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[Dept of PMM Castle Life]

Gorean Dictionary and terms
A glossary of some Gorean terms found in John Norman's writings, in alphabetical order (many are used by real-world Gorean lifestylers to describe their practices, and a few have been taken up in general BDSM use):
Camisk
A common Gorean garment for female slaves; in its basic form, it is a simple rectangle of cloth, about 18 inches wide and up to six feet long, with a hole in the center. The slave-girl's head goes through the hole, and the cloth is worn as a sideless poncho, generally belted at the waist by a tied cord. Worn without undergarments, due to the prohibition against a "nether closure" (see the entry for Tunic below). A version of this was the main slave attire seen in the first release of a Japanese fan's efforts to illustrate Gor book #19 (an early, influential, use of Poser software for Gorean fan-art).
Dina
The "slave flower", an alternative symbol to the kef for a female slave.
Harta
Faster
Iron belt
Chastity belt for female.
Kaissa
Generically, the word for game. Most often, this refers to Gorean Chess
Kajira
Female slave (Latinesque plural is kajirae).
Kajirus
Male slave (Latinesque plural is kajiri).
Kan-lara
slave brand
Kef
Letter of the fictional Gorean alphabet (slightly resembling a Latin-alphabet "k"), which is commonly used as a symbol for a slave (since it writes the first sound of the words Kajira/Kajirus) — it is found in a stylized cursive form (the "staff and fronds") for a female slave, and in a simple block script form to designate a male slave.
Ko-lar (Collar)
The collar is an important symbol of Gorean slavery; the brand (usually the Kef or Dina) symbolizes general slave status, while the collar proclaims ownership by a particular Master or Mistress. Many different types of collars can be worn in different circumstances or cultures, but the most common in the northern temperate zone city-states is a flat metal locking collar.
Kurt
Gorean-language term for a five-strap flogger or "slave whip", described as typically having an eighteen-inch long handle (suitable for either one- or two-handed use) from which depend five relatively soft and flexible flat lashes, each an inch-and-a-half wide and two-and-a-half to three feet long. Intended to effectively discipline female slaves without real risk of injury or scarring.
La
Multiple meanings depending on the context. May mean "Who are you?" "You are?" "I am" This is the feminine version.
La Kajira
A sentence meaning "I am a slave girl" in the Gorean language (the main lingua franca of the northern temperate zone city-states). In some cases, a free woman who utters this sentence becomes legally enslaved. This is one of the few Gorean-language sentences given in the books. The Gorean language appears to have sex-specific first person pronominal forms (the corresponding masculine being Lo).
Lesha
Leash
Nadu
Gorean name for classic sexual submission kneeling position, with torso over heels and knees widely separated. (This position was described in the Story of O, though the name "Nadu" is Norman's, used by him only in Gor book #13.) By default, the hands rest on the thighs. Also called "the position of the pleasure slave, that of a woman who is of interest to men".
Pagar
Pleasure
Penitent
see "supplicant"
Rarius
Warrior
Red silk
Non-virgin (especially of a female slave)
Sa
daughter
Sa-Fora
Chain Daughter, a slave
Sa-Tassna
Life Mother, meat, also refers to food in general
Sa-Tama
Life Daughter, the staple yellow grain
Silk slave
Male slave kept by a woman owner for bedroom duties (most male slaves on Gor are used for hard labor in work gangs).
Sirik
A set of linked chains and attached locking circlets intended to thoroughly restrain a woman's movements, but without needing to fasten her to anything, and while still allowing her to stand, to walk with mincing steps, and to kneel in the tower or nadu positions. The main chain (about five feet long) hangs down from a locking collar; a bracelet chain (connecting two locking wrist manacles that are usually about 6-12 inches apart) is attached to the main chain roughly two feet below the collar, or at the "lower belly", while an anklet chain (connecting two locking fetters that are usually about a foot to a foot-and-a-half apart) is attached to the end of the main chain. The chain lengths can ideally be adjusted to taste; Norman suggests that best results are obtained when the main vertical chain (collar chain) is long enough to rest on the floor for several inches when the woman is standing straight (alternatively, the collar chain can be slightly shorter, and end in a small ring, through which the anklet chain is allowed free play). The chains should be light enough not to be too burdensome or uncomfortable when worn for several hours.
