23

[Dept of PMM Castle Life]

- EXPLORERS OF GOR, Pg 79-80
The Kur Collar
Not a collar commonly seen on Gor, this is of the type used by Kurii to collar their female captives, seen to the as livestock. The collar is large and thick, made of leather with attacked lock, and is often placed on top of any existing metal collar. It is a high collar that forces the girl to keep her chin up, limiting neck mobility, slightly. A large ring is sewn into its face.
"Over her iron collar she wore a heavy leather Kur collar, high, heavily sewn, with its large ring."
- MARAUDERS OF GOR, Pg. 261
"From my pouch I drew forth a leather Kur collar, with its lock, and, sewn in leather, its large, rounded ring. 'What is it?' she asked, apprehensively. I took it behind her neck, and then, closing it about her throat, thrust the large, flattish bolt, snapping it, into the lock breech. The two edges of metal, bordered by the leather, fitted closely together. The collar is some three inches in height. The girl must keep her chin up. 'It is the collar of a Kur cow,' I told her."
- MARAUDERS OF GOR, Pg. 275
The Collar Common to the North
As those of the central and southern lands have collars which are common to them, so too do those of the northern lands of Torvald. The common collar of Torvald is a band of black iron, set with an attached, multi-purpose ring. The collar itself is not locked or hammered onto the girl, but rather its two halves are joined together by the placement of a rivet, which is forced between three-interlocking loops and hammered in place.
"I took it from these indications, she had learned her collar in the south; probably originally it had been a lock collar, snugly fitting, of steel; now, of course, it had been replaced with the riveted collar of black iron, with the projecting ring, so useful for running a chain through, or for padlocking, or linking on an anvil, with a chain. The southern collar, commonly, lacks such a ring."
- MARAUDERS OF GOR, Pg. 166
"About her neck, riveted, was a collar of black iron, with a welded ring, to which a chain might be attached."
- MARUADERS OF GOR, Pg. 85
"'Look up at me,' said the smith.
The slender, blond girl, tears in her eyes, looked up at him.
He opened the hinged collar of black iron, about a half inch in height. He put it about her throat. It also contained a welded ring, suitable for the attachment of a chain.
'Put your head beside the anvil,' he said.
He took her hair and threw it forward, and thrust her neck against the left side of the anvil. Over the anvil lay the joining ends of the two pieces of the collar. The inside of the collar was separated by a quarter of an inch from her neck. I saw the fine hairs on the back of her neck. On one part of the collar are two, small, flat, thick rings. On the other is a single such ring. These rings, when the wings of the collar are joined, are aligned, those on one wing on top and bottom, that on the other in the center. They fit closely together, one on top of the other. The holes in each, about three-eighths of an inch in diameter, too, of course, are perfectly aligned. The smith, with his thumbs, forcibly, pushed a metal rivet through the three holes. The rivet fits snuggly.
'Do not move your head, Bond-maid,' said the smith.
Then, with great blows of the iron hammer, he riveted the iron collar about her throat.
A man then pulled her by the hair from the anvil and threw her to one side. She lay there weeping, a naked bond-maid, marked and collared."
- MARAUDERS OF GOR, Pg. 87
The Collar Common to the Barrens
Those of The Barrens also have a form of collar which is fitting to their culture. The Red Savages use a Bead Collar, made of colored beads, placed in predetermined and symbolic sequence on rawhide string. The combinations of beads and knots used to tie the strings signify the owner of the girl, and the tribe he is from.
"The red savages do not use steel collars. They use high, beaded collars, tied together in the front by a rawhide string. Subtle differences in the styles of collars, and in the knots with which they are fastened on the girls' necks, differentiate the tribes. Within a given tribe the beading, in its arrangements and colors, identifies the particular master. This is a common way, incidentally, for warriors to identify various articles which they own."
- SAVAGES OF GOR, Pg. 102

"'The collar,' I said, touching it, 'is put on from without, but what it encircles, the slave, comes from within.'
'Slavery,' I told her, 'true slavery, comes from within.'"
- SAVAGES OF GOR, Pg. 210

"I knew that a steel collar did immeasurably enhance the beauty of a girl. I had much envied Eta her collar, though it had been plain."
