The True Male Slaves of Gor

i. Introduction:

Gor is a world created by a man who espoused creativity, and in doing so, created not only a new fantasy world, but also a phenomenon. It is a man's world, a world where men dominate females. So what of that ironic creature, the male slave, kajirus? As with all things Gorean, this slave does not neatly fit in any one box. We have fighting slaves, guard slaves, pleasure slaves. We hear of slaves such as Jason and Fish. The books have little to say other than some references to follow. The important thing is to look at the Gorean mindset. Men are strong, women are weak. A guard slave could easily have been a former Free man, captive due to his status of a crime, or forced into service to a female owner as her bodyguard. A male pleasure slave might be a male from Earth, weaker than Gorean men in mind and body. A male slave should not be thought of as a kajira with different genitals, but a separate creature entirely. Just as Norman based much of his Gorean culture on the Roman lifestyle, perhaps we would do well to look at the Gorean fighting slave as a gladiator. The key is he is a Man and not a woman. he is strong, not weak. He is captive either due to his own desire or fate.

ii. The Male Slave's Place:

Male slaves were used in a variety of roles. Fighting slaves, Guard slaves, Field workers, Galley slaves, Northern thralls. What is clear is that on Gor, even a slave, if male, was considered dominant over the females. Because the idea of a male as slave was so repugnant to Goreans, he was usually either in disgrace or given opportunities to win his Freedom.

Quotes:

“There are few male slaves with long pedigrees. Goreans, though recognizing the legal and economic legitimacy of male slavery, do not regard it as possessing the same biological sanction as attaches to female slavery. The natural situation, in the mind of many Goreans is that master set/slave relation is one which ideally exists between man and woman, with the woman in the property position. Male slaves, from time to time, can receive opportunities to win their freedom, though, to be sure, usually in situations of high risk and great anger. Such opportunities are never accorded to the female slave.” - Savages of Gor, p70

"I remembered that in Tharna, ruled by its Tatrix, there would be few, if any, female slaves. Whether or not there were male slaves I could not well judge, for the collars would have been hidden by the grey robes. There is no distinctive garment for a male slave on Gor, since, as it is said, it is not well for them to discover how numerous they are." - Outlaw of Gor

iii. Male Slaves vs. Female Slaves

Male and Female slaves interacted with each other throughout Norman's books. Males were generally despised by the females because they felt they held the rightful place at a man's heel. Females also feared the males because they were stronger and could be easily dominated by them. There are exceptions to every rule however, often male and female slaves would fall in love, or seek each other out in times of need.

Quotes:

"It was a great shame, I knew, for a female slave to even have to touch a male slave, let alone to perform such an act as to address him as master. Female slaves despise male slaves. They regard themselves, and correctly, I suppose, as the rightful property only of free men and women, masters and mistresses." - Fighting Slave of Gor, page 85

I ran to the merchant and knelt before him. I pointed to the male slave. "He looked upon me!" I cried. "Have you permission to speak?" He asked. "May a girl speak?" I asked, frightened. "Yes," he said. pointed again to the male slave "He dared to look upon me," I said. "You are too good for him?" asked the merchant. "Yes," I said. I then realized this was not the proper thing to say. But I had said it. "You are both animals," he said. "Yes Master," I said. "But you are a female," he said. "Yes Master," I said. "And he," he said, "though slave is yet male." "Yes Master," I whispered. "And is not the male animal the master of the female animal?" he asked. "Yes Master," I said. I knew that male dominance was pervasive among mammals, and that it was universal among primates. It can be frustrated only by an extensive and complex conditioning program, one adequate, over a period of years, to distort the order of nature. "Do you find this slave of interest?" asked the master of the male slave. He shrugged. "She is small," he said. I looked at him, frightened. "But she is not without interest," he conceded. "Do you think you can catch her?" asked the master. "Of course," said the male slave. I rose to my feet frightened. I began to back away. "She is yours," said the master. - Slave Girl of Gor - p345

