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Gor is full of ritual and symbolism. This page is intended to address some of the meaning(s) attached to Gorean practice. It is by no means an exhaustive listing, but will provide some insights into the depth of meanings found in Gor.
The Collar The collar, possibly the most symbolistic item of Gor, has four main purposes.
“What is the common purpose of a collar?” Kneeling
As with so many other aspects of Gor, even the kneeling of the kajir before the Master has meaning and significance. It is customary for a kneeling kajir to kneel a few feet back from the Master. The kneeling itself expresses the kajir's servitude and submission. The distance serves three primary purposes.
"It is customary in the kneeling position to remain back a few feet from the male. The kneeling position, itself, expresses the servitude of the slave, and her submission,. the distance serves three major purposes. It symbolizes in the distance, as well as in the differential in height, the social inferiority of the slave to the master. It puts the slave in a position where all of her, for the master's delight, can be seen, A kneeling woman is incredibly beautiful. It also puts enough space between the slave and the free male so that the releasing of his rapacity is then likely to require a decision, and is less likely to be simply, reflexively, triggered. This is regarded as being particularly important when the slave is in the presence of a male who is not her master. The kneeling position, thus interestingly, can occasionally provide a measure of security, if somewhat tenuous one, for the slave, tending to reduce the some extent the frequency with which, in a culture with such interpersonal proximities, she might otherwise be subjected to unauthorized rape. This same tiny measure of protection, of course, puts her in much greater danger from her real master, for he, observant her, seeing her kneeling beautifully before him, can also delay in his considerations as to her suitable exploitation. How shall her use her? What shall he have her do, and so on. To be sure, sometimes he simply takes her and when he wants her and almost by reflexive whim. she is his. The main reason why a slave kneels, of course, aside from such subtle and complex considerations, is simply that she is a slave, and that that position, accordingly, is appropriate for her."The distance a slave places between themselves and the Free, also, may be symbolic of the needs the slave wishes to convey.
"The Gorean slave, girl, incidentally, will space herself from her master quite differently in different situations. For example, is she is somewhat farther away, it is easier for her to display herself in all her beauty; if she wishes to wheedle for his caress she may approach quite closely; if she is receiving instructions she may kneel a few feet away; is she is begging to serve his pleasure she may kneel at his feet, perhaps kissing them, and holding his ankles; obviously too, a girl who fears she is to be disciplined will commonly hang back; sometimes too, a girl will fear to approach too closely until the master, by an expression or small sign, indicates that she is not in obvious disfavor and may do so." Positioning of the Hands
Palms upward, or facing outwards, is indicative of submission, vulnerability, and surrender to the Master.
"I noted that the palm of her hands, so soft, so vulnerable, had turned on her thighs, so that they faced up. Among slave girls this is a common ways of signaling need, helplessness, a desire to please."Fingers spread wide apart is further indication of both vulnerability to the Master, and desire for him.
Eyes Downcast
Proper decorum and submission calls for the eyes to be downcast unless the head is positioned to indicate otherwise, or the Master has commanded otherwise. This is an ircGorean convention, in the books it is common for
slaves to gaze upon the Master's eyes unless the kajira is in trouble and seeking to demonstrate fully her submission. Normally, eye contact between a Master and a slave is acceptable and common, but it can be denied or forbidden to the slave as a punishment or discipline.
" Your head should be down between your arms," I said. She put her head down again. Again I saw a small movement in her body, a tremor subtle. She had put her head down before a man. Another consequence of this position is that the girl's eyes, in the specific act of serving, do no meet those of the master. They are lowered before his, as one who submits. (pg. 161) This is also reminiscent, in an experienced girl, of her training. Often, in training, a girl is not permitted to look into the eyes of the trainer, unless he should specifically extend this permission. Indeed, in some cities, the girl in training may not raise her eyes above the trainer's belt, unless, again, specifically accorded this permission. Belly-Crawling
Crawling on the belly is used for very specific reasons. The first of which is to placate a Master, if the Master is upset or the
slave has made a serious mistake.