- SLAVE GIRL OF GOR, Pg. 215


"'On such a girl,' I said, 'brand and collar are no more than emblems, mere tokens, proclaiming on her body the truth of her, the deepest truth of her, which no longer may she conceal.'"
- TRIBESMEN OF GOR, Pg. 91-92



"'I have five brands,' said the metal worker, 'the common Kajira brand, the Dina, the Palm, the mark of Treve, the mark of Port Kar.'"
- EXPLORERS OF GOR, Pg. 70
Most slaves on Gor are branded, marking their condition in the eyes of society as a rightless animal, and instilling in their minds the reality of what they are.
"Most of these brands, of whatever sort, were on the left thigh, as mine was, near the hip."
- DANCER OF GOR, Pg. 66
Many types of brands exist on Gor, but can be broken into two major categories, common, and exotic. Common brands include those that are common to the whole of Gor, such as the "Kef," and more regional brands, such as those of the Wagon Peoples, though in some distant areas, such too might be rare and exotic for they are often uncommon outside of their native region. Exotic brands are those designed by particular merchants to add diversity and a form of rarity to the slave trade, and those brands of far off "exotic" lands. Girls with exotic brands are often bought by collectors interested in such, more for their markings, than for their own ability or beauty. They can also include brands that are common to a region, but rare in another distant one. The exotic characteristic in this case not being due to any extreme rarity but rather uncommon availability and the bringing to mind of distant foreign lands.
But regardless of which brand a girl is marked with, it is generally felt that a graceful brand upon female flesh, marking her slave and slave to men, is complimentary to the girl's form, and quite beautiful to behold.
"Some merchants invent brands, as the dina was invented, in order to freshen the nature of their merchandise and stimulate sales. Collectors, for example, those who are rich, sometimes collect exotic brands, much as collectors of Earth might collect stamps or coins, populating their pleasure gardens not only with girls who are beautiful but diversely marked. A girl, of course, wants to be bought by a strong master who wants her for himself, muchly desiring and lusting for her, not for her brand. When a girl is bought, of course, it is commonly because the man wants her, she, the female, and is willing to put down his hard-earned money for her and her alone, for she is alone; all she brings from the block is herself; she is a slave; she cannot bring wealth, power, or family connections; she comes naked and sold; it is she alone he buys."
- SLAVE GIRL OF GOR, Pg. 63
It is of further note, that Gorean brands, even though set high on the thigh, normally are not covered by most slave garments, excepting perhaps in response to climate. Men enjoy seeing a brand on a girl and seeing it often. It marks her as something owned, and the mark itself is thus made to be delicate and beautiful to the eye, complimenting the beauty of the slave with its own.
"Her own brand was the customary Kajira brand, the initial letter of the cursive Gorean script, about an inch and a half high, and a half inch wide, of the expression 'Kajira,' the most common Gorean expression for a female slave. It was clearly visible on her thigh. The wisp of silk she wore made no pretense to cover it."
- SLAVE GIRL OF GOR, Pg. 253
"Kan - lara"
Simply, "Kan - lara" is the Gorean word for "Brand."
"Eta smiled. She pointed to her brand. 'Kan-lara,' she said."
- SLAVE GIRL OF GOR, Pg. 80
The Kef
The "Kef" is a Gorean letter, and the first of the word "Kajira," or "Slave Girl." Suitably so, the Kef character is also used to brand girls as slave, and is the most common form used on Gor. As a brand, the letter takes a stylized form, appeaing as a cursive figure, also known as "the staff and fronds" because of its form. It is approximatly one and a half to two inches in height by about a half inch in width. Suitable branding irons of this type are commonly available, each producing a slight variation of the central theme.
"It was the common kajira mark, as I had expected, small, delicate, and beautiful, the cursive Kef, the staff and fronds, lyrically feminine, but unmistakable, a brand marking property, worn by most Gorean female slaves."
- MERCENARIES OF GOR, Pg. 438
"Her brand, however, was not precisely the same as mine. It was more slender, more vertical, more like a stem with floral, cursive loops, about an inch and half in height, and a half inch in width; it was, I would later learn, the initial letter in cursive script of the Gorean expression 'Karjia.'"
- SLAVE GIRL OF GOR, Pg. 61
Even the brand itself has been designed to depict submission and dominance, "beauty subject to discipline," through the relationship of the "staff" and the "fronds."
