Tatrix Lady Aasiyah
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Registration date : 2009-01-02
 | Subject: History Quotes  Fri Jan 30, 2009 10:28 am | |
| History
"But surely," I protested, "its existence could be discovered. One
can't hide a planet the size of the Earth in our own solar system! It's
impossible!"
"You underestimate the Priest-Kings and their science," said my
father, smiling. "Any power that is capable of moving a planet--and I
believe the Priest-Kings possess this power--is capable of effecting
adjustments in the motion of the planet, such adjustments as might
allow it to use the sun indefinitely as a concealing shield."
---Tarnsman of Gor, 2:33
Gor is the planet of the Priest-Kings, a species of higher
intelligence which hides in the depths of the Sardar Mountains. It is
believed the planet shares the Earth's solar system but remains
concealed from Earth scientists by careful shielding.
There was another possibility I mentioned to my father--perhaps the
planet had been in our system all the time, but had been undiscovered,
unlikely though that might be, given the thousands of years of study of
the skies by men, from the shambling creatures of the Neander Valley to
the brilliant intellects of Mount Wilson and Palomar. To my surprise,
this absurd hypothesis was welcomed by my father.
"That," he said with animation, "is the Theory of the Sun Shield."
He added, "That is why I like to think of the planet as the
Counter-Earth, not only because of its resemblance to our native world,
but because, as a matter of fact, it is placed as a counterpoise to the
Earth. It has the same plane of orbit and maintains its orbit in such a
way as always to keep The Central Fire between it and its planetary
sister, our Earth, even though this necessitates occasional adjustments
in its speed of revolution."
"But surely," I protested, 'its existence could be discovered. One
can't hide a planet the size of the Earth in our own solar system! It's
impossible!"
"You underestimate the Priest-Kings and their science," said my
father, smiling. "Any power that is capable of moving a planet--and I
believe the Priest-Kings possess this power--is capable of effecting
adjustments in the motion of the planet, such adjustments as might
allow it to use the sun indefinitely as a concealing shield."
"The orbits of the other planets would be affected," I pointed out.
"Gravitational perturbations," said my father, "can be
neutralized." His eyes shone. "It is my belief," he said, "that the
Priest-Kings can control the forces of gravity, at least in localized
areas, and, indeed, that they do so. In all probability their control
over the motion of the planet is somehow connected with this capacity.
Consider certain consequences of this power. Physical evidence, such as
light or radio waves, which might reveal the presence of the planet,
can be prevented from doing so. The Priest-Kings might gravitationally
warp the space in their vicinity, causing light or radio waves to be
diffused, curved, or deflected in such a way as not to expose their
world."
I must have appeared unconvinced.
"Exploratory satellites can be similarly dealt with," added my
father. He paused. "Of course, I only propose hypotheses, for what the
Priest-Kings do and how it is done is known only to them."
I drained the last sip of the heady wine in the metal goblet.
"Actually," said my father, "there is evidence of the existence of the Counter-Earth."
I looked at him.
"Certain natural signals in the radio band of the spectrum," said my father.
My astonishment must have been obvious.
"Yes," he said, "but since the hypothesis of another world is
regarded as so incredible, this evidence has been interpreted to accord
with other theories; sometimes even imperfections in instrumentation
have been supposed rather than admit the presence of another world in
our solar system."
"But why would this evidence not be understood?" I asked.
"Surely you know," he laughed, "one must distinguish between the
data to be interpreted and the interpretation of the data, and one
chooses, normally, the interpretation that preserves as much as
possible of the old world view, and, in the thinking of the Earth,
there is no place for Gor, its true sister planet, the Counter-Earth."
---Tarnsman of Gor, 2:33-35
Some million years before the journey of Tarl Cabot to the
counter-earth, the Priest-Kings brought the planet into the solar
system it now resided in by the manipulation of gravity.
"I myself was hatched," said Misk, "before we brought our world
into your solar system." He looked down at me. "That was more than two
million years ago," he said.
---Priest Kings of Gor, 15:118
Indeed, it is through the control of gravity that the Priest-Kings
had, long ago, brought their world into our system, an engineering feat
that might have been otherwise impossible without perhaps the draining
of the gleaming Thassa itself for its hydrogen nuclei.
---Priest Kings of Gor, 28:241
Gor is a planet not unlike Earth, though said to be smaller in size
and different in mass, making its gravity field lighter enough to have
visible effects on those of Earth. Like Earth, Gor has satellites it
calls moons; unlike Earth, these moons are three.
