Please choose from the letters above.
AGAL (noun): length of cord which is used to bind the kaffiyeh to the head of the wearer, usually several loops secure it. The kaffiyeh is the head covering of the tribesmen of the Tahari, a folded, squarish cloth.
AH-IL (noun): a unit of measure, the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, c. 18"; analogous to the Earth cubit; 10 ah-il equal one ah-ra
AHN (noun): the Gorean hour, of which there are 20 in a Gorean day; it consists of 40 ehn (minutes
AH-RAL (noun): a unit of measure equaling 10 ah-il, or approx. 180"
ALARS (noun): a nomadic wandering herdspeople well known for their skill with the axe and the Alar sword, they travel in wagons in the northern plains, but tend to camp near settlements, unlike the southern wagon people. Their Free women do not wear veils, rather simple, corded, belted, woolen, plain, widely sleeved, ankle-length dresses, tied snugly . There are few slaves in the Alar camps because they are killed by Free women. The Alars tend to be fair in complexion, blonde-haired and blue-eyed.
ALE (noun): served in tankards or horns, it is one of the two favored drinks of the Torvaldslanders, the other being mead
AL-KA (noun): first letter of the Gorean alphabet; corresponds to the Earth letter 'A
ALL COMRADES (noun):a warrior society of the Kaiila tribe of Red Savages; aka the Fighting Hearts
ALPHABET, GOREAN (noun): composed of 28 characters derived from the various alphabets of Earth, such as Greek, Roman, oriental or Cretan influences, among others.
ALTRON (noun) : a letter of the Gorean alphabet
AMOMONA (noun): Kaiila or Dust Leg word meaning baby or doll
AMPHORA (noun): two handled, narrow necked vessel with a narrow, pointed base it is commonly buried overnight in the earth in a storage hole with only it's neck left above the surface; to cool certain beverages
ANANGO (noun): an exchange island, a free port administered by members of the Merchant Caste, located very far south of the equator, almost beyond the ken of most Goreans, close to the shore of Thassa. The jungles of its interior serve as the setting for many fanciful stories of strange races, mysterious plants and fabulous animals. The "magicians of Anango" are well known everywhere except on Anango. They speak Gorean.
ANKLE RACK (noun): device used to lock a girl's ankles in wooden stockage. Girls who have been repeated runaways may be held in place to have their tendons cut or feet amputated.
ANKLET, identificatory (noun): temporary metal anklet fastened about a captured Earth girl's ankle for transportation to Gor; used in place of a collar
ANTEATER (noun): more than six varieties inhabit the rainforests of Schendi. The great spined anteater grows to 20 ft in length and feeds on white ants or termites breaking apart their towering nests of toughened clay with mighty claws then darting it's 4 foot saliva coated tongue, drawing thousands into it's narrow tubelike mouth.
ANT, MARCHER (noun): known in the jungles of Schendi as 'The Marchers' are these aggressive carnivorous insects. Each is about 2 inches long, with a shiny black exoskeleton and two antennae. Their name is derived from their, apparently seasonal, marches through the jungle in a single column, yards wide and pasangs in length. They may number in the millions, their path's widening to as much as 500 feet when they overtake, swarm over, and devour all flesh, living or dead, in their path. Their bite is extremely painful, but not poisonous. Their victims die from being weakened from relentless attack, being overcome until they are still.
APPLAUSE (noun): as on Earth, a sign of approval; on Gor, however, it is performed by striking the right hand against the left shoulder
APPLELIKE LARMA (noun): single-seeded applelike fruit; a variation of the succulent juicy larma with a single seed; commonly called pit fruit.
APRICOT (noun): apparently identical to the apricot of Earth; references exist of the fruit being sold in marketplaces of the Tahari.
AR (noun): a letter of the Gorean alphabet
AR, CITY OF (noun): the largest, most populous, and most luxurious city of Gor. A city of lofty cylinders, spires, towers, lights, and high bridges lit by lanterns connecting many of the towers. Surrounded by great walls, it's great Gate opens onto the Viktel Aria and there are forty other gates as well.
