BOOKS / GOR / R/L GOR

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BOOKS OF GOR

John Norman's Chronicles of Gor:
1. Tarnsman of Gor
2. Outlaw of Gor
3. Priest-Kings of Gor
4. Nomads of Gor
5. Assassin of Gor
6. Raiders of Gor
7. Captive of Gor
8. Hunters of Gor
9. Marauders of Gor
10. Tribesmen of Gor
11. Slave Girl of Gor
12. Beasts of Gor
13. Explorers of Gor
14. Fighting Slave of Gor
15. Rogue of Gor
16. Guardsman of Gor
17. Savages of Gor
18. Blood Brothers of Gor
19. Kajira of Gor
20. Players of Gor
21. Mercenaries of Gor
22. Dancer of Gor
23. Renegades of Gor
24. Vagabonds of Gor
25. Magicians of Gor
26. Witness of Gor
27. Prize of Gor
28. Kur of Gor
29. Swordsmen of Gor
30. Mariners of Gor
31. Conspirators of Gor

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About The Gorean Lifestyle

The Gorean Lifestyle is based on a series of 30 books written by John Norman and published between 1967 and 2010. These books lay out a male dominated lifestyle, that has become the basis for the Gorean Lifestyle.

Goreanism is based on the concept that men are the top of a hierarchal structure that includes four different levels, The Free Men, The Free Women, the kajira and the kajirus. The structure is simply to follow. Free Men, known as Masters, have final say in everything. They are followed in the structure by Free Women, known as Mistresses. Free Women have almost as much say in the going on as the Free Men, but must still bow control to a Free Man. Next in line is a kajira. A kajira is a female slave. They are one of the most valuable things that can be owned in Gor. They have little say, and are there to please their Masters and/or Mistresses. Last in the structure are the kajirus, male slaves. The kajirus are considered lower then animals. The kajirus have little value save as pleasure for their Mistresses or for manual labor. Each of these positions have their own set of rules, responsibilities, freedoms, and restrictions.

How does it apply in the real world?

In the real world, the lifestyle is based on a level trust beyond that of a normal relationship. In this kind of lifestyle, trust is everything. One party willingly gives him/herself over to the other party, thereby giving up all his/her rights. The person giving him/herself over becomes the voluntary slave of the other party. Once this has been done, the slave becomes responsible to please the other party, known as the Free Person. In return, the Free Person will see to it that the needs of the slave are met, as well as assuring the slave's well being. Its not an easy role for either the slave or the Free, as both have unique issues to deal with.

What are the issues for the Free Person?

Being the Free Person is not about giving orders. The slave has given him/herself to you freely and completely. From this point, you will be responsible for making all decisions for your slave. You will decide their whole life, from whether the slave works outside the home, to the slaves duties within the home and how the slave may please you. Sounds easy doesn't it? Well its not. As the Free Person, you must ALWAYS look out for the emotional, mental, and physical welfare of the slave. You, as the Free Person, must know everything about your slave's body, mind, and heart. Your slave WILL have emotional needs to fulfill. The slave will want to know that he/she is wanted, needed, and loved by you. The slave needs to know that he/she is pleasing to you. The slave will need you to lead him/her in what you want at all times. Most importantly, though, the slave needs to know that he/she can trust you always. Without this trust, ALL the other needs of yourself and your slave will go unfulfilled.

What are the issues for the slave?

