ba-ta thru butter

ba-ta: second letter of the Gorean alphabet; corresponds to the Earth letter 'B'

I nodded. The rest of it I did not need to be told. The expressions 'Al-Ka' and 'Ba-ta' are the first two letters of the Gorean Alphabet. In effect these men had no names, but were simply known as Slave A and B. Priest-Kings of Gor - page 94

Bakahs: a minor tribe of the Tahari; they are a vassal tribe of the Kavars.

The oasis of Two Scimitars is an out-of-the-way oasis, under the hegemony of the Bakahs, which, for more than two hundred years, following their defeat in the Silk War of 8,110 C.A., has been a vassal tribe of the Kavars. Tribesmen of Gor, page 151

Bakers, Caste of: Mentioned in the books. There caste color is yellow and brown

"I stayed for four days in the rooms above the shop of Dina of Turia, there I dyed my hair black and exchanged the robes of the merchant for the yellow and brown tunic of the Bakers; to which caste her father and two brothers had belonged." Nomads of Gor, page 237

baleen: whalebone from the Baleen Whale used to fashion instruments and weapons by the Red Hunters. Beasts of Gor, paged 334

bana: jewelry, of precious metals and stones, worn by free persons.

freewoman necklace. Slave Girl of Gor page 82

Band: Kuriian military unit

Twelve "Kurs," the sense of military units, constitutes one "Band." This one hundred and eight animals, including subalterns leaders, and is itself commanded by a "Blood," whose rank is indicated by two rings on the left arm. Twelve of these Bands constitutes a March. Marauders of Gor, page 241

bar: 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. Assassin of Gor, page 85

bara - (lit. 'belly'): slave position: In this position the slave falls to her stomach, face down to the floor and turned to the left, crosses her wrists behind her back, and similarly crosses her ankles, her legs straight, in preparation for binding.

`Bara, Kajira!' he said. She rolled quickly to her stomach, placing her wrists behind her, crossed, and crossing her ankles, ready to be bound." Explorers of Gor, page 77

"Bara," said Mincon to Tula. "Bara," said I to Feiqua.
Both slaves went immediately to their bellies, their heads to the left, their wrists crossed behind their backs, their ankles also crossed. It is a common binding position. Mercenaries of Gor, page 145

"Belly," I said to Feiqua. Immediately Feiqua, trembling, went to her belly on the stained, sooted stones near the fire. Mercenaries of Gor, page 19

"To your belly," he said.
She went to her belly, her hands at the sides of her head. Kajira of Gor, page 399

"Stop," he said. "To your belly."
Then I was on my belly, on the tiles, my hands at the sides of my head, prone, before his curule chair. Kajira of Gor, page 427

"Bara!" he snapped.
I flung myself to my belly in the grass, putting my hands behind me, wrists crossed, and crossing my ankles, too. I lay there in confusion, in obedience. He went to pick up the binding fiber which had been removed from my ankles by Tupita, from my wrists, a bit before, by himself.
I had been spared!
He returned to crouch over me. Tightly then were my wrists and ankles tied. He knew well how to tie women. "Oh!" I said, as my ankles were pulled up and fastened to my wrists.
He then pulled me to my knees and I knelt helplessly, closely and perfectly bound, before him. He seemed amused. Dancer of Gor; page 415

barbarian: a native of the planet Earth; usually used in a derogatory sense in reference to slave girls from that planet; also defined as slave girls captured from outlying regions or cities. Barbarian slave girls from Earth are considered shamelessly sensual.

"Similarly, even should you learn to speak flawlessly such things as the fillings in your teeth
and the vaccination marks on your arms will continue to mark you as barbarian." Savages
of Gor page 153

bark cloth: 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. Explorers of Gor, page 287

basket hitch: a knot which is used to tie baskets to hooks on saddles.

"This is the BASKET HITCH," I told her, gesturing for her to put out one hand. "It is used for fastening a carrying basket to hooks on certain tarn saddles." Assassin of Gor, page 81

bat and ball: a game played by the Torvaldslanders

Perhaps the most serious incident of the contests had occurred in one of the games of bat and ball; in this contest there are two men on each side, and the object is to keep the ball out of the hands of the other team; no one man may hold the ball form more than the referee's count of twenty; he may, however, throw it into the air, provided it is thrown over his head, and catch it again himself; the ball may be thrown to the partner, or struck to him with the bat; the bat, of course, drives the ball with incredible force; the bats are of heavy wood, rather broad, and the ball, about two inches in diameter, is also of wood, and extremely hard; this is something like a game of "keep away" with two men in the middle. I was pleased that I was not involved in the play. Shortly after the first "knock off," in which the ball is served to the enemy, Gorm, who was Ivar's partner, was struck cold with the ball, it driven from an opponent's bat; this, I gathered, is a common trick; it is very difficult to intercept or protect oneself from a ball struck at one with great speed from a short distance; it looked quite bad for Ivar at this point, until one of his opponents, fortunately, broke his leg, it coming into violent contact with Ivar' s bat. This contest was called a draw. Ivar then asked me to be his partner. I declined. "it is all right," said Ivar, "even the bravest of men may decline a contest of bat-and-ball." Marauders of Gor, page 140

bath girl: a slave who serves in a bath house

"...there were of course the Bath girls of Ar, of which Nela was one, said to be the most beautiful of all Gor." Assassin of Gor, page 165

battle axe (Trovaldslander): This weapon is described as a single-bladed axe of hardened iron, with a blade of anywhere from 8 to 14 inches in width. It is mounted on a thick wooden handle and also usually has a wrist thong attached to the end the handle, which enables it to be more easily retained during combat. Used in conjunction with a round ironbound shield of wood and hardened leather. First appears in Book #8, Marauders of Gor.

