TYPES OF GOREAN BRANDS

"Eta smiled. She pointed to her brand. 'Kan-lara,' she said."

(Book 11: Slave Girl of Gor, page 80)

‘Kan-lara’ means quite simply ‘brand.’ In the books there are a variety of brands that exist on Gor. These various types can be separated into regional brands, including the common kef brand that is found throughout the whole of Gor, and custom brands. The regional brands, of course, include those of the Wagon Peoples, Port Kar brand, Treve brand as well as presumably those of other major cities, those which are common to a locale or people. The custom brands are those brands that have been designed by a particular slaver house or merchant and placed only upon specific girls, thereby creating a form of diversity and adding to the girl’s value because of the rarity of the brand itself. It should be noted that in certain instances even regional brands may be a rarity in distant regions and therefore more highly valued in that particular area. In any event, a market for collectors of various brands was created, whereby the girls may be purchased as much for the rarity of their brand as for the beauty or accomplishments of the slave. Gorean men choose the type of brand to be applied to female flesh with the same careful consideration they pay to all other aspects of slave ownership.

Every brand has a flowing beauty of its own, and, although used to mark the girl as slave to all men, also adds a certain beauty and grace to the girl.

There are also some brands, such as the brand found on the thieves in Port Kar, which are indicative of caste. Just as the Romans and Greeks used brands to identify thieves and other lawbreakers, there are also small penalty brands on Gor.

While it is not common for a girl to have more than one brand, there are instances where a personal or custom brand may be also added to a more common kef brand upon a girl’s flesh. Slaves can also be branded with less desirable brands, or with penalty brands, if the girl is found displeasing.



KEF The most common of brands found gracing the bodies of sleek slaves, the kef is the first Gorean letter of the word ‘kajira’ or ‘slave girl’ and is, therefore, a most fitting of brands to be placed upon slave flesh. It is approximately one-and-one-half to two-inches in height and a half-inch wide. The vertical bar is straight and somewhat strict, possibly indicative of the male dominance, while the two curling, frond-like extensions are feminine in style and placed near its base, as if in submission to the dominant bar.

"I had now been branded, a small, graceful mark burned into my left thigh, high, under the hip. It had a vertical bar, a rather strict one, with two curling, frondlike extensions, rather near its base, as though in submission to it. It looked a little like a 'K.' That was mine. There were variations on this theme. Some of the other girls had similar brands, but, in one respect or another, somewhat different. There were other sorts of brands, too, but the 'K-type' brand was the most common."

Dancer of Gor, page 66



DINA The dina flower is a small, many petaled flower found on slopes of hills in northern temperate areas of Gor. It is short-stemmed, blooms in a turf of green leaves and resembles in some manner the rose. The dina is often called the ‘slave flower.’ It is a prized brand in the southern parts of Gor beneath the equator, where the dina flower is a rarity.

"My own brand was the 'Dina;' the dina is a small lovely, multiple petaled flower, short-stemmed, and blooming in a turf of green leaves, usually on the slopes of hills, in the northern temperate zones of Gor; in its budding, though in few other ways, it resembles a rose; it is and exotic, alien flower; it is also spoken of, in the north, where it grows most frequently, as the slave flower; it was burned into my flesh; in the south, below the Gorean equator, where the flower is much more rare, it is prized more highly." (Book 11: Slave Girl of Gor, page 61)


BOND_MAID BRAND Found frequently in the north, the brand used on bond-maids consists of a half circle with, at its right tip, a steep diagonal line adjoining the circle. The half circle is approximately an inch and a quarter in width; the diagonal line adjoining the half circle is about an inch and a quarter in height. Since a bond-maid in the north is sometimes referred to as a woman whose belly lies beneath the sword, this brand, like many others, is very symbolic.