There are so many issues for the slave to keep track of, that its amazing anyone would wish to be slave, yet many do. First, its your role to please the Free. You, as the slave will give 100% trust and obedience to the Free Person who has accepted you as their slave. You must allow the Free to lead and trust that the Free will never allow you to be harmed or displeasing. If you should not be able to please the Free, then you must face their discipline and you WILL be disciplined now and again. All slaves will make mistakes, and you must trust in the Free to correct you and lead you back to the right path of your slavery. You also must work hard to make sure the Free know they can trust you. If the Free think that you, as the slave, can not be trusted, the relationship will not work. You must strive to learn whatever the Free try to teach you and you must be flexible enough to change who and what you are to please the Free. In this lifestyle, there is little room for negotiation. You, as the slave, make a choice to give up all you are to the Free and accept whatever they decide, as if the decisions of the Free were law, and accept the word of the Free without argument. Now sometimes you will disagree with the Free. That is ok, and you must communicate with the Free at all times. However, in this communication, you must remember your place. Remember to be respectful, at all times, trust in the decision of the Free, and do not argue. Once a final decision has been made, by the Free, carry it out and trust the Free will never steer you wrong on purpose.

Gor In Real Life

Many in online Gor try to live the Gorean Lifestyle by the books. This is just not very realistic. We live on Earth not on Gor. This does not mean we can not have some aspects of Gor in our lives, but we have to use common sense in choosing which aspects we bring to to our Earthen lives.

On Gor a girl who runs from her Master is ham-stringed. If one were to try that on Earth, He would probably end up in jail or worse.

Obviously, the laws and rules of Gor must be modified to fit the world in which we live, after all, true forced slavery is illegal. However, one must be careful in how much they change the laws of Gor. Change it too much, and it's not Gor any more. So, when considering adaptations, try and change as little as possible and only what is needed to avoid legal issues.

One such change is the application of "Safe, Sane, Consensual." Now I realize that many, in Gor, do not believe in these rules. "Safe, Sane, Consensual" is a BDSM ideal. However, as I said previously, there is no forced slavery on Earth. So if you really look at what is going on, I think you will find that they do apply. Goreans just apply them differently then those in BDSM.

When a slave submits to a Free Person, the slave is consenting to the Free Person's rule and the laws of Gor. The slave is trusting that the Free Person means no harm to the slave and will not lead them into anything that would cause permanent damage. Further, It is the responsibility of the Free Person to maintain the safe and sane. This responsibility is not to be taken lightly. This is one of the greatest responsibilities a Free Person will face. Do it well, and the Free Person will have the undying love and respect of the slaves. Do it poorly, and the Free Person will find him/herself alone.

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The author of the Gor novels is John Norman, also known to the world at large as John Frederick Lange, Jr., Ph.D. (3 June 1931 - present).

John Lange was born in Chicago Illinois to John Frederick and Almyra D. (Taylor) Lange on the third of June 1931. He married Bernice L. Green on the fourteenth of January 1956 and has three children, John, David, and Jennifer. (A note in passing: net searches turn up a college wrestler named John Lange, and several college faculty members; if any of these are John Lange III it can't be proven by me.) He appears fairly regularly at east coast science fiction conventions, sometimes accompanied by his wife. Anyone with knowledge of his convention schedule is encouraged to share it; an appearance itinerary would make a fine addition to this page.

He took his B.A. from the University of Nebraska in 1953 and his M.A. from USC in 1957. In 1963 he obtained his Ph.D. from Princeton with a 149 page dissertation entitled In Defense of Ethical Naturalism: An Examination of Certain Aspects of the Naturalistic Fallacy, With Particular Attention to the Logic of an Open Question Argument (Princeton University, 24-12, Page 5636; order #AAI6401330).

Professionally, John Lange has been an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Queens College, CUNY for some time; their philosophy department still lists him among their staff but does not give contact information on him. I doubt if you wrote to him at the college, he would be anything more then annoyed. So I would suggest you let that idea go.

Alternately, fans might attempt to send letters to him via Vision Entertainment, the company that is producing the upcoming Gor Magazine. They are at Vision Entertainment, P.O. Box 580009, Station A, Flushing New York 11358.

As John Lange he has written 'The Cognitivity Paradox: An Inquiry Concerning the Claims of Philosophy' (© 1970 Princeton University Press, ISBN 691-07159-4) and edited C.I.Lewis' 'Values and Imperatives: Studies in Ethics' (Stanford, 1969).