“. . .shattering his chains with the blunt hammerlike backs of their great, curved, single-bladed axes.” Marauders of Gor, page 27

battle axe (Kur): A huge axe wielded by the members of the Kurii race who have become native to Gor. It has a four inch thick round handle of green needlewood, approximately eight feet in length, and is equipped with a fixed double-bladed iron axe head, the blade of which is over two feet wide, and razor sharp. It is typically used in conjunction with a wide round iron shield some four feet in diameter. First appears in Book #8, Marauders of Gor.

“Each, too, carried a great, double-bladed iron ax, which, from blade tip to blade tip, was some two feet in width. The handle of the ax was of carved, green needle wood, round, some four inches in diameter. The axes were some seven or eight feet in height.” Marauders of Gor, page 171

Battles of Oxen: 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. Outlaw of Gor, page 112

Bazi Plague: 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.

"The Physician would check the health of the crew and slaves, Plague some years ago had broken out in Bazi, to the North, which port had been closed by the merchants for two years. In some eighteen months it had burned itself out, moving south and eastward. Bazi had not yet recovered from the economic blow." Explorers of Gor page 117

"I with the crew members submitted to the examination of the Physician. He did little more than look into our eyes and examine our forearms. But our eyes were not yellowed nor was there sign of the broken pustules in our flesh." Explorers of Gor page 118

"The girl looked at the Physician with horror, tears in her eyes. But he completed her examination, looking into her eyes and examining the interior of her thighs her belly and the interior of her forearms, for marks." Explorers of Gor page 120

"We are going to test you for pox, he said. The girl groaned. It was my hope that none on board the Clouds of Telnus had carried the pox. It is transmitted by the bites of lice. The pox had appeared in Bazi some four years ago. The port had been closed for two years by the merchants. It had burned itself out moving south and eastward in some eighteen months. Oddly enough some were immune to the pox, and with others it had only a temporary,
debilitating effect. With others it was swift, lethal and horrifying. Those who had survived the pox would presumably live to procreate themselves, on the whole presumably transmitting their immunity to their offspring. Slaves who contracted the pox were often summarily slain. It was thought that the slaughter of slaves had had its role to play in the containment of the pox in the vicinity of Bazi." ..."She, as a slave knows that if she should contract the disease she would in all probability be summarily slain." Explorers of Gor page 134

"It is the plague! she cried. It is the Plague! I walked over to a mirror. I ran my tongue over my lips they seemed dry. The whites of my eyes clearly were yellow. I rolled up the sleeve of my tunic and saw there on the flesh of the forearm like black blisters open, erupted, a scattering of pustules." Explorers of Gor page 135

"I simply did not feel ill. I was slightly drunk and heated from the paga, but I did not believe myself fevered. My pulse and heartbeat, and respiration, seemed normal. I did not have difficulty catching my breath. I was neither dizzy nor nauseous, and my vision was clear. My worst physical symptoms were the irritation about my eyes and the genuinely nasty itchiness of my skin. I felt like tearing it off with my own fingernails." Explorers of Gor page 136

"I knew that I had not been in a plague area. Too, the Bazi Plague had burned itself out years ago. No cases to my knowledge had been reported for months." Explorers of Gor page 136

bazi tea: Is a very aromatic tea brewed fresh from Bazi leaves. Served hot and heavily sugared in three tiny cups. It is served and drunk in rapid succession. Some Masters or Mistresses may expect the kajira to take each cup as he or she empties it.

Tea is extremely important to the nomads. It is served hot and heavily sugared. It gives them strength then, in virtue of the sugar, and cools the, by making them sweat as well as stimulating them. It is drunk three small cups
"In turn, from the oasis, the nomads receive, most importantly, Sa-Tarna grain and the Bazi Tea." Tribesmen of Gor, page 37

"From time to time the caravan stopped and, boiling water over tiny fires, we made tea." Tribesmen of Gor, page 72

"...'Is it ready?' I asked. I looked at the tiny copper kettle on the small stand. A tiny kaiila-dung fire burned under it. A small, heavy curved glass was nearby, on a flat box, which would hold some two ounces of the tea. Bazi tea is drunk in tiny glasses, usually three at a time, carefully measured." Tribesmen of Gor, page 139

beans: No description but they are mentioned in the books

"A great amount of farming, or perhaps one should speak of gardening, is done at the oasis, but little of this is exported. At the oasis, will be grown a hybrid, brownish. Sa-Tarna, adapted to the heat of the desert; most Sa-Tarna is yellow; and beans…" Tribesmen of Gor, page 37

Beast: a Kuriian military formation

A typical Kurii foraging squad consists of six animals, called a "hand," with its "eye," or leader. Two such "hands" with their "eyes," constitutes a "Kur," or "Beast." Marauders of Gor, page 241

belly, position: a position asume by a slave

"Belly," I said to Feiqa.
Immediately Feiqa, trembling, went to her belly on the stained, sooted stones near the fire. Mercenaries of Gor, page 19

"Now," I said, "for a third form of obeisance. You may 'belly' to me."
"I do not understand," she whispered.
"There are various forms of bellying," I said, "and bellying may be suitably and pleasingly combined with other forms of floor movements, approaching your master on all fours, turning to your sides and back, writhing before him, and so on. We shall take a very simple variation, suitable for an ignorant free female who has not yet even begun to discover the depths of her sexuality."
She looked up at me.
"On your belly," I said. She backed off a bit, and went to her belly. Her hair was before her face, as she, now on her belly before me, looked up at me.
"Now inch forward," I said, "remaining low on your belly, and when you reach my feet, once again, as before, lifting your head a little, tenderly and humbly, and beautifully, as though you were a slave, lick and kiss them. Good. Good. Now take my foot and place it gently on your head. Very good. Now place it again on the mat, and kiss it again. Good. You may now belly back a little, humbly. I have not yet given you permission to rise, of course."
She looked up at me, through her blond hair. There was a sort of disbelief and awe in her eyes. I think she could not understand the emotions that had gone through her, as she had performed these overt actions, understanding and internalizing their meanings.
"You may now kneel," I said. She did so, obediently. Mercenaries of Gor; page 410

belly, slave: navel of a slave girl. Only slaves on Gor display their navels. Marauders of Gor, page 143

bina - (lit. 'slave beads'): slave jewelry, usually consisting of plain metals, colored string, wooden or cheap glass beads; sometimes used as a slave name.

