All cultures of Gor practice chattel slavery. That is, human beings can, when enslaved, become the personal property of another human being, with no rights and privileges whatsoever. It is fundamental to Gorean law that a slave is the absolute property of her owner, who may torture her, kill her, starve her, or feed her to sleen, as he wishes, free of any sort of interference. However, in practice, this does not happen. In all the Chronicles we come across exactly one instance of physical torture of a slave (who is being interrogated for legal purposes), and none at all of a slave being killed purposefully by a man. This is not just the author saying one thing and doing another: there are two fundamental reasons why slaves are in little danger of such occurrences on Gor.

The Rarity of Sexual Psychosis and Sadism on Gor

The enslavement of women is not fundamental to Gorean philosophy, but rather is a logical consequence of it. Goreans believe in the order of Nature, and that in the case of human beings, that the natural order is that men are dominant and women are submissive. Therefore, women should be submissive and men should be dominant, as anything else is counter to the basic tenet of Gorean Philosophy: Self-Honesty.

Note that this does not mean that Goreans think that men are superior to women. Dominance does not imply superiority. Women can and do wield great power on Gor, and may join any Caste save that of the Warriors or Initiates. (Women may be born into the Warrior caste, or companioned to Warriors but do not practice at arms.) Free women are expected and encouraged to think for themselves and defend themselves against aggression, including would-be slavers. If a free woman managed to stab or poison a man who had abducted or attacked her, she would be praised for her courage. (Although it is considered dishonorable for men to use poison as a weapon, and Warriors and Assassins are forbidden to do so by their Caste Codes, since women are weaker, it is not taboo for them.)

Any man who wishes may have access to slaves on Gor, including full sexual use. There is no lack of sexual availability, no Puritanical or religious convictions against enjoying it, and men are not constantly surrounded by images of sexuality and then required to perform a great deal of work to have a chance to have access to a woman. Therefore, the conflicts that create sexual obsession, addiction and psychosis are absent on Gor. Sadism is extraordinarily rare. The concept of enjoying someone else’s suffering, save perhaps that of a criminal or enemy, simply does not apply to Goreans. Therefore, they have no reason to be cruel to slave girls. They can be and are very strict, but inflicting suffering for suffering’s sake simply does not happen.

The Irrationality of Damaging or Destroying Slaves

Slaves are valuable property. Even an untrained barbarian can be sold to a mill as a weaving girl, or to a farmer as field labor. If a man has a slave he does not want, he simply gives her away, or sells her for what he can get. There is no reason to kill her. Goreans tend to be very practical, and as discussed above they do not inflict pain just because they can. (Which is different from inflicting pain to show that they can, which is a valuable lesson for a slave girl to learn.) And while a man might impose a rigorous and detailed training program on a slave, especially if he is a slaver who wishes to make a profit on her, if he cannot get her to conform, he will rarely torture her. Instead, he will just get rid of her and try another girl.

It should be noted that while there are male slaves on Gor, that submissive men of the type common in a BDSM Scene are almost unheard of. Gor is a harsh and cruel world: men without dominant natures rarely get a chance to produce offspring. This has selected for dominant men. Beyond this, however, lies the Gorean belief that men, over millions of years of evolution, have been selected for dominance, and women for submission. Anything else, even if it is a societal norm (as in Western cultures on Earth) is a perversion of Nature and a lie. Since Goreans abhor dishonesty, they react very harshly to men who do not seek to exercise their dominance, or at least avoid outright submission. It cannot be overemphasized that a man who voluntarily consented to being enslaved of his own free will would be utterly repugnant to Goreans, free and slave, male and female alike, and while a woman might own him, she would mock and revile him, being disgusted by his nature.

The Nature of Gorean Slavery

The Gorean word for slave girl is "kajira," plural "kajirae." This does not indicate any specific sort of slave girl, simply a slave girl in general. Some people make a distinction between BDSM "slaves" and Gorean "kajirae," but this is incorrect. The word for an enslaved man is "kajirus," plural "kajiri." This term appears to come from a word in the language of the Wagon People, who speak of a slave as being "clad kajir" when they wear the traditional clothing of a slave in that culture. Another word for slave girl is "sa’fora," which means "daughter of the chain."

