The Gor books were written by Dr. John Lange under the pen name of John Norman. John Lange has a PHD in philosophy from Princeton and is interested in evolutionary psychology. The Gor series are his vision of a Utopian society. He wrote the first book in 1967 and is still publishing them today.

He felt that modern society was stifling the human spirit and wanted to write about a world where people were still free. He started with his love of Greek and Roman culture and philosophy and went from there. He wrote about a world on the other side of the sun from Earth; the counter Earth. On this world some technology was outlawed and some was allowed to flourish. There were no guns or bombs and no one got sick.

He felt that since people usually dream about violence and sex that a utopian society would be full of those things; not be a boring and perfect place. He wrote about warfare and slavery, personal responsibility and the warriors’ code of honor. The philosophy is a cross between Nietzsche, Plato, Socrates, Confucius and Carl Sagan.

These books are the basis of what Goreans believe in.

---

This is a hard question to answer and depends on what you mean by Gorean. There are some people who identify as Gorean who participate in BDSM and some who don’t. There are some Goreans who live as master and slave and some who don’t.

 There are some Goreans who role play and pretend that they live on the planet Gor. Some Gorean role-players are online only and others participate in the SCA. Some of the role play is Master/slave based and some is based on warfare and primitive culture. Some of the people who role-play as Goreans live by Gorean philosophy in real life and others simply use it as an escape from reality.

I don’t think Gorean role play has much to do with BDSM even though there is some crossover.

Some people are simply interested in Gorean philosophy. The philosophy in the books is based on Greek and Roman philosophy and is not related to BDSM. 

It is about living in harmony with nature, being yourself, and not pretending to be something you are not. It is about accepting that humans are animals and what we are today is based on evolution.

Each and every person is different; we all have our own strengths and weaknesses and should use our strengths to our advantage. It is about living with a sense of honor and personal responsibility. Living by these ideals does not have much to do with BDSM.

Slavery was a minor part of the culture in the books. Less than 4 percent of the population of Gor was enslaved. The only way someone who identifies as Gorean would fit under the BDSM umbrella would be if they lived as Master and slave. These people believe in the Gorean philosophy and live by these ideals in modern culture.

The slavery in the books was most often a Roman model and many real-time Goreans live in this type relationship. From here on out real-time Goreans will be who I am writing about.

---

Gorean slavery is very similar to Internal Enslavement. Gorean slavery and IE are both largely based upon Greek and Roman models. Since Norman and Tanos used similar source materials they came up with similar systems. Both systems are based on a male master coupled with a female slave. The techniques probably work for other gender combinations but were specifically designed for the female slave.

In Roman times it was thought that a slave was property but they also felt a slave retained some free will. The Stoics taught that a slave always had the ability to disobey; that a master could never fully control a slaves mind. This retention of free will by the slave makes it important for a slave to be an active participant in the enslavement process. The more a slave believes they are slave the more obedient they become.

In the Gor books masters often used psychological techniques to make a woman feel more like a slave. Every detail of a slaves training was used to reinforce the feeling of being enslaved. Masters often showed great patience and would wait for the slave to come begging for the next phase of their training. The master would help the slave discover their ”slave heart“ through the use of psychological tools. The wearing of a collar, the brand, even the way they addressed others served as constant reminders that they were slaves.

All the tools and techniques used in IE are present in the Gor series of books.  Not only are the techniques described but there rational is often explained as well. The practical uses are mentioned but also the psychological effects that the techniques have on a slave.

---

Much of the difference between Gorean and non-Gorean slavery is in the rites and rituals. Many Goreans incorporate serving techniques and poses from the fictional series into their life. Some also use words and references from the series in their speech. Some of the serves and poses are functional in today’s world and others are used simply as reminders of the M/s dynamic.

In the books female slaves were prized for their beauty. A valuable slave often did not perform the household work often required in a Victorian style household. The Gorean slave is often used as a personal companion and lover. The master often expects the slave to be able to speak intelligently on a variety of subjects and provide entertainment more than anything else.

A Gorean slave is thought of as property. They are required to do any task that their master asks of them. There is nothing they are above doing. If they are interesting, exciting, and exciting they often lead a nice life; if they are displeasing their job description can become a lot less fun.

Gorean households can use as little or as much protocol as they see fit. The books provide examples of everything from high protocol for the rich to the low protocol life of a peasant. It is up to the individual master to decide how formal or informal they want their household to be.

A Gorean M/s relationship is still a Master/slave relationship. The details may differ but the basic relationship dynamic is still M/s

---

John Norman wrote the books in some way as a response to the feminist movement. He felt woman were being told to act like men and men to act like woman. He felt that men and woman were both capable of success but that they were very different from one another. He envisioned a utopian society that helps to embrace those differences and not ignore them.

He felt that by their very nature men were generally masculine and woman generally feminine; that these gender characteristics were not social artifacts but characteristics formed by thousands of years of evolution. He felt that pretending we are all the same was making us miserable.

The society in the books was full of war. When prisoners were taken the men were generally killed and the woman made slaves. A male was considered virtually worthless unless there was hard labor needed at the time. Female slaves were prized and thought of as one of the joys of life.

