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Post by sweetlarma on Nov 26, 2007 11:19:54 GMT -5
CHRONOLOGY OF TORVALDSLAND
In Torvaldsland the years are numbered by Rune-Priests, and the starting date (Year 1) of their chronology dates from the legendary event "Thor's Gift to Torvald," when the god Thor traded the spring of Torvaldsland to the hero Torvald in exchange for a ring of gold.
CHRONOLOGY OF TORVALDSLAND
GOREAN YEAR EARTH EQUIVALENT 1,006 Rune-Priest Year (Year of the War Arrow) 1972 AD 1,029 Rune-Priest Year (Current Year) 1999 AD
Goreans seem, for the most part, not too particular about the manner in which they tell time. The Wagon Peoples and Torvaldslanders, as well as the Tribesmen of the Tahari, the Black Tribes of the jungled south, and the Red Peoples, depend almost entirely upon their interpretation of the various positions of the sun, the moons and the stars to keep track of such matters. Even in the more civilized environs of Gor, where mechanical Gorean wrist chronometers, sand clocks, and waterclocks are readily available, the average Gorean tends to measure his day in hours rather than minutes. Perhaps that is why we are informed that Gorean chronometers, excepting those which are of the finest quality, seem to often lack such niceties as a minute hand or a second hand, and tend to concern themselves, like their owners, only with the passage of ahn. Oddly enough, Gorean chronometer run backwards, their spinning hands rotating in a counter-clockwise direction. I suppose this sort of thing is to be expected, it being "counter-earth" and all. Nevertheless, such peculiarities on the part of Goreans tend to lend certain aspects of Gor a "bizarro-world" quality, including the fact that instead of reading and writing from left to right, they do it from left to right on the first line, then from right to left on the following line, then back to left to right on the line after that, and so on, alternating the direction of each line.
If you can't imagine that, then here is an example:
Like many of the differences between the counter-earth and her sister planet, reading and writing in such a manner makes a certain amount of sense, since it would certainly save the reader from having to stop at the end of each line and go back to the left side of the page. Nevertheless, in actual practice, to those not accustomed to it, such a manner of writing is rather confusing. Similarly, the various peculiarities of the Gorean chronological terms "Ihn", "Ehn" and "Ahn," as well as the unusual measurement of the passage of years with the phrases "Contasta Ar" and "Of the Sovereignty of the Council of Captains" can be a bit hard to decipher. I have therefore taken the liberty of translating these things into their equivalent Earth counterparts for ease of reference.
Here, then, are the standard Gorean measurements for time, along with their Earth equivalents:
Ihn: Gorean Second; equals 1.35 Earth seconds
Ehn: Gorean Minute (80 Ihn); equals 108 Earth seconds
Ahn: Gorean Hour (40 Ehn); equals 72 Earth minutes
Day: 20 Ahn; equals 24 Earth hours
AHN OF THE GOREAN DAY
EARTH HOUR GOREAN AHN
12:01 AM-1:12 AM 1st Ahn
1:13 AM-2:24 AM 2nd Ahn
2:25 AM-3:36 AM 3rd Ahn
3:37 AM-4:48 AM 4th Ahn
4:49 AM-6:00 AM 5th Ahn
6:01 AM-7:12 AM 6th Ahn
7:13 AM-8:24 AM 7th Ahn
8:25 AM-9:36 AM 8th Ahn
9:37 AM-10:48 AM 9th Ahn
10:49 AM-12:00 PM 10th Ahn (Gorean Noon)
12:01 PM-1:12 PM 11th Ahn
1:13 PM-2:24 PM 12th Ahn
2:25 PM-3:36 PM 13th Ahn
3:37 PM-4:48 PM 14th Ahn
4:49 PM-6:00 PM 15th Ahn
6:01 PM-7:12 PM 16th Ahn
7:13 PM-8:24 PM 17th Ahn
8:25 PM-9:36 PM 18th Ahn
9:37 PM-10:48 PM 19th Ahn
10:49 PM-12:00 AM 20th Ahn (Gorean Midnight)
THE STANDARD GOREAN YEAR
GOREAN MONTHS
The Gorean calendar is divided into twelve twenty-five day months. Each month consists of five weeks (Hands), each of which is five days long. Each month is separated from the month which follows it by a five day "Passage Hand" which marks the passage from one month to the next. Following the normal Passage Hand which marks the end of the twelfth Gorean month is a five day period known as "The Waiting Hand" during which most Goreans mourn the passing of the old year. The Waiting Hand concludes the eve of the Vernal equinox, and the following day is the Gorean New Year. The first Hand of the month of En'Kara begins on the next day after. Every fourth year (leap year) the Gorean New Year is celebrated on a separate day between the Waiting Hand of the previous year and the first day of the first Hand of En`Kara. The calendar below lists the Gorean hands and months along with their equivalent dates according to the calendar of Earth, as calculated from the orbital ecliptic of the twin planets.