"She carried, in her hands, serveral strings of beads, simple necklaces, with small, wooden, colored beads. They were not valuable. She held the necklaces up for me to see. Then, with her finger, moving them on their string, she indicated the tiny, colored, wooden beads. 'Da Bina,' she said, smiling. Then she lifted a necklace, looking at it. 'Bina,' she said. I then understood the "Bina" was the expression for beads, or for a necklace of beads. Slave Girl of Gor, page 81

"I took from the chest a string of pearls, then one of the pieces of gold, then one of the rubies.
'Bina?' I asked, each time. Eta laughed.
'Bana,' she said, 'Ki Bana. Bana.'...
The most exact translation of 'bina' would probably be 'slave beads.' They were valueless,
save for being a cheap adornment sometimes permitted imbonded wenches."
Slave Girl of Gor, pages 81-82

binding fiber: 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.

"Your wrists were bound together before you," she said, "and a doubled rope put through them. When you were within our reach, and we could hold you, the other end of the rope was dropped, and it was then withdrawn. We removed your bonds,"
"Of what nature was the bond?" I asked.
"Binding fiber," said Tupita. .Dancer of Gor, page. 374

binding position: a position in which a slave assumes so her hands can be secured

"Standard binding position,' he said. I was prone. When a girl is prone, the standard binding position is to cross the wrists behind the back and to cross the ankles. I took this position instantaneously." Slave Girl of Gor, page 125

bint: a fanged carnivorous freshwater marsh eel which inhabits the rivers of the rainforests inland of Schendi; a large school of bints can strip a carcass in minutes; similar to the piranha of Earth.

Such blood might attract the bind, a fanged, carnivorous marsh eel, or the predatory, voracious blue grunt, a small, fresh-water variety of the much larger and familiar salt-water grunt of Thassa. Explorers of Gor, page 267

Birds: there are varies kinds of common birds found on Gor

"...on the second level, that of the canopies, is found and incredible variety of birds, warblers, finches, mindars, the crested lit and the common lit, the fruit tindel, the yellow gim, tanagers, and some varieties of parrot and many more." Explorers of Gor, page 311

black chain: work gangs, ostensibly free, but often 'conscripted' or 'drafted'. They are free labor, but not slave. These chains may be other colors, as well, depending on their purpose. Dancer of Gor, page 301

black dagger: a mark an assassin put on his forehead when he is in service of someone to kill another

"Guardsmen did not detain him, for he wore on his forehead the mark of the black dagger." Assassin of Gor, page 6

black wine: Is a rich, aromatic, hot drink comparable to coffee on earth. Brewed from the fresh, dark beans grown in the mountains of Thentis. "Second slave" indicates that the patron prefers to drink it without sugar or milk. This custom is derived from the fact that the sugar and milk are placed in the cup by one slave before a second slave fills the cup with blackwine. It is served with colored sugars and powdered bosk milk, or black in tiny cups or a small mug. Kept in a kettle above the fire flames.

The two slaves, their chains removed, now returned, and began to serve the black wine. The voluptuous slave of Aemilianus, whom he had not yet named, placed the tiny silver cups, on small stands, before us. The lovely little slave in bluish gauze, whom he had not yet named, holding the narrow spouted, silver pouring vessel in a heavy cloth, to retain its heat and protect her hands, poured the scalding, steaming black fluid, in narrow, tiny streams, into the small cups. She poured into the cups only the amount that would be compatible with the assorted sugars and creams which the guest might desire, if any, these being added in, and stirred, if, and as, pertinent, by Aemilianus` slave, who directed the serving.

I had heard of blackwine, but had never had any. It is drunk in Thentis, but I had never heard of it being much drunk in other Gorean cities….Then I picked up one of the thick, heavy clay bowls…It was extremely strong, and bitter, but it was hot, and unmistakably, it was coffee." Assassin of Gor, pages 106

"Thentis does not trade the beans for black wine. I have heard of a cup of black wine in Ar, some years ago, selling for a silver eighty piece. Even in Thentis black wine is used commonly only in High Caste homes...." Assassin of Gor, page 107

"Originally, doubtless beans were brought from Earth, much as certain other seeds, and silkworms and such." Assassin of Gor, page 107

"He sat, cross-legged, behind the low table. On it were hot bread, yellow and fresh, hot blackwine, steaming, with its sugars, slices of roast bosk, the scrambled eggs of vulos, pastries with creams and custards," Beasts of Gor, page 20

"I grinned, and washed down the eggs with a swig of hot black wine, prepared from the beans grown upon the slopes of the Thentis Mountains. This black wine is quite expensive. Men have been slain on Gor for attempting to smuggle the beans out of the Thentian territories." Beasts of Gor, page 21

"From one side, a slave girl, barefoot, fled to him, with the tall, graceful, silvered pot containing the black wine...She knelt, replenishing the drink." Tribesmen of Gor, page 88