"I had now been branded, a small, graceful mark burned into my left thigh, high, under the hip. It had a vertical bar, a rather strict one, with two curling, frondlike extensions, rather near its base, as though in submission to it. It looked a little like a 'K.' That was mine. There were variations on this theme. Some of the other girls had similar brands, but, in one respect or another, somewhat different. There were other sorts of brands, too, but the 'K-type' brand was the most common."
- DANCER OF GOR, Pg. 66
Note in this passage, how the girl has been trained to display her brand in a manner flattering to both it and her form.
"'Lie on your right side before me,' I said, 'extending your left leg.'
I saw the brand, tiny and tasteful, yet unmistakable, fixed in her thigh, high, under the hip. It was the common kajira brand, the staff and fronds, beauty subject to discipline, worn by most female slaves on Gor. She had the toes of the left leg pointed, lusciously curving the calf. I saw that she had ahd some training."
- VAGABONDS OF GOR, Pg. 7
The Dina
The "Dina" is a small and beautiful flower found primarily in the northern hemisphere of Gor, known also as, the "slave flower." As a Brand, the figure takes the form of its namesake, being the image of the same flower, and is considered quite beautiful and delicate. While quite common in the north, it is prized in the south, both for its rarity and beauty.
"My own brand was the 'Dina;' the dina is a small lovely, multiply petaled flower, short-stemmed, and blooming in a turf of green leaves, usually on the slopes of hills, in the northern temperate zones of Gor; in its budding, though in few other ways, it resembles a rose; it is and exotic, alien flower; it is also spoken of, in the north, where it grows most frequently, as the slave flower; it was burned into my flesh; in the south, below the Gorean equador, where the flower is much more rare, it is prized more highly."
- SLAVE GIRL OF GOR, Pg. 61
"I had seen the tip of the iron. It was a small flower, stylized; it was circular, about an inch and a half in diameter; it was not unlike a small rose; it was incredibly lovely and delicate. I thought the design very beautiful; I certainly would not have minded marking something I owned with it."
- SLAVE GIRL OF GOR, Pg. 52
"Dina" is also used as an expression referring to slave girls so branded, though often said in a derogatory tone, if not always received as an insult. There are legends as to why this is, along with why it is not an uncommon slave name.
"Girls branded as I was were already spoken of on Gor, rather disapragingly, as 'dinas.'"
- SLAVE GIRL OF GOR, Pg. 63
Again, the design and form of the brand itself has been created to convey a certain symbolism.
"Dina, in the north, for many years, had been used almost entirely as a slave name. The reason, in the north, that the dina is called the slave flower has been lost in antiquity. One story is that an ancient Ubar of Ar, capturing the daughter of a fleeing, defeated enemy in a field of dinas there enslaved her, stripping her by the sword, ravishing her and putting chains upon her. As he chained her collar to his stirrup, he is said to have looked upon the field, and then named her 'Dina.' But perhaps the dina is spoken of as the slave flower merely because, in the north, it is, though delicate and beautiful, a reasonably common, unimportant flower; it is also easily plucked, being defenseless, and can be easily crushed, overwhelmed and, if one wishes, discarded."
- SLAVE GIRL OF GOR, Pg. 62
The Mark of Treve
"Incised deeply, precisely, in that slim, lovely, now-bared thigh was a startling mark, beautiful, insolent, dramatically marking that beautiful thigh as that which it now could only be, that of a female slave.
'It is beautiful,' I whispered.
She regarded the brand. 'It is the first letter, in cursive script,' she said, 'of the name of the city of Treve.'"
- CAPTIVE OF GOR, Pg. 277
The City of Treve has, as does other cities, their own Brand for the marking of girls. This is commonly used to brand women stolen by that city's raiders, free women of other cities, taken to be sold, and branded by Treve so that all may know just who made them slave."
"'I have never seen a brand of Treve,' I said.
'It is rare,' said Ena, proudly.
'May I see your brand?' I asked. I was curious.
'Of course," said Ena, and she stood up and, extending her left leg, drew her long, lovely white garment to her hip, revealing her limb.
I gasped.