ARANI (noun): a minor tribe of the Tahari; they are a vassal tribe of the Aretai
ARCHON OF RECORDS (noun): a magistrate who is a records officer for a stated district or city.
ARTIC GANT EGGS (noun): eggs of the migratory Arctic gant; when frozen, they are eaten like apples.
ARETAI (noun): a major tribe of the Tahari; their vassal tribes are the Arani, Luraz, Raviri, Tajuks, Tashid, Ti, and Zevar; their war-cry is 'Aretai Victorious!"
ARGENTUM (noun) : a city which is an ally of Ar and an enemy of Corcyrus and Cos; it is very southwest of Ar. Cladius is Ubar of Argentum. The city claims ownership of nearby silver mines that might be as rich as those of Tharna.
ARGENTUM ROAD (noun): road goes from Argentum east to the Viktel Aria, which then leads south to Ar.
ARIA (adjective): of Ar
ARMORED GATCH (noun): a marsupial mammal which inhabits the rain forests inland of Schendi
ARROW, FLIGHT (noun): about forty inches in length, it is metal piled and fletched with three half-feathers from the wings of the Vosk gulls. This and the sheaf arrow is used with the gorean long bow.
ARROW, HUNTING (noun): an arrow with a long tapering point fastened firmly to the shaft to assist in easy removal from prey.
ARROW, SHEAF (noun): slightly over a yard long, metal piled and fletched with three half-feathers made from the wings of the Vosk Gulls. This, and the flight arrow, is used with the gorean long bow.
ARROW, TORVALDSLAND WAR (noun): dark and more than a yard long, it's shaft is an inch thick. It is piled with iron and barbed. It's feathers of the black-tipped coasting gull are five inches long, set in the shaft on three sides. The arrows are carried in a cylindrical quiver.
ARROW, WAR (noun): the head of this arrow has an angled, wider base that is not as securely connected to the shaft; if the shaft is pulled to attempt removal, the head is more likely to break off and remain in the wound. Used by the Red Savages.
AR'S STATION (noun): an outpost of the Ubarate of Ar and trading station on the south bank of the Vosk, founded four years after Pa-Kur's hordes gathered there, prior to their war against Ar. Ar's station was Ar's stronghold on the Vosk. When Cos landed at Brundisium, and moved it's forces toward Ar's Station, Ar failed to act because of political treachery. Ar's Station eventually fell to Cos. It stands at the northern terminus of the Viktel Aria which leads to Ar, also known as the Vosk Road.
ARTHROPOD (noun): a creature found in the tunnels of the Nest of the Priest-Kings. It is 8 feet long and a yard high with a multi-segmented body and 8 legs. It's eyes are on long stalks.
ASKARI (noun): an inland word which may be translated roughly as 'soldier' or 'guardsman' (Schendi)
ASKARI HODARI (noun): a salute to the honor of another warrior; in Ushindi it means 'Brave Warrior' or simply 'Warrior'.
ASPERICHE (noun): an exchange island, a free port administered by members of the Merchant Caste, located south of Teletus and Tabor.
ASSASSINS, CASTE OF (noun): the caste of those who kill for pay; exists only in Ar; their caste color is black
AULUS (noun): Gorean word for flute.
AXE GLACIER (noun): Glacier northeast of Torvaldsland, farthest north, in the valley of Hrimgar Mts.,between two mountains of stone.
AXE, GREAT (Torvaldsland) (noun): described as a great, curved, single bladed axe of hardened iron with a blunt hammer-like head, it is carried in a leather loop hung from a broad leather belt worn from the left shoulder to the right hip. It is fastened there by a hook, that the weight of the ax will not turn the belt, which fits into a ring in the master belt.
AXE, KURII (noun): great, double-bladed iron axe some seven or eight feet in height. The blade, from tip to tip is two feet in width. The handle is made of carved, green needle wood, round and four inches in diameter.
BAKAHS (noun): a minor tribe of the Tahari; they are a vassal tribe of the Kavars
BALEEN WHALE BONE (noun): whale bone from the Baleen Whale used to fashion instruments and weapons by the Red Hunters.