The Gor novels, his best known works, span 30 books written from 1967 to 2010, plus three installments of the Telnarian Histories, two other fiction works, and a nonfiction paperback entitled Imaginative Sex which was out of print for many years but has been reprinted recently by a specialty house. He has completed work on the 26th book of the Tarl Cabot series, which is entitled Witness of Gor and was published sometime in mid-2001.. There's also a graphic novel adaptation of Dancer of Gor from Vision Entertainment, which was producing a quarterly Gor Magazine; the first issue is complete and was out early in 1998 with the following a few months later; they had hoped to go monthly within the year, however the publication has since been cancled.

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Gor In Real Life

Ok, so I haven't scared you off. That's good. Now lets talk about Gor in real life.

Lets start with the basics.

What makes a good Gorean Relationship?

There are 2 things that make for a good Gorean relationship and they are the same two things that make a good vanilla relationship; trust and communication. If you don't have those, your in the wrong relationship. It's that simple.

Common Sense

We don't live on Gor. We can't ride on tarns. We can't kills slaves that are displeasing. We can't force a girl to stay in a collar if she wants out. To be blunt, you can not break the law or make someone do what they don't want to do. Gor on Earth is a consensual relationship. There is no pure institution of slavery outside the boundaries of your community. Even on Gor, the laws of a city only went as far as it's borders.

Consensual Slavery? What is that?

We don't live on Gor so it's illegal to go grab someone off the street, force collar that person, and call him/her a slave. It just don't work that way and if you try it, you'll likely be in jail. Gor in real life is a relationship between two consenting adults; one who feels the need to give up control of him/herself to be complete and one who needs to be in control of another to be complete. It's called power exchange. It is though this power exchange that both people feel whole and totally who they are. So in this kind of relationship, the submissive partner (the slave) gives up control of his/her own free will to another (the Free Person) who accepts that control of their own free will. If either party feels things are not working out, the collar and be removed and both parties can go on their separate ways. This is consensual slavery. The slavery exists within the relationship so long as both parties consent to it.

Does this mean a girl has to have a collar to be a slave?

The answer is a resounding NO! Because this is consensual slavery, she is a slave because she believes in the ideals of being a slave and wants to give up control. A collar has nothing to do with that on Earth. The girl can still be a slave within the community and seek out the control of the Free of the community until she finds the right Free Person to turn herself over too.

How do I know Gor is the right type of relationship for me?

That is going to rest solely in your hands. If the ideals and principles of Gor feel normal and natural to you, then Gor is probably right for you. If you feel you have to constantly work at it or that something is wrong with Gor, then it's likely something IS wrong and Gor may not be for you.

How do I know if I am free or slave?

Again, that depends on you. No one can teach you to be a Free Person or a slave, it is in born. People can help bring it to the surface if it's there, but if it's not there, then it is not there. It's all about your personality and who you feel you are in your heart and soul. So, being Gorean means knowing yourself completely, even the things you don't like about yourself. I would not even consider getting into a relationship until you have made the trip of self discovery first. Find out who you are.

It's also going to depend on the relationship. Some men find that certain woman that always seems to be able to control them and so they choose to become her slave, even though they are very dominant with others about them. On the flip side, some women find they can not be dominated by men. Either that woman has not found the right man yet, or she is not a slave.

It's going to come down to who you are and who your with. Simple as that.

Ok, I know who I am, now what?

Now the trick is finding the right person to compliment who you are. That can be equally as difficult a task as finding out who you are. Just be patient, take your time, talk with people who interest you, and eventually you'll find your match. If your like me, you'll have some bad experiences along the way. You'll think you have found the right person, only for it to go wrong. It happens. Sometimes it even really hurts. However, all you can do is be you and keep trying. You'll get there and, if you're with a good community, they will help you and support you.

Ok, got it, so can you tell me more about being free and slave?

