Possible Earth Origins for Gorean Weapons

Introduction

It has always been my contention that via the voyages of acquisition some of the mannerisms and accoutrements of historical Earth cultures were transplanted directly to Gor, and that these men were transplanted to a region whose geographical characteristics most closely parallel the Earth region they left. That the clothing could have developed along similar lines is hardly surprising, given similar climatic conditions and materials, but also note the similarity in names, religion (Ivar Forkbeards making the sign of Thor’s hammer), and mannerisms. So it should be a simple matter to then use these mannerisms to identify the original Earth culture. That a group of men, transplanted to a new and alien world, would first seek to reproduce the weaponry they were most familiar with along with the culture they were used to seems most probable. From this, identifying some historical examples of the source weaponry involved should not be too hard (or so I thought).

Tribesman is rich in these cultural references that can help us to identify the correct historical Earth period and location in question. I shall only look at a few, as these should serve our needs.

Tarl’s friend Hassan, the bandit is also later identified as Haroun, High Pasha of the Kavars, as Suleiman is also identified as the Pasha of the Aretai. Pasha is an Earth word, Turkish (or Ottoman) in origin that came into use around the mid 1600’s. It designates a man of high rank or office, and was used by local rulers, representatives of the Sultan, some of them semi or almost independent. And after their conquest and absorption into the Ottoman Empire, this term was widely used in Arabia and the Middle East. So this would tend to give us a period dating after 1650, and a general location corresponding to an area under the domination of the Ottomans.

The names used in the book also speak to an Arabic origin. Ibn Saran, Tarl’s chief antagonist throughout the book, is clearly a corruption of the Arabic word ibn (or bin), meaning “son of”. Although its use here is interesting, as it is commonly used after a name, as in Yehya ibn Yosuf (English translation, John the son of Joseph). So in this case Ibn Saran simply means son of Saran, with no actual name given. Suleiman is simply the Arabic or Turkish version of Solomon. Also, Abdul itself is also a corruption of a common Arabic name, although it is never found alone as used here. Abdul in this context means “servant of”, and is always combined with one of the 99 names of God, as in Abdullah (Servant of Allah) or Abdul-Raheem (Servant of the Compassionate One). In this case, the name could probably best be interpreted as to mean “servant of the nameless one”?

Ibn Saran is also seen to be exhibiting mannerisms consistent with either Arabic or Islamic origin when a guest at the hall of Samos. He only ate with his right hand. He did not drink either paga or wine (in public, although he did serve them in his own kasbah. Again, sadly, this is consistent with the time period). Also the sword he carried, probably best described during the fight in the prison against the Kur (and we shall return to this later), is described as “wickedly curved”. As all early examples of Arab and Islamic swords that we know of have straight, double edged blades, (curved swords are thought to have been introduced during the Mongol conquest) this would also speak of a later origin.

So, where are we? Based on the available geographical, climatic, cultural, and anecdotal evidence, the most likely origin would be Arabic or Middle Eastern Earth, sometime after 1650. Fortunately, there is a wealth of available specimens available for study from this time period, or slightly later. Given the conservative nature of Middle Eastern society in general, and the replacement of edged weapons by firearms, man of the swords being manufactured today in such countries as India, Iran, Syria, and Arabia differ little from the ones of three hundred years ago. So many of the swords from a later period are also valuable sources for study. So let us go on to look at some of the available examples.

Swords

When I first read Tribesman, it seemed to me that Mr. Norman had done an admirable job of describing Arabic weaponry. However, on rereading the book for this article, I realized that most of the descriptive pictures being formed in my mind were based, not upon his writing, but my own limited knowledge of Arabic weaponry. There are few descriptions of swords in the book, probably the best are found in the passages dealing with the fight against the Kur in the jail cell, and Tarls subsequent escape, several of which I shall now quote.

“Ibn Saran, scimitar poised, smiled. “It is here”, he said, “it is here.” Then suddenly he cried, “Ho!” and leapt forward, the blade, in rapid, diagonal figure-eight strokes, backhand upswept, shallowly curved, tracing its razor pattern.” Tribesman of Gor, page 120

“I observed the scimitar. It was a wickedly curved blade. On such a blade, I knew, silk dropped, should the blade be moved, would fall parted to the floor. Even a light stroke of such a blade, falling across an arm, would drop through the flesh, leaving its incised record, a quarter of an inch deep, in the bone beneath.” Tribesman of Gor, page 120

“I removed the scimitar from its sheath. It was not mine. I examined the blade and found the flaw, neatly filed, under the hilt, concealed by the guard.” Tribesman of Gor, page 132

These few, brief, passages are almost we have to work with. But they do provide, perhaps, enough clues to show the type of sword carried by Hassan, Ibn Saran, and the warriors of the Tahari. For starters, let us consider a typical Arabian shamshir, possibly with a blade of Syrian (Damascus) or Persian origins. The first example shown is probably 18^th or 19^th century, although it may be older, but the type was common during the period in question. The blade itself is moderately curved Damascus (or watered) steel, with a leather and metal covered sheath and bone or ivory grip.