"The brand used by Forkbeard is not uncommon in the north, though there is less uniformity in Torvaldsland on these matters than in the south, where the merchant caste, with its recommendations for standardization, is more powerful. All over Gor, of course, the slave girl is a familiar commodity. The brand used by the 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.” (Book 9: Marauders of Gor, page 87)


BRANDS OF THE NOMADS Each of the nomadic tribes uses a brand TUCHUK The brand of the Tuchuk tribe is approximately an inch high. The sign of the four bosk horns, set in a manner which resembles an ‘H’ is used to mark both the Tuchuk slave girl and the bosk, although the brand for the bosk is much larger, being roughly six-inches square. ”…the brand of the Tuchuk slave, incidentally, is not the same as that used in the cities, which, for girls, is the first letter of the expression Kajira in cursive script, but the sign of the four bosk horns, set in such a manner as to somewhat resemble the letter ‘H,’ is only about an inch high; the common Gorean brand, on the other hand is usually an inch and a half to two inches high; the brand of the four bosk horns, of course, is also used to mark the bosk of the Tuchuks, but there, of course, is much larger, forming roughly a six-inch square…”

(Book 4: Nomads of Gor, page 62)


KASSARS The bola, so efficiently utilized by the Kassars and a part of their standard, is used to mark both their slaves and bosk. The brand symbolizing the bola consists of three circles joined at the center by lines.

"The standard of the Kassars is that of a scarlet, three-weighted bola, which hangs from a lance; the symbolic representation of a bola, three circles joined at the center by lines, is used to mark both their bosk and slaves." (Book 4: Nomads of Gor, page 106)


KATAII The brand used by the Kataii on their animals and slaves is that of a bow, facing to the left.

"The standard of the Kataii is a yellow bow, bound across a black lance; their brand is also that of a bow, facing to the left." (Book 4: Nomads of Gor, page 106)



PARAVACI Symbolic of a bosk head, the Paravaci brand is a semicircle resting on an inverted isosceles triangle.

"The Paravaci standard is a large banner of jewels beaded on golden wires, forming the head and horns of a bosk its value is incalculable; the Paravaci brand is a symbolic representation of a bosk head, a semicircle resting on an inverted isosceles triangle." (Book 4: Nomads of Gor, page 106)


TAHARIC KEF By the description, the Taharic Kef brand is very similar to the common Kef brand. A graceful script written language, there is little difference between the printed and cursive script and no distinction between the capital and lower-case letters, being very floral in appearance. The Taharic brand is the initial letter of the expression ‘Kajira.’

"Taharic is a very graceful script. It makes no distinctions between capital and small letters, and little distinction between printed and cursive script. Anyone who can read printed Taharic will have no difficulty in following cursive Taharic. The men of the Tahari are content to form their letters carefully and beautifully, being fond of them. To scribble Taharic is generally regarded not as proving oneself a swift, efficient fellow, but something of a boor, insensible to beauty. The initial printed letter of 'Kajira,' rather than the cursive letter, as generally, is used as the common brand for women in the Tahari. Both the cursive letter in common Gorean and the printed letter in Taharic are rather lovely, both being somewhat floral in appearance." (Book 10: Tribesman Of Gor, Page 148-149)


MARK OF TREVE Those of the City of Treve sometimes mark their slaves with the first letter, in cursive script, of the name of the city of Treve. Described as beautifully insolent and startling, this mark would be used on those slaves that the men of the Home Stone of Treve would wish to have declared as having been enslaved by those of Treve.

"'I have never seen a brand of Treve,' I said. 'It is rare,' said Ena, proudly. 'May I see your brand?' I asked. I was curious. 'Of course," said Ena, and she stood up and, extending her left leg, drew her long, lovely white garment to her hip, revealing her limb. I gasped. "Incised deeply, precisely, in that slim, lovely, now-bared thigh was a startling mark, beautiful, insolent, dramatically marking that beautiful thigh as that which it now could only be, that of a female slave. 'It is beautiful,' I whispered. Eta pulled away the clasp at the left shoulder of her garment, dropping it to her ankles. She was incredibly beautiful. ‘Can you read?’ she asked. ‘No,’ I said. She regarded the brand. 'It is the first letter, in cursive script,' she said, 'of the name of the city of Treve.' ‘It is a beautiful mark,’ I said." (Book 7: Captive of Gor, page 277)


BRANDS NOT NORMALLY FOUND ON GOR "Incidentially, there are many brands on Gor. Two that almost never occur on Gor, by the way, are those of the moons and collar, and of the chain and claw. The first of these commonly occurs in certain of the Gorean enclaves on Earth, which serve as headquarters for agents of the Priest-Kings; the second tends to occur in the lairs of the Kurii agents on Earth; the first brand consists of a locked collar and, ascending diagonally above it, extending to the right, three quarter moons; this brand indicates the girl is subject to Gorean discipline; the chain-and-claw brand signifies, of course, slavery and subjection to the compass of the Kur yoke." (Book 13: Explorers of Gor, page 12)


PRIEST KINGS Surprisingly, this brand can be found on slaves of Gorean agents of the Priest-Kings on Earth and is not normally found on Gor itself. The brand consists of a locked collar, with three quarter moons ascending in a diagonal line to the right above it. KURII The chain and claw brand of the Kurii signifies that the slave is subject to the compass of the Kur yoke.