THE GOREAN YEAR
MONTH OF EN'KARA (The First Turning)
March 21-March 25: First Hand
March 26-March 30: Second Hand
March 31-April 4: Third Hand
April 5-April 9: Fourth Hand
April 10-April 14: Fifth Hand
April 15-April 19: First Passage Hand
MONTH OF HESIUS (Ar)
April 20-April 24: First Hand
April 25-April 29: Second Hand
April 30-May 4: Third Hand
May 5-May 9: Fourth Hand
May 10-May 14: Fifth Hand
May 15-May 19: Second Passage Hand
MONTH OF CAMERIUS (Ar)/ SELNAR (Ko-ro-ba)
May 20-May 24: First Hand
May 25-May 29: Second Hand
May 30-June 3: Third Hand
June 4-June 8: Fourth Hand
June 9-June 13: Fifth Hand
June 14-June 18: Third Passage Hand
MONTH OF EN`VAR (The First Resting)
June 19-June 23: First Hand
June 24-June 28: Second Hand
June 29-July 3: Third Hand
July 4-July 8: Fourth Hand
July 9-July 13: Fifth Hand
July 14-July 18: Fourth Passage Hand
FIFTH MONTH
July 19-July 23: First Hand
July 24-July 28: Second Hand
July 29-August 2: Third Hand
August 3-August 7: Fourth Hand
August 8-August 12: Fifth Hand
August 13-August 17: Fifth Passage Hand
SIXTH MONTH
August 18-August 22: First Hand
August 23-August 27: Second Hand
August 28-September 1: Third Hand
September 2-September 6: Fourth Hand
September 7-September 11: Fifth Hand
September 12-September 16: Sixth Passage Hand
MONTH OF SE'KARA (The Second Turning)
September 17-September 21: First Hand
September 22-September 26: Second Hand
September 27-October 1: Third Hand
October 2-October 6: Fourth Hand
October 7-October 11: Fifth Hand
October 12-October 16: Seventh Passage Hand
EIGHTH MONTH
October 17-October 21: First Hand
October 22-October 26: Second Hand
October 27-October 31: Third Hand
November 1-November 5: Fourth Hand
November 6-November 10: Fifth Hand
November 11-November 15: Eighth Passage Hand
NINTH MONTH
November 16-November 20: First Hand
November 21-November 25: Second Hand
November 26- November 30: Third Hand
December 1-December 5: Fourth Hand
December 6-December 10: Fifth Hand
December 11-December 15: Ninth Passage Hand
MONTH OF SE`VAR (The Second Resting)
December 16-December 20: First Hand
December 21-December 25: Second Hand
December 26-December 30: Third Hand
December 31-January 4: Fourth Hand
January 5-Jaunuary 9: Fifth Hand
January 10-January 14: Tenth Passage Hand
ELEVENTH MONTH
January 15-January 19: First Hand
January 20-January 24: Second Hand
January 25-January 29: Third Hand
January 30-February 3: Fourth Hand
February 4-February 8: Fifth Hand
February 9-February 13: Eleventh Passage Hand
TWELFTH MONTH
February 14-February 18: First Hand
February 19-February 23: Second Hand
February 24-February 28: Third Hand
March 1-March 5: Fourth Hand
March 6-March 10: Fifth Hand
March 11-March 15: Twelfth Passage Hand
March 16-March 20: The Waiting Hand
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Post by sweetlarma on Nov 27, 2007 21:54:54 GMT -5
THE SHIPS OF THE TORVALDSLAND (MoG page 56)
The ships of the men of Torvaldsland are swift. In a day, a full Gorean day of twenty Ahn, with a fair wind they can cover from two hundred to two hundred pasangs.