Slaves come in all varieties on Gor, from slaves who were once Scribes or Physicians, and still perform those sorts of services, to labor chains, made up of enslaved men who do heavy work such as roadbuilding, to personal slaves. Most slaves on Gor are women, although most women on Gor are not slaves. Except for special cases like the city of Tharna, or where a city has just fallen in war, the normal ratio is one in forty or fifty women enslaved.

Slave females are expected to use all of their abilities to please their masters. Since one of the most pleasurable things a man and woman can do together is have sex, slaves are used often for sexual purposes. On Gor, a woman subjected to sexual use as a slave is not permitted to hold back or inhibit herself in any way. Surprisingly to the Terran, but not to the Gorean, the slave female finds that she cannot help but respond deeply and powerfully to the use of a master: her biological tendency to submission, when allowed to manifest itself, rewards her with extraordinary pleasure in sexual use and sexual drives far beyond what the free woman can experience. Gorean slave girls have been known to break their own bones on the bars of their cages trying to touch a man when they have been secured for a long time.

Given the above, there is a rich tradition of formal and informal slave training techniques. A Pleasure Slave, a slave whose primary purpose is to give pleasure to men, will have been taught advanced sexual technique, of course, but that is just the beginning. She will also have been taught to prepare and serve exquisite foods, to arrange flowers, the care and maintenance of the household, how to dress, how to walk, how to speak, and how to hold intelligent conversations with men. Most Pleasure Slaves can play one or more musical instruments and know several formal dances. In effect, they are like Japanese Geisha or ancient Greek hetarai. Their education is quite rigorous and at great expense to their owner/trainer. Girls who don’t learn well and quickly are punished; girls who do learn their lessons well may be rewarded (with candies or pastries, or trips to see various events, and so forth).

The following is a discussion of the basics of the behavior of kajirae.

Dress

Kajirae are clad as their master decrees. Of course, the body must be protected from the elements: the kajirae of the Inuit wear heavy furs when outdoors just as free persons do. However, it is typical for a kajira to wear as close to nothing as she can reasonably wear so that her master may take pleasure in her beauty. Tower slaves, the slaves of women or slaves who are not typically expected to be physically appealing, still wear attractive clothes. (Tower slaves are similar to chatelaines, although she is by no means exempt from sexual usage.) And it is well known to Goreans that sometimes what a man cannot see is more interesting than what he can: if a style of dress which is more concealing makes a slave interesting or enticing, she may dress that way if the master permits.

In most cities, it is the law that a slave must wear some sort of token which she cannot remove. Typically this is a steel collar. In the North, the collar is usually a flat strap of iron around the neck, either hinged and locked, or hammered around the girl’s throat by a skilled Metal Worker. In the south, the round or Turian collar, consisting of a round rod bent into a circle and hinged and locked, is used. Bracelets and anklets of steel are also common. Belly chains may also be used, especially in the case of "lure girls" who can have no outward appearance of slavery.

Slaves on Gor are also typically branded. The most common brand is the Gorean letter "kef," which resembles a lower-case cursive "k." The brand is typically an inch to an inch and a half high, on the outer left thigh, although it might be almost anywhere and be almost anything. The brand is considered indelible proof of slavery and any woman who is branded, even if dressed in the Robes of Concealment, had best be prepared to prove that she is free or face immediate reduction to slavery and seizure by the State.

Even the strictest of lifestyle Goreans freely admit that the method of branding used in the Chronicles WOULD NOT WORK to produce a legible brand on human flesh and would in fact be extremely dangerous. Branding as described in the Chronicles should never be performed on a human being. Only a trained and experienced Iron Master should brand a human being.

