Gorean
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In the most general use of the word, Gorean means anything characteristic of the Gor science fiction novels by John Norman. In these novels, the word "Gorean" is used to refer to the fictional counter-earth, to its inhabitants and social customs, and to the particular language which is the most widely-spoken lingua franca in the known inhabited regions of Gor (though other languages are also spoken on the planet).
As applied to non-fictional individuals, the word Gorean means an adherent of the philosophies espoused in Norman's writings, especially someone who lives a lifestyle based on this philosophy. While the most conspicuous Gorean departure from mainstream modern norms is that Goreans allow and indeed promote sexual master/slave relationships, many who take the Gorean worldview seriously would insist that being Gorean is not necessarily about either sex or slavery, but about the general Gorean philosophy (so that one would not have to participate in a master/slave lifestyle or relationship in order to be Gorean). Some of this philosophy is concerned with "natural order" and the relations between men and women, which may or may not take the form of a master-and-slave dynamic. Where there is a master/slave relationship, the level at which adherents follow the books varies.
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[edit] Goreans and BDSM
There is commonality between BDSM and the Gorean lifestyle in a number of respects (see 24/7, Domination & submission, Servitude (BDSM), Slave (BDSM), Total Power Exchange etc.), but there are also overall differences in approach.
Some in BDSM consider the Gorean lifestyle to be a subset of BDSM practices, and find it lacking in that regard. So the mainstream of BDSM practitioners often disdain Goreans because Goreans allegedly reject the ideas of "safe, sane and consensual"/"risk-aware consensual kink", because of the frequent lack of a safe word between Gorean master and slave, or because the almost exclusive male dominant/female submissive dynamic seems to imply that "your kink is not OK" regarding other practices. A reading of the Gorean novels indicates that the author regards other practices, such as female dominance/male submission or homosexuality, as "perversions" of the "natural order".
Serious Goreans, on the other hand, generally deny that they are engaging in "games" or "role-playing", and do not consider the extreme pain or extreme physical or sexual play sometimes practiced in BDSM as part of being Gorean, so that BDSM precautions and BDSM distinctions between "in scene" and "out of scene" are largely unnecessary and irrelevant (though there is still a need for honest communication within a Gorean relationship, as in any other sustained intimate relationship). They do not consider most of what they do to be BDSM, and do not judge themselves according to BDSM standards.
A person living the Gorean lifestyle states that "...BDSM and it's practitioners do as they do in order to fulfil a sexual need or 'kink' in themselves. They are different from Goreans and the lifestyle in that to be Gorean does not just encompass the sexual side of a person but everything else as well. Goreans live by and enforce 'codes of honour' and live by these codes.
Some Goreans do practice BDSM (even though BDSM is not Gorean in itself). These Goreans may or may not use a safeword when involved in BDSM scene play; however, if they do not, then some sort of communication is usually practiced.
Note that Norman's non-fictional sex manual Imaginative Sex presents a series of elaborate fantasy scenarios to be acted out (rather than advocating for a real-world "24/7" lifestyle), and recommends that symbolic substitutes (such as the sound of claps) should be used instead of actual physical chastisements (such as whippings). Most of the scenarios are maledom / femsub, but a few portray men as the slaves of women, and anticipate the eroticised first-person male slave narratives of some of the Gorean novels.
[edit] The Gorean self-identity
The Gorean identity is founded on home, job, and social order. The 'Three Pillars' of Gorean society are described as "Homestone, Caste System, and Slavery"[citation needed], but they deserve a wider explanation.
The home is prime of importance to the Gorean, and this applies as much to the city-state of origin to the current residence or camp. 'A man's home in his castle' is translated in Gor to 'Every man is an Ubar within the circle of his sword.' (The Ubar is a war-leader, a General who takes power at a time of crisis, and whose rule is tantamount to tyrant until the crisis is resolved.) The Homestone is held sacred by every city and settlement, and is displayed under guard. Any praise or insult to a Homestone is taken personally by those who live in the city it symbolizes. The theft of a Homestone is the gravest crime, and paradoxically the most honorable enterprise, that any Warrior could undertake.
The Gorean's occupation is formed and informed by their caste. The Caste system establishes the Gorean identity as strongly as homeland. Because of the Gorean's work ethic and pride in caste, all castes are essentially equal. There is little social mobility because of this caste pride and identity; even the Peasant caste uphold their caste codes and firmly believe in their superiority to all other castes. But in actuality a few castes are more equal than the others. Those of High Caste, including Scribes, Warriors, Physicians, Builders and Initiates (holy men) have access to privileged education and opportunities to leadership. The social order is further consolidated by social edict: "A man who refuses to practice his livelihood or strives to alter status without consent of the Council of High Castes is by definition an outlaw." A Gorean regards the welfare of their caste higher than their own, but in return, the caste provides welfare and charity when a caste member is in need.