Slave wine
Semi-permanent female contraceptive, usually taken by drinking an unsweetened bitter liquid.
Stabilization serum
Immortality potion. (Slave wine and stabilization serums combine to contribute to certain apparently intentionally unrealistic aspects of the Gor books.)
Supplicant
A supplicant, one who supplicates, is a term to applied to humble petitioners. At the University of Oxford, it refers to students who have qualified but not yet been admitted into their degree (these students are referred to as graduands at Cambridge and most universities other than Oxford).
Within BDSM, the word supplicant is often used to a refer to a submissive applicant, hoping to enter the service of a particular dominant or household.
In the Gor novels of John Norman, a "supplicant" (or "penitent") is a conventional role within a stylized ritual ceremony during which the leaders and prominent inhabitants of a conquered city beg for mercy from their conquerors. A supplicant traditionally wears nothing but a plain white robe (accompanied by a veil in the case of women), and is naked and barefoot beneath the robe, symbolizing a transitional status between freedom and possible slavery (at the whim of the conquerors).
Tower slave
Female slave whose duties do not prominently include sexual services (derogatory variant: "kettle slave"). Opposite is "pleasure slave" or "silk girl".
Tower slave position
Like nadu, but with knees together (indicating a less sexual submission). Also called "the position of the house slave". When the hands are not occupied with some task, they generally rest loosely in front, with wrists crossed. Gorean free women commonly kneel in a similar position, but in less revealing garments, and never with wrists crossed.
Tunic
Standard garment worn by men on Gor whose occupations demand physical effort and freedom of movement (such as warriors) — and also (in a rather different form) by female slaves. Tunics worn by slave-girls are commonly short (with the hemline only coming down to the upper thighs) and sleeveless. Those slave-tunics worn by pleasure-slaves (as opposed to tower slaves or kettle slaves) are often slit in front down to the navel, and modified so that they can be removed with a simple pull on a "disrobing loop" attached to one of the shoulder-straps. In the northern temperate zone city-states, a slave-girl's garments are generally required to allow an open-air path to her privates, to symbolize and facilitate her constant sexual availability and accessibility to her master, so that no undergarments are worn.
Turian Collar
A Turian collar is a rigid metal collar which is circular in cross-section. The term was invented by John Norman for use in his Gor series of science fiction books:
"The Turian collar lies loosely on the girl, a round ring; it fits so loosely that, when grasped in a mans fist, the girl can turn within it; the common Gorean collar, on the other hand, is flat, snugly fitting steel band. Both collars lock in the back, behind the girl's neck. The Turian collar is more difficult to engrave, but it, like the flat collar, will bear some legend assuring that the girl, if found, will be promptly returned to her Master." - Nomads of Gor
Several BDSM scene manufacturers now produce Turian collars, either with internal screw locking mechanisms, or with tags which allow a padlock to be used.
Walking chain
Light locking ankle fetters connected by a light chain a foot or more long, when worn without other restraints, are likely mainly intended to keep a woman's stride length below some maximum considered aesthetic, rather than to confine a slave as such. Free women on Gor sometimes use an analogous "silken thong" as a beauty aid for the same reason, or occasionally even wear chains (as may have also sometimes been done in Biblical times — see Isaiah 3:16).
White silk
Virgin (especially of a female slave).

Kajira is the term for "slave-girl" in John Norman's Gor novels. Slaves in the Gorean lifestyle will refer to themselves as kajirae. The phrase "la kajira" is said to mean "I am a slave-girl" in the Gorean language, the most widely-spoken lingua franca in the known regions of the planet Gor (this is one of the few complete Gorean-language sentences given in the Gor novels).