Less than three percent of the women in the books were slaves. The vast majority of women were free. Free woman were said to be respected greatly; much more than in our culture at the time the books were written.

These women were politicians, professionals, small business owners, raised children, and generally helped to keep society running smoothly.

They were treated as valued citizens in their own cities. The only time they were at risk of becoming slaves is in the event of war or raiders from a rival city.

 One out of ten slaves was a man and some were owned by females. Males were usually killed in the event of capture but some were kept as slaves. They were worth much less than females and looked down upon. Male slaves did exist in the books but were usually used for hard labor.

Female slaves in the Gor series were not worked that hard if they were pleasing to their master. Norman writes that the Gorean slave does less household work than a housewife in America at the time the books were written.

The Gorean slave lives their life in a similar fashion to the TPE, IE, or Real Slavery slaves. The differences are their beliefs in Gorean philosophy and in their daily rites and rituals.

---

John Norman is a Libertarian. He strongly believes in a limited central government. The Gor books have a strong message of personal responsibility and self reliance.

The books take place in a culture that has no central government to speak of. Each city has its own set of laws much like a Roman city-state. The only far reaching laws are merchant law that helps to maintain the free flow of goods and services.  You had to rely on yourself and if you fell on hard times you would call on your friends and family.

The libertarian ideas mesh well with the other aspects of Gorean philosophy. Living in accordance with nature; personal responsibility; self reliance; honor; brutal honesty.  I think if they had a Gorean motto it would be like New Hampshire’s ”Live free or die“.

---

Goreans tend to have a strong sense of community. In the books there was a sense of pride in one’s home city. No matter where you traveled you always represented the city you were from. Each city had its own ”home stone“. A home stone was a stone that represented the founding of a city. When you were old enough to understand you often took a test to prove yourself and became a citizen. To become a citizen you swore allegiance to your home stone and your city-state.

The idea of a home stone bound people together and heightened the feeling of community. People would fight and die for their home stone. In addition to the city’s home stone people would have one in their home to signify the smaller community they lived in.

This sense of community is something most of us lack in modern culture. It has been replaced to a small extent by pride in your football, hockey, or baseball team. Much like a home stone your team does not always change when you move; you still cheer for your childhood team wherever you go. You share a bond with these fans even when in a new city.

I think this sense of community can best be recreated by making small local groups; each group then coming up with its own set of rules and protocols. If you don’t like the group you leave and form another.  

This small group would provide a sense of community and a common set of rules. Just like in the books each group or ”home stone“ would have different rules and customs. The group would be self policing and not worry much about what other Goreans did. The home stone concept is very similar to a Leather family. It provides a sense of community, common rules, and a support structure.

---

Most people think that Goreans believe all women should be slaves. In the books 97% of women were free. There were more free women on Gor than any other group of people.

Many slaves were sold to be the serving slaves of free women.

---

This topic was not as exciting as beautiful slaves and manly warriors so it is underrepresented in the books.

The books are full of rhetoric saying every woman was a slave inside but the reality was not so simple. Free women were treated with respect within their own city. If they traveled to another city they were in danger of being enslaved but so was a man if he was not killed instead. The main character in the books was a man and was enslaved many times throughout the series, often by women.

The leaders of many cities were woman. Woman could be scribes, physicians, and even warriors. Women could and did own slaves and businesses.  Women could be citizens and were treated with the respect due to a citizen.

---

You don’t see many free women in the Gorean community but there is no logical reason for this. If you are all part of the same group then free women should be treated with respect. Each group will have their own rules about things but excluding a class that represents 96% of the female characters in the books seems ridiculous. Female slaves were a minority in the books; somehow this is not so in real world groups.

Free women and male slaves were both in the books. If the books are our guide then they should be welcomed with open arms. If being Gorean is about being true to your nature then we need to welcome people for who they are; not everyone needs to be a slave or an owner.

---

The Gor series of books contains very few references to third person speech.  

Slaves spoke in first person the vast majority of the time. Third person speech was used on occasion as a training tool or to remind a slave of their place but was not the norm.

At some point third person speech became the norm for online Gorean role play but the books were not the source. Third person speech has been used to dehumanize slaves throughout history and does not have Gorean origins.

The books are also not to blame for the capitalizing of the word ”master“ or the lack of capitalization of slave names. The names of slaves were always capitalized in the books and ”master“ was only capitalized when it was grammatically correct.

---

Many people who identify as Goreans use made up words from the books when addressing other Goreans. I think this might be some of the reason we are thought of as the Trekies of the BDSM world. By using a fictitious language from a sci-fi series we alienate a lot of people who would otherwise not have a problem with our ideas.

I always laugh when I hear someone speaks Klingon and I am pretty sure we are being laughed at too. I don’t really mind being laughed at but I think it scares a lot of people away. I try to use English when trying to get my point across to non Goreans; it seems to work much better. When in a Gor meeting I might throw in a few Gorean words since it is my only opportunity to say them.

---

As Gorean masters and slaves we are living our lives much like our non-Gorean M/s friends. If we concentrate on the similarities instead of the differences I don’t see why we can’t get along. The master/slave aspect of our relationships is nearly identical to how many M/s families live. If we try to forget about the way we kneel and the way we talk and focus on the tools and techniques of mastering a slave I think we can all learn from each other.