. The caste structure, in spite of its many defects, doubtless contributes to the stability of Gorean society, a society in which the individual has a place, in which his work is respected, and in which he can plan intelligently with respect to the future."
kissaHKM
Master HidoiKaeru, yes.
kissaHKM
If an invader can get to them, they can be enslaved.
Hawkmoon
So as Ubar if Homestone was to be invaded and I chose to hide as a lower caste by changing my silks with theirs would they get enslaved instead ?
kissaHKM
Master, why would a warrior lower himself by pretending to be what he is not? He is Ubar (War Chief) His honor would be compromised.
kissaHKM
An Ubar is chosen from the Warrior caste. Would a warrior compromise his honor with a lie? He'd rather die first.
Hawkmoon
Evil slave, yes it would , but what good is my city without its Ubar ?
kissaHKM
and he WILL die before being enslaved
kissaHKM
The city belongs to someone else. It is whatever the invaders say it is.
Hawkmoon
I love your answers my dear kajira
kissaHKM
soooo let's jump to a quick government talk, lololol
kissaHKM
The high castes elect a high council in times of peace. The council decides on laws, etc.
Hawkmoon
You are right my me’shan I would die defending my Homestone, as would all my warriors
HidoiKaeru
it is my place to protect my Ubar with my life
kissaHKM
In a time of trouble, though, unrest the council will appoint an Ubar - a War Chieftan. He becomes a dictator.
kissaHKM
Master HidoiKaeru, correct
Hawkmoon
And mine to protect my Homestone with mine, had to see what my kajira would say
HidoiKaeru
Hawkmoon ultimately it is mine to protect you to protect Homestone
kissaHKM
It is his decision when to step down. It is voluntary stepping down, when Ubar decides that the civil upset is finished.
kissaHKM
Ubar can also be removed by his men, if needed.
kissaHKM
coup d'etat, folks
kissaHKM
It is said, though, that even in the lowest peasant's home, there is an Ubar.
"Within the circle of each man's sword, therein is each man an Ubar." "Steel is the coinage of the Warrior. With it he purchases what pleases him."
Marauders of Gor, page 10
kissaHKM
He rules his home (or she does)
kissaHKM
Any questions?
kissaHKM
The Code of the Warrior was, in general, characterized by a rudimentary chivalry, emphasizing loyalty to the Pride Chiefs and the Home Stone. It was harsh, but with a certain gallantry, a sense of honor that I could respect. A man could do worse than live by such a code. Tarnsman of Gor Book 1 Pages 40 - 41
kissaHKM
Okay... question...
kissaHKM
What do you think the slave to Free ratio is in the cities?
HidoiKaeru
probably not as great as many would think
kissaHKM
ding ding
kissaHKM
So, online, it's like 50-50, right?
kissaHKM
In the books, the Free outnumber slaves exponentially. Female slaves make up only 2-3% of the total population
kissaHKM
So, while "Slavery Gets Shit Done" most of everything gets done by the Free, mostly of low caste.
kissaHKM
Master wise, though - and here's the sexy stuff - every Free Male is a Master and every Free woman is a Mistress
kissaHKM
Even the lowest of peasants, if he can afford it, has a slave.
kissaHKM
S/he is master of his domain and king of his castle.
.
kissaHKM
He has complete control over his slave, as we've discussed. He has control over the life and death of his property.
kissaHKM
For, though, a Free person, a slave has monetary value, as did the slaves of the American south. Slaves are EXPENSIVE
kissaHKM
So, the Free tend to try not to break them too much
kissaHKM
High Caste Free may get the pretty center block girls, but even a peasant can afford a side block girl.
kissaHKM
So, lots of Free, High Caste, Low Caste, Casteless... every job from Dictator to guy-that-cuts-down-the-water-plants
kissaHKM
okay, that's all i have to say without going into more of the castes, though some of the, are pretty cool, like the Assassins
"The training of an Assassin is thorough and cruel. He who wears the Black of the Caste has not won it easily. Candidates for the caste are chosen with great care, and only 1 in 10, it is said, completes the course of instruction to the satisfaction of the Caste Masters. It is assumed that failed candidates are slain, if not in the training, for secrets they may have learned. Withdrawal from the Caste is not permitted. Training proceeds in pairs, each pair against others. Friendship is encouraged, then, in the final training, each member of the pair must hunt the other. When one has killed one's friend, one is then likely to better understand the meaning of the black. When one has killed one's friend, one is then unlikely to find mercy in his heart for another. One is then alone, with Gold and Steel. The Assassins take in lads who are perhaps characterized by little but unusual swiftness, and cunning, and strength and skill, and perhaps a selfishness and greed, and, in time, transform this raw material into efficient, proud, merciless men, practitioners of a dark trade, men loyal to secret codes the content of which is something at which most men dare not guess."