"She carried a tray, on which were various spoons and sugars. She knelt, placing her tray on the table. With a tiny spoon, its tip no more that a tenth of a hort in diameter, she placed four measures of white sugar, and six of yellow, in the cup; with two stirring spoons, one for the white sugar, another for the yellow, she stirred the beverage after each measure. She then held the cup to the side of her cheek, testing its temperature; Ibn Saran glanced at her; she, looking at him, timidly kissed the side of the cup and placed it before him." Tribesmen of Gor, page 89

"Black wine, except in the vicinity of Thentis, where most of it is grown on the slopes of the Thentis range, is quite expensive." Guardsman of Gor, pages 244-245

" 'Second slave,' I told her, which, among the river towns, and in certain cities, particularly in the north, is a way of indicating that I would take the black wine without creams or sugars, and as it came from the pouring vessel, which, of course, in these areas, is handled by the" second slave," the first slave being the girl who puts down the cups, takes the orders and sees that the beverage is prepared according to the preferences of the one who is being served. The expression "second slave," incidentally, serves to indicate that one does not wish creams or sugars with one's black wine, even if only one girl is serving." Guardsman of Gor, page 244-245

"I decided I might care to taste the steaming black wine. I lifted my finger. The girl in whose charge was the silver vessel, filled with black wine, knelt beside a tiny brazier, on which it sat, retaining it's warmth. She rose swiftly to her feet. She knelt, head down, before me. She poured carefully, the hot, black beverage into the tiny red cup. I dismissed her." Guardsman of Gor, page 244-245

"I lifted the tiny silver cup to my lips and took a drop of the black wine. It's strength and bitterness are such that it is normally drunk in such a manner, usually only a drop or a few drops at a time. Commonly, too, it is mollified with creams and sugars. I drank it without creams and sugars, perhaps, for I had been accustomed, on Earth, to drinking coffee in such a manner, and the black wine of Gor is clearly coffee, or closely akin to coffee. Considering its bitterness, however, if I had not been drinking such a tiny amount, and so slowly, scarcely wetting my lips, I too, would surely have had recourse to the tasty, gentling additives with which it is almost invariably served." Guardsman of Gor, page 247

Too, I had brought up a small bowl of powdered bosk milk. We had finished the creams last night and, in any event, it was unlikely they would have lasted the night. If I had wanted creams I would have had to have gone to the market." Guardsman of Gor, page 295

Eta piled several of the hot, tiny eggs, earlier kept fresh in cool sand within the cave, on a plate, with heated yellow bread, for him. I, grasping the pot with a rag and both hands, poured him a handled, metal tankard of the steaming black brew, coffee or black wine. Slave Girl, page 74

blanket: when a blanket or cloak or covering of any sort is thrown over a slave girl, she may not speak or rise; she must remain silent until the blanket is lifted by a free person.

"I then threw the second blanket, the top blanket over her, covering her completely. When a blanket, or cloak, or covering of any sort, is thrown over a slave like this she may not speak or raise. She must remain as she is, silent, until the master, or some free man, lifts the covering away." Explorer's of Gor, page 94

Bleachers, Caste of: are sub caste of Rug Makers: Mentioned in the books.

"its libraries, its records and files; its cubicles for Smiths, Bakers, Cosmeticians, Bleachers, Dyers, Weavers, and Leather Workers." Assassin of Gor, page 111

Blood: in Kurii military organizations; a leader of a military unit of varying sizes and strengths depending on his rank

The military Kur, in this sense a unit, is commanded by a "Blood" This seems peculiar perhaps but is explained by ancient Kurii belief, that thought is a function of the blood. One "thinks" thus with one's entire body, not just the brain. Contemporary Kurii understand, naturally, that cognitive processes brain-centered, or largely brain-centered, but the ancient terminology, in their songs, poetry, and even military lexicon, remains. Analogously, humans continue to speak of affairs of the heart, a man of good heart, that someone has a big heart, etc., which terminology perhaps lingers from the when the heart was regarded not as a chemo-mechanical pump but as the throne and home of the emotions. The commander of a military Kur, thus, might better be thought of as the "brain" or "mind," but continues, in their languages, to be spoken of as the "blood." A "blood" thus commands the two eyes and the two hands. Twelve "Kurs," the sense of military units, constitutes one "Band." This one hundred and eight animals, including subalterns leaders, and is itself commanded by a "Blood," whose rank is indicated by two rings on the left arm. Twelve of these Bands constitutes a March. A March thus consists of 2,160 animals, or, counting the commanders of each Band, 2,172 animals. A March is commanded by a Blood, whose rank is indicated by one ring on the left arm. The rings of rank are quite plain, being of some reddish alloy, and are distinguished from decorative rings, of which many Kurii are fond. Kurii, generally, like men, seem vain beasts, there appears to be an inverse correlation between height of rank and intricacy and variety of ornamentation. The higher the rank the simpler is likely to be the ornamentation. The commander, or Blood, of a March wears only a single, simple reddish ring. Whether or not this simplicity is honored off duty, so to speak, or in their privacy, I do not know. I further do not know the full significance of the rings. I do not understand how they are earned, or what is involved in moving from the "second ring" to the "first ring." I do know that rings are welded on the wrists of the beasts. The iron files of the Goreans, incidentally, will not cut the alloy. Marauders of Gor, page 241

Blue Flame: 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. Tarnsman of Gor, page 208

Blue-Sky Riders: a warrior society of the Fleer tribe of Red Savages. Savages of Gor, page 260

Blue Sky Song: a refrain from the Wagon Peoples which says, in part, 'though I die, yet there will be the bosk, the grass and sky'. Nomads of Gor, page 263

bola: t consists of three long straps of leather, each about five feet long, each terminating in a leather sack which contains, sewn inside, a heavy round metal weight. Developed for hunting fleet-footed and flighted game it is also used as a weapon of war. Thrown low the long straps, with their approximate ten-foot sweep, strike the victim and the weighted balls, as soon as resistance is met, whip about the victim's legs, tangling and tightening the straps. Thrown high it can pin a man's arms to his sides; thrown at the throat it can strangle him; thrown at the head the whipping weights can crush his skull. Once a victim is entangled with the bola, typically another weapon, usually a quiva, is then utilized to dispatch the victim if he or she still lives. Also employed as a game where slave girls are ordered to run, while the Masters attempt to ensnare them with the bola; it's image is a Kassar brand. First appears in Book #4, Nomads of Gor.

