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Brief Introduction
Gor is a beautiful planet with no pollution based on a series of books written by author John
Norman. In his books, Norman describes Gor as a planet similar to Earth. Gor is on the opposite side of our sun,
has three moons, and it's circumference is smaller than that of Earth. Gor's smaller size and lesser mass creates a
lighter gravitational field, which results in feats of superhuman strength. Goreans can jump higher, are stronger, and
can throw heavier objects with greater speed and force than any man on Earth, making Gor a deadly place with swift and sometimes
lethal combat. This is reminiscent of Earth's medieval times.
So why do people of Earth not know about the planet Gor?
That can be explained through the "Sun Shield Theory." Since Gor is on the same orbital path as Earth and circles
the same sun, the sun is successful at blocking Earth's view of Gor. How true is this? Only the Priest Kings know
for sure.
The Priest Kings
The Priest Kings are the gods of Gor. They are super intelligent, insectoid beings with a highly evolved
society and technology. They live in the Sardar Mountains which are in the northern hemisphere of Gor. Their technology
controls the planet's rotation and location. And they keep it hidden from prying eyes as well.
The Priest Kings brought life to Gor on "the Silver Ships" during their "Voyages
of Acquisition." These "Voyages" were made to Urth, and possibly other planets in order to acquire life forms which
were brought back to Gor. It is told around Gor that human beings were brought from "Barbarian Lands." Such
humans are generally sold as slaves on auction blocks, and sometimes for very large sums of money. Some on Gor refer
to Urth as the "slave planet" for that very reason.
The Priest Kings maintain control over all those on Gor. They recruit human
agents through the use of mind controlling devises surgically placed in their minds. These agents are in charge of reporting
back to the Priest Kings any inappropriate activity of those who live on Gor.
It is rather difficult to violate the rules the Priest Kings set down for the inhabitants
of Gor to follow. The reason for this is that any form of displeasure to them is cause for immediate punishment.
The most often used form of punishment is "the Flame Death," which is death through the use of a blue fire which immediately
reduces the victim to ashes. For this reason humans obey the laws of their gods, and are allowed to live in relative
peace and harmony regardless of their race or culture.
Cultures
The Priest Kings built Gor on the foundations of Ancient Greece, with the city-state being the primary political
structure. The entire planet is made up of walled cities which are always in conflict with each other. However,
unlike Earth, warfare is a small-scale affair involving mere thousands, not hundreds of thousands, as is the case on Earth.
War is allowed to exist because it is a very effective means of controlling the population of the planet.
Like Earth, there are many different groups of people found on Gor. Some
of them are: the Wagon Peoples (the Mongol Horsemen of Earth), the Torvaldslanders (the Norse Vikings), the Red Savages
(the North American Indians) who live in vast and untamed wildernesses of Gor, the Tribesmen of the Tahari (the Arabic culture
of the Middle East), the Red Hunters of the North (the Eskimos of North America), the Alars (the Huns), and the Tribesmen
of the Southern Forests (black Africans). Some of the languages, as well as the manners of dress, the weapons, and customs
of these people can be traced back to Earth, and have been assimilated into the Gorean culture over the centuries, since the
time the Priest Kings first founded the planet of Gor and brought it to it's current position.
Gor is a caste-oriented society. You are born into your caste, or trade,
and you remain there for life. You have to abide by the accepted laws and rules of Gorean society. Each caste
has it's own codes of conduct, which will be discussed later. Any violations of these codes can and will result in relinquishing
all rights as a law abiding citizen of the Gorean society. These violations will also result in being branded as an
outlaw and shunned by both your family and your caste.
Some of the "traditional" Gorean virtues are: strength of character, honor,
loyalty, skill and ability in an appropriate trade as dictated by your caste, love of your personal freedom within the boundaries
dictated by your social position, and showing your emotions outwardly. The only emotion that the citizens of Gor do
not allow themselves to show is pity for others. To do so is a sign of weakness, and is a personal insult to the person
being pitied, as well as the person showing pity.
The political division of Gor society is based on the free city-state of Ancient
Greece. Each city-state is considered to be an island amongst enemies, with competition for territory and agriculture
being extremely high; and each city considers their citizens to be a separate people. The terminology of Gor varies
from city to city, with even the months of the year being different, as well as the measurement of each year.
During times of peace the cities are governed by a democratic ruling with nobles
being chosen from among the five high castes, and a city administrator, which is elected by the people of the city.
During times of war, however, the cities are ruled by an Ubar (a military leader). In some cases the administrator and
the Ubar are the same person. After the crisis has been averted, the Ubar is expected to relinquish all of his power
back to the administrator, who then resumes all of his duties as the ruler of the city. In some cases the Ubar refuses
to relinquish this control. When this happens the city-state remains under martial law until the Ubar is dethroned by
force. Sometimes a coup d' état is staged to dethrone the Ubar and his supporters, and then the control is returned
to the civilian government. Some of the cities are ruled by a woman, known as a Tatrix or Ubara, who serves in the same
capacity as their male counterparts. But it is seldom that a woman is allowed to gain this kind of control over men.
Outside the walled-cities there are many different political systems. Just how
many is not known, as there may be several different political systems for each group of people. Some such systems are:
alliances, leagues, or hegemonies. These simple tribal groupings can eventually expand into an Empire, and have been
known to do so at times. However, the major city-states generally take action to halt this amassing of power before
it can become a threat to their own sovereignty.
Technology
The development of technology is restricted by the Priest Kings in some areas and allowed to flourish in
others. Some of the restricted areas of technology are: weapons technology, communications technology, and transportation.
The areas the Priest Kings allow to flourish are: medicine and basic physical comforts. The weapons allowed on
Gor are those similar to the weapons of the medieval period of Urth history. Some such weapons are: crossbow,
catapult, quiva, long sword, short sword, broad sword, long bow, spear, dagger, and whip knife. Weapons not allowed
are: personal armor, firearms, and complex chemical weapons such as gunpowder. The area of medicine is allowed
to flourish, and is highly advanced. For this reason diseases are very rare on Gor. In fact, the development of
"Stabilization Serums" allow wealthy Goreans to possess a virtually limitless lifespan. Such technology, however, remains
beyond the reach of the average Gorean, mainly because of the lack of communication and the restricted modes of planetary
travel.
Slavery
Gor is a planet which thrives because of it's slave population. Slavery on Gor comes in many different
forms. The psychological effects of being enslaved are completely understood and in many cases taken for granted.
After all, slavery is not bad, it is part of life on Gor.
Few are born into slavery. Those that are tend to be bred just for that purpose,
and are usually known as passion slaves. They are bred for their exquisite beauty and intelligence. They are taught
how to bring the most pleasure to those who own them. Those not born into slavery are actively enslaved. It is
widely known that to be enslaved is to be humbled, to admit that someone stronger than you exists. Their freedom is
literally stripped from them.
Most slaves are women, although male slaves do exist. Female slaves are viewed
as being a beautiful, intelligent, highly valuable commodity, who is someone else's property. If one becomes a slave
it is because one deserves it. Either they are too weak to remain free, or they did something foolish. Either
way, it is their own fault they have fallen into slavery. Slavery is a highly regarded institution that is a fact of
nature. And it has the total weight of Gor custom and practice to support it. To be a slave is to be totally enslaved,
totally owned by another being. In the true Gorean society slavery is perfectly acceptable and proper.
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