There had been much fear in Kassau when the ship of Ivar Forkbeard had entered the inlet. But it had come at midday. And on its mast, wound and painted and of painted wood, had hung the white shield. His men had rowed slowly, singing a dirge at the oars. Even the tarnhead at the ship’s prow had been swung back on the great wooden hinges. Sometimes, in light galleys, it is so attached, to remove its weight from the prow’s height, to ensure greater stability in high seas; it is always, however, at the prow in harbor, or when the ship inters an inlet or river to make its strike; in calm seas of course, there is little or no danger in permitting it to surmount the prow generally. that the tarnhead was hinged back, as the ship entered the inlet, was suitable indication like the white shield, that it came in peace.
The ship was a beautiful ship, sleek and well-lined. It was a twenty bencher, but this nomenclature may be confusing. There were twenty benches to a side, with two men to each bench. It carried thus, forty oars, with two men to each oar. Tersites of Port Kar, the controversial inventor and shipwright, had advocated more than one man to an oar but, generally, the southern galleys utilized one man per oar, three oars and the three men on a diagonal bench, facing aft, the oars staggered, the diagonality of the bench permitting the multiplicity of oars. The oars were generally some nineteen feet in length, and narrower than the southern oars, that they might cut and sweep with great speed, more rapidly that the wider bladed oar, and the lightness of the ship, this would produce great speed. As in the southern galleys the keel to beam ratio was designed, too, for swiftness, being generally in the neighborhood of one to eight. Forkbeard’s ship, or serpent, as that are sometimes called, was approximately eight feet Gorean. His ship, like most of the northern ships, did not have a rowing frame, and the rowers sat within the hull proper, facing, of course aft. The thole ports, I noted, had covers on the inside, on swivels, which permitted them to be closed when the ship was under sail. The sail was quite different from the southern ships, being generally squarish, though somewhat wider at the bottom. The mast, like that of the southern ships, could be lowered. It fitted into two blocks of wood, and was wedged in the top black by means of a heavy diagonal wooden plug, driven tight by hammers. The northern ship carries one sail, not several sails, all lanteens, of the southern ships, which must be removed and replaced. It was an all-purpose sail, hung straight from a spar of needle wood. It can be shortened or let out by reefing ropes. At its edges, corner spars can hold it spread from the ship. I doubted that such a ship could sail as close to the wind as a lanteen-rigged ship but the advantage of being able or shorten or let out sail in a matter of moments were not inconsiderable. The sail was striped red and white. The ship, like most of the northern ships, was clinker built, being constructed of overlapping planks, or strakes, the frame then fitted within them. Between the strakes tarred ropes and tar served as caulking. Outside the planks, too, was a coating of painted tar, to protect them from the sea, and the depredations of ship worms. The tar was painted red and black, in irregular lines. The ship at night, mast down, with such colorings, moving inland on a river, among the shadows, would be extremely difficult to detect. It was a raider’s ship.
Another feature of the northern ships is that they have, in effect, a prow on each end. This permits them to be beached, on rollers, more easily. They can be brought to land in either direction, a valuable property in the rocky, swift northern waters. Furthermore this permits the rowers, in reversing position on the benches, to reverse the direction of the ship. This adds considerably to the maneuverability of the craft. It is almost impossible to ram one of the swift ships of the north. (MoG Pg 32, 33)
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Post by sweetlarma on Nov 27, 2007 21:55:45 GMT -5
THE TORVALDSMARK
“Five nights from this night,” said Ivar Forkbeard, “on the skerry of Einar by the rune-stone of the Torvaldsmark.”
