This is an important topic to address, given that in the Gorean role-playing sims on Second Life, everyone does pretty much whatever they want with this. Which I can understand, by the way! Sometimes you want to develop a character and you don’t really want to be stuck in the same role.

Yes, but the thing is, it’s complex and introduces a number of legal and social conditions that not only need to be known and understood, but also, if used well, create a lot of possibilities for intrigue. So, let’s get started!

1- Is it common?

If we take novels as a reference, based on the various passages that mention or describe this subject, it’s clearly not common at all, and according to Gorian standards, not only is it very rare, but it’s not a custom at all. Firstly, because Goreans prefer female slaves to free women; secondly, because it means losing a valuable possession in exchange for a potential companion who may well take advantage of her rights to leave; thirdly, because a freed slave remains a slave in her mind and may not be able to cope with her freedom; and finally, because it is not simply a matter of the master’s decision: there are legal consequences, which we will discuss later. And then, why free a slave when they are rare and precious, when there are so many free women?

The rarity of female slaves

Most women were free, but there were also slaves, about one slave for every fifteen or twenty free women.

Avengers of Gor Book 36 Page 134

Female slaves are statistically rare. About 3% to 4% of the population of Gor (men & women) are enslaved. This figure varies depending on the environment: 5 to 10% in a city-state, and up to 20% in the largest city in Gor, Ar. And these are Norman’s own estimates in the novels! Slaves are a rare and luxurious commodity, completely inaccessible to peasants, small craftsmen, or simple rarius. Norman revised his description of slaves in the Gor novels, starting around the 15th volume, to reflect this reality, which he had previously somewhat glossed over: while Goreans treat slaves as despicable commodities, they are despicable commodities that are highly coveted and truly uncommon. They are a luxury and a prized and sought-after sign of wealth, as slaves are not at all abundant.

In all strata of society, it is clearly much easier to find a free woman as a companion than to buy and maintain a slave. As a reminder, the basic currency in Gor is the copper Tarsk, and the currency of the rich is the silver Tarsk. The gold Tarn is the currency of the ultra-rich. While in the first novels you can buy a girl with a few copper Tarsk, Norman quickly corrects these prices, and slave girls begin to sell for at least two or three silver Tarsk, which is almost a year’s income for a peasant or a simple rarius. In short, slaves are expensive and rare commodities, a luxury beyond the reach of more than 90% of Gor’s population.

A statistically rare decision

Gorean men, on the whole, do not free slaves. The free of a girl is almost unheard of. This is logical; they are not free women, they are property, valuable objects, treasures. Who would get rid of precious property, who would abandon treasures? If the slave girl was not worth much, she might be freed. But she is too wonderful to be freed; and if she is not wonderful, she may be killed. Likewise, what man who has known the glory and joy of a girl at his feet is likely to want to exchange her for the inconveniences and troubles of a free woman?

The Explorers of Gor

The proverb says: only a idiot frees his slave.

Assassins of Gor

The emancipation of a slave sometimes happens, very occasionally. Again, it is very rare. In the vast majority of cases, it is a matter of a man making his former slave his Companion, which she cannot refuse, and having her bear his children. Reminder: under Gor law, all children of slaves are slaves from birth.

This may be a choice made for simplicity: the man has never found a Companion and would like to have children, but it may also be a more intimate choice, the result of a sincere mutual love that ends in this ultimate mark of great respect.

In the other, exceptional case, the slave is recognized for unique abilities or skills that have nothing to do with the expectations of a slave, and in order not to waste these qualities, she is freed and adopted by the family of her former owner or by the former master himself.

But outside these two frameworks, there is no emancipation that can occur and no legal emancipation possible, as we will see. As the above quotation shows, a slave who is not “wonderful” enough, that is, useful, efficient, pleasant, could possibly be emancipated, but in fact, the best solution is simply to kill her.

Why kill rather than free?

And why, you might ask, kill a slave who is no longer considered efficient and useful, rather than give her her freedom? First, because it is socially the norm: a master can do so, and if he does otherwise, he shows weakness. Pity is not socially acceptable among Goreans. In fact, few Goreans would think or act differently.

Paradoxically, it is also a question of compassion. A well-trained and educated slave girl will remain so forever; she cannot change at the snap of a finger. It will be almost impossible for her to break her slave conditioning, because she is totally dependent on the feeling of belonging to a master, of being a possessed animal. A well-educated slave is, above all, completely conditioned to have no real autonomy, to feel inferior, animalistic, shy, and docile. She is trained to obey without thinking, to express desire, to let her most exaggerated femininity and sexuality speak for her. A trained and educated slave remains so forever; her heart can never be cold, hard, and proud like that of a free woman. She is condemned to her condition, even if she suffers from it, even if she rebels. Freeing her is a bit like freeing a domestic bird that has never known freedom from its cage: in a world of prey and predators, it will quickly be devoured or die of cold and hunger.

“Only an idiot frees his slave” suddenly takes on a whole new meaning, doesn’t it?

2- The conditions for being freed

Be careful, here we go, and this is where you’ll understand that it’s complicated, so follow closely.

Legally and in theory, any owner can free their slave; they remove their collar and say, “You are now free, stand up before me,” in front of witnesses, and the matter is settled. But if they stop there, all they have done is create a slave without a collar and without an owner. The first person who comes along can legally seize them, and the cycle begins again.

To understand that emancipation is a process that requires certain conditions, it is important to remember that the world of Gor is governed by two fundamental social principles: the caste system and the family system.