"...Slowly, singing in a guttural chant, a Tuchuk warrior song, he began to swing the bola. It consists of three long straps of leather, each about five feet long, each terminating in a leather sack, which contains, sewn inside, a heavy, round metal weight. It was probably developed for hunting the tumit, a huge, flightless carnivorous bird of the plains, but the Wagon Peoples use it also, and well, as a weapon of war. Thrown to low the long straps, with their approximate ten-foot sweep, almost impossible to evade ,strike the victim and the weighted balls, as soon as resistance is met, whip about the victim, tangling and tightening the straps. Sometimes legs are broken. It is often difficult to release the straps, so snarled do they become. Thrown high the Gorean bola can lock a man's arms to his sides; thrown to the throat it can strangle him; thrown to the head, a difficult cast, the whipping weights can crush a skull. One entangles the victim with the bola, leaps from one's mount and with the quiva cuts his throat..." Nomads of Gor, Page 24

bondage knot: 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.

On Gor, the female slave, desiring her master, yet sometimes fearing to speak to him, frightened that she may be struck, has recourse upon occasion to certain devices, the meaning of which is generally established and culturally well understood. I shall mention two such devices. There is, first, the bondage knot. The bondage knot is a simple looped knot tied into the girl's hair and worn at the side of her right cheek or before her right shoulder. The girl approaches the master naked and kneels, the bondage knot soft, curled, fallen at the side of her right cheek or before her right shoulder. Another device, common in Port Kar, is for the girl to kneel before the master and put her head down and lift her arms, offering him fruit, usually a larma, or a yellow Gorean peach, ripe and fresh. These devices, incidentally, may be used even by a slave girl who hates her master but whose body, trained to love, cannot endure the absence of the masculine caress. Tribesman of Gor, page 27

bond-maid: the term for a slave girl used in Torvaldsland

Two of the men of Torvaldsland had, from their left shoulder to their right hip, that their right arms be less I impeded, a chain formed of slave bracelets; each pair of bracelets locked at each end about one of the bracelets of another pair, the whole thus forming a circle. Now they removed this chain of bracelets, and, one by one, removed the pairs, closing them about the small wrists, behind their backs, of the female captives, now bond-maids. Marauders of Gor, page 46

bond-maid circle: a female who enters the circle, drawn in the dirt for example, is by the laws of Torvaldsland declaring herself a bond-maid. She may enter voluntarily or be thrown into it bound and naked.

He then drew with the handle of his ax a circle, some twenty feet in diameter, in the dirt floor of the circle.
It was a bond-maid circle. Marauders of Gor, page 44

"Go to the bond-maid circle," said Ivar Forkbeard, indicating the circle he had drawn in the dirt.
The women cried out in misery. To enter the circle, if one is a female, is, by the laws of Torvaldsland, to declare oneself a bond-maid. A woman, of course, need not to enter the circle of her own free will. She may, for example, be thrown within it, naked and bound. Howsoever she enters the circle, voluntarily, or by force, free or secured, she emerges from it, by the laws of Torvaldsland, as a bond-maid. Marauders of Gor, page 44

bond-maid gruel: a porridge served to bond-maids in Torvaldsland made of dampened Sa-Tarna and raw fish.

Like the bond-maids, she had been fed only on cold Sa-Tarna porridge and scraps of dried parsit fish." Marauders of Gor, page 56

"The bond-maids did not much care for their gruel, unsweetened, mud-like Sa-Tarna meal; with raw fish." Marauders of Gor, page 65

"Another of the bond-maids was then freed to mix the bond-maid gruel, mixing fresh water with Sa-Tarna meal, and then stirring in the raw fish." Marauders of Gor, pages 63-64

bones: a game played by the Red Hunters

Imnak and I sat across from one another, both cross-legged. He dropped a tiny bone to the fur mat between us. Each player, in turn, drops a bone, one of several in his supply. The bone Imnak had dropped was carved in the shape of a small tabuk. Each of the bones is carved to resemble an animal, such as an arctic gant, a northern bosk, a larl, a tabuk or sleen, and so on. The bone which remains upright is the winner. If both bones do not remain upright there is no winner on that throw. Similarly, if both bones should remain upright, they are dropped again. A bone which does not remain upright, if its opposing bone does remain upright, is placed in the stock of him whose bone remained upright. The game is finished when one of the two players is cleaned out of bones. Beasts of Gor, pages 184-185

bosk: A shaggy, long-haired wild ox, with a thick, humped neck, and long, shaggy hair. It has wide head and tiny red eyes, a temper to match that of a sleen, and two long, wicked horns that reach out from its head and suddenly curve forward to terminate in fearful points. The Bosk provides, food, leather and many of the needs of the people of Gor.