KNIFE BRAND OF SCHENDI While most brands on Gor are burned into silken flesh by hot iron, those brands common to the jungles of Schendi are applied very differently. A knife blade cuts a specific design into the flesh; a powder is then added to color the mark, much like a tattoo, though the cutting process is more similar to scarification.

"From the box he then took a small, curved knife and a tiny, cylindrical leather flask. I gritted my teeth, but made no sound. With the small knife he gashed my left thigh, making upon it a small, strange design. He then took a powder, orange in color, from the flask and rubbed it into the wound." (Book 13: Explorers of Gor, page 330)


PORT KAR While mentioned, this brand is not described and could either be the brand of the city or possibly the brand of the Caste of Thieves of Port Kar.

"I have five brands," said the metal worker, "the common Kajira brand, the Dina, the Palm, the mark of Treve, the mark of Port Kar." (Book 13: Explorers of Gor, page 70)


CASTE OF THIEVES This brand is mentioned several times throughout the books and not described, other than the placement of this small brand is on the right cheek, over the cheekbone, on those members of the Caste of Thieves of Port Kar. “

On his right cheek, over the cheekbone was the Thief brand of the Caste of Thieves of Port Kar, who use the small brand to identify their members.” (Book 5: Assassin of Gor, page 96)


PENALTY BRANDS Tiny letters used to designate the bearer as ‘thief,’ ‘liar,’ ‘traitor’ were applied as punishment for wrongdoings, much in the manner of the ancient Greeks and Romans who also marked their lawbreakers. While a harsh judgment, it is, perhaps, more lenient than many of the other punishments on Gor. Four men held me, naked, near the brazier. I could feel the heat blazing from the cannister. The sky was very blue, the clouds were white.

"Please, no!" I wept. I saw Rask, with a heavy glove, draw forth one of the irons from the fire. It terminated in a tiny letter, not more than a quarter of an inch high. The letter was white hot. "This is a penalty brand," he said. "It marks you as a liar." "Please, Master!" I wept. "I no longer have patience with you," he said. "Be marked as what you are." I screamed uncontrollably as he pressed in the iron, holding it firmly into my leg. Then after some two to four ihn, he removed it. I could not stop screaming with pain. I smelled the odor of burning flesh, my own. I began to whimper. I could not breath. I gasped for breath. Still the men held me. "This penalty brand," said Rask of Treve, lifting another iron from the brazier, again with a tiny letter at it's termination, "marks you also as what you are, as a thief." "Please, no Master!" I wept. I could not move a muscle of my left leg. It might as well have been locked in a vise. It must wait for the iron. I screamed uncontrollably. I had been branded as a thief. "This third iron," said Rask of Treve, "is to, a penalty iron. I mark you with this not for myself, but for Ute." Through raging tears I saw, white hot, the tiny letter. "It marks you as a traitress," said Rask of Treve. He looked at me with fury. "Be marked as a traitress," he said. Then he pressed the third iron into my flesh. As it entered my flesh, biting and searing, I saw Ute watching, her face betraying no emotion. I screamed, and wept, and screamed. Still the men did not release me. Rask of Treve lifted the last iron from the fire. It was much larger, the letter at it's termination some one and a half inches high. It, too, was white hot. I knew the brand. I had seen it on Ena's thigh. It was the mark of Treve. Rask of Treve had decided that my flesh should bare that mark. "No, Master, please!" I begged him. "Yes, worthless slave," he said, "You will wear in your flesh the mark of the city of Treve." "Please," I begged. "When men ask you," he said, "who it was that marked you as a liar and a thief, and traitress, point to this brand, and say, I was marked by one of Treve, who was displeased with me." (Book 7: Captive of Gor, page 310)

oh my, interesting to read about the different brands they put on the girls.....

interesting to see the different brands