"Is it not time for some of the slaves to be sent to the kitchens?" asked the young man, Fish. "Yes," I said. I then addressed myself to Fish and Vina. "Go to the kitchens, Slaves," said I, "and do not permit me to see you until dawn." Fish lifted Vina in his arms and left the table. At the entryway to that passage leading to the kitchens he stopped, and then, as she laughed and kissed him, he swept her, once the Lady Vina, who was to have been the Ubara of Cos, now only a young, collared slave girl, in a brief, miserable garment, through the portal and disappeared down the passageway. And I do not doubt that the Lady Viina would have found the couch Of the Ubar of Cos less joyful than did the slave girl Vina the blanket and the mat of the kitchen boy, Fish, in the house of Bosk, a captain of Port Kar." -- Raiders of Gor, Chapter 18

iv. Pleasure vs. Non-Pleasure Slaves

Diversity of slaves in Gor is an important issue, there were as many different types of slaves as there were jobs that needed done in the cities and villages of Gor. You can generally divide the male slaves into two groups: Work, Non-Pleasure and Silk, Pleasure slaves.

Kajiri might include any of the following types of slaves: Field Slave, Guard Slave, Fighting Slave, Galley Slave, Kitchen Slaves, Seduction Slaves, Silk Slaves, Thralls, Breed Stock, Stable Slaves and Work Slaves. Seduction, Silk, and Bath slaves make up the majority of the male pleasure slaves, the others are much less visible in the books but seem to exist in all corners of Gor.

The two most famous pleasure slaves in Norman's books are Jason and Milo. You would find them kneeling and serving in many of the same ways as the female kajira. They both had beautiful physiques and were quite the prize to own. The majority of the other male slaves in Norman's books were mentioned in passing, mostly work slaves, but a few special cases seem to exist: Fish, Harold, & Ho-tu. Fish was a young, free, man who was captured and placed into service of a Captain. Harold was a bastard Tuchuk, enslaved, who served in the baths of Turia, and upon his return to the wagon people was given very little status, remaining without an owner, but still in the service to those around him, a slave of circumstance. Ho-tu is a slaver who himself was once a slave; Ho-tu won his freedom in the Arena with his hookblade, and was considered one of the best fighting slave in Gor.

And quite possibly the most famous male slave in Norman's books is Tarl himself, the narrator and primary character in the series, becomes enslaved by the famel Tatrix of Tharna, Lara. In Lara most of the men there were enslaved against their will and were freed, but they were non-the-less Slaves.

Quotes:

"Perhaps not," I said. It was not like the city contained large numbers of dangerous, powerful, virile male slaves, such as might be found on the galleys, in the quarries, on the great farms, and so on. Such, in numbers, would be dangerous in the city. Most male slaves in the city were pampered silk slaves, owned by Gorean women who had not yet learned their sex. Such slaves, when captured, if not slain in disgust by the victors, were usually herded together like slave girls, and chained for disposition in markets catering to their form of merchandise, markets patronized largely by free women. To be sure, there were virile male slaves in Ar. For example, many of the fellows who attended to the great refuse vats usually kept at the foot of the stairs in insulae were male slaves. Usually they worked under the direct or indirect supervision of free men. Occasionally they would be treated to a dram of paga or thrown a kettle girl for the evening. Vagabonds pg 116

v. Slave Positions for Male Slaves

Male slaves were thought to be rare on Gor, but we know from Norman’s books that they were everywhere, just hiding behind their plain clothes and normal actions. Gorean slaves are all taught positions of favor for them to use in various situations. Pleasure and seduction slaves nadu, which is, simply put, the Gorean word for “kneel”. White-silk and tavern slaves usually tower. Such poses show submission and might be seen as a way for kajira or kajirus to offer themselves to a free.

Most of the normal slave poses have purposes, they are used as specific times, in specific circumstances. Let’s explore a few of these...

Tower, the first position slaves are taught is the typical pose for a slave. The slave sits on their legs, knees forward and tightly closed together. Back straight and palms up. It is the pose of a white-silk, virgin, or even a male silk slave serving a female, however you can imagine the pain this pose might bring to some male slaves.