I had heard of this stone. It is taken by many to mark the border between Torvaldsland and the south. Many of those of Torvaldsland, however take its borders to be much farther extended than the Torvaldsmark. Indeed, some of the men of Torvaldsland regard Torvaldsland to be wherever their ships beach, as they took their country, and their steel, with them.
SKILLS OF THE TORVALDSLANDERS (MoG pages 56)
The men of Torvaldsland sometimes guide their vessels by noting the directions of the waves, breaking against the prow, these correlated with prevailing winds. Sometimes they use the shadows of the gunwales, falling across the thwarts, judging their angles. The sun, too, is used, and, at night, the stars give them suitable compass, even in the open sea.
It is a matter of tradition not to rely on the needle compass, as is done in the south. The Gorean compass points to the Sardar, the home of the Priest-Kings.
The men of Torvaldsland do not use it. They do not need it.
The sextant, however, correlated with sun and stars, is not unknown to them. It is commonly relied upon, however, only in unfamiliar waters.
Even fog banks, and the feeding grounds of whales, and ice floes, in given seasons, in their waters, give the men of Torvaldsland information as to their whereabouts, they utilizing such things as easily, as unconsciously, as a peasant might a mountain, or a hunter a river.
THE LAND (MoG pgs. 55-56, 45)
The stream of Torvald is a current, as a broad river in the sea, pasangs wide, whose temperature is greater than that of the surrounding water. Without it, much of Torvaldsland, bleak as it is, would only be a frozen waste. Torvaldsland is a cruel, harsh, rocky land. It contains many cliffs, inlets and mountains. Its arable soil is thin, and found in patches. The size of the average farm is very small. Good soil is rare and highly prized. Communication between farms is often by sea, in small boats. Without the stream of Torvald, it would probably be impossible to raise cereal crops in sufficient quantity to feed even its relatively sparse population. There is often not enough food under any conditions, particularly in northern Torvaldsland, and famine is not unknown. In such cases men feed on bark, and lichens, and seaweed. It is not strange that the young men of Torvaldsland often look to the sea, and beyond it, for their fortunes. The stream of Torvald is regarded by the men of Torvaldsland as a gift of Thor, bestowed upon Torvald, the legendary founder and hero of the land, in exchange for a ring of gold.
(NOTE: In the latter part of the book, it is revealed that Torvald does indeed still live, well beyond the 400 years of age of most long-lived Goreans.. *S*)
BURIAL
Burial in Torvaldsland has ceremony. One of two ways of burial was found in Marauders of Gor. Burning on a ship, and entombed with offerings.
“Four huge men of Torvaldsland, in long cloaks, clasped about their necks, heads down, bearded, with braided hair, entered, bearing on their shoulders a platform of crossed spears. On this platform, covered with a white shroud, lay a body, a large body. Ivar Forkbeard, I thought to myself, must have been a large man.” (MoG, page 36)
“Torvald was a great captain,” I said. “Perhaps he was burned in his ship, which you have told me was called Black Shark.” I looked about. “It is strange though,” I said, “if that were the case, why this tomb would have been built.” “This is not a tomb,” said Ivar Forkbeard. I regarded him. “This is a sleeping chamber,” he said. “There are no bones of animals here, or of thralls, or urns, or the remains of foodstuffs, offerings.” (MoG, pg 234)
THE LEGEND OF TORVALD (MoG pg 232)
“This” said the Forkbeard, “is his chamber.” His voice shook. “Torvald, “ said he, “sleeps in the Torvaldsberg, and has done so for a thousand years. He waits to be wakened. When his land needs him, he shall awake. He shall then lead us in battle. Again he will lead the men of the north”.
