Tatrix Lady Aasiyah Admin
Number of posts : 391 Registration date : 2009-01-02
| Subject: Intro to Caste and Quotes Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:29 am | |
| ...Caste is important to Goreans in a way that is difficult for members of a non-caste society to understand. Though there are doubtless difficulties involved with caste structure the caste situation lends an individual identity and pride, allies him with thousands of caste brothers, and provides him with various opportunities and services. Recreation on Gor is often associated with caste, and tournaments and entertainments. Similarly, most public charity on Gor is administered through caste structure....
---Slave Girl of Gor The colors of his garments, travel wagons, the flags, the weapons or tools used, as well as the home in which a Gorean lives is usually an indication of his caste.
In general, one distinguishes between holiday, official, or ceremonial garb, and everyday garb. Not all caste members wear the full caste regalia all the time. For example, the colors of the Merchants are white and yellow, or white and gold, but, in working in shops, or supervising the lading of vessels, or such, they would presumably wear simpler, more practical, more comfortable garments, such as tunics. That a caste color is predominant in a garment is sufficient for caste recognition. Caste colors, ideally, have some relationship to the caste, its interests and its work, for example, the color gold for the Merchants, and red, as symbolic of courage, and such, for the Warriors. To be sure, in actual combat, warriors may wear camouflaging garments, e.g., mottled garments in forests, white garments against a background of snow, and such. The Metal Workers would presumably tend to black and gray, metallic colors; the Wood Workers might tend toward browns, and other woodlike colors; the Peasants commonly wear dark brown, or other earthlike colors. The caste colors of the Slavers are blue and yellow. Cloth bars, in caste colors, sewn on the left sleeve, near the wrist, incidentally, can also indicate caste. For example, one in black robes, with blue and yellow bars, say. Blue, yellow, blue, on the left sleeve, near the wrist, would presumably be a member of the caste, or subcaste, the Slavers. I would not worry too much about caste colors, or such, in general, particularly if not dealing with the high castes, unless you are actually doing something where caste is relevant or important, as, say, in presenting a new slave to a Metal Worker for marking, or such. Aside from such contexts, and aside from the high castes, and the Assassins and Merchants, say, we may suppose that Goreans dress variously and colorfully, and are not always in identifiable caste regalia. Do not let caste considerations, for example, interfere with an otherwise wonderful image, page, or layout.
---John Norman, Letter to the Gorean Group, Sept 20th 2000 Goreans within these cultures, are born to a caste, both men and women it is said, belong to the caste of their parents. This would mean that, yes, while a woman may be born to the Caste of Warriors, the practice of the caste's trade is, however, subject to training, and it is not documented anywhere that women of Gor did indeed receive this training.
I had seen few women, but knew that they, when free, were promoted or demoted within the caste system according to the same standards and criteria as the men, although this varied, I was told, considerably from city to city....
---Tarnsman of Gor ...Whereas caste membership is commonly connected with the practice of an occupation, such as agriculture, or commerce, or war, there can be, of course, caste members who are not engaged in caste work and individuals who do certain forms of work who are not members of that caste commonly associated with such work. Caste, commonly, though not invariably, is a matter of birth. One may, too, be received into a caste by investment. Normally mating takes place among caste members, but if the mating is of mixed caste, the woman may elect to retain caste, which is commonly done, or be received into the caste of the male companion. Caste membership of the children born of such a union is a function of the caste of the father....
---Slave Girl of Gor ...Though one is commonly born into a caste one is often not permitted to practice the caste craft until a suitable apprenticeship has been served. This guarantees the quality of the caste product. It is possible, though it is seldom the case, that members of a caste are not permitted to practice specific caste skills, though they may be permitted to practice subsidiary skills. For example, one who is of the Metalworkers might not be permitted to work iron, but might be permitted to do such things as paint iron, and transport and market it. Caste rights, of course, such as the right to caste support in time of need and caste sanctuary, when in flight, remain theirs. The women of a given caste, it should be noted, often do not engage in caste work. For example, a woman in the Metalworkers does not, commonly, work at the forge, nor is a woman of the Builders likely to be found supervising the construction of fortifications. Caste membership, for Goreans, is generally a simple matter of birth; it is not connected necessarily with the performance of certain skills, nor the attainment of a general level of proficiency in such skills. To be sure, certain skills tend to be associated traditionally with certain castes, a fact which is clearly indicated in caste titles, such as the Leatherworkers, the Metalworkers, the Singers, and the Peasants....
---Fighting Slave of Gor The reader will also note that upon occasion, the Gorean can change castes.
"The caste structure," said my father patiently, "is relatively immobile, but not frozen, and depends upon more than birth. For example, if a child in his schooling shows that he can raise caste, as the expression is, he is permitted to do so. But, similarly, if a child does not show the aptitude expected of his caste, whether it be, say, that of a physician or warrior, he is lowered in caste."'
---Tarnsman of Gor ...In rare cases, one might have been permitted by the Council of High Castes to raise caste. None of course would accept a lower caste, and there were lower castes, the Caste of Peasants for example, the most basic caste of all Gor.
---Outlaw of Gor I knew that Gorean caste lines, though largely following birth, were not inflexible, and that a man who did not care for his caste might be allowed to change caste, if approved by the High Council of his city, an approval usually contingent on his qualifications for the work of another caste and the willingness of the members of the new caste to accept him as a Caste Brother.
---Priest Kings of Gor The caste of women too, although initially determined by birthright, is subject to change upon companionship. The Gorean free woman may then take her companion's caste, or retain her own. The children born of their union, regardless of this, will of course carry the caste rights of their father. In taking companionship with one of the Warriors she would raise caste, for the Warriors on Gor are among the high castes, of which there are five, the Initiates, Scribes, Physicians, Builders and Warriors. ...It was my hope that the Lady Sabina would be happy. It was said she was much pleased to raise caste and would become, by this match, one of the high ladies of the Salerian Confederation, which was becoming powerful in the north. I did not think much of Thandar of Ti, perhaps because he was a man. I supposed he was not too pleased at being matched with a girl who was not of the five high castes, but surely he could appreciate the commercial and political significance of the match, and would be pleased to serve his city by doing his part....
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