Beast of Gor, page 358
If you have any further questions, just ask!
30/09 19:10
kissaHKM
Of course, because the M/s is the sexy stuff and can engender the imagination to such heights of desire, that's what sticks with most.
30/09 19:11
kissaHKM
Sooooo today isn't all about the sexy stuff. It's about life on Gor. It's in no way comprehensive, lol, but it'll show that there's way more than anal hooks stuck in walls.
kissaHKM
So, honestly, without diving deep and taking years, we can only cover some of it, and we don't want to make Gor the focus of the site.
kissaHKM
First of all, Gor means, literally "Home Stone". A Home Stone is the core of almost every Gorean's being and identity
kissaHKM
So, we have several Home Stones, just as you and i have several ways to identify ourselves
kissaHKM
Country, State/City, Home/house
30/09 19:32
kissaHKM
in that you, too, have three homes, it's the same in Gor. A Home Stone is both an idea and a reality. In every city and town, in every home, there is a literal rock that is the Home Stone. It is usually flat, sometimes with a symbol carved into it, but it's real and, if an invader takes it, all hell breaks loose because the heart of the city and a major part of the town's identity has been stolen. There WILL be a bloody war to retrieve the stone.
More than one are the peasant fields of Gor which have been freshened with the blood of foolish warriors." (Outlaw of Gor, p.29)
30/09 19:32
kissaHKM
In Gor, though, the FREE (folks that aren't slaves) have one more way of identifying self - Caste.
kissaHKM
To us, caste is a job, but in someplace like India, it's also your social standing - that's Gor.
kissaHKM
In Gor, one can not have a caste without the other things too. To have a caste - a social standing, you must have a Home Stone.
kissaHKM
House, City, Country.
kissaHKM
There are those without caste - outlaws, Red Savages, Red Hunters, Torvaslandians, and the people of the Tahari
the reason is that in a city, there is the luxury of having a specialised job
kissaHKM
Outside of a city - in Native American lands, Wild Scandinavia, and in the Middle Eastern Desert, survival is the focus and so people have to be generalists
kissaHKM
i consider myself a southern Gorean, though, so am going to give you that information because,
kissaHKM
So, "All" Free have a Caste (and we're going to ignore the exceptions)
kissaHKM
There are Five High Castes and dozens of low castes
kissaHKM
The difference is the cache of status, AND the type of education that the Free receive.
kissaHKM
The high castes are taught advanced education that is "the truth" and the low castes are frequently lied to - why? to keep the man down.
"The caste system was socially efficient, given its openness with respect to merit, but I regarded it as somehow ethically objectionable. It was still too rigid, in my opinion, particularly with respect to the selection of rulers from the High Castes and with respect to the Double Knowledge."
Tarnsman of Gor, page 45
I was also instructed in the Double Knowledge - that is, I was instructed in what the people, on the whole, believed, and then I was instructed in what the intellectuals were expected to know. Sometimes there was a surprising discrepancy between the two. For example, the population as a whole, the castes below the High Castes, were encouraged to believe that their world was a broad flat disc. Perhaps this was to discourage them from exploration or to develop in them a habit of relying on commonsense prejudices -- something of a social control device.
On the other hand, the High Castes, specifically the Warriors, Builders, Scribes, Initiates and Physicians, were told the truth in such matters, perhaps because it was thought they would eventually determine it for themselves, from observations such as the shadow of their planet on one or another ofGor's three small moons during eclipses, the phenomenon of sighting the tops of distant objects first, and the fact that certain stars could not be seen from certain geographical positions; if the planet had been flat, precisely the same set of stars would have been observable from every position on its surface.