Incised deeply, precisely, in that slim, lovely, now-bared thigh was a startling mark, beautiful, insolent, dramatically marking that beautiful thigh as that which it now could only be, that of a female slave.
'It is beautiful,' I whispered.
Ena pulled away the clasp at the left shoulder of her garment, dropping it to her ankles.
She was incredibly beautiful.
'Can you read?' she asked.
'No,' I said.
She regarded the brand. 'It is the first letter, in cursive script,' she said, 'of the name of the city of Treve.'"
- SLAVE GIRL OF GOR, Pg. 61
The Taharic Kef
The peoples of the Tahari desert brand their slave girls with a variation of the common cursive "Kef" that is found in the north. It is done in the printed form of their own lettering which, as with its northern relative, is floral in appearance even if not in the cursive script of either land.
"I had little doubt that it would be the Tahari brand which, white hot, would be pressed into the thigh of the new slave, marking her thenceforth as merchandise. The contact surface of the iron would be formed into the Taharic character 'Kef,' which, in Taharic, is the initial letter of the expression 'Kajira,' the most common expression in Gorean for a female slave."
- TRIBESMEN OF GOR, Pg. 148
"Taharic is a very graceful script. It makes no distinctions between capital and small letters, and little distinction between printed and cursive script. Anyone who can read printed Taharic will have no difficulty in following cursive Taharic. The men of the Tahari are content to form their letters carefully and beautifully, being fond of them. To scribble Taharic is generally regarded not as proving oneself a swift, efficient fellow, but something of a boor, insensible to beauty. The initial printed letter of 'Kajira,' rather than the cursive letter, as generally, is used as the common brand for women in the Tahari. Both the cursive letter in common Gorean and the printed letter in Taharic are rather lovely, both being somewhat floral in appearance."
- TRIBESMEN OF GOR, Pg. 148-149
Northern Brands
In the northern lands of Torvald, bonds-maids are commonly marked with a brand indicative of the "bond-maid circle," an integral part of female submission to that people.
"The brand used by the Forkbeard is not uncommon in the north, though there is less uniformity in Torwaldsland on these matters than in the south, where the merchant casate, with its recommendations for standardization, is more powerful. All over Gor, of course, the slave girl is a familiar commodity. The brand used by the Forkbeard, found rather frequently in the north, consisted of a half circle, with, at its right tip, adjoining it, a steep, diagonal line. The half circle is about an inch and a quarter in height. The brand is, like many, symbolic. In the north, the bond-maid is sometimes referred to as a woman whose belly lies beneath the sword."
- MARAUDERS OF GOR, Pg. 87
Brands of the Wagons Peoples
As with the people of Torvaldsland, the Wagon Peoples of the sotuh each have their own common brand, with which they mark their girls as owned by the given group. The mark in itself, is indicative of the tribe, being easily recognizable and identified.
Kassar
"The standard of the Kassars is that of a scarlet, three-weighted bola, which hangs from a lance; the symbolic representation of a bola, three circles joined at the center by lines, is used to mark both their bosk and slaves."
- NOMADS OF GOR, Pg. 106
Kataii
"The standard of the Kataii is a yellow bow, bound across a black lance; their brand is also that of a bow, facing to the left."
- NOMADS OF GOR, Pg. 106
Paravaci
"The Paravaci standard is a large banner of jewels beaded on golden wires, forming the head and horns of a bosk its value is incalculable; the Paravaci brand is a symbolic representation of a bosk head, a semicircle resting on an inverted isoceles triangle."
- NOMADS OF GOR, Pg. 106
Tuchuk
"The brand of the Tuchuk slave, incidentally, is not the same as that generally used in the cities, which, for girls, is the first letter of the expression Kajira in cursive script, but the sign of the four bosk horns, that of the Tuchuk standard; the brand of the four bosk horns, set in such a manner as to somewhat resemble the letter 'H', is only about an inch high; the common Gorean brand, on the other hand, is usually an inch and a half to two inches high."
- NOMADS OF GOR, Pg. 62
Knife Brand of Schendi
The brand common to those of the jungles of Schendi, is different not only in design, but in the entirety of both what it is and how it is placed. While most other brands are applied by hot iron, this is instead done with a knife. The blade cuts a specific design into the flesh, and a powder is added to color the mark, much like would a form of tattoo or ritual scarring.