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Post by sweetlarma on Nov 27, 2007 21:56:29 GMT -5
WEAPONS
A man of Torvaldsland never leaves His house unless He is armed; and, within His house, His weapons are always near at hand, usually hung on the wall behind His couch, at least a foot beyond the reach of a bond-maid whose ankle is chained. Should she, lying on her back, look back and up, she sees, on the wall, the shield, the helmet, the spear and the ax, the sword, in its sheath, of her Master. They are visible symbol of the force by which she is kept in bondage, by which she is kept only a girl, whose belly is beneath His sword. (MoG pg 141, 142)
Spears
“It had a shaft of seven foot Gorean, a head of tapered bronze, some eighteen inches in length. At close range it can pierce a southern shield, shatter its point through a seven-inch beam.” (MoG pg 210)
Shields The shields were round, and of wood, variously painted, some reinforced with iron bands, others with leather, some with small bronze plates. (MoG pg 32) a note:.... a Torvaldlander's shield is not strapped to His arm....rather it is held in the hand and is a offencive weapon as well as a shield
Axes “....Ivar Forkbeard, almost seven feet in height, leaped to his feet, in his right hand clutching a great, curved, single bladed ax of hardened iron.” (MoG pg 39)
“The spine, of course would be immediatly severed; moreover, part of the ax will, if the blow be powerful, emerge from the abdomen. It takes, however, more than one blow to cut a body, that of a man, in two. To strike more than twice, however, is regarded as clumsiness.” (MoG pg 104)
Bows and Arrows “...the short bow of the Gorean north, with its short, heavy arrows, heavily headed, lacks the range and power of the peasant bow of the south, that now, too, the property of the rencers of the delta, but, at short range, within a hundred and fifty yeard, it can administer a considerable strike. It has, too the advantage that it is more manageable in close quarters than the peasant bow, resembing somewhat the Tuchuk bow of layered horn, in this respect. It is more useful in close combat on a ship, for example, than would be the peasant bow. Too, it is easier to fire it through a thole port, the oar withdawn.” (MoG pg 52)
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Post by sweetlarma on Nov 27, 2007 21:57:14 GMT -5
Axes
Torvaldsland Axe
There are two main styles to this weapon: Two-Handed Great Axe This fearsome monster has a single-bitted head with spike or hammer back and will sport at 10 - 12 inch cutting surface. Capable of chopping through nearly anything, including a man with a single blow. It has an iron bound haft measuring 48 - 72 inches. It is a slow weapon and hard to reverse once started, though in the hands of an enraged Torvaldslander, it is an awesome sight
. "....Ivar Forkbeard, almost seven feet in height, leaped to his feet, in his right hand clutching a great, curved, single bladed ax of hardened iron." Marauders of Gor pg 39.
"The spine, of course would be immediatly severed; moreover, part of the ax will, if the blow be powerful, emerge from the abdomen. It takes, however, more than one blow to cut a body, that of a man, in two. To strike more than twice, however, is regarded as clumsiness."(Marauders of Gor pg 104).
One-Handed Single-Bitted Axe A smaller version of the first, designed to be used one-handed. A 6 - 8 inch cutting surface with a hook or hammer back (much like a fire axe). This weapon moves as fast as a sword and hits a LOT harder. It was designed to hack through shields, doors, weapons and people. Almost always used in conjunction with a Torvaldslander shield.
NOTE: both of the Torvaldsland axes are capable of blasting right through a southern shield or sword parry. Especially effective verses a katana, scimitar or any of the lighter southern swords or lances.
Hand Axe This is an even smaller version of the Torvaldslander style of axe, having only a 20 - 24 inch haft and a three to five inch cutting surface. Used by some in tandem with a sword for a deadly two-pronged attack. Unfortunately, it's attack is limited to a short, chopping blow. More often used to distract the opponent and hook a leg or shield, or to use its weight to punch and knock an enemy off balance.found all over Gor though Mainly in the north
Kur Axe Double the size of a Torvaldsland Great Axe. Double the damage. Wielded by the Kurii and occassionally a "BERSERK" Torvaldslander.
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Post by sweetlarma on Nov 27, 2007 21:57:54 GMT -5
Shield of Torvaldsland A large 30 - 36 inch center boss round shield. Made of wood and reinforced with iron bands and often an iron edging. This shield was made to stop an axe blow, so it will stop most arrows and thrown weapons. It is also an excellent weapon in the right hands.
