Some thoughts about Torvaldsland
by Amra Jarl of Torvalds

According to what is written in the books, the Torvaldslanders are descents of pre–medieval Vikings that were taken during the voyages of acquisition, more specifically the Icelandic settles of Greenland, which disappeared mysteriously. If we take that for the "scroll truth", it can explain many things about the difference between Torvaldsland and the rest of Gor.

First, the role of women; the Norse people frequently went away to explore or plunder to that they called going Viking, that derives the name from what they became know in all Europe and world. Those trips occurred, due to some factor like, the lack of agricultural soil in their countries which made that they had to go try to find new places to settle, like it happen with Iceland, Greenland, Britain, France and of course the North America.

During those trips the women were the ones responsible for the houses, the estates and basically everything, as the vast majority of the male population of the town or settlement would embark on those trips. This gave to the women considerable more power and independence than any other in Europe, they many times had to take arms to defend their houses and their swift while dealing with the slaves that they owned. Another fact that contributes for their independence is the that divorce was allowed and very used in those days of pre–Christianity, a woman if she decided to divorce would just declare such in front of witnesses the man didn’t have much choice other then to accept due to the fact that the woman were considered still under the guard of their fathers more than of their husbands, that doesn’t mean of course they had total freedom and dominated the men, usually the divorces occurred due to debts or infidelity. In those times on earth also the women carried the key to house, of course that in gor things had to be different, but in the books we have examples of FW telling a FM to do something and it is complied even without any relationship between them.

Debts were actually the only way of a fellow Norse became a slave otherwise it wouldn’t occur, that is why we have that same idea explicit by Jonh Norman.

Second, in the books, Torvaldslanders, have a different religion. On earth the Norse only became Christians from the XI to XIII century, more by convenience than by conviction, and some forced by political power, upon the people. Until these days the old Gods still have adepts and are recognized. So it isn’t hard to imagine that people, isolated, with little friendly contact with outsiders would retain that religion.

Third, the government of Torvaldsland can be explained by the fact that as on earth, on gor they didn’t live in cities but in settlements. Also as on earth, made it hard to establish a central power, each leader of the settlement is the ruler there and only in grave matters would he enlist himself and his men under the command of another. In the books that figure is called High–Jarl and he is elected in a gathering called the AlThing, which is the exact copy of the Icelandic system, the worlds most ancient parliament, it is the Icelandic AlThing.

Fourth, the fact that in Torvaldsland there are more males slaves, called thralls, than in other regions of gor. That is due to the fact that men were out at sea, so man power to work in agriculture and other activities as such was required, thus the female slaves also were required to work on the fields, contrary to the kajirae. Few bondmaids, Torvaldslanders female slaves, worked solely inside the house.

The following note is a personal one, Jonh Norman wrote about Torvaldslanders very little and superficially, Viking way of living, traditions and habits aren’t very know, basically we imagine them as they are showed in the cinema, a violent and rude people warrior like and with little respect for human life, that is in part true but also they were superb seaman and if a Norse killed another he would pay dearly for it. One thing that is somewhat curious to me is the fact that Torvaldslanders speak Gorean and their one language, living as it is said in the books, on remote settlements, it should not be a strange fact that they had maintained their language and writing.

Basic Dictionary

Jarl–Title that slaves address the Free Men in Torvaldsland, also mean Chieftain so that is why you will read in the books a Free Man addressing other a Jarl

High Jarl–Leader of all the Jarls in Torvalds, elected in an assembly of Jarls

Thrall –male slave

Bondmaid–female slave, in the language of Torvalds it means, the one whose belly lies under the sword that is why the common brand for a slave represents exactly that.

Kurtle–wool garment used by bondmaids

Rune Priests–religious of the Norse Religion

Bondmaid circle–Circle drawn in the ground used for ritually enslave women.

"Why would a girl *want* to become a Gorean slave"
    by Malkinius

This question is really composed of several questions or questions that must be answered on the way to answering the question. First is "Why would a girl want to become a slave?" Then, "Why would she want to become a Gorean slave?"

The first part is the hardest to understand. In our present culture, slavery or servitude is bad, and anyone who practices it is an evil exploiter of others. What is there about it that causes some women to wish to voluntarily give up their freedom to another? What do they gain from it?

