Lily Pons as Lakme,
Photograph courtesy ClipArt.com

Emily Post's Guide to Gor

(or Basic Etiquette for slaves)

Okay, by now you have searched your heart and found that you are truly a slave by nature. You feel the need to be pleasing to others, to serve--as we say in Gor, you feel the "burning in your belly." You have done a little research into what Gor is all about--perhaps you've read one or two of the books, and have spent some time browsing through some of the many websites that are out there. You feel like you're ready to take the plunge, and enter a Gorean chat room for the first time. What do you do? How do you behave?

arani has spent most of her time in Gor in Yahoo!, so most of what she has learned is more applicable there. Other chat mediums do some things differently, but there are some basic elements that are the same. Even within a single chat medium, be it Yahoo!, or IRC, or GorChat, or whatever, each room will do things a little differently. What you need to do is spend some time there, talk to the room Owner or first girl, and read the room's website if it has one. arani keeps a little notebook in which she writes down the peculiarities of each room she goes to.

One of the first things a slave needs to learn is a few basic positions. arani has a list of 35 slave positions that she has garnered from various websites, however she would say that there are 3 or possibly 4 that are absolutely vital for a new slave to know. These are kar-ta, nadu, tower, and kneeling to the whip. Kar-ta is the position that a slave assumes when begging permission to enter a room. Nadu is the basic Gorean kneeling position--unowned slaves are generally expected to nadu, and most collared slaves do so as well unless they are instructed by their Masters to do otherwise. The tower kneel is generally used when kneeling before a Free Woman, for obvious reasons. (arani was told by one of her former Masters not to show her heat unless she was prepared to use it.) The final position, that of kneeling to the whip, is one that arani hopes you will never have to use. But it is still good to know, if the worst happens and you must be punished. (this one will elaborate more on these positions, and others, here.)

arani wishes to state here that, while many Gorean taverns require a slave to assume the kar-ta position upon begging to enter a room, this position is not listed in any of the Gor novels. It is a position that is a creation of on-line Gor, and is not recognized by some Goreans as being either necessary or in the Gorean way. she offers it here as something for a girl needs to know when she goes to some taverns.

It is also vital to know how to enter a room. Not every room will require a slave to beg permission to enter. If the room you are entering does so, then you should, as soon as you enter the channel, assume the kar-ta position at the door, and softly ask permission to enter. When you are granted permission, either by the room Owner or by another Free Person, thank Him and greet Him. Then greet everyone else in the room.

We in Gor are a very polite bunch. Slaves greet everyone by name, as do many Free Persons. Do so in this order: first the Masters, then the Free Women, and then the other slaves. It is considered bad form to shorten the name of a Free Person, unless He or She gives you permission to do so. It is also usually frowned upon to flood the channel with individual greetings. . . for example, typing in "greetings Master X," and then typing in "greetings Master Y," and so on down the list. If there are many people in the room, and several slaves coming and going, this can get annoying very quickly. What this one usually does is greet all the Masters in one post, then greets the Free Women in another post, and then the slaves in a third post.

The same is true for leaving a room. Permission is almost always mandatory for a slave to leave a room--even if permission to enter is not required. After the Owner or another Free Person grants permission to leave, thank Him and wish Him well, followed by every person in the room. You will see some Free Persons say, "Be well," when someone leaves a room. This is very bad form for a slave. It sounds like the slave is giving a command to a Free Person, and may get you yelled at. Instead, say "this slave wishes You well," or some variation of that. you may wish to say good-bye to a sister slave by wishing her beautiful serves, or some such thing.

Now, we come to how a slave is to speak. A slave is NEVER to speak in the first person. she should never use words like "I," "me," or "my." Instead, she shoud refer to herself and to other slaves in the third person--"a girl," "this girl," "this one," or by using her own name. An exception to this that arani has seen from time to time is when a girl addresses her Owner as "my Master." This is something that is usually arranged between the girl and her Master.

Once you are granted permission to enter a room, and you have greeted all of the room's occupants, it is time to make your entrance. you should quickly enter the room and go to the serving furs, kneeling there in full nadu (or otherwise if you have been so ordered by your Master). Now, bear in mind that the serving furs are just what they say--if you are kneeling there you will be expected to serve. If you are not ready to serve, then you need to inform the room that you are kneeling in a corner, or to one side, or in some other out-of-the-way place, and state that you are observing. However, even then you should be prepared to respond if called upon. Usually, if you state respectfully that you do not yet know how to serve and beg to be excused, this will be granted. But this is not always the case.

A slave's entrance into the room is a way for her to show the room occupants who she is. arani usually suggests to new slaves that they perfect their kar-ta and nadu very early on. Since a Master cannot see through the computer screen to see what you look like, or what position you are assuming, it is up to you to tell Him. Give not only a physical description of yourself, but also state how your body is positioned. Select one or two of your best features, and highlight those in your kneel. this one has very long, very thick blonde hair in real life, so she uses this--not only in her kneel, but also in her serves. Watch the other, more experienced, slaves and see what they do.

This is a good time to talk about developing your own style. Whether it be while serving, or while kneeling, or simply interacting with others in the room, each slave will have her own way of moving. Some slaves are openly sexual, to the point of being almost pornographic. (Sometimes the word "almost" doesn't apply here, either.) Other slaves may be a little more athletic in their movements. Others may be more playful, more exhuberant. this one has developed a style that is rather graceful and elegant. she tries to be very sensual in her movements, without being overtly explicit in her descriptions. As has been said many times, sometimes the suggestion of something is more arousing than the actual showing of that thing. Again, watch the other slaves and see what they do. But, in the end. it should be YOUR style, not someone else's.

A slave should be very careful about speaking in the open room. This does not mean that she is to be silent; it simply means that she should choose her words carefully. Often, a slave is discouraged from starting a conversation with a Free Person, unless given permission to do so. she should certainly answer if spoken to, as long as she does so respectfully. Likewise, chatter and play between slaves in an open room is often discouraged. If you must speak at length with another slave, especially if the room is busy, it is usually best to do so through a private message. Now, there are times when a room is not busy, and protocol is not as strictly observed. Again, each room and each situation will be different.

Now a few words regarding slave clothing. Different Masters will choose to dress their slaves differently. this one has seen silks, kirtles, camisks, and many other forms of dress. she has seen slaves wearing many different kinds of jewelry--slave bells, bell chains, bracelets, and the like. One of her Masters refused to allow her clothing of any kind, apart from her slave bells and her collar. Each girl entering Gor for the first time needs to be aware that a slave does not own anything, not even the clothes on her back. It is up to her Master to decide how she is to dress, if she is allowed clothes at all. Unowned slaves are always naked, with extremely rare exceptions. you should describe your state of dress or undress when you kneel and when you serve.

One last topic of discussion--names. As this one said previously, a slave owns nothing. she does not even own her own name. Of course, you will have a name when you enter Gor. This may be a name that you have carefully chosen, one that has special meaning to you. However, when you are collared it is the right of your Master to name you whatever He wants. It is His right to change Your name at any time, if He so wishes. Once, this girl's first Master ordered her to change her name to "bubbles" for the evening, as a punishment.

Much of what goes on in a room can only be learned by spending time there. Again, speak to the room Owner or the first girl, or others who frequent the room regularly. Spend a lot of time in observation of how others behave. Listen when you are corrected. But, most of all, have fun. Being a slave should never be so much work that it is not fun. If you have questions, or don't understand something, don't be afraid to ask. That only shows that you are willing to learn and be taught.

this one wishes you well, sweet sisters and brothers.

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

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