Sure can. This website will help you understanding your roll in this lifestyle and what is expected of you.

Warnings about Gor In Real Life

** I have been in many a debate with people over this topic. Most are idiots, in my opinion, with no real sense of what it means to be Gorean. You can usually tell these people pretty quickly. They tend to refer to Gor as a "philosophy," or call themselves "new Gor," or other such drivel. Beware of them, they do not follow the Gorean Lifestyle. What they follow is BDSM with a Gorean twist, nothing more. Real Goreans respect the books that are the basis of the Gorean Lifestyle. Yes there are some required adaptations because we live on Earth. We don't ride tarns, we can't kills slaves, these kinds of things are obvious impossibilities. However, being part of Gor means respecting the books of Gor as the primary guide. You can't just pick and choose what you want. The idea of living the Gorean Lifestyle is to live as close to the book as is possible based on the laws of where you live. You only change what MUST be changed by law, and leave the rest alone. Simple as that. Free Women do not go around naked because their "Free and they want to." That is nonsense and against the rules of being Gorean. If you meet one of these people, go the other way otherwise they will screw you up greatly.**

Gor is a hard, and often cruel, lifestyle. So be careful of idiots and morons they will often lead you into abusive situations!!

Getting Into Gor in Real Life

As I said above, the Gor books are our guide in Gor. If you have not read them, you should do so before you enter into a Gorean relationship. Once you have read the books, your next best step is to find a local Gorean Community and go observe and talk to people. Be careful where you go online, though, most online are just whacko. However, there are some good Gorean's online. For a list of some safe places to explore, check out my links page.

What should you expect when you enter a Gorean community? Well that is going to vary depending on whether you enter as a Free Person or as a slave.

If you enter as a Free Person, do not expect a warm welcome. While the slaves will be open and inviting, the Free Women tend to be arrogant and demanding. Most Free Women that I know of think they are on equal footing with Free Men, that is wrong! Women, even Free Women, hold the rung below men in the Gorean Lifestyle and many forget that. Now when dealing with the Free Men, some will be more then willing to help you, some will just call you names and treat you like dirt.

If you enter as a slave, be prepared to deal with idiots that only want you for sex. There are plenty of these morons out there. They will tell you that because they are Free and you are slave, you have to obey them. That is nonsense and if you meet one tell them to take a hike, they are not a TRUE Free Person. As a slave, your first duty is to protect yourself until you are owned. Why? Because you will be your owner's most valuable possession. Even once you are owned, you owner will set down rules for you, obey them and always protect yourself. If something feels wrong, talk to your owner. If something feels wrong with your owner, talk to others in the community and ask questions. Now many Goreans would jump down my throat for saying that you should talk to others in the community and frankly they are technically correct. However, as I said, Gor is not always safe. It is hard and cruel and many abusers like to hang out in the lifestyle. So be careful and be smart. A good kajira is NOT a door mat, she has a brain and she uses it. If you think your in trouble, ask for help.

Let's face it folks, the Gorean Community is just like any other community. We have our good people and we have our whack jobs. My personal opinion is that we should police ourselves and try to keep the whack jobs to a minimum. I firmly believe that it is the responsibility of the Free to protect the slaves, collared or not. However, I know many such groups that would simply say, "you don't have a collar so your 'nominally Free' and therefore on your own." This is just laziness in my opinion. The Free of the community don't want to take responsibility for the slaves in their care and so they will let you fly on your own and if you get in trouble, that's your tough luck in their opinion. I don't consider them to be Goreans, but they do consider themselves such. So watch out.

The most important thing to remember when entering a Gorean Community is use your head. If it seems wrong, it probably is wrong for you, at least at that moment. Move into Gor at a pace that is comfortable for you. Whatever you do, though, don't just dive in or you will end up in over your head. The keys are patience and trust. Never forget that.