"From the box he then took a small, curved knife and a tiny, cylindrical leather flask. I gritted my teeth, but made no sound. With the small knife he gashed my left thigh, making upon it a small, strange design. He then took a powder, orange in color, from the flask and rubbed it into the wound."
- EXPLORERS OF GOR, Pg. 330
"There are, of course, many slaveries in the south. I have described only the most common to you."
- BEASTS OF GOR, Pg. 249

"'Is it wrong for the tree to be a tree, the rock a rock, the bird a bird?' I asked.
'No, no,' she said.
'Why, then,' I asked, 'is it wrong for a slave to be a slave?'
'I do not know,' she said.
'Perhaps it is not wrong for a slave to be a slave,' I said."
- EXPLORERS OF GOR, Pg. 176
When considering "Slave Types" a few considerations must be made. The first is regarding virginity or lack of, and has nothing to do with the type of slave a girl can be or her training, other then referring to the extent of her sexual use. The second consideration is that of actual training itself and possible breeding. Slaves hold various "classifications" based on their degree of training, such as in the case of a Pleasure Slave, or their breeding, as with Passion Slaves. The final category can perhaps be termed "utility," being how a girl is employed by her owner, as in the case of a Coin Girl or Tavern Slave.
One must look at the subject in this fashion, because the three can overlap, and to lump them all together is simply incorrect and not an accurate examination of the subject.
Part One "Virginity"
Red Silk Slaves and White Silk Slaves
"Among slaves, not free women, these things are sometimes spoken of along the lines as to whether or not a girl as been 'opened' for the uses of men. Other common terms, used generally of slaves, are 'white silk' and 'red silk', for girls who have not yet been opened, or have been opened, for the uses of men, respectively."
- DANCER OF GOR, Pg. 128
To put the entire subject quite simply, the terms "Red Silk" and "White Silk" have nothing at all to do with the degree of a girls training, her classification regarding training, or her skill as a slave overall. Red Silk and White Silk are merely slang slaver terms used to denote whether a girl is a virgin or not. Red Silk, obviously symbolic of the blood shown when virginity is taken, are slaves that have been used sexually by men. White Silk, obviously symbolic of naivety, simply means virgin and sexually inexperienced.
"Similarly, the expression 'red-silk,' in Gorean, tends to be used as a category in slaving, and also, outside of the slaving context, as an expression in vulgar discourse, indicating that the woman is no longer a virgin, or, as the Goreans say, at least vulgarly of slaves, that her body has been opened by men. Its contrasting term is 'white-silk,' usually used of slaves who are still virgins, or, equivalently, slaves whose bodies have not yet been opened by men. Needless to say, slaves seldom spend a great deal of time in the 'white-silk' category. It is common not to dally in initiating a slave into the realities of her condition."
- BLOOD BROTHERS OF GOR, Pg. 472
"'You are a pretty slave, Evelyn,' I said.
'Thank you Master,' she said.
'Are you White Silk?' I asked.
'I am virgin,' she said.
'Then you are White Silk,' I said."
- EXPLORERS OF GOR, Pg. 172
Formal training has nothing at all to do with this distinction, it is strictly a measure of the girl's sexual exposure to men. A girl may be a "White Silk Pleasure Slave," having been trained to certification in the arts of that classification, but still remaining a virgin. Likewise, a Red Silk girl may have no actual training at all, or even the ability to speak the Gorean language, but is termed "Red Silk" for having been slave raped by a men.
Generally though, Goreans do expect a certain level of ability in Red Silk girls. This maturity in the collar is not so much a reflection of actual structured training, but the simple understanding that when a girl loses her virginity, she changes and somewhat matures, becoming more responsive to and needing of men. So in calling a girl a White Silk the Gorean is not just referring to the condition of the girl's virginity, but he is also making reference to her not having be "awakened" as a woman, and her subsequent naivete.
"'To be sure,' I said, 'white' in the context of 'white-silk girl' tends less to suggest purity and innocence to the Gorean than ignorance and naivety, and a lack of experience. One expects a red-silk girl, for example, not only to be able to find her way about the furs, but, subject to the whip, owned and dominated, perhaps chained, to prove herself a sensuous treasure within them."