"The Torvaldsland Shield is circular and made of wood reinforced with Iron bands." (pg 73)
The Black War Arrow "From among the weapons at the foot of the couch, from one of the cylindrical quivers, still of the sort carried in Torvaldsland, I drew forth a long, dark arrow. It was more than a yard long. It's shaft was almost an inch thick. It was plied with iron, barbed. Its feathers were five inches long, set in the shaft on three sides, feathers of the black-tipped coasting gull, a broad-winged bird, with black tips on its wings and tail feathers, similar to the Vost gull." (Marauders of Gor, pg 234, 235).
"It had been carried to the Inlet of Green Cliffs, to Thorstein Camp, from Ax Glacier to Einar's Skerry; it had been carried to the high farms, to the lakes, to the coast; it had been carried on foot and by swift ship; a thousand arrows, each touched to the arrow of Torvald, had been carried, and where the arrow had been carried, men had touched it, saying "I will come." ( Pg 238.Marauders of Gor)
Salute "They lifted their axes in their right hand. It was a salute of Torvaldsland, I heard their cheers."(Marauders of Gor pg 43)
Truce "The sign for a truce is holding two parts of a broken axe over your head." (pg 269 Marauders of Gor)
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Post by sweetlarma on Dec 5, 2007 12:09:28 GMT -5
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Post by sweetlarma on Dec 20, 2007 16:07:23 GMT -5
Ceremonies and Traditions
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tasting of Salt:
"'Friend', he had said. 'Friend,' I had said. We had then tasted salt, each from the back of the wrist of the other." Marauders of Gor, pg. 70
Drinking Horns:
"I held up the large drinking horn of the north. 'There is no way for this to stand upright,' I said to him, puzzled. He threw back his head again and roared once more with laughter. 'If you cannot drain it,' he said, 'give it to another!' I threw back my head and drained the horn." Marauders of Gor, pg. 89
"'Here Jarl,' said Thyri, again handing me the horn. It was filled with the mead of Torvaldsland, brewed from fermented, honey, thick and sweet." Marauders of Gor, pg. 90
Worship and the Sign of the Hammer:
"Standing on the fragments of of the circle, Ivar Forkbeard cried out, his ax lifted, and his left hand too, 'Praise to Odin!' And then, throwing his ax to his left shoulder, holding it there by his left hand he turned and faced the Sardar, and lifted his fist, clenched. It was not only a sign of defiance to the Priest-Kings, but the fist, the sign of the hammer. It was the sign of Thor." Marauders of Gor, pg. 48
"The Forkbeard himself now, from a wooden keg, poured a great tankard of ale, which must have been the measure of five gallons. Over this he then closed his fist. It was the sign of the hammer, the sign of Thor..." Marauders of Gor, pg. 82
The Frenzy of Odin:
"It seemed strange to me that men, only men, would dare to pit themselves against Kurii. I did not know then, of course, about the fury. Svein Blue Tooth had his head down. I sensed it first in the giant, Rollo. It was not a human noise. It was a snarl, a growl, like the sound of a larl, a-wakening from its sleep. The hair on my neck stood on end. I turned. The giant head was slowly lifting itself, and turn-ing. Its eyes were closed. I could see blood beginning to move through the veins of its forehead. Then the eyes opened, and no longer were they vacant, but deep within them, as though beginning from far away, there seemed the glint of some terrible light. I saw his fists close and open. His shoulders were hunched down. He half crouched, as though waiting, tense, while the thing, the frenzy, the madness, began to burn within him. 'It is beginning,' said Ivar Forkbeard to me. 'I do not understand,' I said. 'Be quiet,' said he. 'It is beginning.' I saw then Svein Blue Tooth, the mighty jarl of Torvalds-land, lift his own head, but it did not seem, then, to be him. It seemed rather a face I had not seen before. The eyes did not seem those of the noble Blue Tooth, but of something else, unaccountable, not understood. I saw him suddenly thrust his left forearm against the broad blade of his spear. To my horror I saw him sucking at his own blood. I saw a man, fighting the frenzy, tear handfuls of his own hair from his head. But it was coming upon him, and he could not subdue it. Other men were restless. Some dug at the earth with their boots. Others looked about themselves, frightened. The eyes of one man began to roll in his head; his body seemed shaken, trembling; he muttered incoherently. Another man threw aside his shield and jerked open the shirt at his chest, looking into the valley. I heard others moan, and then the moans give way to the sounds of beasts, utterances of incontinent rage. Those who had not yet been touched stood terrified among their comrades in arms. They stood among monsters. 