BALL AND BAT (noun): A game, similar to Earth's 'keep-away' consisting of two 2-man teams. It is played with a wooden bat and wooden ball.
BANA (noun): jewelry, of precious metals and stones, worn by free persons
BAR (noun): struck in a certain pattern by an iron hammer. When heard, it signifies the divisions of the day in certain houses. May also serve as an alarm.
BARA (command; lit. 'belly'?): at this command, a slave girl will lie on her stomach, with her wrists crossed behind her back, ready for binding, and with her ankles crossed, ready for binding
BARBARIAN (noun): a native of the planet Earth; usually used in a derogatory sense in reference to slave girls from that planet
BARGEMEN, CARTIUS (noun): interrelated clans of fathers and sons, claiming Caste for themselves, who operate the barges that cross the Cartius River. The barges are constructed of layered timbers of Ka-la-na wood and are towed by teams of river tharlarion. Their passengers are bound for Turia.
BARK CLOTH (noun): the inner bark of the pod tree dyed scarlet and plaited and pounded into a cloth akin to burlap but softer; it has a variety of uses including a rough wrap around the hips of a slave constituting her only clothing in some instances.
BARRENS, THE (noun): a vast tracts of rolling grasslands, lying east of the Thentis Mountains. They are not as barren as the name suggests, but perhaps the nomenclature is intended to discourage their penetration. Not as arable as the rest of Gor because of the presence of the Thentis mountains and the absence of large bodies of water. They have extreme seasonal temperatures; bitterly cold winters and long, hot, dry summers. Their climate can also include booming thunderstorms and tornadoes and blizzards in which snow can drift as high as the mast of a light galley. The grasses, shorter at it's western edge, can reach a height of several feet as one moves further east. No white man has ever penetrated to the eastern edge of the Barrens.
BASTINADO (noun): a punishment not otherwise described, however the earth translation is a beating, especially with a stick or cudgel. The beating may be specifically to the soles of the feet.
BA-TA (noun): second letter of the Gorean alphabet; corresponds to the Earth letter 'B'
BATTLES OF OXEN (noun): a gladiator type competition popular in Tharna; men are yoked with horns fitted to them; they battle each other in an arena, one trying to gore or maim the other.
BAZI (noun): a free coastal port which make commerce possible with Cos and Tyros and the land based cities. The people are brown skinned.
BAZI PLAGUE (noun): a deadly, rapidly- spreading disease with no known cure; its symptoms include pustules which appear all over the body, and a yellowing of the whites of the eyes
BAZI TEA (noun): an herbal beverage served hot and heavily sugared; traditionally drunk 3 tiny cups at a time, in rapid succession
BEADS ON A CHAIN (noun): a reference to free women chained in a coffle, it is an oblique reference to 'slaver's necklace'. Slaves on such a necklace are referred to as 'jewels', whereas a free women is merely a 'bead'.
BEAST (noun): a Kuriian military formation consisting of two Hands (six Kur) and two Eyes (leader of a Hand), is called a Beast or Kur. It's military leader is called a Blood.
BEER, RENCE (noun): steeped and fermented from the pith and crushed seeds of the rence plant, it is a drink of the rence growers of the Delta of the Vosk.
BEHEADING (noun): this ancient form of execution is seen as an option when the offender is of the same Home Stone; it consists of stripping, beating and beheading the offender and is considered a merciful death.
BELLY CHAIN (noun): a chain that fits around a girl's waist and cannot be removed because of a girl's wide hips. There is a heavy padlock at the girl's back. In the front of the chain is a heavy medallion-like metal disk with kef on it.
BELLY, POSITION (noun): a form of obeisance position with a girl on her belly and her head to boot or floor, palms pressed flat to floor; variations can include kissing the Master's boot.
BELOW-DECK GIRL (noun): the term used for slave girls transported in the hold of a ship. They are held in individual cages and because of infestations of lice, all of their body hair is shaved. The term 'below-deck girl' is used derisively especially by those slave girls allowed to remain on deck in cages, who need not have shaved heads, though all slaves on a slaver ship are unclothed.
