Gorean Dictionary: A

agal (noun): length of cord which is used to bind the kaffiyeh to the head of the wearer, usually several loops secure it. The kaffiyeh is the head covering of the tribesmen of the Tahari, a folded, squarish cloth.

ah-il (noun): a unit of measure, the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, c. 18inches. analogous to the Earth cubit; 10 ah-il equal one ah-ral.

ahn (noun): the Gorean hour, of which there are 20 in a Gorean day, numbered consecutively.  the tenth ahn being noon and the twentieth midnight. each ahn is comprised of 40 ehn (minutes) which are comprised of 80 ihn(seconds).

ah-ral (noun): a unit of measure equaling 10 ah-il, or approximately 180 inches.

Alars (noun): a nomadic wandering herdspeople which tend towards the blond haired and blue eyed. They arewell known for their skill with the axe and the Alar sword. Their Free women do not wear veils but rather simple ankle-length dresses, tied snugly. There are few slaves in the Alar camps because they are killed by Free women.

ale (noun): served in tankards or horns, it is one of the two favored drinks of the Torvaldslanders, the other being mead.

al-ka (noun): 1st letter of the Gorean Alphabet, corresponds the Earth letter "A".

All Comrades (noun): a warrior society of the Kaiila tribe of Red Savages, also called the Fighting Hearts, represented by a heart over a black horizontal line with a lance below it on the flanks of their kaiila.

amomona (noun): Kaiila or Dust Leg word meaning baby or doll.

amphora (noun): two handled narrow necked vessel with a pointed base it is commonly buried overnight in the earth with only it's neck left above the surface. It is used to cool various beverages.

ankle rack (noun): device used to lock a girl's ankles in wooden stockage.

anklet, identificatory (noun): temporary metal anklet fastened about a captured Earth girl's ankle for transportation to Gor.

ant, marcher (noun): known in the jungles of Schendi as 'The Marchers'. They are aggressive carnivorous insects. Their name is derived from their, apparently seasonal, marches through the jungle in a single column, yards wide and pasangs in length. They may number in the millions, their path's widening to as much as 500 feet when they overtake, swarm over, and devour all flesh, living or dead, in their path.

anteater (noun): more than six varieties inhabit the rainforests of Schendi. The great spined anteater grows to 20 ft in length and feeds on white ants or termites breaking apart their towering nests of toughened clay with mighty claws then darting it's 4 foot saliva coated tongue, drawing thousands into it's narrow tubelike mouth.

applause (noun): on Gor performed by striking the right hand or fist against the left shoulder. Or upon occasion, the Warrior's applause, a spear struck upon the warrior's shield.

apricots (noun): fruit, possibly identical to the apricots of Earth.

ar (noun): a letter in the alphabet.

Ar (noun): largest city of 'known' Gor - has some 40 public gates.

Arani (noun): a minor tribe of the Tahari; they are a vassal tribe of the Aretai

arctic gant eggs(noun): eggs of the migratory Arctic gant; when frozen, they are eaten like apples.

Aretai (noun): a major tribe of the Tahari, their vassal tribes are the Arani, Luraz, Ravir,i Tajuks, Tashid, Ti, and Zevar. Their war cry is 'Aretai Victorious!'.

Aria (adjective): of Ar

Armored gatch (noun): a marsupial mammal which inhabits the rain forests inland of Schendi.

Arrows, Flight and Sheaf (nouns): sheaf arrows are slightly over a yard long, the flight arrow is about forty inches in length. Both are metal piled and fletched with three half-feathers from the wings of the Vosk gulls. Both are used with the Gorean long bow.

Arrow, hunting (noun): an arrow with a long tapering point fastened firmly to the shaft to assist in easy removal from prey

Arrow, Torvaldsland war (noun): dark and more than a yard long, it's shaft is an inch thick. It is piled with iron and barbed. It's feathers of the black-tipped coasting gull are five inches long, set in the shaft on three sides.

Arrow, War (noun): used by the Red Savages, the head of this arrow has an angled, wider base that is not as securely connected to the shaft; if the shaft is pulled to attempt removal, the head is more likely to break off and remain in the wound.