Some women are by nature submissive. They wish to take the subordinate role. They want to do things for others. This gives them pleasure and fulfillment. They do not wish to make all the decisions for themselves. For some, it is looking for a parent they once had or never had. For others, it is the giving of themselves in service to another. Feeling needed and necessary is a part of it also. Those are the better reasons and emotions behind it. There are others that are not so positive. It can be a very low self–esteem. The person who feels that they can only be noticed when they are doing something for someone. Perhaps it is just the need for someone to tell them what to do and how to do it. Others can only find worth in themselves if others declare it as they can see none. There are women who feel so physically inferior they will do anything to get attention and notice from others, even things that are self–destructive. The BDSM world is full of these people. There are many more reasons than I can ever know, let alone list here. Suffice it to say that each person has their own reason or reasons for giving up their life to another person.

There are many people who are this way to some extent. Most of them would never wish to enslave themselves to another. So, what drives the few who do? It can be a combination and/or an excess of any of the items listed above. It might be a way for a girl to look for love who feels that she must do something extraordinary otherwise men will not be interested in her. Or, she could feel the burning desire to give of herself so totally that there is nothing left, it is all in another’s hands. Just as there are many types of reasons for doing this, there are several types of submission on the way to slavery and past the point of becoming a slave.

First, there are the submissives. They give up to a point, but always hold much back. They do as they are bid until something reaches one of their internal limits and then they stop being submissive. The submissive is not a slave. She is still her own person. Many of the Free Women of Gor could be said to be submissive, but they are certainly not slaves. Often, this is a stage people go through on the way to becoming a kajira.

The next group is those who call themselves slave, but are not full time slaves. This includes those who use slavery to bring some excitement into their sexual play. I would put the BDSM subs into this category. They are slave–like when it suites them and within their preset limits. They may also reverse the role and be Doms and Dommes when it suites them. Personally, I would say that any who do that are not slaves in any true sense of the word, except they play at being one on occasion.

Another type of the part time slaves are those who are slaves online. It does not matter what type of communications are used, web, IRC, ICQ, voice or video chat. With one branch of online slave, when the computer is turned off they mostly stop thinking about or being a slave. These are the players or gamers. People who seek diversion or excitement playing at being someone else. Sometimes, that someone is a slave. This can be a way of learning about slavery, or being Gorean. It can also just be a way to get a quick and safe sexual rush. How much the person is a slave when the computer is off varies from not at all to as much as possible. There are some online slaves who work hard at being a slave when the computer is off. The net is just a means of communicating with their Master. It is also usually how they found their Master. These people I would call slaves, even Gorean slaves for some of them.

Offline slaves come in several types. I will lump them together into Gorean slaves, BDSM slaves and other slaves. The other group is simply any who live a submitted lifestyle, acknowledging another person as their Master and does not fit into the first two groups. The BDSM slaves are much more committed subs. They may be into what is called TPE or Total Power Exchange. TPE is similar to Gorean slavery. The usual limits of BDSM may not be there, such as safe words and contracts. One of the main differences between TPE and Gorean slavery, is a cultural difference. Goreans are a culture as well as people interested in a philosophy. A Gorean slave is one who submits completely to a Master who considers themselves Gorean and who follows the philosophies and practices as well as the cultural trappings of our Earth version of Goreans. This is not the Gor of the books by John Norman. They are fiction. We cannot really live as the people do in the books. We must adapt what is there to what we can do here on Earth. Some people are able to live lives more like those in the books than others, but just because you cannot bring all things Gorean that are theoretically possible into your life does not make you not Gorean. You do the best you can with what you have and the Earth life you must lead. A subset of Gorean slaves is the kajira. Kajira is the Gorean word for slave girls. So in one sense, all Gorean slave girls are kajira. But in this instance, I am using it to mean a Gorean slave who has surrendered everything to her Master without reservation, without exception. They are their Master’s to do with as their Master wishes in all ways. Not everyone is capable to surrender to that level. Not everyone will agree with my distinction here. For many, submission and surrender are the same things. I see one as deeper than the other so that is the way I am using it here.