"Hearing the question Feiqa cried out in fear and shuddered uncontrollably on her belly before the free woman. She then clutched her ankles and, putting her head down, began to cover her feet with desperate, placatory kisses. "Please forgive the animal!" cried Feiqa. "The animal begs your forgiveness! Please , Mistress! Please gracious, beautiful Mistress! Forgive Feiqa, please forgive Feiqa, who is only a slave!" I looked down a Feiqa. I think she now understood her collar better than before. I had, for her insolence and unconscionable behavior, literally placed her life in the hands of a free woman. She now understood this could be done." The second is to communicate need for the Master, the need to demonstrate submission and/or the need to communicate a sexual desire, depending on how it is done.
"I crawl to my Master on my belly," she said," and beg for his touch. I smiled. I, a guest in the tent, now stood to her, of course, as her Master. such girls come with the price of the lodging."
And last, crawling is used in the performance of certain forms of obeisance. Other than that, do not crawl about. A Gorean kajira is supposed to be proud, believe it or not. The kajira should be proud of her skill and talent, her capacity for love and devotion. Not of herself, but rather of the things she can bring to her Master, for her Master is her focus.
Restrictions
A restriction placed on a kajira can be for many reasons... punishment, training, but it is common for it to be done purely for selfish reasons.
Friends of her master will often bring their own girls with them, in visiting, and with these, after the men have been served, she may make friends, perhaps chatting in the kitchen. These girls may be exchanged among the men, but commonly the are not. Most masters are rather possessive of their slaves, particularly if they are fond of them.
"Please Master," she said "Take pity on me. Take pity on the miserable needs of a slave girl." "You are not mine " I told her, " You are a pretty little thing, but I do not own you." "Please," she said. "Your Master," I said, " if he chooses, will satisfy your needs. If he does not, he will not." For all I knew she might be under the discipline of deprivation. If that were so I had no wish to impair the effectiveness of her Masters control over her. Besides I did not know him. I did not wish to do him dishonor whoever he might be." Ear Piercing
Ear piercing used to be, for a slave, a degradation. It has become more common as time has passed, seen as a beautiful ornamentation of a girl in bondage. It does, however, make a statement of her bondage for all to see, as the ears are never covered. Thus, making it so she will not be free.
"I turned her head, from side to side. How exciting were the earrings, penetrating the soft flesh of her ear lobes. I looked at the tiny wires vanishing in the minute punctures and then emerging, looping the ears, as though in a slave bond, making them the mounting from which, thus fastened upon her, but my will, dangled two golden rings, barbaric ornaments enhancing the beauty of the slave. I smiled to myself. On Earth I had thought little of earrings. Yet now, in the Gorean setting, how exquisite and exciting they suddenly seemed. Perhaps then, for the first time, I truly began to sense how the Gorean views such things. Surely these things are symbolic as well as beautiful. The girl's lovely ears have been literally pierced; the penetrability of her sweet flesh is thus brazenly advertised upon her very body, a proclamation of her ready vulnerability, in incitement to male rapine. And when she wears the earrings, he can see the metal disappearing in the softness of her ear, literally fixed within it. Her flesh is doubly penetrated, her softness about the intruding metal, before his eyes. The wire loop, too, or rod, when it emerges from the ear and, by one device or another, fastens the ring upon her, may suggest her bondage. Too, if the ring itself is closed, perhaps it suggests her susceptibility to the locked shackle, say, a wrist ring or slave bracelet, would there not, in the two rings, be one, so to speak, for each wrist? It is little wonder that Gorean free women never pierce their ears, it is little wonder that, in the beginning, it was uncommon on Gor for almost any pleasure slave to have her ears pierced; the custom of piercing the ears of a slave has now become relatively widespread; it has been done in Turia, of course, for generations. Too, of course, the ring is an obvious ornament. The girl placed in it has thus been ornamented. Ornamentation is not inappropriate in a slave. Lastly, the ring is beautiful. Thus it makes the slave more beautiful."
It was interesting to me that the girls so objected to the piercing of their ears. What fools they were. I had never had my ears pierced on Earth, of course, but I had contemplated having it done. I might have had it done, if I had remained on Earth. Surely a great many of the girls and women I knew on Earth had had their ears pierced. How else would one wear the finest earrings?