I wondered, however, if the Second Knowledge, that of the intellectuals, might not be as carefully tailored to preclude inquiry on their level as the First Knowledge apparently was to preclude inquiry on the level of the Lower Castes. I would guess that there is a Third Knowledge, that reserved to the Priest-Kings.
Tarnsman of Gor, page 41
kissaHKM
Even the Free aren't quite as Free as they might seem from reading various Gorean sites and listening to Gorean blather by people that may not have actually read the books
kissaHKM
Caste wise, the high castes are Initiates - that is the devotees/priests/intermediaries between everyone else and the Priest Kings - that is, the alien insecty gods that Goreans collectively worship.
"It was common, of course, for Initiates to claim to speak for the Priest-Kings; indeed, it was presumably the calling of their caste to interpret the will of the Priest-Kings to men."
Outlaw of Gor, page 41
"Four times a year, correlated with the solstices and equinoxes, there are fairs held in the plains below the mountains, presided over by committees of Initiates"
Outlaw of Gor, page 47
kissaHKM
their caste color is white - that has nothing to do with what they wear or the color of their flags, etc. That is simply the color they may wear to be recognised. They are NOT "silks" (only slaves wear "silks") The Free wear whatever the hell they want
kissaHKM
Scribes wear blue. They write stuff. Laws, memos, slave papers, histories, etc. Scribes are writey.
"Many castes, incidentally, have branches and divisions. Lawyers and Scholars, for example, and Record Keepers, Teachers, Clerks, Historians and Accountants are all Scribes."
Assassin of Gor, page 208
kissaHKM
Builders' color is yellow. Construction, architects, makers, etc.
"The road, like most Gorean roads, was built like a wall in the earth and was intended to last a hundred generations. The Gorean, having little idea of progress in our sense, takes great care in his building and workmanship. What he builds he expects men to use until the storms of time have worn it to dust. Yet this road, for all of the loving craft of the Caste of Builders which had been lavished upon it, was only an unpretentious, subsidiary road, hardly wide enough for two carts to pass. Indeed, even the main roads toKo-ro-ba were a far cry from the great highways that led to an from a metropolis like Ar."
Outlaw of Gor, page 25
"Inside, the tunnel, though dim, was not altogether dark, being lit by domelike, wire-protected energy bulbs, spaced in pairs every hundred yards or so. These bulbs, invented more than a century ago by the Caste of Builders, produce a clear, soft light for years without replacement."
Tarnsman of Gor, page 200
kissaHKM
Physicians's caste color is green. A lot of online Free women claim to be Physicians, however, on Gor, only a woman in a Free Companionship (marriage) that has had two children, may be a working Physcian
"Less impressive perhaps but even more essential to the operation of the House were its kitchens, its laundries, commissaries and storerooms; its medical facilities, in which dental care is also provided."
Assassin of Gor, page 111
"You spoke of knowing the Cabot's for four hundredyears" I said "Yes" said Misk "and your father who is a brave and noble man, has served us upon occasion, though he dealt only, unknowingly, with Implanted Ones. He first came to Gor more than six hundred years ago." "Impossible!" I cried "Not with the stabilization serums" remarked Misk." Priest Kings of Gor, page 126
"Dar-Kosis" I said "is regarded as an instrument of Priest Kings, used to smite those who displease them." "Another myth of Initiates" said Flaminius unpleasantly. "But how do you know that?" I queried. "I do not care," said Flaminius, "if it is true or not. I am a Physician."
Assassin of Gor, page 266
kissaHKM
Last but not least is the Warrior Caste. They have a caste color of red or scarlet. They explore, they defend, they flight
"What is invisible but more beautiful than diamonds? That which is silent but deafens thunder. It is the same as that which depresses no scale but is weightier than gold.It is Honour."The Code of the Warrior was, in general, characterized by a rudimentary chivalry, emphasizing loyalty to the Pride Chiefs and the Home Stone. It was harsh, but with a certain gallantry, a sense of honour that I could respect. A man could do no worse than live by such a Code."