"or the ill-tempered, cumbersome bosk, a shaggy, long-haired wild ox of the Gorean plains." Outlaw of Gor, page 125

"It is a huge shambling animal, with a thick, humped neck, and long, shaggy hair. It has wide head and tiny red eyes, a temper to match that of a sleen, and two long, wicked horns that reach out from its head and suddenly curve forward to terminate in fearful points. Some of these horns, on the larger animals, measured from tip to tip, exceed the length of two spears." Nomads of Gor, pages 4-5

"The bosk is said to be the Mother of the Wagon Peoples, and they reverence it as such." Nomads of Gor, page 5

Though similar in build to the Yak of earth the Bosk bears the heavier form of the buffalo of earth and like him, provides, food, leather and many of the needs of the people of Gor. The meat may be roasted or broiled, dried,stewed or served in a myriad of ways. Nomads of Gor, page 4

"The bosk, without which the Wagon Peoples could not live, is an ox like creature. It is a huge, shambling animal, with a thick, humped neck and long, shaggy hair. Not only does the flesh of the bosk and the milk of its cows furnish the Wagon Peoples with food and drink, but its hides cover the dome like wagons in which they dwell; its tanned and sewn skin cover their bodies…" Nomads of Gor, pages 4-5

"The bosk is a large, horned, shambling ruminant of the Gorean plains. It is herded below the Gorean equator by the Wagon Peoples, but there are Bosk herds on ranches in the north as well, and peasants often keep some of the animals." Raiders of Gor, page 26
"With a serving prong, she placed narrow strips of roast bosk …" Guardsman of Gor, page 234

"I smelled roast bosk cooking, …" Hunters of Gor, page 34

bosk cheese: Sharp in taste and travels well...resisting molds in their hard rinds. Variously described, i.e. melted to be served over broken open suls. Assassin of Gor, page 168

bosk horn: a sounding horn used by the Tuchuk tribes in battle for signaling; fashioned from the horn of the bosk. Nomads of Gor, page 259

bosk milk: a staple of life for the Wagon Peoples. Nomads of Gor, page 5

bota: a bag with a reclosable stopper or cork, commonly made of verr skin leather; used to transport liquids, and is often utilized by serving slave girls, especially in the camps. Captive of Gor, page 112

bracelets, hook: 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 locked cuffs may variously secure the girl. Slave Girl of Gor, page 297

bracelets, slave: any of a variety of handcuff type restraints; used to restrain the wrists of slaves and others; usually metal.

I heard the two, heavy snaps of the locks. He then unbound her wrists and coiled the tether. Before her body he locked her wrists in three-link slave bracelets. Tribesmen of Gor, page 144

Bracelets, or Chaining Position: basic pleasure slave position, the slave girl, on command, thrusts her hands behind her back, wrists together in preparation to be handcuffed.

"Bracelets!", I said in Gorean, harshly. The girl snapped to position, hands behind the small of her back, head lifted, chin up, turned to the left." Tribesmen of Gor, page 78

"`Bracelets,' he snapped. She put her head in the air and placed her hands behind her back." Hunters of Gor, page 146

brak bush: 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.

Branches of this plant are nailed over doors during the Waiting Hand to discourage bad luck from entering the house in the New Year. "Almost all doors, including that of the House of Cernus, had nailed to them some branches of the Brak Bush, the leaves of which, when chewed, have a purgative effect. It is though that the branches of the Brak Bush discourage entry of bad luck into the houses of the citizens." Assassin of Gor, page 211

brand: 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 etc.

"The man, placing heavy gloves on his hands, withdrew from the brazier a slave iron. Its tip was a figure some inch and a half high, the first letter in cursive script, in the Gorean alphabet, of the expression Kajira" Hunters of Gor page 51

"The brand used by Forkbeard is not uncommon in the north, though there is less uniformity in Torvaldsland on these matters than in the south, where the merchant caste, with its recommendations for standardization, is more powerful. All over Gor, of course, the slave girl is a familiar commodity. The brand used by the Forkbeard, found rather frequently in the north, consisted of a half circle, with, at its right tip, adjoining it, a steep, diagonal line. The half circle is about an inch and a quarter in height. The brand is, like many, symbolic. In the north, the bond-maid is sometimes referred to as a women whose belly lies beneath the sword". Mauraders of Gor page 87

"The most common brand site on a Gorean slave girl is the outer side of the left thigh, closely beneath the hip. In this brand site the identificatory mark is thus placed high enough to be covered by a brief cloth of a common slave tunic and is available for convenient and immediate inspection if the tunic is lifted." Savages of Gor, pages 108-109

"I had seized her, half lifted her, and turned her from side to side, examining her slim, attractive thighs for the tiny brand which would confirm the matter. The most common brand sites, that on the left thigh, the favorite, and that on the right thigh, lacked slave marks. This determination, given the nature of her gamenture, could be instantly made. I then put her on her feet. "Oh!" she said. She was not branded on the lower left abdomen. That is perhaps the third most favored brand site. I then checked several other brand sites, such as the inside of the forearms, the left side of the neck, behind and below the left ear, the backs of her legs, and her buttocks. I even examined the insteps of her left and right feet. Her body was not branded." Renegades of Gor, page 124

"With a heavy glove, Hassan pulled an iron from the brazier. "What do you think of this brand?" he asked. It was the Taharic slave mark. "It is beautiful," I said. "But let us assure ourselves that this will be a common slave, one fit to sell north." "A good idea," said Hassan. He returned the one iron to the brazier and reached for another. It glowed red. It was a fine iron, clean and precise. At it's tip, bright red, was the common Kajira slave mark of Gor. " Tribesmen of Gor, page 337

"I see you like a left-thigh-branded girl,' said Hassan." Tribesmen of Gor, page 337