'Kurii,' I heard someone say. ' Kill Kurii,' I heard. 'Kill Kurii. ' 'What is it?' I asked Ivar Forkbeard. I saw a man, with his fingernails, blind himself, and feel no pain. With his one remaining eye he stared into the valley. I could see foam at the side of his mouth. His breathing was deep and terrible. 'Look upon Rollo,' said the Forkbeard. The veins in the neck, and on the forehead, of the giant bulged, swollen with pounding blood. His head was bent to one side. I could not look upon his eyes. He bit at the rim of his shield, tearing the wood, splintering it with his teeth. 'It is the frenzy of Odin,' said the Forkbeard. 'It is the frenzy of Odin.' Man by man, heart by heart, the fury gripped the host of Svein Blue Tooth. It coursed through the thronged warriors; it seemed a tangible thing, communicating itself from one to another; it was almost as though one could see it, but one could not see it, only its effects. I could trace its passage. It seemed first a ghastly infection, a plague; then it seemed like a fire, in-visible and consuming; then it seemed like the touching of these men by the hands of gods, but no gods I knew, none to whom a woman or child might dare pray, but the gods of men, and of the men of Torvaldsland, the dread, harsh di-vinities of the cruel north, the gods of Torvaldsland. And the touch of these gods, like their will, was terrible. Ivar Forkbeard suddenly threw back his head and, silently, screamed at the sky. The thing had touched him. The breathing of the men, their energy, their rage, the fury, was all about me. A bowstring was being drawn taut. I heard the grinding of teeth on steel, the sound of men biting at their own flesh. I could no longer look on Ivar Forkbeard. He was not the man I had known. In his stead there stood a beast. I looked down into the valley. There were the lodges of the Kurri. I recalled them. Well did I remember their treach-ery, well did I remember the massacre, hideous, merciless, in the hall of Svein Blue Tooth. 'Kill Kurii,' I heard. Within me then, irrational, like lava, I felt the beginning of a strange sensation. 'I must consider the beauty of the Torvaldsberg,' I told myself. But I could not look again at the cold, bleak beauty of the mountain. I could look only into the valley, where, unsuspecting, lay the enemy. 'It is madness,' I told myself. 'Madness!' In the lodges below slept Kurii, who had killed, who had massacred in the night. In my pouch, even now, there lay the golden armlet, which once had been worn by the woman, Telima. Below, unsuspecting, they lay, the enemy, the Kurii . 'No,' I said. 'I must resist this thing.' I drew forth the golden armlet which had been worn by Telima. On a bit of fiber I tied it about my neck. I held it. Below lay the enemy. I closed my eyes. Then I sucked in the air between my teeth. Somewhere, far off, on another world, lit by the same star, rnen hurried to work. I fought the feelings which were rearing within me. As well might I have fought the eruption of the volcano, the shifting of the strata of the earth. I heard the growling, the fury, of those about me. Below us lay the Kurii. I opened my eyes. The valley seemed to me red with rage, the sky red, the faces of those about me. I felt a surge of frenzy building within me. I wanted to tear, to cut, to strike, to destroy. It had touched me, and I stood then within its grip, in that red, burning world of rage. The bowstring was taut. There was foam at the mouth of Svein Blue Tooth. His eyes were those of a madman. I lifted my ax. The thousands of the men of Torvaldsland, on either side of the valley, made ready. One could sense their seething, the unbearable power, the tenseness. The signal spear, in the hand of the frenzied Blue Tooth, its scarlet talmit wrapped at the base of its blade, was lifted. The breathing of thousands of men, waiting to be un-leashed, to plunge to the valley, for an instant was held. The sun flashed on the shield. The signal spear thrust to the valley. With one frenzied cry the host, in its fury, from either side of the valley, plunged downward. “The men of Torvaldsland,” they cried, “are upon you!” Marauders of Gor, pg.245-248