Nadu, usually the second position taught to slaves, is similar to tower. The slave kneels with their knees apart, opening themselves. Palms up. This is commonly called the position of the pleasure slave and is usually reserved for slaves offering themselves to be used.

Bracelets, similar to Nadu is usually the pose chosen by male slaves. It is the same except the position of the hands behind the back seem to present a more masculine view of their body.

There are dozens of positions beyond the scope of this document and every slave should take the time to learn them, but the most important thing is the remember that each of these has its purpose, they are used to send specific signals, or to make it easier for the slave to serve, be punished, or used.

A slave who is ordered into any pose might lose their life for not complying with the order, but the free who expects every collared slave to be on their knees at all times should remember that the slave they speak to has an owner who might wish otherwise.

You will find very few examples in the books were male slaves knelt, save Jason or Milo. But we can only assume that they did when they were expected to. They were slaves. But generally you would find them doing their other duties, not sitting idle on their knees.

Gorean culture as well as most online gorean venues seem to desire that all slaves take to their knees before free and we, ahem, BOW to that convention as well as the online customs of begging to pass, greeting any and every Free you see and trying to not speak without permission.

Lets remember though, slaves have jobs to do and places to be to fulfill their duties, a simple gesture such as lowering one’s eyes, or temporarily falling to one knee should demonstrate the respect and submissiveness that any free desires in passing, Gorean or not.

vi. Examples of Fighting Slaves

The books mention several distinct types of fighting slaves. One, as in the case of Jason, was the tournament or exhibition fighter.The other mentioned is the guard slave, and there is less to be found on this variety. There is also mention of the siege slave. What is known is this, during times of war, depending upon the situation, at times every able bodied male is required to play a role. Male slaves are no exception, and have been known to be utilized in battle; from ditch digging to carrying a weapon — and fighting alongside warriors. There is also very likely the Spear Slave. One would assume this would designate a slave which carried a spear during times of battle. However, there is no evidence in the books that such a slave existed. The only mention of "Spear Slave" was with the game, Kaissa, specifically game pieces called "Spear Slave." Being that Kaissa pieces are named after actual titles of a person's employ (i.e., Tarnsman, Ubar, Ubara, Assassin, et al), then likely such spear slaves did exist.

Quotes:

Tournament/Exhibition Fighting Slaves:

Generally Warriors do not participate in these matches, but men of low caste, slaves, condemned criminals and such. Some of them, however, are quite skillful with the weapons of their choice, surely the equal of many Warriors. The crowd is fond of seeing various types of weapons used against others, and styles of fighting. Buckler and short sword are perhaps most popular, but there are few weapons on Gor which are not seen over a period of three or four days of the games.

The one time I did attend the games I suppose I was fortunate in seeing Murmillius fight. He was an extremely large man and a truly unusual and superb swordsman. Murmillius always fought alone, never in teams, and in more than one hundred and fifteen fights, sometimes fighting three and four times in one afternoon, he had never lost a contest. It was not known if he had been originally slave or not, but had he been he surely would have won his freedom ten times over and more; again and again, even after he would have won his freedom had he first been slave, he returned to the sand of the arena, steel in hand; I supposed it might be the gold of victory, or the plaudits of the screaming crowd that brought Murmillius ever again striding helmeted in the sunlight onto the white sand." — Assassin of Gor, pages 189-190.

I observed the two men, collared slaves, squaring off against one another in the sand. Both were stripped to the waist. The hair of both was bound back with a band of cloth. Each carried, sheathed, a hook knife. The edges of the sheath were coated with a bluish pigment. "These men are the champions among male slaves at hook knife," said Cernus. He scarcely glanced up from the game board at which he sat across from Caprus, of the Caste of Scribes, Chief Accountant of the House. I heard the crack of a whip and the command "Fight!" and saw the two men begin to close with one another. I glanced at the game board. Cernus has paid me little attention, being absorbed in the game. I had not seen the opening. Judging from the pieces and positions it appeared to be late in the middle game. Cernus was well in command of the board. I assumed he must be skilled at this sport. A blue line appeared across the chest of one of the slaves fighting between the tables, on a square of sand some twelve feet in dimension. The line was