"I had seen the design at the tip of the iron. It was a small flower, stylized;it was circular, about an inch and a half in diameter; it was not unlike a small rose; it was incredibly lovely and delicate". Slave Girl of Gor page 32

"Her brand, however, was not precisely the same as mine. It was more slender, more vertical, more like a stem with floral, cursive loops, about an inch and half in height, and a half inch in width; it was, I would later learn, the initial letter in cursive script of the Gorean expression 'Karjia'; my own brand was the 'dina'; the dina is a small, lovely, multiply pedaled flower, short-stemmed, and blooming in the a turf of green leaves, usually on the slopes of hills, in the northern temperate zones of Gor; in its budding, though in few other ways, it resembles a rose" Slave Girl of Gor, page 61

"Yet the most profound consequences of the brand seem to be less social than intensely individual, personal and psychological; the brand, almost instantaneously, transforms the deepest consciousness of a girl; I resolved to fight these feelings, to keep my person hood, even wearing a brand. I lay confined in bonds. I could scarcely move. But I suspected, and truly, the mightiest bond I wore was not the strict, confining loops on my wrists or belly but the newly incised brand on my body; later, I suspected, even if coils of rope and heavy chains might be heaped upon me, or I should be confined in cells or kennels, the most complete and in escapable shackle placed upon me would nonetheless be always that delicate, feminine design, that small, lovely flower, resembling a rose, burned into the flesh of my upper left thigh." Slave Girl of Gor, page 60

"May I see your brand?" I asked. I was curious. "Of course," said Ena, and she stood up and, extending her left leg, drew her long, lovely white garment to her hip, revealing her limb. I gasped. Incised deeply, precisely, in that slim, lovely, now-bared thigh was a startling mark, beautiful, insolent, dramatically marking that beautiful thigh as that which it now could only be, that of a female slave. "It is beautiful," I whispered. " "Can you read?" she asked. "No," I said. She regarded the brand. "It is the first letter, in cursive script," she said, "of the name of the city of Treve." Captive of Gor, page 277

"The brand of the Tuchuk slave , incidentally, is not the same as that used in the cities, which for girls is the first letter of the expression Kajirain cursive script, but the sign of the four bosk horns, that of the Tuchuk standard , the brand of the four bosk horns, set in a manner to somewhat resemble the letter H, is only about an inch high." Nomads of Gor, page 62

The Kataii Brand brand is also that of a bow, facing to the left" Nomads of Gor page 106

The Kassar Brand "is a symbolic representation of a bola, three circles joined at the center by lines, is used to mark their bosk and slaves". Nomads of Gor page 106

"The Paravaci brand is a symbolic representation of a bosk head, a semicircle resting on an inverted isosceles triangle." Nomads of Gor page 106

"The brand is normally concealed by the briefly skirted slave livery of Gor, but of course, when the camisk is worn, it is always visible, reminding the girl and others of her station. The brand itself, in the case of girls, is a rather graceful mark, being the initial letter of the Gorean expression for salve in cursive script. If a male is branded, the same initial is used but rendered in a block letter." Outlaw of Gor, page 187

"The brand is to be distinguished from the collar, though both are a designation of slavery. The primary significance of the collar is that it identifies the master and his city. The collar of a given girl maybe be changed countless times, but the brand continues throughout to bespeak her status." Outlaw of Gor, page 187

"Most simply the brand is supposed to convince the girl that she is truly owned. It is supposed to make her feel owned. When the iron is pulled away and she knows the pain and degradation and smells the odor of her burned flesh, she is supposed to tell herself, understanding its full and terrible import, I AM HIS." Outlaw of Gor, page 187

brand, penalty: small 1/4 inch brands that mark a convicted liar, thief, traitor, etc.

"Sometimes, too" she said, "a girl may be branded as punishment, and to warn others against her." I looked at her, puzzled. "Penalty brands," she said. "They are tiny, but clearly visible. There are various such brands. There is one for lying and another for stealing." Captive of Gor, page 277

Four men held me, naked, near the brazier. I could feel the heat blazing from the canister. The sky was very blue, the clouds were white.
"Please, no!", I wept.
I saw Rask, with a heavy glove, draw forth one of the irons from the fire. It reminated in a tiny letter, not more that a quarter of an inch high. The letter was white hot.
"This is a penalty brand," he said. "It marks you as a liar".
"Please, Master!", I wept.
"I no longer have patience with you," he said. "Be marked as what you are".
I screamed uncontrollably as he pressed in the iron, holding it firmly into my leg. Then, after some two to four ihn, he removed it. I could not stop screaming with pain. I smelled the odor of burned flesh, my own. I began to whimper. I could not breathe. I gasped for breath. Still the men held me.
" This penalty brand,' said Rask of Treve, lifting another iron from the brazier, again with a tiny letter at its glowing termination, "marks you also as what you are, as a thief ".
"Please no, Master!" I wept.
I could not move a muscle of my left leg. It might as well have been locked in a vise. It must wait for the iron. I screamed again, uncontrollably. I had been branded as a thief.
"This third iron," said Rask of Treve, "'is, too, a penalty iron. I mark you with this not for myself, but for Ute".
Through raging tears I saw, white hot, the tiny letter.
"It marks you as a traitress," said Rask of Treve. He looked at me, with fury.
"Be marked as a traitress," he said. Then he pressed the third iron into my flesh. As it entered my flesh, biting and searing, I saw Ute watching, her face betraying no emotion. I screamed, and wept, and screamed. Still the men did not release me.
Rask of Treve lifted the last iron from the fire. It was much larger, the letter at its termination some one and a half inches high. It, too, was white hot. I knew the brand. I had seen it on Ena's thigh. It was the mark of Treve. Rask of Treve decided that my flesh should bear that mark.
"No, Master, please!" I begged him.
"Yes, Worthless Slave," he said, "you will wear in your flesh the mark of the city of Treve".
"Please," I begged.
"When men ask you," said he, "who it was that marked you as a liar and a thief, and traitress, point to this brand, and say, I was marked by one of Treve, who was displeased with me". Captive of Gor page 310

brand, thief's: tiny 1/4 inch, 3-pronged brand worn on the cheek of those of the Caste of Thieves in Port Kar. Mercenaries of Gor, page 239

branding rack:: 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.