To some extent we have answered why a person would wish to become a slave and what types of slaves there are. Now we have the question of why a person would wish to become a Gorean slave? Why would they wish to add the trappings of a series of science fiction books to their lives? They don’t need to do that. This is quite true, they don’ t need to and many, or even most who call themselves slaves do not do that. However, Gorean slaves have some things that many other slaveries lack; they have a common culture with others, an absoluteness that does not exist in some forms of voluntary slavery, especially BDSM based slavery, and Masters that are Masters all the time, not subs part of the time. The Gorean Masters generally have a much firmer control over their slaves and allow them much less latitude than other Masters do. Also, most Goreans are not into inflicting pain either to gain pleasure for themselves or their slaves. Pain is reserved for punishment and as a reminder in the slave’s training of how they are to behave. Most slaves I have talked with say that they are Gorean slaves because if feels right to them. The other types of slavery just felt wrong to them.

Once again, there are many reasons a person would wish to be a Gorean slave, almost as many are there are Gorean slaves. In the end, it all comes down to the fact that in becoming a Gorean slave they have found something they were lacking elsewhere. Something that satisfied a need within them. They feel right about how they are living and what they are doing. Because they wish to do so.

*~*~* On Being Thankful *~*~*
by ~ creaah{C} property of Caprus

As we turn another page on the calendar, it is just one more visual reminder added to the plethora of changes that seem to envelop us. The weather grows colder, the skies grow grayer and the leaves begin to turn. Add to this, the swiftly approaching finality of the year, and it is no wonder our spirits can often be dampened.

While a great many Americans see November as a month of Rockwellian bliss and over indulgence, there are still far too many others who view it through bleaker eyes. Those who live in the day to day fear of their children’s safety–whether at school, at home, or in between. Those who must face the fact that they cannot provide their families with even a modest existence. Those who have found their lives ripped apart due to violence, addiction, or health issues. Those who are distant from their families–whether separated by emotions or by geography.

We live in an on–line, on time, super–size, down–sizing, drive through, hurry up and wait society. Even creaah sees this in her own life. When she comes online, she smiles to see her dearest friend–a girl she has never met who lives in Canada. She has another friend who lives in Australia. Yet it is with great sadness that creaah realizes, she does not even know the names of the people who live across the hall from her. They have been there over a year now.

creaah can sing along with almost any Metallica song, yet she has never once read the Declaration of Independence, or the Constitution.

creaah can quote some personally meaningful passages of John Norman’s, and she can ramble off lengthy passages from Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. She cannot *accurately* quote anything from the Bible. Come to think of it, she’s not too impressive when it comes to paraphrasing, either.

In 1995, creaah could easily rattle off the starting line–up of the Seattle Mariners. But she did not know the names of even one of the paramedics who raced to aid her mother when she fell and broke her hip a few years earlier. The Fire Department was less than a block away. On a GOOD day, the Kingdome (when there was a Kingdome!) took almost an hour to get to.

Do these examples show where creaah’s priorities lie? Honestly, no. She is pretty sure she is not a cold and callous creature. She is, in fact, quite social, believe it or not.

There is comfort in familiarity. However, there is also a false sense of security in that comfort. For further proof of this, one need only look as far as the magazine rack at the checkout counter. Funny how ‘Psychology Today’ and ‘Omni’ are not too conveniently located. Which is a relief, when you think about it, because creaah HATES not knowing where Elvis has been, and frankly, if the end of the world IS coming on the next Tuesday of a full moon, well you can bet creaah will be hoping for some ‘me–time’ and checking the status of flights Stateside!

It is far less distressing to see information about the hunk of such and such a movie, or to read the newest scandal centered on the shrew from that prime–time television show. There is a smug satisfaction knowing that the karmic wheel of fortune is a–spinning.

But then the page of that magazine or this newspaper turns and we are once again thrust into the reality check that is life and the chaotic world around us rears its head once again. There are children killing children. There are creatures (creaah cannot bear to call them ‘people’) preying on children. There are entire countries filled with people who do not know if they will be eating tomorrow, or if, in fact, they will be alive the day after that.

And through the headlines that scream at us, if we can see it through the bitter tears that are shed for the human race, there, in the lowermost corner, lies hope. It is a glimmer of others. People who risk their lives for the health and safety of strangers. Every day people who do not know the lives they have touched–and in some cases, altered forever.