- SAVAGES OF GOR, Pg. 205
To claim a girl who is not a virgin as a "White Silk" at time of sale, is a form of fraud on Gor, and is a criminal violation of the law. The same holds true of claiming a girl who has not been certified, to be a Pleasure Slave or bred to create a Passion Slave.
A slave can be white silk and also a certified Pleasure Slave. She of course would not yet be trained to men in the sense of having truly experienced her own sexuality, since she is still a virgin, but the surrounding training which seeks to teach a girl how to be pleasing before men, in all ways, can be done.
Doreen, the main character of "Dancer of Gor," is a very clear example of a "White Silk Pleasure Slave." At the time of her sale, she has been trained to certification as just that,
"'Category,' I heard, '- Pleasure Slave.'"
- DANCER OF GOR, Pg. 129
Later, after she has been sold, just prior to her losing her virginity,
"I knelt as I had been taught, and as the sort of slave I was, the sort of slave I had first learned I was in Market of Semris, a pleasure slave."
- DANCER OF GOR, Pg. 186
And then eighteen pages later when she actually loses her virginity,
"I had been opened, I thought, I was now 'red silk!'"
- DANCER OF GOR, Pg. 204
And note how she says she is now a "Red Silk," now that she has been "opened" by a man. No measure of formal training, no classification due to skill shown, simply a loss of virginty. The white ribbon which had been tied to her collar to indicate her virginity to patrons is then soon removed, with a red one replacing it. Such a custom is not necessarily something done in all taverns, but in this circumstance the reasoning seems obvious.
"Then I felt him, and I could not have stopped him, had I wished to do so, as I was chained, remove the white-silk ribbon from my collar. In a moment he had fastened something else there, in its place, doubtless another ribbon, doubtless the red-silk ribbon which had been given to him earlier by Mirus. He jerked it down on the collar, snugly."
- DANCER OF GOR, Pg. 209
Gorean slave girls are commonly not dressed in white or red silks or any such clothes as a reflection of their status as a "White Silk" or "Red Silk Girl." Slaves are dressed as their master pleases, with White Silk Girls usually remaining such only if held by a Slaver House in preparation for sale. Slaver Houses sometimes will dress a girl based on if she is "White Silk" or "Red Silk," as a method of easy distinction between the two. This is not done as a matter of custom or something common and universal to Gor, but strictly an individual choice and not even a common business practice at that.
"Some of the girls, judging by the stripes on the hoods and cloaks were White Silk, and others Red Silk. The White Silk Girls, of course, having been released from the house, would have been placed in locked, iron belts."
- ASSASSIN OF GOR, Pg. 147
Of note in the above quote is that the girls with the "white stripes," the "White Silk Girls," are fitted with iron belts, an object commonly used to secure a girls virginity. Norman also capitalizes the words "White Silk Girl" throughout the book, obviously to draw distinction between them, who are virgins, and those simply dressed in white.
"'They know nothing of men,' he said.
'You mean they are White Silk?' I asked."
- ASSASSIN OF GOR, Pg. 116
White clothing in a Slaver House need not always denote a "White Silk" girl though. Some use the classification to mark new girls in general, but even then, the term "White Silk" remains unchanged, and is not applied unless the girl is a virgin. In the same Slaver House as the above quote, we see the following,
"The meal was served by slave girls in white tunics, each wearing a white-enameled collar. These would be girls in training, some of them perhaps White Silk Girls, being accustomed to the routines and techniques of serving table."
- ASSASSIN OF GOR, Pg. 88
Girls very new to the collar in a Slaver House might be dressed in white to denote their lack of training, but this does not mean they are "White Silk," nor are they classified as such. They are simply dressed in a color that denotes progression in training, and this dress is not even in silk. It should also be considered that this is but one example of practice in one house. Again, this is not necessarily a common practice, another Slaver House might choose to dress such slaves in another color for whatever preference they have.
Now as stated above, "White Silk" girls usually only remain virgin if they are being held and trained by a Slaver House for future sale. Goreans in general, prefer "Red Silk" girls over virgins, because their sexuality has been better developed and their overall use, in a common sense, is thus more enjoyable.
"Virgins presented special problems, particularly of a psycological nature. Also, their sexual responses usually requied lengthening, deepening and honing. On the whole, I, like most Goreans, preferred open women. And, of course, most women are opened. Virgins, for example, are almost never available in the slave markets."