The word is usually seen in the feminine form "kajira" (pl. "kajirae"), as most slaves in the Gorean lifestyle are female; the masculine forms are "kajirus" and "kajiri" (following the rules of Latin nominative adjective morphology, as seen also with words such as "alumnus"/"alumna", etc.). The construction "kajiras" is incorrect, but is occasionally seen in third-party writing.
A common misconception among people practicing the lifestyle or playing out the Gorean theme online is that kajirae never refer to themselves in the first person, using the terms "me" or "I", instead being allowed only to refer to themselves in the third person. If one is adhering to the novels this is inaccurate, as virtually all of the kajirae in the Gor novels do often refer to themselves in the first person (the phrase "la kajira" being an example), with third person speech being uncommon in the text. However, the books do support the idea that third-person speech is considered distinctively slave speech (in Captive of Gor, chapter 15, Ute issues the command "Speak as a slave!", meaning in the third person), and that slaves may be specifically commanded to speak in such a way. In the books, a girl is ordered to speak in the third person usually as a punishment.
There exists various techniques in Gorean culture to teach Gorean slave corresponding conduct. Slave tasks may include not only sexual slavery, but also the ability to maintain a household, possess artistic skills, wear an appealing outfit and address the master in certain manner. Gorean slave women are branded, which means they are marked with certain signs burned into the flesh by the master to indicate their slavery. Another way to mark a slave as her owner's property is to put a collar on her
Gor-the lowdown
Gor..it's something you either love or hate. It may have been a word you have heard muttered with utter contempt among online people, or you may have a master who has incorporated elements of Gorean Philosophy in your training, or you may even be a gorean slave.
But i know there will be some who have no idea what i am talking about when i talk of Gor. So, for those of you who have been lucky enough not to have come across it, let me explain.
The Gor books, of which there are about 25 volumes in the series were written by John Norman (his nom de plume of course). The books are set on counter earth ie Gor. The main focus of his books is that men are Masters and women are slaves. There are free women who are not slaves, but the belief that deep inside, even free women want to be slaves.
The books were written purely as a kind of science fiction D/s erotic fantasy by Norman. But, some people have taken the books at face value and have become Goreans. (A bit like the Treckies who are real fans of Star Trek) But, these people have taken it a bit further than the Trekies, these people don't just talk about being Gorean, they actually live their lives as Goreans. These lifestyle goreans follow the Gorean philosophy, live by the rules, they practice their One True Way, and own consensual female slaves or to use the gorean term, kajira.
However that is only one part of the gorean community. The other is the online role playing goreans, a different breed altogether. The online community exists mostly on irc chat channels specifically designated role play areas where the kajira are all extremely beautiful, respectful, can learn how to practise a serve how to dance, entertain and please a man. While the men sit around in gorean taverns drinking paga and discussing things like honour whilst as warriors planning strategies for their next battle.
Obviosuly this is just a simplistic overview of how i see Gor. Others will see it in a completely different light. i doesn't delve into the politics or the philosophy simply because there are so many different views, arguments and angles to cover.
The Books of Gor

Assassin of Gor
Book 5 The Gorean Chronicles continue in all their barbaric glory.Assassin of Gor exposes the brutal caste system of Gor at its most unsparing: from the Assassin Kuurus, on a mission of bloody vengeance, to Pleasure Slaves, tirelessly trained in the ways of personal ecstasy. From one social stratum to the next, the inhabitants of Counter-Earth pursue and are pursued by all-too human passionsand the inescapable destinies that await their caste
Beast of Gor
Book 12 On Gor, the other world in Earth's orbit, the term beast can mean any of three things: First, there are the Kurii, the monsters from space who are about to invade that world. Second, there are the Gorean warriors, men whose fighting ferocity is incomparable. Third, there are the slave girls, who are both beasts of burden and objects of desire. All three kinds of beasts come into action in this thrilling novel as the Kurii establish their first beachhead on Gor's polar cap. Here is a John Norman epic that takes Tarl Cabot from the canals of Port Kar to the taverns of Lydius, the tents of the Sardar Fair, and to a grand climax among the red hunters of the Arctic ice pack.