BESNIT (noun): a small city within a hundred pasangs of Esalinus and Harfax. It is an ally of Harfax. Besnit does not upkeep its roads in order to isolate itself. It is next to impossible to reach the city in the spring due to the rains.
BINA (noun)lit. 'slave beads'): slave jewelry, usually consisting of plain metals, colored string, wooden or cheap glass beads; sometimes used as a slave name
BINDING FIBRE (noun): stout twine made of strips of leather or of a fiber like hemp; a piece long enough to circle a slave girl's waist 2-3 times is often used as a belt for her slave tunic
BINDING STRAP (noun): a strap 3/4" wide and 18" long commonly used for binding the wrists and/or ankles of prisoners and slaves
BINT (noun): small carnivorous freshwater fish which inhabits the rivers of the rain forests inland of Schendi; a large school of bints can strip a carcass in minutes; similar to the piranha of Earth
BISCUITS (noun): a dried pressed biscuits described as baked in Kailiauk from Sa-Tarna flour.
BLACK WINE (noun): coffee; traditionally served with white and yellow sugars and powdered bosk milk, and in tiny cups, the beans originally coming from Earth, now grown in Thentis.
BLANKET POSITION (command): This not a true command but is still an action the slave should remember. If something is thrown over her head she must remain silent and motionless until freed from it.
BLINDFOLD, GOREAN (noun): consists of two rounded pieces of soft felt, three to four inches in diameter, and the binding which is several turns of a dark thick, folded cloth, tied behind the head. The rounded pieces fit over the eyes, held in place by the scarf or tie. It is not normally used in transportation, the slave hood being preferred in those instances.
BLOCK MELODIES (noun): certain melodies commonly used in slave markets in the display of merchandise. They are intended to 'set the mood' in the mind of potential buyers.
BLOOD (noun): in Kuriian military organizations; a leader of a military unit of varying sizes and strengths depending on his rank; the smallest Unit led by a Blood is 'Kur' or 'Beast' followed by 'Band' 'March' and 'People' each unit a large multiple of the former
BLOTANHUNKA (noun): the term for a war party leader of the red savages; he tends to be more experienced and mature, and exerts more control over the larger group.
BLUBBER HAMMER (noun): used by the Red Hunters to pound whale blubber to loosen it's oil, it is wooden handled and has a stone head. The oil is used in oil lamps, for example.
BLUE FLAME (noun): controlled by the Priest-Kings seemingly emerging from the heavens this flash of energy literally burns it's victims to wisps of ash in an instant enveloping him in a fierce blue combustive mass.
BLUE-SKY RIDERS (noun): a warrior society of the Fleer tribe of Red Savages
BLUE SKY SONG (noun): a refrain from the Wagon Peoples which says in part 'though I die yet there will be the bosk the grass and sky'.
BOARDS, CHAINED ON (noun): a ancient modality of execution that involves the person being chained, by collar and shackles, on parallel upright boards. Like the punishment of hanging from an iron collar, the victim may take two to three days to die; these structures are most common in harbor cities near the wharves.
BODY CHAIN (noun): closely meshed length of chain about 5 feet in length which can be used in a variety of ways to bedeck or secure a slave. Some are decorated with semi-precious stones and wooden beads. Detachable lock and snap clips allow the chain to be transformed from slave jewelry to slave restraint.
BOLA (noun): this is a primary weapon of the Wagon Peoples. It consists of three long straps of leather, about five feet long each, terminating in a leather sack which contains a heavy, round metal weight. If it is thrown low, it can entangle legs or even break a leg. If thrown higher it can lock arms, strangle a man or even crush a skull. The Wagon Peoples usually entangle a foe and then kills him with the quiva. Bolas are also used to hunt tumits. There is also a bladed bola used more to kill than to capture.