adjudicated as a point. The two men then returned to opposite corners of the ring and crouched down, waiting for the command to fight again. Without being asked I had taken a position at the table of Cernus himself. No one had objected, at least explicitly, though I did sense some disgruntlement at my action. It had been expected, I gathered, that I would sit at one of the two long side tables, and perhaps even below the bowls of red and yellow salt which divided these tables. The table of Cernu itself, of course, was regarded as being above the bowls. Ho-Tu sat beside me, on my left. There was a shout from the men-at-arms and members of the House who sat at the tables as the second slave, he who had scored the first point, managed to leave a long streak of blue down the inside of the right arm of the first slave. "Point!" called the man-at-arms, he with the whip, and the two slaves separated again, each going to their corners and crouching there in the sand, breathing heavily. The man whose arm had been marked was forced then to carry the sheathed hook knife in his left hand. I heard the odds changing rapidly at the tables as the men of the house of Cernus revised their betting.

I heard Cernus announce "Capture of Home Stone," and turned to see Caprus sit back in defeat, staring at the board. Cernus began to arrange the pieces once more on the board. "You could have been a Player," said Caprus.

Siege Slaves:

"… inevitably the spearmen and lancers of Pa-Kur, following the lead of siege slaves through the maze of stakes and traps, would engage the men from Ar. — Tarnsman of Gor, page 177.

"Simultaneously, exposed chains of siege slaves began to move the stake lines forward. — Tarnsman of Gor, page 178.

"Within the towers, sweating, naked siege slaves, under the frenzied whips of their overseers, hauled on the great chains that swung the mighty steel rams into the wall and back. — Tarnsman of Gor, page 178.

Guard Slaves:

Too, a free person on Gor is almost never in any danger from a slave unless it be a guard slave, and he is attacking its master.

"Kajira of Gor" page 123

I have not mentioned, either, slaves with professional competencies, such as medicine or law, or fighting slaves, in effect gladiators, men purchased for use as bodyguards or combatants in arranged games." --Fighting Slave of Gor, page 168

"Now, discovered, Fish fought by my side, that we might, together, protect one another. "Now, Slave," said I to Fish, "you should have stayed with the fleet." "Be silent," said he, adding, " -- Master." I laughed. I saw the boy, with a lightning thrust, Hash four inches steel through a body, returning to the on-guard position before the man realized he had been struck. In fighting as we were, one did not use a deep thrust, that the blade might be more swiftly freed. "You have learned your lessons well," said I, "Slave." "Thank you, Master," said he.

I looked down the table, to where Thurnock, with his slave Thura, and Clitus, with his slave, Ula, were drinking and laughing. Thurnock and Clitus were good men, they had taken a fancy to the boy, Fish, and had helped him with his work in weapons." -- Raiders of Gor, Chapter 15

"I had scarcely set foot on the deck when I saw, near the mast well, the boy Fish. "I told you," I cried, "to remain ashore!" "Beat me later," said be, "Captain." I turned to an officer. "Give him a sword," I said. "Thank you, Captain," said the boy. I strode to the stern castle of the Dorna. "Greetings, Oar-master," said I. "Greetings, Captain," said be."

-- Raiders of Gor, Chapter 16

"I am rich," said Claudius. "I can pay for my freedom." "The Council of Captains of Port Kar," said Samos, "has business with you." "My business is first," said a voice. We turned to see the slave boy, Fish, his sword in hand. "You!" cried Claudius. "You!" Samos looked at the boy, curiously. Then he turned to Claudius. "You seem disturbed," said be, "at the sight of a mere slave boy." I recalled that there was a price on the head of the young Ubar, Henrius Sevarius. And he stood there, though branded, though collared, though in the miserable garment of a slave, as a young Ubar. He was no longer a boy. He had loved, and he had fought. He was a man. Claudius, with a cry of rage, the cloak of white, spotted fur of sea sleen swirling behind him, leaped at the boy, sword high, raining blows upon him. The boy smartly parried them, not striking his own blows. "Yes," said the boy, "I am not an unskilled swordsman. Now let us fight." Claudius threw aside his swirling cloak and, warily, approached the boy. Claudius was an excellent swordsman, but, in moments, the boy, Fish, had stepped away from him, and wiped his blade on the flung-aside cloak. Claudius stood unsteadily in the center of the great hall, and then, he fell forward, sprawling on the tiles. "Remarkable," said Samos. "Claudius is dead. And slain only by a slave." The boy, Fish, smiled." -- Raiders of Gor, Chapter 17