Blood Brothers of Gor
Book 18 Tarl Cabot, seeking the monsters from the Steel Worlds, found himself among the cruel savages who ruled the vast Barrens. Though himself enslaved, he stood with his comrades and Masters against a coming onslaught. For the Kur had united the enemies of the tribe that held Cabot, and death and destruction were unleashed. Out of the plains came riding hordes of feud-driven braves, from the skies came a host of maddened tarn-riders, and even among the slave girls held by the blood brothers there was devilish treason. Blood Brothers of Gor is one of the great John Norman epics. It is a long novel of constant action, told in depth and detail, of a struggle fought for the fate of a world where strong men clash and beautiful women await their victors.
Captive of Gor
Book 7 On Earth, Elinor Brinton was accustomed to having it allwealth, beauty, and a host of men wrapped around her little finger. But Elinors spoiled existence is a thing of the past. She is now a pleasure slave of Gora world whose society insists on her subservience to any man who calls her his own. And despite her headstrong past, Elinor finds herself succumbing with pleasure to her powerful Master. Also by John Norman:
Dancer of Gor
Book 22 Doreen Williamson appeared to be a quiet shy librarian, but in the dark of the library, after hours, she would practice, semi-nude, her secret studies in belly-dancing. Until, one fateful night, the slavers from Gor kidnapped her. On that barbarically splendid counter-Earth, Doreen drew a high price as a dancer in taverns, in slave collar and ankle bells. Until each of her owners became aware that their prize dancer was the target of powerful forces--that in the tense climate of the ongoing war between Ar and Cos, two mighty empires, Doreen was too dangerous to keep. Dancer of Gor is a John Norman bonus novel--an erotic fever-pitched novel of an alien world where men were all-powerful and women were living jewels of desire.
Explorers of Gor
Book 13 All the glorious panorama of Earth's planetary twin, barbaric Gor, is present in John Norman's latest novel. When the shield ring of the much feared Kurii falls into the possession of a mysterious black explorer, it becomes vital to the Priest-Kings that Tarl Cabot himself regain that ancient product of an alien science. His quest brings him to the
unmapped interior of the great equatorial rain-forests and into new dangers without parallel. Here are jungle kingdoms and tropical trade cities, fierce beasts and fiercer men. And at the heart of this full-bodied Gorean novel is a lost city-and a lineage of the loveliest enemy agents ever lured from the cities of far-off Terra.
Fighting Slaves of Gor
Book 14 Attempting to save his girlfriend from a Gorean slave trap, Jason Marshall found himself kidnapped to that legendary counter-Earth planet. And as such found himself the first "civilized" Earth male to become enslaved in the ruthless chains of Gorean society.
Jason Marshall's startling adventures make constantly fascinating reading as he is made to be the slave of a haughty woman, then into her fighting champion, and finally amid the turmoil of primitive warfare to seek his liberty in order to search for his lost love amid the slave marts of that alien and turbulent planet.
Guardsman of Gor
Book 16 Guardsman of Gor...From kidnapped collegian to a woman's slave, from landless fugitive to warrior-captain, the life of Jason Marshall on Earth's orbital twin was a constant struggle against the naked power and barbaric traditions of glorious Gor. Now, in the heat of a desperate naval battle against overwhelming odds, Jason faced the pivotal hours of his Gorean career. For him victory would mean a homeland, a warrior's honors, and the lovely Earthgirl who was the prize he had long sought. Defeat would mean degradation worse than the chains he had once escaped. Guardsman of Gor is the blazing climax of this saga of one man against an entire world.
Hunters of Gor
Book 8 Tarl Cabot ventures into the wilderness of Gor, pitting his skill against brutal outlaws and sly warriors. Cabots life on Gor been complicated by three beautiful, very different women:
Talena, Tarls one-time queen; Elizabeth, his fearless comrade; and Verna, chief of the feral
panther women. In this installment of Normans million-selling sci-fi phenomenon, the fates of these uncommon women are finally revealed.