On a side note, it is traditional for slaves who are not virgins, when held by slavers, to be clad in red silk. (Free women on Gor never wear silk: it is considered scandalous.) Virgins are clad in white silk. Therefore, it is common slang to speak of a woman who has been used by a man as a "red-silk" and a virgin as a "white-silk." It is also common for slaves in some taverns in some cities to wear yellow silk, and there is a certain connotation that yellow silk indicates a tavern slave in those places. However, a master may dress his slave as he pleases, and if she looks good in white, he may dress her in white, and if his Tower Slave looks good in yellow, he may dress her in yellow, and no one would think twice about it. There are no other fixed meanings for colors or styles of silk, although many cities have a standard livery for slaves of the State.

Behavior and Deportment

Kajirae always and at all times must maintain a pleasing and respectful demeanor. Unlike the Terran submissive, there are no safe words, no exceptions for non "scene" interactions. A kajira who is not pleasing will be disciplined in any way the master deems fit, from a harsh word to a severe beating.

Slaves kneel in the presence of the free. Slaves in the presence of free men kneel with their legs apart, hands palm up on their thighs, backs straight, heads up but eyes lowered. This is the position known as nadu or the position of the Pleasure Slave. Slaves in the presence of free women kneel the same way, but keep their knees together. This is sometimes referred to as the position of the Tower Slave. Free women on Gor also kneel, but they keep their legs tightly together and their hands palms down. Men on Gor typically sit cross-legged. Chairs are very rare on Gor, usually used only by men in a position of authority such as judges or Ubars, and are not thought to be very comfortable.

Slaves refer to all free men as "master" and all free women as "mistress." There are no exceptions. Slaves do not address the free by name without permission and even then usually only when specifically ordered to do so. This rule is much less universal than the former and some men like to hear their names on the lips of a slave girl. However, a wise slave girl addressing a free person she did not know would not use their name unless and until bidden, under any circumstances, lest she find too late that the free person in question did not care for it.

Discipline

Typcially, once a slave becomes accustomed to her lot, she requires little discipline – because Gorean men are not afraid to administer it. Traditionally the Gorean slave is disciplined with the five-bladed Gorean slave whip, a wide-bladed flogger. Although this can be used to administer great pain, it does not permanently injure or mark the slave, thereby decreasing her value. Although discipline is usually administered by the master, it is the right and privilege of any free person to discipline any slave for being displeasing, unless the owner’s wishes are made clear that the slave not be disciplined. This is actually thought to be very polite, as disciplining a displeasing slave increases the value of the slave for the owner.

Although Goreans do not administer suffering for suffering’s sake, it is common to occasionally discipline a slave girl simply to remind her that she is subject to discipline. She would be told this, of course, as the discipline was administered, or it would not have its desired effect, instead simply making the slave fearful of random punishments. This forceful reminder of the fact that she is owned sometimes arouses strong feelings of submission, and hence sexual desire, in slave girls. As one character puts it: "It is not the whip, which hurts, that arouses us. Rather, it is the knowledge that we are subject to the whip. We are owned. We are slave."

Sexual Usage

Slaves are subject to sexual usage at any time, in any way the master desires. Given the rarity of disease on Gor and the efficacy of Gorean contraception, this is often. Gorean slaves experience a fantastic blooming of their capacity, desire, and need for sex when they embrace their submissive natures. Gorean men, once exposed to slave sex, will not tolerate anything less from a slave, and require enthusiasm and responsiveness.

If a man does not have his own slave, typically he will go to a Paga tavern or similar establishment where liquor is served. The slaves who serve the liquor, usually a fiery liquid known as Paga which is brewed from grain and served hot, are available for the use of the customer when he buys a drink. To attract customers, tavern owners will have several attractive slaves, one or more of which is usually also a dancer, and a place for slave dance, with musicians and such. Dancers typically cost extra and are not included with the drinks. The taverns have small alcoves where a man can take a slave and use her before returning to the floor for more drink. In such Paga taverns, the price of the drink includes the use of a girl for the remainder of the evening, if the patron so desires.