The piercing of the ears of women, only of slave girls of course, was a custom of distant Turia, famed for its wealth and its nine great gates. It lay on the southern plains of Gor, far below the equator, the hubn of an intricate pattern of trade routes. Some two or three years ago it had fallen to barbarians, nomadic warriors, and many of its citizens, in the flight from the city, had escaped north. With them had come certain articles, techniques and customs. One could tell a Turian because he insisted on celebrating the New Year at the summer solstice, for instance. They also used very sweet syrupy wines, which were now, in many cities, available. The Turian collar, too, a looser ring of steel, large enough for a man's fist to grasp on the girl's throat, was occasionally seen now in the northern cities. The piercing of ears of slave girls, that they might have earrings fastened to them, was another Turian custom. It had been known on Gor before, but it was only with the flight of the escaping Turians that it became more widespread recently.
"How can I ever hope to become a Free Companion," she wept. "What man would want a woman with the pierced ears of a slave girl? And if I were not veiled, anyone might look upon me, and laugh, and scorn me, seeing that my ears had been pierced, as those of a slave girl!" Hand feeding and gifts
In some parts of Gor, the hand-feeding of a kajira is the ritual of taking ownership of that
kajira. By feeding from the Master's hand, he has offered to sustain and care for the
kajira, by eating from the Master's hand, the kajira has accepted this. This is primarily a Tuchuk custom.
"The ceremonial taking of food from the hand of the man, as it had been done this evening in the camp, would prove to be somewhat unusual, though it would be reasonably common to be handfed, when it amused him, or thrown scraps of food. among many men, it might be mentioned, however, the monthly anniversary of a girl's acquisition as a slave would be marked by this, and similar ceremonies. A slave girl is a delight to a man; she is extremely prized and precious; that the day of her acquisition should be celebrated each month with special ceremonies and rites is not surprising. These numerous anniversaries are deliciously celebrated, as they may be with a girl who is only a slave, and seldom forgotten; should such an anniversary be forgotten, should it be such that it is commonly celebrated, the girl redoubles her efforts to please, fearing she is to be soon sold."
"Some of this food I gave to the blond who, at that time, was still blindfolded. I thrust it, some bread and fruit, in her mouth, while she knelt in the position of the pleasure slave. This is something done with a girl in her first feeding, or feedings, and may, upon occasion be repeated. She is fed as an animal, and from the hand of the master, and while in the position of the pleasure slave. This helps to reinforce the centrality of her condition upon her. This helps her to understand what she is."
Gifts will sometimes be given to a kajira. A slave may not own anything of their own, it is they who are owned, by the Master. Thus, if a kajira is given a gift, that gift is actually being given to the Master, who may or may not choose to allow the kajira to hold it for him. Understand this distinction clearly. In most cases, you are not permitted to make the decision to accept a gift, that is your Master's decision, or the Master of the Home Stone, if you wear the Home Home Stone collar.
"`In the eyes of Gorean law you are an animal. You have no name in your own right. You may be collared and leashed. You may be bought and sold, whipped, treated as the master pleases, disposed of as he sees fit. You have no rights whatsoever. Legally you have no more status than a tarsk or vulo. Legally, literally, you are an animal." Ways to Communicate Need to a Master
Gor is rich with metaphor and symbology and ritual, some of which may be utilized as shown below to tell a Master of your sexual needs, without being unduly blatant about it.
