Kajirus (male slaves) basics

KAJIRUS BASICS (#19, Version 5.0)

Women are not the only gender that may be enslaved on Gor. Men also may face that fate, though in far fewer numbers. On Gor, one of the terms for a male slave is a "kajirus" and its plural form is "kajiri." "Kajiri" is also used to refer to a group of slaves consisting of women and men. A common mistake is that some believe that "kajirus" is the plural form and that the singular form is "kajiru." The number of male slaves on Gor is very low, especially in the cities. Only about 10% of all the slaves on Gor are males. Men captured during wars or raids are usually slain instead of being taken captive and enslaved. Most male slaves are either debtors or criminals though a small number are captives.

Male slaves are mainly enslaved for economic reasons, as cheap labor. The Gorean philosophy of "natural order" supports female slavery but it does not support male slavery. Gorean society though recognizes the validity, legality and economic necessity of male slavery. It is a more practical decision and not one based on a deeper philosophy. Under these justifications, anyone can be enslaved. Not all societal institutions need be based on an underlying philosophical foundation. Some are simply practical concepts.

Few male slaves are considered valuable and they generally do not garner high prices, even at auction. The primary exceptions are male silk slaves and exotics. The normal high price for a male slave, not a silk slave or exotic, is a silver tarsk. Many female slaves would sell for more than that amount. There are also very few male slaves with long pedigrees. There are few reasons to breed male slaves except as exotics. Nearly any Gorean man can serve as a typical work slave.

The most common types of male slaves are the work slaves. They are usually used on cargo galleys, mines, great farms or as porters on wharves. Port Kar, Cos and Tyros utilize thousands of male galley slaves. Many cities use male slaves for some of the more unpleasant labor in the cities, such as in the refuse pits or cleaning the public baths. Some slaves may pull wagons in teams. Most men work on chains with other slaves. In some cities like Ar, an unchained male slave is rarely ever seen. Work gangs commonly consist of fifty to one hundred men though they may be as large as one thousand men. They are commonly considered to be cheap and expendable labor.

Free work chains also exist as slaves are not permitted to engage in certain construction work. Work slaves are not used for road construction, siege works, erecting walls, or the construction of temples and public buildings. In many respects though, free chains are often not much different from slaves. Many free chains consist of criminals. These criminals have been sold, for a nominal fee, to work gang leaders to serve out the rest of their sentence as a laborer. Though they are technically supposed to be freed when their prison term would be up not all are. Some work masters create stringent rules for their workers. If you violate one of these rules, it will add time onto your sentence. The rules are created so most of the workers will violate them at some point, effectively keeping the workers much longer than their original sentence. The workers are commonly kept under slave discipline and the work master can do anything he wants to them, including killing them.

Probably the lowest of all work slaves are the salt slaves of Klima. Klima is located deep in the dune country of the Tahari region. Its exact location is a well kept secret. Thousands of salt slaves work there to extract salt from brine pits, generally by drilling or flush mining. Salt slaves are taken there on foot. They are hooded, chained and led through the desert. Many never make it as far as Klima. Escape from Klima is nearly impossible and no one until Tarl Cabot had ever escaped from there. No kaiila are permitted there and there is no water for a thousand pasangs. No women are permitted there and the workday is from dawn to dusk. It is brutal work and few slaves last too long there.

Other male slaves may end up as fighting slaves, either gladiators or bodyguards. Many Gorean cities have arenas for gladiatorial combat. This combat is often quite lethal and many fighting slaves are seriously injured or killed during these games. These male slaves may learn the use of certain weapons, primarily cestae and other common arena weapons. The hook knife is a common arena weapon, either sheated or unsheathed. The hook knife is a small, thick, curved blade. In nonlethal combat, the weapon is sheathed and the sheath is coated with a bluish pigment to mark strikes. In most cases, free men do not enter these arena games.

Less formal fighting slaves may engage in stable bouts, generally a Low Caste form of entertainment. Many of these bouts are little more than bloody brawls. The bouts are commonly divided by weight classes. The two combatants, unarmed, enter a shallow pit. Their hands are usually wrapped in leather so they do not break their hands. There are few rules except holds to the death are not permitted. Men may punch, kick and such until only one man is standing. The combatants do get rest periods which are given only to make the fight last longer. Much betting goes on at these events. Another less formal type are the sport slaves who are used in hunts, often by women, as the prey.

Little is said about the use of male slaves as bodyguards. No guidelines are given for their use. In general, slaves are not permitted weapons so it is unsure if an exception is made for bodyguards. It is possible that such slaves can only rely on unarmed combat to defend their owner. It seems more likely that if someone wished to good bodyguard, they would hire a Warrior. Slave bodyguards might serve better to protect free women, walking the city streets, from Slavers and other such parties. Such slaves would be expected to give their lives to protect their Mistress.