If a man cannot afford even a Paga tavern, he can take his chances on the street. Slaves called Coin Girls, with locked strongboxes, walk in certain neighborhoods during certain times of the evening. To use one, the man deposits a tiny coin, which entitles him to one usage of the girl. Or he can simply try to find an unescorted slave girl walking the streets: unless she is wearing an iron (chastity) belt, or otherwise protected, a slave must submit to any man who orders her. Given the voracious sexual appetites of slave girls, it is not hard to find one who is temporarily available and slip her into an alley or doorway for a brief encounter. Detaining her overlong, however, is stealing, as her master is entitled to her use and availability.

It is very common to bind slave girls for various purposes, primarily to prevent their escape or theft. However, it is also common to use them while in bondage and any number of clever ties are in use to facilitate this. Being bound and helpless increases a slave girl’s feelings of submission and therefore makes her even more responsive to the touch of men.

Gorean men take great delight in pulling the maximum possible sexual response out of a slave girl. The logic is as follows:

1. Slaves have an innate desire to be pleasing and to submit.
2. If their attempts to be pleasing are rewarded with pleasure, they will then try even harder to be pleasing, so as to increase their positive rewards.
3. Therefore, the more pleasure a girl feels, the more pleasing she will try to be, and the greater the pleasure she will give to the master.

The more she feels herself mastered, the more she will be a slave. The more a slave she is, the more the man will desire to master her. The man and the woman are therefore directly reinforcing each other and accepting and encouraging their biological tendencies for the benefit of both.

Gorean slaves are expected to act in certain ways, some of which have roots in the books, some of which don't. These are conventions which have been adopted over time by both online and offline communities of Goreans. The major aspects of these are:

The use of third person speech.

Slaves occasionally speak in the third person in the Gor books. They do this to emphasize that they are not "persons:" they do not own themselves. They are property. They are, philosophically as well as literally, "things." Many "real life" slaves, when forced to speak in the third person, have a visible reaction to this forceful reminder of their status. Many find it cumbersome as a full-time thing, and do not insist on its use at all times. Girls who have to interact with non-Goreans are at a decided disadvantage switching back and forth because of the conflict in their speech patterns. Its use when decreed, or when the slave wishes to demonstrate her slavery, is sufficient. There is more to showing need than bellying and lifting one's hindquarters, and subtle signs are no less valid than overt ones.

Online, where one can and should think about everything one says, as most people don't type anything like as fast as they can talk, it is less stilting to the girl's speech, it slows her down less, and it serves as a visual reminder of her slavery when she is denied the thousand physical demonstrations (movement, tone of voice, expression) that a real-life slave girl may manifest. As it is harmless, and serves a worthwhile purpose, it is to be encouraged, although it should not be mandatory, as it requires a certain degree of literary ability to use it non-monotonously. While Goreans do insist that slave girls use their gifts to the fullest, it is not logical to hold them responsible for gifts they do not have.

The use of non-capitalized nicks/handles/etc. online

This, plain and simple, is an indicator. You can't see people online. You can't listen to their tones. You don't know if they're wearing a collar, silks, the tunic of a Rarius, you don't know anything of the thousand and one visual and audio cues that people normally give off which tell you about them. Now while it is true that men at times dressed slaves in the Robes to take them to song-dramas and such, by and large it was both customary and required by law that slaves be clearly visible as such. How can that be done online? By requiring slaves, and no one else, to lower-case references to themselves. Think of it as a "virtual" brand and/or collar, or bondage strings, or whatever is appropriate to the cultural milieu. The visible manifestation of slavery on Gor could be something as subtle as how a woman wore her hair, or something as overt as a black iron collar hammered onto her throat. Online, it is the lower-case reference. (And to some extent the use of third-person speech. See above.) Some slaves online will also "collar," or put into brackets, the capitallized initial of her master’s name (or the name he uses). Curly braces {} or squared [ ] are of no real difference, although some slaves have suggested that {D} signifies a "virtual" relationship and [D] signifies a real-time (rt) one.

If the slave has some valid reason for concealing her slavery, then this does not apply. But if the slave is online, and wishes to act as a slave, then she will act as is held appropriate in the Gorean cultural milieu, which is that she will lower-case references to yourself and she will probably speak in the third person.

These are the rules for slave girls. After each rule is derivation for use in the "real" world.