Kajira of Gor
Book 19 The Kur came to Port Kar! Two of the terrible space beasts came to make Tarl Cabot an offer. They, a death-squad, sought the renegade Kur commander, the great Half-Ear, whom Tarl had once battled in the Far North. But Tarl refused their offer, for Half-Ear was more valuable to the Priest-Kings alive than to the Kur dead. And now he knew it was imperative for him to save that monster from the doom that would fast overtake him.
This meant venturing the forbidden Barrens of Gor--a vast land of plains and prairies whose cruel Masters were tribes of savage red riders and where civilized men were always prey and their women mere trophies of the hunt! Tarl Cabot returns in one of his greatest adventures.
Magicians of Gor
Book 25 With the capital city of Ar under the sway of the beautiful traitress Talena, a ruler placed in power by the Cosian invaders, Tarl Cabot and the Delta Brigade, the members of the underground force sworn to defeat Cos, must call upon the unique talents of master magician Boots Tarsk-Bit to recapture the precious Home Stone of vanquished Ar's Station. For snatching the Home Stone from the enemy's grasp may prove the vital ingredient in Tarl's desperate and dangerous campaign to rouse the people of Ar to fight on to regain their freedom from the hated foe.... In Magicians of Gor, Tarl Cabot and his allies must work a unique magic with illusions and swordblades to root out the treachery at the heart of a mighty empire.
Marauders of Gor
Book 9 Tarl Cabot has struggled to free himself from the control of Gors powerful Priest-Kings, but to no avail. Now he finds that mission challenged by a threat emanating from the planets forbidding northern lands. There, a menacing alien force waits for Tarl, who faces an awesome choice: protect his own position as a rich merchant-slaver, or risk everything to defend the freedom of his world An adventure filled with incredible incident, barbaric peoples, and the ferocious clashes between men and women that have made John Norman one of science fictions legendary storytellers.
Mercenaries of Gor
Book 21 War on Gor is a rousing and fearful affair--and when the armada of Cos landed and began its sweeping arch against the mighty city of Ar, Tarl Cabot was swept up in their drive. Outcast from Port Kar, rejected by the Priest-Kings, Tarl fought now for his own redemption. With comrades at his side, barbarian warriors and daring women, free and slave, his plans went forward--until the mercenaries of Dietrich of Tamburg disrupted the struggle as a mysterious third force. Mercenaries of Gor brings into action all the magic and conflict of that counter-Earth, as Tarl became the center of intrigue and treachery in the city of its greatest enemies.
Nomads of Gor
Book 4 Another provocative trip to the barbaric and mysterious world of Gor. Norman's heroic
Tarnsman finds his way across this counter-Earth, pledged to serve the Priest-Kings in their quest for survival. Unfortunately for Cabot, his mission leads him to the savage Wagon People; nomads who may kill before surrendering any secrets
Outlaw of Gor
Book 2 this novel, which follows "Tarnsman of Gor" picks up with Cabot back on Earth in New York city. Cabot is greatly anguished at being separated from his city Ko-Ro-Ba, and his Free Companion, Talena of Ar. We get a peek at Cabot's persona, and how unfit he is for life on Earth after his exposure to life on Gor.
Priest-Kings of Gor
Book 3 Tarl Cabot searches for his lovely wife Talena. Does she live, or was she destroyed by the all-powerful Priest-Kings? Cabot is determined to find out-though no one who has approached the mountain stronghold of the Priest-Kings has ever returned alive
Raiders of Gor
Book 6 Tarl Cabot, Norman's heroic Gorean Tarnsman, descends into the depths of Port Karthe
darkest, most degenerate port city of the Counter-Earth. There, among pirates, cutthroats and brigands, Cabot learns the ways of Kar, whose residents are renowned for the iron grip in which they hold their voluptuous slaves.