- VAGABONDS OF GOR, Pg. 196
At time of sale, a "White Silk" girl will usually go for a price higher then a "Red Silk" girl of equal training and appearance. This is due to the nature of the virgin, being that a girl is such only once in her life, and that some men prefer to "awaken" the sexuality of the girls they personally own. For general sexual use, the "Red Silk" is preferred, but the "White Silk" holds a special quality that is of both interest and worth to the perspective buyer.
A final note should be made regarding the concept of "fully trained." A girl certified as a Pleasure Slave has reached the level of training necessary to be classified as such. This does not mean she is "fully trained," but only that she is eligible for the title and distinction. The concept of "fully trained" exists only as an ideal, and is unattanable by a slave girl, for slaves are forever learning more of their slavery and the depths of it within themselves.
Part Two "Classification"
Training, Breeding, and Certification of Such
Certain classifications exist for slaves, dependent on their level of training and ability, and what they have been bred to be, in the situations that apply. Each girl has a set of "papers," a form of slave pedigree, categorizing her past with a timeline of her life, including past masters and any training which may have been given by recognized establishments. Such papers are normally shown to potential buyers at the time of sale, with a catalogue of such being presented at auctions, listing all available wares. If a girl has been certified as acceptably trained to a certain degree, or if she has any "bred blood" in her ancestry, these papers will give full and complete documentation of such, as this greatly effects her price. Such records are kept very accurate and up to date by Goreans. They also serve as legal documentation that the given woman is property under common law.
"Some female slaves, incidentally, have a pedigreed lineage going back through several generations of slave matings, and their masters hold the papers to prove this. It is a felony in Gorean law to forge or falsify such papers."
- SAVAGES OF GOR, Pg. 69
Untrained girls and the most common form of Gorean slave, the "Kettle and Mat" girl, will not be discussed here, though these can be "classifications," namely, "untrained," or "no formal training." This section will deal with slaves above the mundane, with common girls handled in the next. Suffice it to say for now, that untrained girls and such would be a category under training, that being what they simply are and defined by same.
Pleasure Slaves
Pleasure Slaves are girls that have been specifically trained in the arts of giving pleasure to men. This includes a variety of subjects and devices, including sexuality, slave dance, service, grace, beauty, and cosmetics to name only a few. By law, they must be "certified" as having been trained and seen worthy of this distinction. To falsify such papers is considered fraud, but such a crime is not commonly commited, for Slaver Houses often ride much of their reputation on the quality of the Pleasure Slaves they produce.
"He was also the slaver, Vart, once Publius Quintus of Ar, banished from that city, and nearly impaled, for falsifying slave data. He had advertised a girl as a fully trained pleasure slave who, as it turned out, did not even know the eleven kisses."
- EXPLORERS OF GOR, Pg. 36
Many slaves are used to give pleasure to men, but not all are actually "Pleasure Slaves." Though spoken of in the books, these are actually quite uncommon, quite expensive and prized by their masters. Pleasure Slaves are not simply slaves who are used sexually by men, this is rather, a distinction for a level of training achieved, recognized and accredited.
Bred Slaves
Bred slaves are most often simply those which are bred from slave stock to produce another generation of slaves. The pair selected for mating will be of the best possible quality in the attempt to insure that the offspring carry the same desired traits and features. Many female slaves on Gor are the product of this slave heritage, being bred by Slaver houses to produce specimens of higher potential and worth.
"Most Gorean slave girls are comely, or beautiful. This is easy to understand. It is almost always the better looking women who are taken for slaves, and, of course, in breeding slaves, it is commonly only the most beautful of female slaves who are used, these usually being crossed, hooded, with handsome male silk slaves, also hooded. The female offspring of these matings, needless to say, are often exquisite."
- SAVAGES OF GOR, Pg. 68-69
There are also certain common forms of slaves which are bred by Gorean Slavers. These include Passions Slaves, who are bred to be pleasing to men in both form and mind, and Draft Slaves, who are bred for specific work tasks with certain traits benefiting the selected task being focused on. These differ from bred exotics in that while they are still uncommon and highly priced, they are of a specific, classified form, one that many Houses breed to and is not created as an oddity. They are considered the be bred slaves and are often called by that name specific to their type of breeding.