Spear Slave:

"I caught sight of the boy, Fish, running past, a spear held over his head in both hands, and heard a horrible cry, long and wailing, ending with the abrupt striking of a body far below on the stones. "Keep more from coming!" I cried to my men. They rushed to the walls."

-- Raiders of Gor, Chapter 17

'The slaves were standing in the punt two with their poles and the other two with their glaves." Raiders of Gor page 71

vii. Examples of Work Slaves

The majority of male slaves found in Gor were work slaves. They were collared for crimes, or debt, and placed in gangs to work the mines or tend crops. They were often traded or sold to other owners, and sometimes to contractual owners for projects that require manual labor.

Professional slaves exist as well. Physicians or scribes who were once free, most often male, and find themselves in bondage might be forced to continue their trade for the house that owns them, or contracted out for a fee by their owner.

Quotes:

I have not mentioned, either, slaves with professional competencies, such as medicine or law, or fighting slaves, in effect gladiators, men purchased for use as bodyguards or combatants in arranged games." --Fighting Slave of Gor, page 168

viii. Examples of Male Silk Slaves

SILK SLAVE : Term used in reference to male slaves as sexual toys by Free Women. Typically such slaves are quite handsome, even 'pretty' by male standards. These slaves are sometimes effeminate in behavior, though most often they are more virile in appearance and action. Most Gorean free women prefer to be served by manly and quite masculine males. This is, however, a dangerous tendency, since such males are often more difficult to control and handle. Silk slaves will not be found in all Cities and are usually confined to 'specialty' markets.

Quotes:

"This is not a common work slave," said the Lady Tendite to the crowd, "a simple brute, an insensitive lout for your fields or stables. This is a valuable and highly intelligent silk slave. Furthermore, he is a male from Earth. From birth he has been taught to be deferential to the wishes of women, to adopt whatever values they have told him to adopt, and to believe whatever propositions they have told him to believe buy him. He has been trained since birth to be the slave of women. Have no fear. He will be sweet, tender, solicitous, understanding, sympathetic and obedient. You need not fear lust and power from him. You need not fear to be alone with him. He is a male of Earth. Bid for him. He will always be to you a lovely and complete slave."" — Fighting Slave of Gor, page 162

...This is perhaps because many male silk slaves are chosen to be male silk slaves not because they are weak or like women, but because they are not; it is only that they are men, and often true men, who must serve women, totally, in the same fashion that a slave female is expected to serve a free master. To be sure, it is also true, and should be admitted in all honesty, that many male silk slaves are rather feminine; some women prefer this type, perhaps because they fear true men; from such a silk slave they need not fear that they may suddenly be turned upon, and tied, and taught to be women. Most women, however, after a time, find this type of silk slave a banality and a bore; charm and wit can be entertaining, but, in time, if not conjoined with intellect and true masculine power, they are likely to wear thin.

The feminine type of male silk slave, incidentally, for better or for worse, is seldom selected for breeding purposes. Gorean slave breeders, perhaps benighted in this respect, prefer what they take to be health to what they think of as sickness, and what they take to be strength to what they deem weakness....

---Savages of Gor, 2:69

“Most male slaves in the city were pampered silk slaves, owned by Gorean women who had not yet learned their sex. Such slaves, when captured, if not slain in disgust by the victors, were usually herded together like slave girls, and chained for disposition in markets catering to their form of merchandise, markets patronized largely by free women. To be sure, there were virile male slaves in Ar. For example, many of the fellows who attended to the great refuse vats usually kept at the foot of the stairs in insulae were male slaves. Usually they worked under the direct or indirect supervision of free men. Occasionally they would be treated to a dram of paga or thrown a kettle girl for the evening.”