1. Because most people on this world do not understand that women should be slaves, and men should love them and master them, slaves may act as though they were free women when people who do not understand this are about. However, commands must always be obeyed and slaves must always defer to a Master, no matter the circumstance. The only honor a slave girl has is serving an honorable Master who knows what is best for her.
   Derivation: This is fundamental to the idea of the slave as someone who is owned. I have no desire to inflict my own beliefs on others, nor to cause them distress by making them see things which disturb them. Nor is there any point to having my slaves behave in an unusual manner when others are about. Even in the Chronicles, when a man wished to take his slave to a public event, he would dress her in the Robes as a recognition of the nature of the event. But I mean to be obeyed, and I will be obeyed, and I do not care who is watching. They know I do not enjoy humiliating people for no reason: that is enough to have made it appealing for them to submit to me. Now that they have done so, their choices are over.
2. The paramount duty of a slave to her master is honesty. If she is tied in such a way as to cause physical pain he might not anticipate, she should say so. If she does not understand why something is being done to her, she should say so. If she is feeling uncertain about an aspect of her slavery, she should say so. A respectful question or observation will never bring punishment. Slaves should constantly inform their Masters of their thoughts and feelings, which belong to their Masters no less than their lovely necks and are treasured just as much.
   Derivation: Pure logic. If I want them to hurt, hurt they will. If I don’t, and they are hurting, something is wrong. It is not rational to damage one’s own property. And it is very rational to work with slave girls to deepen their slavery and make them desire to be more pleasing. They cannot do that if they are uncertain.
3. If a slave behaves and obeys well, she should be proud. There is nothing pleasing about cringing like a dog, fearing the Master's least word or glance. Slaves who are well disciplined are vital, intelligent, and bright of eye, quick to answer and quick to take pride in their service, and these things are pleasing. A slave may offer an opinion when asked, may speak and ask questions unless bidden to be silent, and may respectfully correct her Master when He is mistaken.
   Derivation: This is a combination of logic and personal preference. While a certain amount of deference is due to the idea of the master, as opposed to the fallible human being, I like lively conversation and a slave who is not afraid to contribute to it. And there is nothing shameful about being a slave if that is what one is: what is important then is to be the best slave one can be. If I make a mistake, then I do, and it is no threat to my mastery to have a slave tell me so.
4. Slave girls must always remember that they are valuable property. They must at all times take good care of themselves medically, physically, and mentally. They must never, ever provoke confrontations in unknown environments or endanger themselves unnecessarily. If anything threatens their well-being, in whatever aspect, they are to tell their Master about it at once.
   Derivation: Again, simple logic. I wish my property to have the maximum value to me. Otherwise, why have it.
5. Slave girls are owned utterly by their Master, down to the last strand of hair on their heads. If He chooses to use them, they must show their appreciation and give all their passion in exchange for the smallest touch. A slave may never resist a Master's advances, or anything else He chooses to do to her. She may inform Him if she is unwell, or if there is some other reason His desires might best be temporarily delayed, but the final decision is for Him alone.
   Derivation:While this might seem obvious, it pleases me to state it very straightforwardly. One of the consequences of submission is that one loses all other choices. The choice of whether to engage in sexual activities is the most private and intimate of choices. Making it clear that they have lost it gives depth to the magnitude of what they have done, and what they are subject to.
6. Slave girls sometimes disobey or are insolent and must be punished. This, of course, is the Master's privilege and his duty, for if a slave is not corrected, she will not improve. Slave girls are punished if, when, and as their Master pleases. When He desires to punish a slave, He will tell her why she is to be punished and how. If instructed to bring a lash or paddle, she must do so quickly and obediently. Her hands must never touch it, or any weapon, so she must bring it in her teeth, and when she reaches Him she must be on her hands and knees. He will then inform her which position to take, and she must obey instantly.
   Derivation: This is taken in part from the Chronicles. I wish it to be very clear to her that while I have no particular desire to punish her, I do not have any reservations about it, either, and that I consider pain a perfectly valid disciplinary tool.
7. A Master will punish His slave in any way He sees fit, naturally. She may be bound to remind her of their helplessness before Him, or she may be ordered to hold a position to teach her to obey. When a slave knows she is being punished, she must obey instantly and without thought or question, unless she does not understand what she is to do.
   Derivation: Not all punishments are physical, nor are they all obvious in their method or design. What is required from the girl is obedience. Making her understand how and why she is being punished is my responsibility. If I do not make it clear, she will not improve, but that is my problem, not hers.