...I leaped to the top of the table almost as I would have climbed
a stair in the alumni house. It was different, a different movement.
Less gravity. It had to be. The planet, then, was smaller than our
earth, and, given the apparent size of the sun, perhaps somewhat closer
to it.
---Tarnsman of Gor, 2:23
I was aware again of the somewhat lesser gravity of the planet, but
this awareness would pass as my system accommodated itself naturally to
the new environment. Given the lesser gravity, feats of prowess that
might seem superhuman on earth were commonplace on Gor. The sun, as I
remembered it, seemed a bit larger than it did when viewed from the
earth, but as before it was difficult to be altogether sure of this.
---Outlaw of Gor, 2:19
The planet is populated by various species brought to it via the
voyages of acquisition, from planets known to Priest-Kings. Earth is
one of those planets, and certainly appears to be the source of most of
Gor's population, though one needs to remember that most of those
brought from Earth to Gor came many years before the spoilings of
industrialization, and hence would remain more akin to the men of
ancient Earth civilizations than they would be to the watered down
version of the male species we are more familiar with.
It is explained that the Priest-Kings brought men of Earth to Gor
because they found them to be an interesting species and believed they
would, on Earth at least, end up destroying themselves. In essence, the
intent explained here is one of protection of the species.
"We keep in touch with the earth," said Misk, "for it might, in
time, become a threat to us and then we would have to limit it, or
destroy it or leave the solar system."
"Which will you do?" I asked.
"None, I suspect," said Misk. "According to our calculations, which
may of course be mistaken, life as you know it on the earth will
destroy itself within the next thousand years."
I shook my head sadly.
"As I said," went on Misk, "man is sub rational. Consider what
would happen if we allowed him free technological development on our
world."
I nodded. I could see that from the Priest-Kings' point of view it
would be more dangerous than handing out automatic weapons to
chimpanzees and gorillas. Man had not proved himself worthy of a
superior technology to the Priest-Kings. I mused that man had not
proved himself worthy of such a technology even to himself.
"Indeed," said Misk, "it was partly because of this tendency that
we brought man to the Counter-Earth, for he is an interesting species
and it would be sad to us if he disappeared from the universe."
"I suppose we are to be grateful," I said.
"No," said Misk, "we have similarly brought various species to the Counter-Earth, from other locations."
---Priest-Kings of Gor, 16:124-125
The self-destructive tendencies of the men of Earth are believed by
Priest-Kings to be a direct result of access to advanced technologies,
and to prevent such tendencies from manifesting themselves, such access
on Gor is limited. Indeed, if the Holy Priests remain hidden from the
human eye, they keep tight and constant control of man's access to
technology, believing it to be something man is not yet ready to handle
safely. In areas as simple as weaponry and sometimes as advanced as
political alliances, careful surveillance and intervention are
maintained and handled swiftly.
...I would have supposed that armor, or chain mail perhaps, would
have been a desirable addition to the accoutrements of the Gorean
warrior, but it had been forbidden by the Priest-Kings. A possible
hypothesis to explain this is that the Priest-Kings may have wished war
to be a biologically selective process in which the weaker and slower
perish and fail to reproduce themselves. This might account for the
relatively primitive weapons allowed to the Men Below the Mountains. On
Gor it was not the case that a cavern-chested toothpick could close a
switch and devastate an army. Also, the primitive weapons guaranteed
that what selection went on would proceed with sufficient slowness to
establish its direction, and alter it, if necessary.
---Tarnsman of Gor, 3:48
..."From Sarm's point of view of course your utilization there was
simply to curtail the spread of the Empire of Ar, for we prefer humans
to dwell in isolated communities. It is better for observing their
variations, from the scientific point of view, and it is safer for us
if they remain disunited, for being rational they might develop a
science, and being sub rational it might be dangerous for us and for
themselves if they did so."
"That is the reason then for your limitations of their weaponry and technology?"
"Of course," said Misk...
---Priest-Kings of Gor, 16:123-124
The result:
--A savage world where survival is ensured by strength and the
ability of man to take his place in the natural order of things, be it
in relation to other animal species, amongst the human species or
surviving the elements of nature, either alone or via cultural and
social standards-based primitive instincts. On Gor, the strong survive,
the weak die.
--A world where incredible advances in medicine have essentially
eliminated disease and even aging, yet where men must walk or ride
journeys of thousands of pasangs without the help of a motor and where
predators of prehistoric size roam free to hold their place in the food
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