About The Gorean Lifestyle

As with all things, there are rules for the real time Master/slave relationship. These rules are important for maintaining a safe and healthy relationship. This page is meant to help guide you through those rules.

Interaction between the Master and the slave

The real time Gor relationship is more then a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship and, as with all relationships, has its own unique way of dealing with things. When interacting in this relationship, it is easy to forget the Master/slave part and interact totally as boyfriend/girlfriend. This is a typical mistake. Its important to remember that you entered into this relationship because both parties require the power exchange of the Master and slave. When dealing with issues of the relationship, it is important that you both remember your positions in the relationship and maintain your positions. So how do you do that? Well here is how:

Communication

All communication between the Master and the slave will be done in a calm manner, reflecting the respect that they both feel for the other, and with the understanding of the specific needs of both parties.

The slave will remember that she is a slave and will speak only when given permission and be silent when told to be, no matter what her thoughts on the issue are. The Free Person should make an effort, however, to give the slave a chance to speak when appropriate.

The slave will not interrupt the Free Person. In turn the Free Person should avoid interrupting the slave unless necessary.

The slave will never raise his/her voice to the Free. In turn the Free should avoid raising their voice whenever possible.

Both parties need to listen to the other.

Neither party should jump to conclusions, and should make every effort to question and make sure they fully understand what is being said to them.

Both parties should avoid making statements that could be taken as a personal attack.

Both parties should try avoid using accusatory statements against the other.

Both parties should make every effort to avoid exaggerations of the situation to outside third parties as well as to one other.

Both parties agree should not to contradict the other, in front of others. If either party disagrees with the other, they will speak of it at an appropriate time.

The decision making process

Should a decision be needed the slave is expected to express her thoughts and feelings in a respectful manner, to her Master, when asked. Once her Master has a full grasp of the slaves needs in the matter, He will make the final decision. This does not mean the Master must hear everything the slave has to say (although it is a good idea to hear the slave out). The slave is expected to abide the Master’s decision, even if she does not fully understand it or agree with it.

Making time for one another

This is a relationship and while there are many other things that need to be done, it is essential that you both make time for one another and for talking about the relationship. There should be at least 2 hours, set aside each day, for talking and communicating. When figuring this time into your day, you should not include play time, sleep time, or time where the another party is involved in other activities. This times should be uninterrupted time for dealing with the relationship and during this time, both parties should have each others undivided attention.

Punishing the slave

Sometimes a slave will make a mistake that requires the Master to take corrective action. The slave agrees to accept any punishment the Master decides to inflict, earned or not. However, this is an issue that should be handled with great care. The Master needs to take care that the punishment does not cross the line into abuse. So when punishing the slave, it is recommended that the Master follow a few simple rules:

Never discipline in anger. If the Free Person needs to, take a few minutes to go calm down, but make sure the slave knows your stepping away, not abating the punishment or abandoning the slave.

Never strike the face. A light to medium open-hand slap can be normal in some relationships however, usually lifting the kajira's face and staring into the kajira's eyes, as you talk, works well.

Never break skin on purpose. If it should happen, tend to it immediately. Soothe the scrapes with lotion while speaking softly to the kajira.

Never leave a bound slave unattended. Accidents can happen and the kajira is in no position to assist herself

Never play or discipline under the influence of drugs or alcohol. ** This rule applies to both parties. **

Never take any action that might cause the slave to loose consciousness

Never withhold any necessary materials, such as food, water, or sunlight for more then 24 hours.

Never take the punishment to the point of permanent bodily harm

Always explain why the discipline is occurring. Discipline must occur for a specific reason. To arbitrarily discipline breaks down the kajira's trust in you.

The punishment should fit the offense.

Discipline should always be followed with tenderness and love. The infraction has been dealt with, and is past. As a Free Person, do not ever hold a grudge against the kajira. Allow the kajira always to be forgiven. In turn, the kajira should never hold a grudge against the Free Person.