Specific duties and "standing orders" for slaves include:

1. Slave girls must never speak the name of a Master unbidden, unless this would appear unseemly when others are about. The only time it should ever be spoken above a whisper is to call for immediate assistance with some urgent matter.
   Derivation: The name is the most intimate and valuable possession a person possesses. A slave shall not be allowed to use it as pleases her. If the free person in question does not mind, all is well. She is using their possessions just as she might use her master's plates to serve dinner on. If she misuses the plates, she will be punished - and if she misuses a person's name, likewise. But unless and until the slave is told by a free person, "You may use my name," she should assume that they would consider this unacceptable.
2. A slave girl must remember that she is property, and should not try not to refer to herself as "I," "me," or to objects as "my" or "mine." They instead should say "this girl," "your slave," and similar phrases.
   Derivation: Slaves occasionally speak in the third person in the Gor books. They do this to emphasize that they are not "persons:" they do not own themselves. They are property. They are, philosophically as well as literally, "things." Many "real life" slaves, when forced to speak in the third person, have a visible reaction to this forceful reminder of their status. Many find it cumbersome as a full-time thing, and do not insist on its use at all times. Girls who have to interact with non-Goreans are at a decided disadvantage switching back and forth because of the conflict in their speech patterns. Its use when decreed, or when the slave wishes to demonstrate her slavery, is sufficient. There is more to showing need than bellying and lifting one's hindquarters, and subtle signs are no less valid than overt ones.
3. I prefer to be addressed as "Master" or "my Master" or "Sir" by a slave. A slave girl who wishes to indicate me in particular when other masters are about should refer to me as "Sir."
   Derivation:They have to call me something. This is what I prefer.
4. My slave shall shave under her arms, her legs, and her pubic area. This is to be done not less than twice a week unless some physical reason for delaying it exists, and then only with permission. They are also, of course, to be clean and washed at all times
   Derivation:I prefer this. I do not prefer it because I like them to look young, but because I like the way it feels. However, this is irrelevant: this is what I want, this is what they will do.
5. My slave is allowed to speak to others without prior permission, even other Masters, so long as she is respectful. However, she shall always identify herself as my slave immediately upon beginning any conversation in a setting where this is appropriate.
   Derivation: They are bright and intelligent women and I do not feel threatened by their existence outside of my personal purview. However, they are to make it very clear that they are the property of another.
6. My slave, when approaching me and I am sitting or standing still, is required to kneel in the position known as "nadu:" sitting on heels, legs open, hands on thighs, unless for social reasons this would be inappropriate. After I see her do this, she may then sit comfortably at my feet unless I tell her otherwise. She is not to sit on chairs or furniture in my presence without permission unless in a mundane social situation.
   Derivation: This is taken from the Chronicles and I find it a very appealing position to look at a slave in. However, it’s very uncomfortable to kneel like that if you haven’t grown up doing it and I see no reason to make her walk around as if crippled from kneeling too long. The restriction against furniture reminds her of the difference in our positions.
7. My slave may come and go as she pleases unless she has been ordered otherwise. The only exception to this is as follows: If I have specifically summoned a girl for any reason, she is not to leave my presence without being dismissed, either explicitly or implicitly, as when she is told to go and do something. Slaves may ask to be dismissed, but they are to give a reason for the request.
   Derivation: Again, I do not need or want mindless fawning servitude. They are permitted to have other interests and do as they like so long as it does not conflict with pleasing me.

 

NOTE: This write-up, in its basic form, was sent to me by an unknown source. I really liked it, and so use it here, with editing to suit my needs, but would like to credit the author. If this is you, Contact Me to be acknowledged.