The Bond Circle:
"He then drew with the handle of his ax a circle, some twenty feet in diameter, in the dirt floor of the temple. It was a bond-maid circle." Marauders of Gor, pg. 44
"'Go to the bond-maid circle,' said Ivar Forkbeard, indicating the circle he had drawn in the dirt. The women cried out in misery. To enter the circle, if one is a female, is, by the laws of Torvaldsland, to declare oneself a bond-maid. A woman, of course, need not enter the circle of her own free will. She may, for example be thrown within it naked and bound. Howsoever, she enters the circle, voluntarily or by force, free or secured, she emerges from it, by the laws of Torvaldsland, as a bond-maid." Marauders of Gor, pg. 44-45
Collars: "About her neck, riveted, was a collar of black iron, with a welded ring, to which a chain might be attached." Marauders of Gor, pg. 85
"'Look up at me,' said the smith. The slender, blond girl, tears in her eyes, looked up at him. He opened the hinged collar of black iron, about a half inch in height. He put it about her throat. It also contained a welded ring, suitable for the attachment of a chain. 'Put your head beside the anvil,' he said. He took her hair and threw it forward, and thrust her neck against the left side of the anvil. Over the anvil lay the joining ends of the two pieces of the collar. The inside of the collar was separated by a quarter of an inch from her neck. I saw the fine hairs on the back of her neck. On one part of the collar are two, small, flat, thick rings. On the other is a single such ring. These rings, when the wings of the collar are joined, are aligned, those on one wing on top and bottom, that on the other in the center. They fit closely together, one on top of the other. The holes in each, about three-eighths of an inch in diameter, too, of course, are perfectly aligned. The smith, with his thumbs, forcibly, pushed a metal rivet through the three holes. The rivet fits snuggly. 'Do not move your head, Bond-maid,' said the smith. Then, with great blows of the iron hammer, he Riveted the iron collar about her throat. A man then pulled her by the hair from the anvil and threw her to one side. She lay there weeping, a naked bond-maid, marked and collared." Marauders of Gor, pg. 87
"There were some one hundred bond-maids for sale in the shed. They all wore the collars of the north, with the projecting iron ring." Marauders of Gor, pg. 158
"From my pouch I drew forth a leather Kur collar, with its lock, and sewn in leather, its large, rounded ring. 'What is it?' she asked apprehensively, I took it behind her neck, and then, closing it about her throat, thrust the large, flattish bolt, snapping it, into the lock breech. The two edges of metal, bordered by the leather, fitted closely together. the collar is some three inches in height. the girl must keep her chin up. 'It is the collar of a Kur cow,' I told her." Marauders of Gor, pg. 275
Brand of the North:
"The brand used by Forkbeard, found rather frequently in the north, consisted of a half circle, with at its right tip, adjoining it, a steep, diagonal line. The half circle is about an inch and a quarter in width, and the diagonal line about an inch and a quarter in height. The brand is, like many, symbolic. In the north, the bond-maid is sometimes referred to as a woman whose belly lies beneath the sword." Marauders of Gor, pg. 87
taken from the Central Fire
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Post by sweetlarma on May 14, 2008 7:38:33 GMT -5
"A man of Torvaldsland never leaves His house unless He is armed; and, within His house, His weapons are always near at hand, usually hung on the wall behind His couch, at least a foot beyond the reach of a bond-maid whose ankle is chained. Should she, lying on her back, look back and up, she sees, on the wall, the shield, the helmet, the spear and the ax, the sword, in its sheath, of her Master. They are visible symbol of the force by which she is kept in bondage, by which she is kept only a girl, whose belly is beneath His sword." Marauders of Gor, pg. 141-142
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