"In the case of the bred female slave, of course, she has been legally and literally, in anyone's understanding, bred to the collar, and in a full commercial and economic sense, as a business speculation on the part of masters. The features most often selected for by the breeders are beauty and passion."
- SAVAGES OF GOR, Pg. 69
Passion Slaves
A Passion Slave is a form of bred slave, specifically bred to have features men find attractive and a particularly strong and responsive sexual appetite. They are trained as Pleasure Slaves from birth and normally rank with the best of this classification, having it within their very blood to excel in this area. These girls bring very high prices on slave markets, commonly only being sold at the best or in private, and they are rarely if ever freed. They are considered to be bred slaves, and hold characteristics and perdigree relevent to that type, but are not normally classified as bred exotics for they are a more commonly created form.
"Watching us was a woman in Pleasure Silk, of remarkable beauty, yet with a certain subtle hardness and contempt about her. She was fairly complected but had extremely dark hair and dark eyes, very red lips; the movement of her exquisite body was a torment to observe; she looked at me with a slight smile, regarding the black of the tunic, the mark of the dagger; her lips were full and magnificently turned, probably a characteristic bred into her; I had little no doubt that this black-haired, cruelly beautiful woman was a bred Passion Slave. She was one of the most rawly sensuous creatures on which I had ever looked."
- ASSASSIN OF GOR, Pg. 150
Bred Exotics
"There are various types of 'exotics' bred by Gorean slavers, all of whom are to be distinguished from more normal varieties of bred slaves, such as a Passion Slaves and Draft Slaves. Exotics may be bred for almost any purpose, and some of these purposes, unfortunately, seem to be little more than to produce quaint or unusual specimens."
- RAIDERS OF GOR, Pg. 15
Bred Exotics include those girls who have been bred over generations to aquire and accent certain traits and characteristics that are deemed prefered and valuable to the common market, or the collector. Such girls could be bred for certain physical qualities seen as beautiful or interesting to some, or for more extreme traits such as poison for saliva, or certain vocal characteristics. Often, the trade off for this breeding is that a bad trait might well "breed through" as in the case of girls having a club foot. These girls are normally very high priced and often unstable. The majority of these types are those that are bred for a certain quality or trait, sometimes seen as a deformity, which holds an attraction to certain collectors of particular tastes.
"Exotics are normally bred for some deformity which is thought to be appealing. On the other hand, sometimes the matter is much more subtle and sinister. For example it is possible to breed a girl whose saliva will be poisonous; such a woman, placed in the Pleasure Garden of an enemy, can be more dangerous than the knife of an Assassin."
- ASSASSIN OF GOR, Pg. 150
Exotics
Exotics can be widely termed as any girl whose breeding, raising, or orgin is highly rare and of special interest. Generally, the term "Exotic" is used to denote any unusual type of slave, usually, but not always, involving intentional breeding done for particular effect. For sake of this discussion, the term has been broken down more, into "Exotics" and "Bred Exotics" with part of the latter already handled in prior entries of this section. Here, we will refer to Exotics as those girls who by circumstance or upbringing, present a rarity and subsequent high worth on the Gorean Slave market. In terms of slave papers, any special breeding, training, conditioning, or origin would be clearly noted, with the exotic nature of the specimen being listed in detail. An example of such are girls that are raised outside the world of men, never to know what men are or that they even exist until the night they are thrown before them to be raped. Such girls might be normal by birth, but through circumstance created, inwhich they are raised in, they are made exotic.
"'No, No!' he said. 'These are common wenches (not bred), though more beautiful than most.'
'Then in what way are they exotic?' I asked.
Ho-Tu looked at me and grinned. 'They know nothing of men,' he said.
'You mean they are White Silk?' I asked.
He laughed. 'I mean they have been raised from the time they were infants in these gardens. They have never looked on a man. They do not know they exist.'"
- ASSASSIN OF GOR, Pg. 115-116
Barbarians
"On this world I was a beautiful barbarian and alien, from a world quite different, one which had not prepared me for their world. Perhaps Gorean men might find it of interest to own, and tame and train me. Earth girls, I had heard from Eta, made superb slaves. I supposed it was true."