Ar's Station (noun): an outpost of the Ubarate of Ar and trading station on the south bank of the Vosk.

Arthropod: (noun) found in the tunnels of the Priest-Kings these animals are large, perhaps eight feet long and a yard high, multi-legged, and segmented. body plates rustle like plastic armor, timid creatures. its eyes are on long stalks.

Askari (noun): inland word for solder/guardsman

Askari Hodari (noun): a salute to the honor of another warrior; in Ushindi it means 'Brave Warrior' or simply 'Warrior'.

Assassins, Caste of (noun): the caste of those who kill for pay; exists only in Ar; their caste color is black.

axe, great (Torvaldsland) (noun): a great, curved, single bladed axe of hardened iron with a blunt hammer-like head, it is carried in a leather loop hung from a broad leather belt worn from the left shoulder to the right hip.

axe, Kurii (noun): great, double-bladed iron axe some seven or eight feet in height. The blade, from tip to tip is two feet in width. The handle is made of carved, green needle wood, round and four inches in diameter

Etiquette

Tal

The common Gorean greeting. Normally, it is often accompanied with the right hand raised to shoulder level, the palm inward, facing the body. Also, there are examples within the books, of slaves using “tal” as a form of greeting.

Hail

A form of greeting, reserved for experts and champions at some matter. An expert swordsman or kais player would be greeted in this manner. Slaves may also use this term, when referring to a qualified Free Person. An Ubar would qualify for this form of greeting.

Thank You

Now there is no special Gorean way of thanking another person. With slaves, they may or may not be thanked. It all depends on the will of the Free Person. Many slaves are especially fearful of any Free Person, who shows them such kindness.

Slaves Addressing the Free

All slaves must address the Free as either Master or Mistress. Slaves are not permitted to address any Free Person by their name. It is said that a slave girl grows bold if her lips are allowed to touch the name of her Master or Mistress. But some owners prefer to hear their name said by a slave. This is commonly permitted only in private, out of the presence of others. A slave may tell others the name of her owner, for explanation or identifying purposes only.

Paga Tavern

Now, by the books, when a slave enters a paga tavern, they don’t have to ask permission or perform any form of karta or obeisance at the door. Of course, there are some rooms online, that doesn’t have a slave do any of those things either. A slave should enter quietly and go to kneel in the serving area. A slave should never greet any Free when they enter, unless their Master is present. Of course, if their owner isn’t present, then they could ask permission from the Owner of the House to greet all within. Plus, the slave does need permission to leave though, and this they could ask either their owner or any Free Person. Now, a slave cannot be just sitting around doing nothing. That is sheer laziness and it ruins their owner’s reputation. If their not serving, then they should be doing some chores, until they are told to serve, or see that there is service to be done.

Sitting

A free man sits cross-legged. They rarely use chairs, which are usually reserved for special people, such as, Administrators, Ubars and judges. Most Goreans tend to find chairs to be uncomfortable. Now, a free woman kneels to sit. They kneel with their knees kept close together with their hands, palms face down upon their thighs. Of course, all slaves kneel to sit, with the position of their hands and knees, will depend on the type of slave they are. Plus, slaves never sit in chairs, for they might be either whipped or slain for doing so.

Streets

When walking or riding down a street or road, according to the books, the Goreans commonly stay to the left side when passing others. This is done, so that the sword arm, commonly the right arm, faces the person who is passing.

Station

Gor is a hierarchical world, where status, station and caste are vitally important. In general, you show respect to those with superior status or caste. This includes Free Women. A Free Woman of High Caste, deserves respect from a Low Caste man. Even a wealthy woman would be considered of high status and would also be respected. Though, men do consider themselves dominant over women, they still respect the ideas of status and castes. Men also respect other men of higher standing than themselves.

Haggling

The rule in the market place and stores, is that there are no fixed prices. Haggling is the order of business. In haggling, start with a low offer and the seller would start with a higher offer. Soon, the parties will come down to a reasonable price, that would pleased everyone.