Some male slaves engage in less strenuous work. Paga attendants are male slaves who work at paga taverns. They generally supervise the serving girls and collect payment for the paga and the use of the slave girls. Some male slaves may work as actors in the city theaters. Other male slaves may do some basic Caste work, generally the minor, monotonous work.

The most valuable male slave though is usually the silk slave, a certified woman's slave, akin to a Pleasure Slave. They are handsome men who have been specially trained to tend to a woman's needs. They are sold in special women's auctions that are closed to free men. Silk slaves generally sell for higher prices than many female slaves. Most silk slaves will sell for four to six silver tarsks. This is basically a matter of supply and demand, as there are very few such silk slaves on Gor. Most Gorean men make poor silk slaves. There are masculine and feminine male silk slaves. Some women fear the more masculine ones, worrying that such men will turn on them one day, enslaving them. Others secretly delight in that possibility. The feminine ones are rarely used for breeding. Free women think little of hiding their naked bodies from their silk slaves. Many free women though will not kiss their silk slaves as they do not wish to put their lips on a slave. A silk slave grows to know his Mistress quite well and is able recognize her body even when she is robed and veiled. Gorean men generally despise silk slaves and do not treat them well. When a city is captured, the victors often kill the silk slaves out of disgust.

A rare few of male slaves are used as seduction slaves. They are used to lure free women into compromising situations so that the women can be made slaves according to the Couching Law. The Couching Law exists in some Gorean cities and may have originated in Ar. Essentially the law states that any free woman who couches with another's slave, or even prepares to do so, becomes a slave herself and the slave of the male slave's master. "Couching" is a euphemism for sexual relations. Milo, a male slave from Magicians of Gor, is the primary example of a seduction slave. Milo is a large, graceful man with blond, curly hair. He is considered exceptionally handsome and wore a purple silk tunic and golden sandals. He was also a famous actor. His master, Appanius, would have him entice free women to meet him secretly. Once the women prepared to have sex with Milo, Appanius would come out of hiding with a couple witnesses and enslave the free woman pursuant to the Couching Law. Milo's activities were quite successful and his work as a seduction slave remained hidden for quite some time. I n cities that do not have a Couching Law, male silk slaves may be freely given to a female guest. In addition, a male slave can be slain for touching a free woman without her permission.

Another rare and expensive type of male slave are the exotics, those that are either bred or trained for unusual purposes. Exotics usually sell for high prices due to their rarity. Exotics may be bred for some deformity, even one as insignificant as large earlobes. Special Draft slaves are a type of bred exotic. The potential varieties of specially trained exotics is endless. One type of female trained exotic was a woman who was raised never knowing men existed. A man could be raised that same way, never knowing the existance of women.

Male slaves rarely have locked collars. Normally their collar is a band of iron hammered about their neck. There is also no distinctive garb for male slaves as Goreans do not want them to discover how numerous they are, especially in the cities. The wool of the hurt is often used for male slave garments as it absorbs perspiration well. In many cities, female slaves must always openly wear a symbol of their bondage such as a collar. Male slaves are exempt from this law for the same reason why they do not wear distinctive garb. Goreans worry about a revolt by male slaves. The slave revolt that struck Tharna in Outlaw of Gor is a constant worry in other cities.

Female slaves normally despise male slaves. They consider themselves the rightful property of only free persons. It is considered a great shame for a female slave to have to touch a male slave. Male slaves though are often permitted to have a female slave for their pleasure, especially as a reward. But, a male slave might be killed for touching a female slave without permission. Female slaves show contempt toward male slaves because they do not see them as real men, because they have been made slave.

Male slaves commonly kneel, like women do. They do not sit cross-legged like free men. Depending on the preference of their master, their knees may be spread or not. Male slaves may also be branded as any slave though it is not as common as with female slaves. Male slaves are branded with a large block "Kef", not the cursive letter used for female slaves. It is more expensive to feed male slaves than females slaves. In many other ways, male slaves are treated like female slaves. They are still considered only property. They must show respect to all free persons and are subject to discipline by any free person.

Male slaves though receive more opportunities to win their freedom though usually only in very dangerous situations. Male slaves might be freed and armed if their city is being attacked and additional men are needed. Tarl Cabot was enslaved several times during the series but always won his way to freedom. Jason Marshall started off on Gor as a slave but also won his way to freedom. Panther girls capture and enslave men, eventually growing tired of them and selling them. Such men generally recover their freedom once they leave the Northern Forests.

Few Earth men are brought to Gor to be slaves. In fact, few males are currently brought to Gor at all. It is thought that Jason Marshall, from the Gorean books #14-16, was the first Earth man brought to Gor as a slave. It is surprising that more Earth men are not brought to Gor to be slaves. Certain Earth men would make excellent silk slaves. Others would be acceptable as work slaves. This may be due in part to the general disdain Goreans have for Earth men. It still seems a potentially lucrative avenue though for an enterprising Slaver, especially a Kur agent.