The girl was brought into the shop and stood in the branding rack, which was then locked on her, holding her upright. The metal worker placed her wrists behind her in the wrist clamps, adjustable, each on their vertical, flat metal bar. He screwed shut the clamps. She winced. He then shackled her feet on the rotating metal platform. Explorers of Gor, page 71

At the height of the festivities the cage was opened and its occupant, a former free woman, whose name had been Melinda, now a naked slave in sleen collar was ordered froth on her hands and knees. A sleen leash was attached to her collar, and she was marched, as a she-sleen, crawling abused, to the radp-rack in which I had been earlier confind. Therein she was fastened, the beams locking her ankles and neck, and wrists in place and, as her left thigh was held by strong men of Tabuk's Ford. She screamed wildly, branded, and, her thigh released, clearly marked, moaned and twisted on the wood. Her head was then shaved. Then she wept, her head back, softly moaning, held in place by the heavy beams, forgotten, as men and women returned to their feasting. Slave Girl of Gor page 238

bread, black : Baked from Gorean grains, heavy and dark. Hunters of Gor, page 13

bread, sa-tarna: Round flat loaves made from yellow Sa-Tarna grains

"I thought of the yellow Gorean bread, baked in the shape of round, flat loaves, fresh and hot " Outlaw of Gor, page 76

"He removed my hand from the binding fiber. I reached out for him. He thrust a huge piece of the yellow Sa-Tarna bread into my hands." Captive of Gor, page 114

". . .he gave me two generous pieces of bread, two full wedges of Sa-Tarna bread, a fourth of a loaf. Such bread is usually baked in round, flat loaves, with eight divisions in a loaf. Some smaller loaves are divided into four divisions." Kajira of Gor, page 216

breeding cell: also called a breeding stall. A slave who is 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. Dancer of Gor, page 175

breeding wine: a sweet beverage which counteracts the effects of slave wine, making a slave girl fertile; also called second wine.

In the concentrated state as in slave wine developed by the Caste of Physicians the effect ( of sip root ) is almost indefinite, usually requiring a releaser for its remission, usually administered to a slave in what is called breeding wine or second wine" Blood Brothers of Gor page 319

Brothers of the Wind: a nickname for Tarnsmen.

"Tarnsmen, riders of the great tarns, called Brothers of the Wind, are masters of the open sky, fierce warriors whose battleground is the clouds and sky; they are not forest people; they do not care to stalk and hunt where, from the darkness of trees, from a canopy of foliage, they may meet suddenly unexpectedly, a quarrel from the crossbow of an invisible assailant." Captive of Gor, page 63

Brundisium: A large walled city, a saltwater port located south of the Vosk delta on the shores of Thassa. Its port facilities rival even those of Cos and Tyros, and much of the merchandise and supplies which are transported into the landlocked northern interior come through Brundisium. Through the treachery of her former Ubar, the city of Brundisium, though officially allied with Ar, served as the staging point for the great Cosian invasion of Ar, which took place several years ago. Needless to say, Brundisium and Ar are no longer allies. It is similar to any of the walled seaports of ancient Earth Greece.

buckler: small shield worn on the forearm

“Ho-Tu, his hook knife dripping, a buckler on his left arm now stood beside us.” Assassin of Gor, page 346

“. . .the primary defense is a small round buckler. . .” Tribesmen of Gor, page 302

“. . .buckler and dagger, ax and buckler, dagger and whip, ax and net, or the two daggers . .” Nomads of Gor page 124

“The crowd is fond of seeing various types of weapons used against others, and styles of fighting. Buckler and short sword are perhaps most popular, but there are few weapons on Gor which are not seen over a period of three or four days of the games.” Assassin of Gor, page 189

builder's glass: a telescope:

"I snapped open the builder's glass again." Raiders of Gor, page 197

Builders - Third of the High Castes - This caste includes architects, engineers, draftsmen, stonemasons, and many other professions, which concern themselves with the creation of the physical and engineering marvels of Gor. Also among the Builders are the inventors and technicians who develop such works. Their caste color is Yellow.

These tiers shared the color of that portion of the wall behind them, the caste colors. The tier nearest the floor, which denoted some preferential status, the white tier, was occupied by the Initiates, Interpreters of the Will of the Priest Kings. In order, the ascending tiers; blue, yellow, green and red were occupied by representatives of the Scribes, Builders, Physicians, and Warriors." Tarnsman of Gor, page 61

On the other hand, the High Castes, specifically the Warriors, Builders, Scribes, Initiates, and Physicians" Tarnsman of Gor, page 41

butter: It is made from either Bosk milk or Verr milk. It is churned and kept in kegs.

" Olga," he said, "there is butter to be churning in the churning shed." Marauders of Gor, page 101

"… where Olga, sweating, had finished making a keg of butter." Marauders of Gor, page 101

"These females," she said, indicating the Forkbeard's girls, who knelt at her feet, their heads to the turf, "could be better employed on your farm, dunging fields and making butter." Marauders of Gor, page 156

"in some such sheds might craftsmen work, in others fish might be dried or butter made." Marauders of Gor, page 81