Tarnsman of Gor, page 41
"Flee!" she said. "I am of the Warriors," I said. "But you may die," she said. "That is acknowledged in the codes," I said. "What are the codes?" she asked. "They are nothing and, and everything," I said. "They are a bit ofnoise, and the steel of the heart. They are meaningless, and all significant. They are the difference. Without the codes men would be Kurii." "Kurii?" she asked. "Beasts, such as ice beasts, and worse," I said. "Beasts such as the face you saw in the sky." "You need not keep the codes," she said. "I once betrayed my codes," I said. "It is not my intention to do so again." I looked at her. "One does not know, truly what it is to stand, until one has fallen. Once one has fallen, then one knows, you see, what it is to stand." "None would know if you betrayed the codes," she said. "I would know," I said, "and I am of the Warriors." "What is it to be a warrior?" she asked. "It is to keep the codes," I said. "You may think that to be a warrior is to be large, or strong, and to be skilled with weapons, to have a blade at your hip, to know the grasp of the spear, to wear the scarlet, to know the fitting of the iron helm upon one's countenance, but these are things are not truly needful; they are not, truly what makes one man a warrior and another not. Many men are strong, and large, and skilled with weapons. Any man might place upon his brow the helm of iron. But it is not the scarlet, not the steel, not the helm of iron which makes the warrior." She looked up at me. "It is the codes," I said.
"Abandon your codes," she said. "One does not speak to slaves of the codes," I said."
Beasts of Gor, page 340
"In the Code of the Warriors, there is a saying: Be strong, and do as you will, the swords of others will set you your limits."
Marauders of Gor, page 16
"Warriors, it is said in the codes, have a common Home Stone. Its name is battle."
Renegades of Gor, page 343
kissaHKM
Online, you'll find a LOT of warriors because it's nifty and cool.
kissaHKM
Warriors also hunt but they do NOT hunt slaves to collar. I don’t know where that silliness came from, but, no. Low castes are everything from assassins (yeah, that's a caste!) bakers to woodsmen (people that carry wood) who are very, very quiet.
kissaHKM
Castes are born into and are rarely left. It IS possible to be upwardly mobile (and to drop)
kissaHKM
One can raise and lower caste through a woman's Free Companionship (caste is carried by the male) and through hard work. One would have to prove expertise to the Caste, to city administrators, and then would have to be accepted by the caste
Caste, commonly, though not invariably. is a matter of birth. One may, too, be received into a caste by investment. Normally mating takes place among caste members, but if the mating is of mixed caste, the woman may elect to retain caste, which is commonly done, or be received into the caste of the male companion. Caste membership of the children born of such a union is a function of the caste of the father.
Similar considerations, in cities, hold the citizenship. caste is important to Goreans in a way that is difficult for members of non-caste to understand. Though there are doubtless difficulties involved with caste structure the caste situation lends and individual identity and pride, allies him with thousands of caste brothers, and proved him with various opportunities and services. Recreation on Gor is often associated with caste and tournaments and entertainments.
kissaHKM
Rarely do people lower caste.
kissaHKM
IF one is enslaved, one loses caste automatically. A slave has no caste, male or female. Even an Ubar or Ubara can be enslaved by invaders.
kissaHKM
Any questions?
HidoiKaeru
kissaHKM so an adminstrator within a city can be kidnapped and enslaved
kissaHKM
In general, people are PROUD of their caste because they know that they are needed for the city to function
"Similarly, most public charity on Gor is administered through caste structure. The caste system is not inflexible and there are opportunities for altering caste, but men seldom avail themselves of them; they take great pride in their castes, often comparing others castes unfavorably to their own; a Gorean's caste , by the time he reaches adulthood, seems to have become apart of his very blood and being; the average Gorean would not more think of altering caste than the average man of Earth would of altering his citizenship, from say American to Russian, or French to Chinese. The caste structure, in spite of its many defects, doubtless contributes to the stability of Gorean society, a society in which the individual has a place, in which his work is respected, and in which he can plan intelligently with respect to the future."
kissaHKM
Master HidoiKaeru, yes.
kissaHKM
If an invader can get to them, they can be enslaved.
Hawkmoon
So as Ubar if Homestone was to be invaded and I chose to hide as a lower caste by changing my silks with theirs would they get enslaved instead ?
kissaHKM
Master, why would a warrior lower himself by pretending to be what he is not? He is Ubar (War Chief) His honor would be compromised.
kissaHKM
An Ubar is chosen from the Warrior caste. Would a warrior compromise his honor with a lie? He'd rather die first.