Renegades of Gor
Book 23 As the bloody tide of war spread over Gor, Tarl Cabot, outcast by the Priest-Kings, became deeply enmeshed in the military combat between the empire of Ar and the invaders from Cos. His fate would depend upon which proved victorious in the coming confrontation at Ar's besieged river port. And it looked like Tarl himself might prove the deciding factor that would tip the scales of destiny for one side or the other... With Renegades of Gor, all the complexity and intrigue of John Norman's saga comes together to create an adventure replete with danger, excitement, and romance in the unforgettable realm of Gor--where courage remains meaningful, and pride and honor have never been forgotten
Rouge of Gor
Book 15 Jason Marshall learned the meaning of manhood and the power of women, both dominant and submissive, when he was kidnapped from Earth to the Counter-Earth called Gor. Winning his freedom, Jason set out single-handed to win his own place on that gloriously barbaric world on the other side of the sun. His intent was to find the girl who had been enslaved with him. But that quest thrust him smack in the middle of the war that raged between Imperial Ar and the Salerian Confederation-and the secret schemes of the pirate armada that sought control of the mighty trading artery of the fighting cities.
Savages of Gor
Book 17 The Kur came to Port Kar! Two of the terrible space beasts came to make Tarl Cabot an offer. They, a death-squad, sought the renegade Kur commander, the great Half-Ear, whom Tarl had once battled in the Far North. But Tarl refused their offer, for Half-Ear was more valuable to the Priest-Kings alive than to the Kur dead. And now he knew it was imperative for him to save that monster from the doom that would fast overtake him.
This meant venturing the forbidden Barrens of Gor--a vast land of plains and prairies whose cruel Masters were tribes of savage red riders and where civilized men were always prey and their women mere trophies of the hunt! Tarl Cabot returns in one of his greatest adventures.
Slave Girl of Gor
Book 11 Slave Girl of Gor... Tarl Cabot resumed his allegiance to the Priest-Kings, the non-human but benevolent rulers of Earth's orbital twin planet, Gor. And accordingly Tarl knew that the battle for the possession of the planet was under way--the Kurii, the beastlike invaders, had made their plans. There was a girl, once Judy Thornton of Earth, found in the wilderness of Gor. Captured, as such lovely strangers were on that ruthless world, she was to undergo the training that would make her a slave girl of great value. But unknown to
her captors was the fact that she was a tool of the Kurii, that she carried a programmed message that imperiled the future of Gor. It was for possession of her mind and body that Priest-King and Kur-monster battled, while a planet went its way unsuspecting that its very fate was also locked within the slave collar that graced her neck.
Tarnsman of Gor
Book 1 A spectacular world unfolds in this first volume of John Norman's million-selling Gorean series. Tarnsman finds Tarl Cabot transported to Counter-Earth, better known as Gor. He must quickly accustom himself to the ways of this world, including the caste system which exalts some as Priest-Kings or Warriors, and debases others as slaves.
Tribesmen of Gor
Book 10 The Others were on the move! The Priest-Kings had received a message: "Surrender Gor." The date had been set for conquest or destruction. Tarl Cabot could no longer linger in Port Kar-now he must act on behalf of the Priest- Kings, on behalf of Gor, and on
behalf of Gor's teeming, unsuspecting, twin world known as Earth. Evidence pointed to the great wasteland of the Tahari, the desert known only to the clannish, militant tribes of
desert-wanderers. There must Cabot go. There among the feuds, along the trails of slavers, beyond the forbidding salt mines to a rendezvous with treachery, with a woman warlord, with a bandit chief, and with the monster intelligences from the worlds of steel.
Vagabonds of Gor
Book 24 As treachery and betrayal become the prime weapons in the war between Ar and Cos, Tarl Cabot is trapped in the siege of Ar's Station. And when Ar's Station falls to the warriors of Cos, it is only with the aid of the loyal Vosk League, that Tarl and other survivors make their escape from the defeated port. But with the forces of Cos now readying to continue on their devastating march of conquest, Tarl must go undercover as
a spy within the enemy camp, hoping to discover their plans and send word to Ar's army before it is too late... In Vagabonds of Gor, Tarl Cabot faces perhaps his greatest challenge of all, as he is caught up in the myriad dangers and intrigue of two mighty powers at war!