A free person must have a family, be a member of an identified family group that legally recognizes its members, which is an essential condition for belonging to a caste. To have a caste, you must be born into a family with a caste. You remain in your family’s caste and cannot change it, with very few exceptions. The system is very rigid and very fixed.

Without a caste, an individual is, technically, nothing: they cannot work, except in the most menial and vile jobs, because a profession depends on a caste, and they are forbidden from practicing any profession that is not part of their caste. And without a family to which they could be connected, that same individual, once free, is only free but has no family. Once enslaved, an individual loses all family ties, which are rarely recovered afterwards. They therefore have no caste either. They are nobody. No better than a barbarian, an outlaw, or a runaway slave.

Therefore, there are only two ways to free a slave, two conditions necessary for her to be reintegrated into society:

• Take a slave as a companion (the reverse is not legally possible; one cannot take a kajiru. a male slave, as a companion), which immediately binds her to the caste of her companion and his family.
• Adopt the slave into the family, which can only be done with the consent of the head of the family, who alone decides whether to accept the adoption. Even a free man could not adopt an individual as his son or daughter without the consent of the head of the family; in other words, it is not at all easy to get this accepted!
• Have all this legally recognized by a city magistrate, who will draw up the necessary documents and make the change official. Depending on the city authorities, this procedure can be more or less difficult and require very good reasons.

The first case is fairly easy, but to do things properly, they must be done legally. What’s more, it’s not so easy for some slaves. For example, girls with pierced ears will have problems:

A girl with pierced ears is, of course, either a slave or a former slave. If she is a former slave, her manumission papers must be in perfect order. More than one freed woman, because of pierced ears, has found herself on the chopping block, once again reduced by strong men to the status of a powerless slave.

Slave-girl of Gor

The second case is more complicated and much rarer. Adoption after manumission can only be validated by a family head, who alone decides, although one can imagine that a Gorean far from his family might decide to take this initiative himself; but then he would have difficulty legally validating his action.

In any case, there must be a reason for this that is socially acceptable in the eyes of the Goreans, and “because I wanted to” is not sufficient, especially if it is the adoption of a female slave. The person to be freed must have demonstrated remarkable qualities in a professional field that amply justify their freedom. These qualities will then be tested if they are not unanimously recognized: just because a slave was a renowned former physician, for example, does not mean that her skills will automatically be deemed worthy of emancipation.

3- manumission

Of course, once a slave has been freed, the act must be validated by a city magistrate and, beforehand, the slave must be bought clothes befitting their status:

“I can free you,” he said. “We can see a praetor tomorrow. I can buy you slippers, veils, dresses, appropriate clothing.”

Plunder of Gor

In theory, emancipation can be granted by a simple decision of the owner. But once emancipated, the new citizen must have their status validated by the city authorities, which not only requires some paperwork, but also ensures that the emancipation complies with local laws. No one can decide to free a slave on their own without going through a magistrate who will decide whether the decision is acceptable and legal.

Why is this? Because some slaves are slaves as a result of a court decision, and they cannot be freed without the permission of the local law enforcement officials! Otherwise, it would be too easy. Of course, it is possible to move to another city, but families and castes are tied to a city, and you have to be recognized in a city to have rights.

Two special cases that are not acceptable

– Self-emancipation does not exist! A slave without a collar is just a slave without a master or on the run, never a free person. Once again, without going through a magistrate and the conditions above, she will never be recognized as free:

A slave cannot free herself. She can only be freed by her owner. The condition of slavery does not require a collar, a mark, or any other apparent sign of servitude. These objects, however symbolic, however deeply meaningful, and however useful they may be for marking property, identifying masters, etc., are not necessary for slavery. These signs are, in fact, although their removal may legally result in emancipation, ultimately only markers of servitude and should not be confused with reality itself. A slave without a collar is not a free woman but only a slave who does not wear a master’s collar.

The Renegades of Gor

– The other case that is inadmissible, with some exceptions, is that of the Earthwomen. Born a slave, according to the Gorean mindset, sought after and coveted, an Earthwoman remain slave for life. This is stated in black and white on her slave identification papers, because it is particularly important. Without the support of very powerful people, a magistrate will simply refuse to grant freedom: it is his duty, because it is practically a sacred prohibition. Freeing a Terran woman is not only nonsense for Goreans, but it is also potentially dangerous because of the enormous cultural and intellectual gaps between the two cultures.

Earthwoman must not be freed, period. When the Caste of Initiates finds out, they can very quickly become angry and demand answers from the authorities, who will have to justify themselves solidly in order to avoid having their decision overturned by a religious decree. That said, it is always possible to cheat, make documents disappear or falsify them, and get away with it. But you need a very good reason to take such a risk. Behind the more official reasons, it is even a matter of compassion. A Terran woman makes a very good slave, but adapts very poorly to the life of a free Gorean woman. It is therefore not a gift to give her, as it can often end badly.

And yet, despite these pitfalls, it does happen! But while freeing a slave is, I insist, very rare, freeing an Earth slave is nothing short of legendary, as it has happened so few times.

That’s it for this article, which sheds some light on the complex issues surrounding the emancipation of a slave, both from a social and legal point of view. There’s work and intrigue ahead; in other words, sometimes you’re going to need a magistrate in your pocket.

And finally, remember this saying:

The proverb says: only a fool frees his slave.

Assassins of Gor