The guard itself extends down the sides of the blade, fitting snugly into the chape of the scabbard. When seen from the back or edge, a space remains, large enough to work a file under, as can be seen in this picture:

On many sword types, the guard is fitted snugly or even soldered to the blade to protect against the admission of moisture underneath the grip. In the dry, desert conditions of the Tahari, this was less of an issue. But as can be seen, this would have been perfect for the type of sabotage that Tarl was supposed to fall for. The blade itself consists of a particularly fine example of Damascus steel, as can be seen in this close-up:

This is the true Damascus steel, that was said to part silk dropped upon the blade, cut through iron bars, and was able to combine many qualities within one blade.

Damascus steel was produced using a highly complex regimen of heating and cooling. First, only the best iron ores were selected, crushed, and ground to powder. These were then washed repeatedly using a method similar to “panning” for gold, where all the impurities were washed away. Then this refined ore was placed in a fire hardened clay crucible intermixed with carboniferous materials such as teak charcoal. The crucible was then hermetically sealed and heated for 24 to 48 hours at a temperature ranging from 1000 to 1200C. The temperature was carefully controlled, and kept slightly below the melting point of iron, but in the closed environment of the crucible, the mass of burning charcoal was absorbed into the iron by a solid diffusion process. This was followed by a cooling of 24 hours or more at 800C, which was designed the formation and distribution of the dendritic iron-carbide crystals (cementite) throughout the pearlite matrix. After final cooling, the crucible was broken open and the resulting “cake” was removed. This was then tested for hardness and soundness, coated with powdered iron ore mixed with clay, and slowly forged out between 700 and 900C. Too low a heat and the ingot would not forge, too high and the cementite and pearlite would be converted to austentite. All these heatings and forgings were temperature controlled by only experience and, when forging, gauging the color of the ingot (and the resulting temperature) by eye. This is, of course, only a very quick description of what was a very complex process.

Assuming all went well, this resulted in a blade combining many properties. The cementite, which shows as silvery-white when the blade is etched and polished, is hard and creates a “micro-serration” effect when combined with the softer pearlite “carrier”. Along the edge, where the softer carrier was worn away, the harder steel was dominant and created a razor edge that was able to rip through flesh and cloth. In the body of the blade, the softer pearlite allowed for a strength and flexibility that a simple steel blade could not obtain. As can be seen from the following picture, the pattern derived could vary widely, depending on the method used, and variations could be introduced during the forging process. Although this process was time consuming, it ensured that a warrior went into battle with the best equipment possible, able to cut through most situations encountered without breaking.

This is another shamshir, or Persian origin, with a highly curved blade (detail above) that Ibn Saran would probably have felt very comfortable with.

The description given of Ibn Sarans swordplay is also consistent with how these swords were used. Due to the curve of the blade, the thrust was often difficult or ineffective and instead a twirling, slashing, highly flamboyant style was used. The sword was carried either thrust into a sash, or, more commonly, on an ornate cloth belt that was slung over the shoulder.

Daggers

Although daggers are used several times in the book, most notably during the assassination attempt on Suleiman, almost no information is given on them. I have attached several representational styles, but Arabic daggers would require a book of their own to document. Suffice to say that each tribe, family, area, town, or group has their own markings and that a mans family can often be told by the blade he carries.

Lance

Lances were a common weapon use on both camel and horse back. Usually they were plain and, not having the jewelry connotations that swords and daggers have, many have not survived. As Arab riders did not use a high cantle or stirrup, the lance was not couched but used rather in a stabbing motion. One other interesting fact I was able to come up with is that a common insignia carried on very few lances, a tennis ball sized bunch of Ostrich feathers below the tip, denoted a man who had been judged a coward in battle and was marked as such.

Other

Sleeve daggers are mentioned very briefly in the text and are not all that common on earth. The Tauregs, the famous “Blue Men” of the desert were known to have used them, and I was able to come up with one small picture.

My intent by doing this article is to give others a brief exposure to some possible examples of the weaponry used, to further their enjoyment of the series.

Yehya ibn Yosuf