~Magicians of Gor, page 71~

ix. Punishment of Male Slaves

Gorean are famous for their creative punishments, but in the books the most common tool to punish a slave was the whip. As we have discussed before, male slaves are much more powerful than female. They are gorean men, and only a strong weapon can truely punish a Gorean man. The normal slave whip does not hold a light to the Snake, the single-bladed, weighted, braided, metal-set leather designed to rip the flesh off of a male slave’s back, destroying his value or chance at becoming a pleasure slave.

We should also note that male slaves are in themselves a tool for punishment. Female slaves are often thrown to the males as punishment, or to reward the male for good work. A kajira might find herself in the stable of a guard’s slave after a successful battle.

Quotes:

"The lash," said the Forkbeard, "will be the snake." His punishment would be heavy indeed. The snake is a single-bladed whip, weighted, of braided leather, eight feet long and about a half an inch to an inch thick. It is capable of lifting the flesh from a man's back. Sometimes it is set with tiny particles of metal. It was not impossible that he would die under its blows. The snake is to be distinguished from the much more common Gorean slave whip, with its five broad striking surfaces. The latter whip, commonly used on females, punishes terribly; it has, however, the advantage of not marking the victim. No one is much concerned, of course, with whether or not a thrall is marked . A girl with an unmarked back, commonly, will bring a much hlgher price tha.n a comparable wench, if her back be muchly scarred. Men commonly relish a smooth female, except for the brand scar. In Turia and Ar, it might be mentioned it is not uncommon for a female slave to be depilated. -- Mauraders of Gor

x. Life Before and After Slavery

Another important distinction of male slaves is they are often awarded their freedom, which is a rare case for female slaves. Males generally desire to be free and are given plenty of opportunity to take it. A Fighting Slave, for example, might win his freedom in the Arena, a pleasure slave might be released by their owner to become their companion.

Most gorean men are born free. Norman talks about slaves being bred and born into slavery, but you will find very few quotes that describe what happens to the baby after it is born. We can assume that most male slaves find their way into a collar through capture during battle, or by willingly submitting to their owner. Whatever way they ended up in bondage does not mean they spend eternity there.

xi. Adaptations for Gay Gor.

The stories of Milo in the books can be seen as references to support homosexuality is Gor. Possibly due to the unique culture of Gay Gor, you could almost consider the kajirus there a third type, a combination of pleasure and non-pleasure slave. There are some notable differences in what gay men expect and want from their slaves. This is in general, of course, as each owner has some differences.

The kajirus of Gay Gor are males serving Men who want males. Most Masters do not want their slaves kissing their glasses, for example, and most expect less grace in the boy’s step. Male slaves in the books actually rarely wore silks, except for the effeminate pleasure slaves. Kajirus in Gay Gor often kneel in bracelets rather than nadu. Some kneel on one knee. Again, owner preference.

Kajirus greet by going in order of caste, as well as Male to Female. That is Gorean. They do not tower in the presence of a FW if a male is there, as Males are treated preferentially. That is also Gorean and seen in many of the straight sims as well. To pass, our slaves simply ask "May I pass?" and state their destination.

In addition, many of the boys here are also Guard slaves, which means they fight. Currently boys may be registered as fighting slaves. City laws dictate what weapons these boys may use, depending on the local laws, kajirus may use slings or rocks, hook blades, bows, spears, or whatever weapon their owner allows, and they are trained to use, to defend themselves and their home.

xii. The Kajirus and Second Life

In conclusion, it seems clear that much of what has and will develop regarding the SL kajirus will have to rely equally on an understanding of the intent of the novels as well as creative license in the spirit of Gor. The books detail much of the expectations and roles of the female Gorean slave, less so of the male. Nevertheless, in the belief that what keeps Gor invigorating and alive is adherence to the world created initially by Norman, and since then by his readers, these two kajirus submit this information in the hopes that it will bring not revolt, but clarity.

“What are you, boy?”

Lo Kajirus.