BONDAGE KNOT (noun): a knot, tied by a slave girl in her hair on the right side of her face; it is a silent plea to her master that she be raped
BOND-MAID (noun): the term for a slave girl used in Torvaldsland
BOND-MAID BRAND (noun): described as a half circle about an inch and a quarter in width, adjoined at it's right tip by a steep, diagnonal line an inch and a quarter in height. In the north, the bond-maid is refered to as a woman whose belly lies beneath the sword.
BOND-MAID CIRCLE (noun): a female who enters the circle, drawn in the dirt for example, is declaring herself a bond-maid by the laws of Torvaldsland. She may enter voluntarily or be thrown into it bound and naked.
BOND-MAID GRUEL (noun): see slave porridge
BONES (noun): a game played with pieces carved from bones that are shaped to resemble an animal; a bone is dropped from a players hand and the bone which remains upright is the winner.
BOSK (noun): a huge, shambling animal, with a thick, humped neck and long, shaggy hair. It has a wide head and tiny red eyes, a fearful temper, and two long, wicked, curved and pointed horns. The horns, from tip to tip may measure two spears in length. It is for good reason the bosk is called 'The Mother of the Wagon Peoples'. It's flesh and milk furnish food and drink, shelter is made from it's hides, and clothing from it's tanned and sewn skins. Weapons are made from the leather of it's hump and many tools and implements from it's bone and horns. Even the dung is dried and used for fuel. The bosk is reverenced and the penalties for it's slaughter without reason are extreme.
BOSK CHEESE (noun): described as melted over suls.
BOSK HORN (noun): a sounding horn used by the tribes of the Wagon Peoples in battle for signaling; fashioned from the horn of the bosk.
BOSK MILK (noun): milk from the bosk, a staple of life for the Tribes of the Wagon Peoples. In some areas, it is available in powdered form.
BOSWELL PASS (noun): Pass through Mts. of Thentis to Barrens.
BOTA (noun): a bag with a reclosable stopper or cork commonly made of verrskin leather; used to transport liquids.
BOUND BY THE MASTER'S WILL (phrase): refers to a slave being commanded to hold position, as though bound, hands clasping opposite wrists until she is released.
BOW, HORN, OF THE INNUIT (noun): bow formed with split pieces of tabuk horn, bound with sinew which is not effective beyond thirty yards, used in the land of the Innuit to hunt tabuk on the tundra.
BOW, HORN, OF THE WAGON PEOPLE (noun): favored by the Wagon peoples, it hangs from their saddles. It does not have the range or force of the more powerful long bow or cross bow, but it is a fearsome weapon at close range. The young men of the Wagon Peoples are not given a name until they have mastered the bow, the lance and the quiva.
BOW, LONG (noun): the Gorean long bow is the height of a tall man. It has a flat back and a round belly and may be made of supple Ka-la-na wood. A proficient bow man should be able to loose 19 arrows in a Gorean ehn. It is not as popular among Goreans because of some impracticalities of use. It cannot be used from the saddle, and the warrior must be standing or kneeling to aim, making him a target. It is favored by the peasants who make them and is also known as the peasant bow.
BOW, NORTHERN (noun): a short bow, with short, heavy arrows, heavily headed, it is accurate with a short range of a hundred and fifty yards. It somewhat resembles the Tuchuk bow of layered horn in it's accuracy and striking ability, which is about a hundred and fifty yards. It is useful for close combat on a ship, and can easily be fired through a thole port with the oar withdrawn.
BOW, SHIP (noun): short stout maneuverable bow, easy to use in crowded quarters easy to fire across the bulwarks of galleys locked in combat.
BOW, SMALL (noun): used with great skill by the Red Savages from kaiila back. No Gorean weapon can match it's rate of fire. A skilled warrior can fire ten arrows into the air, the last leaving the bow before the first has returned to the earth. It is highly maneuverable and easy to conceal. It can easily be swept from one side of the kaiila to the other.
BRACELETS OR CHAINING POSITION (command): This position is used to put on slave bracelets for chaining the slave. A common place to chain slaves is to their Master's bed or at a Tavern where there are rings in the walls that a Master may use to attach a slave to while he goes about his business. She places her hands behind her back, her shoulders pushed back and her breasts thrust outward, her hands clasped tightly behind her back, ready for bracelets to be placed on her.