In this month synonymous with giving thanks, creaah would like so much to say a sincere thank–you to the many selfless people who change lives on a daily basis.

Police men and women, fire fighters, paramedics, teachers, doctors and nurses, members of the Armed Forces, parents–be it foster, adoptive or biological, spiritual leaders, organ donors, good Samaritans, those who give blood, and those who give an ear, a shoulder, a hand, or a damn.

Thank you. For caring enough to stand up for a humanity that seems, at times, not to have noticed. creaah is thankful for you all.

Bound by Contract

by Dangruscurvzzz

"There is no marriage as we know it on Gor, but there is the institution of free companionship, which is its nearest correspondent. Surprisingly enough, a woman who is bought from her parents, for tarns of gold, is regarded as a free companion, even though she may not have been consulted in the transaction. More commendably, a free woman may herself, of her own free will, agree to be such a companion. Such relationships are not entered into lightly, and they are normally sundered only by death." pg 54 Outlaw of GOR

The Free Companionship relationship is one of many things from Norman’s works that has not made the transition from the books. It is a relationship of great depth and one which is almost never explored fully here in this virtual medium and rarely spoken of in depth offline. It is submission. Plain and simple... submission.

According to Norman, most Free Companionships were arranged. The woman was virtually sold for political or business reasons. The contract people are so fond of referring to was not one signed between two equals, but more of a "bill of sale" between the man and the woman’s family. She had nothing to do with the negotiations.

However, there were some few brave Free women who entered into the Free Companionship of their own free will. In Norman’s own words, they were to be commended. Why? Because she submits to him. Not the surrender of a slave, but submission in it’s purest sense. Active submission as opposed to passive surrender.

When a slave begs a collar she is slave. She has already surrendered herself to the will of the Free. Now, should that collar be refused, she may suffer a little wounded pride, but she is still slave. Let’s suppose she is collared. Perhaps it turns out to be not what she expected. He is more harsh, more demanding than she imagined. She can beg release. If it’s granted, she is now unowned, but still slave. A little worse for the wear, perhaps.... but her status has not changed. She is still as she was before. Slave.

A Free woman, however who willingly enters into a Free Companionship takes a risk. She risks everything for the love of the man. She entrusts to him, not only her property and body, but the most precious thing she has.... her freedom. One year. Hopefully forever, but one year at a time. What greater tribute could a woman bestow on a man than the gift of her total submission. Placing all that she has, all that she is, in his hands. Knowing full well the risk she takes. Knowing that there are no outs, except for enslavement or death.

One year. I wonder how many slaves would be so eager to beg a collar if they knew they’d be locked into it for at least one year with no chance of release. I’d bet not many. I wonder how many Free women who are so quick to become a Free Companion (or to change them) ever think about the depth of the commitment and the risk taken. I wonder how many men who take a companion are aware of the power and responsibility placed in their hands.

We have all heard Norman’s opinion that "a taste of the slave ring can be beneficial to a companion who has forgotten her place." But do we truly understand the ramifications of that statement? In the morning, after a night in chains, when the woman looks up and says, "Ok, honey, I’ve learned my lesson," there is no guarantee that he will unlock those chains. Instead of the lover she has come to know, she might just look up and see instead a man who has decided he prefers her naked and chained. Where yesterday she was in a tavern at his side, sipping Ka–la–na, tonight, she might just find herself crawling naked across that same tavern floor to lick at his boots.

I can hear women now, saying "Oh, but he’s my Love.... not my Master." Blink, and that could change. When you became his companion of your own free will, that is exactly what you agreed to. You became his. Some men, when faced with their woman’s unacceptable behavior, say, "I can’t punish her, she is free not slave." Wrong. She is female. Period. When you took her as your companion, you also assumed the responsibility for her behavior. You, by declaring publicly your companionship, agreed to keep this female firmly in her place in the natural order. When she agreed to be yours, she gave you the tool to do so.... her freedom.

Not what you thought? Not the romantic happily ever after, annually renewed love of a lifetime you imagined? No, it’s not. The Free Companionship which Norman depicts is one of depth and complexity.... and submission. If that’s not what you bargained for, I suggest you re–think. If that is not what your "relationship" is... then it is probably not a Gorean Free Companionship.

Call it what it is..... or live up to what you call it.

I wish you well,

Dangrus