Drawing by Jules Guerin,
Image courtesy ArtToday.com

What's That Piece of Jewelry Around a Girl's Neck?

(And how did it get there?)

The first day that you spent any length of time in a Gorean room, you probably noticed that some of the slaves have letters behind their names. The names might look like arani_CsA, or arani{CsA} (depending on the particular chat forum). If you've never been to the D/s rooms, you might have wondered what that meant. Well, I'm sure you quickly learned that this means the girl is owned by a Master. The letters are His mark, usually His initials or part of His name, and signify that she belongs to Someone.

If you're still a novice, you may be a little uncertain as to what a collar is and what it means. Well, it's just what you imagine it to be. When you own a dog, you put a collar around its neck, along with a little tag that says it belongs to you. That way, if the dog gets lost, or if anyone happens to wonder who owns it, all they have to do is look at the tag and find out.

The same thing applies to a collared slave. The letters behind her name are a clear statement to everyone that this girl is owned. She belongs to someone else. It may sound harsh, but on Gor slaves are considered animals. They can be owned in the same way that a dog or a horse may be owned, or even a chair. They are considered property, and their Masters can do whatever they want with them. There is a saying that is used commonly......."Gor is not fair, Gor is harsh, Gor is Gor."

If you can't accept the fact that you can be owned in this way, then perhaps Gor is not for you. It's not an easy life, and there is no shame in admitting that a girl is not a slave in her heart. It is better to realize this early on, rather than to try to be something you're not; a lot of hurt will be avoided later on.

It can sometimes be a little upsetting when a girl first realizes fully just what kind of a commodity she is, how little value is placed on her. But there is another side to this concept of being property. Most Masters guard their property very jealously. Consider this quote:

So, what does it mean to be owned? Is it just being able to put some letters behind your name? No, there is much more to it than that. When you are owned, your Master has complete control over your life--every part of it. That includes how you behave, where you go, what you wear, even what your name is. He will decide if you are allowed to serve Anyone else, and to what extent you serve. He may even sell you to Someone else, or loan you out for a time. Every facet of your life is now at the whim of Someone else.

There are advantages to this arrangement, however, for the slave as well as for the Master. arani will tell you that it is a wonderful feeling to know that you are owned, that you BELONG to someone. Yes, it is a big responsibility. Yes, it means that certain limits are going to be placed on a girl. But, there's a feeling of belonging that goes much deeper than what you might feel in any ordinary "boyfriend/girlfriend" relationship. It's a hard concept to define, but any slave who has been in Gor for a while will tell you the same thing.

A slave may get the impression that, once she is owned, she now has a Protector. she has someone to watch over her, and to keep her from being harmed by that big bad Master over there. Well, to a certain extent that is true. But, even if you are owned, you are still required to be respectful to All, and to serve All as your Master permits you to do. That also means you are subject to being corrected, or even punished, by another Master.

Most Masters, if they would have a problem with your behavior, would hopefully wait and speak to your Master about it. Then again, they might not. It is completely within the realm of possibility for another Master, if your Owner is not present, to haul you off to the slave pole and have you beaten if you displease Him. Now, that is an extreme case, but it can happen. It happened once to arani. The only true protection that a slave can find in Gor is to be at her Master's feet. However, think of this: If you are displeasing to another Master, you have to deal not only with His correction, but possibly your own Master's displeasure later on, when He learns of the incident.

There are two kinds of collars on Gor: the personal collar and the tavern collar. Much of what arani has said to this point applies more to a personal collar; this means that you are owned by one Master. However, there is something known as a tavern collar. This means that you may be owned by a particular Master, but in essence you belong to His tavern, for the use of His patrons. It's a little like working at Hooters, but with the difference that the customers can sleep with you any time they want.

While a personal slave can usually be found at the feet of her Master, when He is on line, a tavern slave is most commonly on the serving furs of her Master's tavern. her duties are to see that His customers are served, whether it be food or drinks, or more personal services. A tavern slave is rarely restricted in the types of services she is allowed to offer. Most Masters will assume that He will be allowed free use of the slave that brings Him His paga.