Hawkmoon
Evil slave, yes it would , but what good is my city without its Ubar ?
kissaHKM
and he WILL die before being enslaved
kissaHKM
The city belongs to someone else. It is whatever the invaders say it is.
Hawkmoon
I love your answers my dear kajira
kissaHKM
soooo let's jump to a quick government talk, lololol
kissaHKM
The high castes elect a high council in times of peace. The council decides on laws, etc.
Hawkmoon
You are right my me’shan I would die defending my Homestone, as would all my warriors
HidoiKaeru
it is my place to protect my Ubar with my life
kissaHKM
In a time of trouble, though, unrest the council will appoint an Ubar - a War Chieftan. He becomes a dictator.
kissaHKM
Master HidoiKaeru, correct
Hawkmoon
And mine to protect my Homestone with mine, had to see what my kajira would say
HidoiKaeru
Hawkmoon ultimately it is mine to protect you to protect Homestone
kissaHKM
It is his decision when to step down. It is voluntary stepping down, when Ubar decides that the civil upset is finished.
kissaHKM
Ubar can also be removed by his men, if needed.
kissaHKM
coup d'etat, folks
kissaHKM
It is said, though, that even in the lowest peasant's home, there is an Ubar.
"Within the circle of each man's sword, therein is each man an Ubar." "Steel is the coinage of the Warrior. With it he purchases what pleases him."
Marauders of Gor, page 10
kissaHKM
He rules his home (or she does)
kissaHKM
Any questions?
kissaHKM
The Code of the Warrior was, in general, characterized by a rudimentary chivalry, emphasizing loyalty to the Pride Chiefs and the Home Stone. It was harsh, but with a certain gallantry, a sense of honor that I could respect. A man could do worse than live by such a code. Tarnsman of Gor Book 1 Pages 40 - 41
kissaHKM
Okay... question...
kissaHKM
What do you think the slave to Free ratio is in the cities?
HidoiKaeru
probably not as great as many would think
kissaHKM
ding ding
kissaHKM
So, online, it's like 50-50, right?
kissaHKM
In the books, the Free outnumber slaves exponentially. Female slaves make up only 2-3% of the total population
kissaHKM
So, while "Slavery Gets Shit Done" most of everything gets done by the Free, mostly of low caste.
kissaHKM
Master wise, though - and here's the sexy stuff - every Free Male is a Master and every Free woman is a Mistress
kissaHKM
Even the lowest of peasants, if he can afford it, has a slave.
kissaHKM
S/he is master of his domain and king of his castle.
.
kissaHKM
He has complete control over his slave, as we've discussed. He has control over the life and death of his property.
kissaHKM
For, though, a Free person, a slave has monetary value, as did the slaves of the American south. Slaves are EXPENSIVE
kissaHKM
So, the Free tend to try not to break them too much
kissaHKM
High Caste Free may get the pretty center block girls, but even a peasant can afford a side block girl.
kissaHKM
So, lots of Free, High Caste, Low Caste, Casteless... every job from Dictator to guy-that-cuts-down-the-water-plants
kissaHKM
okay, that's all i have to say without going into more of the castes, though some of the, are pretty cool, like the Assassins
"The training of an Assassin is thorough and cruel. He who wears the Black of the Caste has not won it easily. Candidates for the caste are chosen with great care, and only 1 in 10, it is said, completes the course of instruction to the satisfaction of the Caste Masters. It is assumed that failed candidates are slain, if not in the training, for secrets they may have learned. Withdrawal from the Caste is not permitted. Training proceeds in pairs, each pair against others. Friendship is encouraged, then, in the final training, each member of the pair must hunt the other. When one has killed one's friend, one is then likely to better understand the meaning of the black. When one has killed one's friend, one is then unlikely to find mercy in his heart for another. One is then alone, with Gold and Steel. The Assassins take in lads who are perhaps characterized by little but unusual swiftness, and cunning, and strength and skill, and perhaps a selfishness and greed, and, in time, transform this raw material into efficient, proud, merciless men, practitioners of a dark trade, men loyal to secret codes the content of which is something at which most men dare not guess."
Beast of Gor, page 358
If you have any further questions, just ask!