The third pillar, 'Slavery': [To be written. This deserves a breadth of treatment to describe, from biological predispositions to the cultural platform cultivated by the Priest-Kings, from the intimate dynamic between Master and Slave to the overall hierarchy and meritocracy of Gorean society, and correlations to be made to historical and contemporary Western culture.]
[edit] Symbols
Distinctive Gorean symbols include various artistic renditions of the "kef" symbol (Kef being the initial letter of kajira in the Gorean language), the floral "dina" mark, and to a lesser extent other brands mentioned in Norman's Gor books.
Some Goreans also use symbols not derived from Norman's books, most prominently the Chinese character for "slave" 奴 (Unicode U5974), which contains the character for "woman" 女 as its left half and an old character for "right hand" as its right half, and so can be given the interpretation "woman under master's hand".[1] (However, the main function of the "woman" character 女 here is technically as a "phonetic" element indicating pronunciation, and the composite character 奴 is not always female-referring.)
 One version of the Kef, the most common kajira brand on Gor |
 A rendering of the dina mark, sometimes called 'the slave flower' |
 Chinese character U5974 in an ancient form (top, showing kneeling woman and right hand) and one modern version (bottom) |
[edit] Goreans on the Internet
For years there has been an active fan base on the net, particularly on IRC channels. Many of the virtual Goreans have only online knowledge and have not actually read the books, which can be difficult to obtain, instead relying on potted summaries on web sites which are often inaccurate or which fail to properly convey the complexity of the original text.[citation needed] For this and other reasons, various idiosyncrasies have crept into the Gorean role-player subculture that are not supported in the original text, for example, the requirement that slaves always speak in the third person or the lower-casing of slaves' first names (a practice borrowed from online BDSM).
There are many Gorean email lists (mostly through Yahoo groups) and other online discussion forums whose contents range from pure role-player to Gor Lite to serious discussion between people living a Goreans lifestyle.
There is also a Gorean community in the online metaverse Second Life with their own land and groups.
[edit] Goreans in the novels
In the original novels, Goreans are simply those humans who live on the planet Gor. The back-story of the setting holds that various humans were transported from Earth to Gor in ancient times, a process which continues at a low volume in the present mostly in the form of Earth women taken to Gor as slaves.
In the books, although most slaves on Gor are female, most females are actually free women. The ratio has been presented as approximately 40 free women to one slave girl (though the various hints about Gorean demographics given in different Gor novels are not entirely consistent). Male slaves are less common than female, and are usually criminals, debtors or prisoners of war. Female slaves are called kajirae (singular: kajira) and male slaves are called kajiri (singular: kajirus) in the Gorean tongue.
[edit] Goreans in the news
On Thursday 18 May 2006, Lee Thompson, calling himself part of a group called Kaotians (whose web site referred to Goreans), was raided by police in Darlington, United Kingdom. The police had received complaints that a woman was being held against her will, but a spokesman said that the woman was a willing participant, and the police found no evidence of criminal activity. Described as a "sex slave cult" by the BBC, the group claimed to have 350 members across the North-East of England, though subsequent events have revealed that there are only two long-term male members of the group. The BBC article said that Lee Thompson claimed that there are 25,000 Goreans worldwide. Thompson also claims that Kaotians are not Gorean, but are better than Goreans. In an issue of Bizarre magazine, the self-proclaimed 'leader' of this group was portrayed as a possibly delusional self-aggrandizing individual whose only follower was a young adult male that he met over the internet. The stories of generations of Kaotians and powerful secret networks were given no proof and all available evidence points to the fact that it is the fantasy of one individual who is desperately seeking recognition.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Gorean Mind - A reference site containing extensive quotes from the book regarding all imaginable topics.
- House of Stroke - A site of Gorean information as well as Gorean humor, established in 1997.
- Guardian article about the 'Kaotian' sect, apparently 'an offshoot of the Goreans' in the North East of England - 19 May 2006.
- "Kajira Hill"'s account of living a Gorean lifestyle
- Dreamstrike A personal site with writings on Gorean philosophy in real life, a detailed description of the novels, and other information.
- Gorean Whispers One of the oldest and (perhaps) best Gorean web sites.
- Gor Australia Australian Gorean Community
- Gorean Woman Forum for women identifying with the Gorean philosophy and ethos.
- Gorean Connections Website for people in the Gorean lifestyle.
- For further links, see the "External links" section of the Gor article.