A slave may accept a tavern collar for a variety of reasons. There is no such thing as a "training collar" on Gor. But some slaves, who are new to Gor, will ally themselves with a tavern in order to have the benefit of some small protection as well as the training of the Owner and/or His first girl. It gives them a chance to "get their feet wet," so to speak--to have a relatively safe place to learn what Gor is all about, and to observe the various residents of Gor. In this type of situation, it is not uncommon for a slave to eventually take the personal collar of a particular Master that she has served often and formed something of a bond with.

Other slaves may take tavern collars for other reasons. After arani was released by her first Master, she was very unsure of herself and was hesitant to go out into Gor as an unowned slave. For this reason, she took the collar of an Owner that she trusted, that she knew would offer her some small measure of protection while she regained her confidence and her heart healed. It was also a tremendous learning experience for her, and she will be eternally grateful to the Master for allowing her to be His for a time.

A slave may simply take a tavern collar because she does not wish to commit herself to one Master in the way that she would be required to if given a personal collar. This can be for any number of reasons -- some very valid, and arani will not go into those here.

There is one further matter, one about which arani cannot caution her sisters strongly enough. A collar is a VERY serious matter. Some girls come into Gor and think that they have to have a collar the first week, or even the first day. So often, in these cases, one or both parties becomes quickly disillusioned, and the collar soon comes off. Or, a girl finds herself stranded in a situation in which she is unhappy. Oh well, some girls think. They can just drop out of sight, come back with a new name and no one will ever know the difference. Yes, that might work. But is it the right thing to do? Remember that we are talking about people's hearts here. Not to mention something called personal integrity.

Before you take a collar, be it a personal collar or a tavern collar, arani begs you to take the time to get to know the Man who will own you. Yes, you are just sitting at a computer typing in words. But think of the amount of time that you will be spending with this Man, what He will be requiring of you. The emotions that one feels here are very real. Submission is a very powerful emotion; the love that you will feel for your Master is most likely stronger than the love you have ever felt for anyone else, possibly including a husband in an "equal" relationship.

Often, a logical consequence of this type of bonding is that being together on-line is not enough. Before long, you start planning to meet your Master in the "real world" (off line)--maybe even move in with him. Before you take that collar, think to yourself: is this the kind of Man I would want to spend the rest of my life with? Think of it this way--would you marry a man after only a couple of dates, and expect that marriage to last? Now, arani has known of slaves who took a collar very quickly, and who have stayed with their Master for years. But it's still a risky proposition.

Before you take that collar, you need to sit down and have a serious talk with the prospective Master. Just what is He going to expect of you once you are wearing His name? Is this to be strictly an on-line relationship, or is He going to expect you to follow His commands off line as well. arani's first Master gave her a curfew; she had to be off-line and in bed by a certain time. Now, it would have been very easy for her to fake it. But could she have lived with herself, knowing that she was lying to Him? Perhaps another slave could; she could not.

So, in summation, arani begs you to consider very carefully just what it means to wear a collar, and to take your time before jumping into an arrangement that you might regret later. arani has worn three collars during her time in Gor. The first time, she took the collar thinking that she would wear it for the rest of her life, both on and off line. However, things don't always work out the way we want them to. Her second collar she took with the knowledge that it would be a temporary thing, but she found herself wanting it to be more than it was, and ended up being hurt as a result. What will happen with her current Master she cannot say, but she will tell you that she takes it very seriously. It is not something she intends to throw away when she gets tired of it.

And, one last point to consider: being uncollared and naked is not something to be ashamed of. arani has known of several sisters who have chosen to remain uncollared for one reason or another, and all of them are beautiful slaves. Whatever you decide, remember that it is YOUR choice. Do not let any Master try to force you into something you are not ready for. Because this is your future.

arani wishes you much happiness.

© arani_CsA, 8/10/2000,
revised 3/8/2003

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