BRACELETS, HOOK (noun): leather cuffs with locks on them and snaps; they are soft and the snaps require no key. Some men enjoy them on their slaves; by means of the straps the girl may be variously secured by the locked cuffs.
BRACELETS, SLAVE (noun): any of a variety of handcuff type restraints; used to restrain the wrists of slaves and others; usually metal.
BRAK BUSH (noun): a shrub whose leaves have a purgative effect when chewed; traditionally, branches of it are nailed to house doors during the Waiting Hand to discourage the entry of bad luck into the house for the New Year
BRAND (noun): a mark burned into the flesh of animals and slaves to mark them as property; specific brands include the kef (common kajira brand), Dina, Palm, mark of Treve, mark of Port Kar, mark of the Tahari, mark of Torvaldsland (a girl whose belly lies under the sword), Tuchuk brand of the 4 bosk horn.
BRAND, BOND-MAID (noun): described as a half circle about an inch and a quarter in width, adjoined at it's right tip by a steep, diagnonal line an inch and a quarter in height. In the north, the bond-maid is reffered to as a woman whose belly lies beneath the sword.
BRAND, MERCHANT (noun): a tiny brand in the form of spreading bosk horns for any wishing to do business with the Wagon Peoples that allows their passage over the plains; the stigma connected with this brand is that it suggests that any approaching the wagons do so as slaves.
BRAND, PASSAGE (noun): a tiny brand in the form of spreading bosk horns found on the forearm of goreans, it's presence guaranteeing their safe passage, at certain seasons, across the plains of the Wagon People.
BRAND, PENALTY (noun): small 1/4 inch brands that mark a convicted liar, thief, traitor etc. brand, thief's(noun): tiny 1/4 inch three-pronged brand worn on the cheek of those of the Caste of Thieves, who are found only in Port Kar.
BRANDING RACK (noun): a device to which a new slave girl is chained for branding; her hands are chained above her head, but the rest of her body is free to move, except for whichever thigh is to be branded, this being held motionless in a large vise
BRND, PENALTY (noun): small 1/4" brands that mark a convicted liar, thief, traitor, etc.
BRAND, THIEF'S (noun): tiny 1/4", 3-pronged brand worn on the cheek of those of the Caste of Thieves
BREAD, BLACK (noun): mentioned without description
BREAD, SA-TARNA (noun): gorean bread made from Sa-Tarna grain, described as yellow, and since it is usually described as being cut in wedges, probably baked in a round flat pan.
BREEDING CELL (noun): also called a breeding stall. A slave who is designated to be bred is taken there. Both kajira and kajirus are hooded and though they will never know the other's identity their coupling is public, observed by Masters and others.
BREEDING VINE (noun): a sweet beverage which counteracts the effects of slave wine, making a slave girl fertile; also called second wine
BRIDE PRICE (noun): this fee is one paid by a Free Man to her family, for a Free Woman as he takes her as a Free Companion. If a man free's a slave, the slave's family is bound by honor to grant her to him without bride price.
BROWN VART (noun): carnivorous animals that rest clinging upside down on branches.
BRUNDISIUN (noun): one of the largest and busiest ports of Gor and a commercial metropolis with 11 towers; it is 100 pasangs south of the Vosk Delta on the Thassa. The Genesian Road links it with other coastal cities. Brundisium served as the staging point for the Cosian invasion of Ar.
BUILDERS, CASTE OF (noun): the caste which includes architects, draftsmen, stonemasons, etc.; the Builders are one of the five High Castes included in the government of Gor; their caste color is brown
BURNOOSE (noun): the loose, billowing outer robes favored by the men of the Tahari in caravan, it is invariably white in color, to reflect the rays of the sun. It's billowing, flowing movement aids in cooling the body, as it circulates over damp skin.
BUTTONS (noun): a 'recent' innovation for slave attire, not used on the garments of Freepersons. Most garments are fastened with hooks, pins or brooches. Buttons are considered rather sensuous on Gor