1) Talenders in the hair, or given to him
"The talender, fixed in her hair, is a slave girl's wordless confession, which, commonly, she dares not speak, that she cares for her Master."2) Tie a loose knot in the hair on the right side, let it hang over the cheek
"On Gor, the female slave, desiring her master, yet sometimes fearing to speak to him, frightened that she may be struck, has recourse upon occasion to certain devices, the meaning of which is generally established and culturally well understood. I shall mention two such devices. There is, first, the bondage knot. The bondage knot is a simple looped knot tied into the girl's hair and worn at the side of her right cheek or before her right shoulder. The girl approaches the master naked and kneels, the bondage knot soft, curled, fallen at the side of her right cheek or before her right shoulder."3) Kneeling nadu, eros (as the pleasure slave) 4) Body touching 5) Palms up, facing him
"She knelt in the position of the Pleasure Slave but her hands on her thighs had unconsciously, pleadingly, turned their palms to me, and she no longer knelt quite back on her heels. It was as though she begged to be allowed to lift and open her arms and rise and come to my arms. But as I looked upon her sternly she turned her palms again to her thighs, knelt back on her heels and dropped her head, holding her eyes as if by force of will fixed on the plastic beneath my sandals."6) Offering fruit
"Another device, common in Port Kar, is for the girl to kneel before the master and put her head down and lift her arms, offering him fruit, usually a larma, or a yellow Gorean peach, ripe and fresh. These devices, incidentally, may be used even by a slave girl who hates her master but whose body, trained to love, cannot endure the absence of the masculine caress."7) Belly crawling
"I crawl to my Master on my belly," she said," and beg for his touch." I smiled. I, a guest in the tent, now stood to her, of course, as her Master. such girls come with the price of the lodging.8) Bringing bonds to Him
"A device such as that with the fresh fruit," she said, "is more appropriate to a free woman. We do have at our disposal, as slaves, however, a number and variety of begging signals, such things as groveling and moaning, and bringing bonds to him in our teeth, wherewith we may endeavor to call our needs to his attention."9) Moaning and groveling
"A device such as that with the fresh fruit," she said, "is more appropriate to a free woman. We do have at our disposal, as slaves, however, a number and variety of begging signals, such things as groveling and moaning, and bringing bonds to him in our teeth, wherewith we may endeavor to call our needs to his attention."A verbal method that can be used is to bring the wine, serve it, then beg him to take the Second Wine (herself).
"You are slave," he said. "Yes, Master," she said. He was teaching her* slavery. "Now," said he, "you will serve me the second wine." Elicia turned to me, frightened. She knew the second wine which was commanded of her. It was the wine of her slavery. Then she looked to Bosk, terrified. "I shall withdraw, Master," I said. "I do not know how to please a man, Master," said Elicia. I saw this did not please Bosk. "I do not know how, really, Master," she wept. "Forgive a slave, please!"And last, below is the ritual formula of a slave in need, it is appropriate in accordance with the books themselves. Ritual formula of a slave in need - "I acknowledge unequivocally and without reservation that I have sexual needs. Similarly, I inform you that I want them satisfied. I beg you, Master, to satisfy them." ((still looking for a quote for this)) Symbolism When Serving When the vessel is placed before your belly this displays your recognition and acceptance of your nature as kajira, the belly is the wellspring of your slavery. "Now take the goblet,’ he said, ‘and hold the metal against your body, pushing inward.’ I took the goblet held it, tightly, to my body. I held the round, heavy metal against me, below my brassier. ‘Lower,’ he said, ‘ against your belly.’ I then held the goblet lower. ‘Press it more inward,’ he said. I did so. I can still feel the cold metal against me, firmly, partly against the silk of my undergarment, partly against my belly. ‘Now,’ said he, ‘lift the goblet to your lips and kiss it lingeringly, then proffer it to me, arms extended, head down.’"
When the vessel is pressed to your lips this is a sign of obeisance (respect) to the Master/Mistress. Kissing the side of the vessel as something tender and loving that you leave that your Master/Mistress fingers may touch a further sign of your devotion, love and needs.
I realizes then that I had, in my confusion and distress, forgotten to place my lips upon the goblet in subservience. I quickly pressed my lips to the goblet, kissing it. Then, suddenly, as I was to hand it to him, I boldly, again, lifted the goblet’s side to my lips. Holding it in both hands, I kissed it again, lovingly, delicately, fully, lingering, my eyes closed. I had never kissed a boy on Earth with the helplessness and passion that I bestowed upon the mere goblet of my Gorean captor. I belonged to him. I was his. I loved him!
**This page is an enhancement of a page written by jamila of Port Cos** done by
kadri{Tar}
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