The division of castes is primarily a form of social control. The parallels are found on Earth, primarily in Hindu society, but seen other places. Consider that what is needed to successfully integrate peoples into a working community, whether there are ten, ten thousand, or ten million residents. Their must be a division of labor. Goods and services must be produced. There will be needs and wants that must be met that a community should be better able to provide than if all persons tried to meet all of their needs on their own. Think of the phrase, 'it is a dirty job but someone has to do it.' A caste structure is one way. It limits one's choices. In the simplest society, it ensures there will always be enough Hunters and enough Gatherers. If one is born a Gatherer, it is important he gathers. If he elects to hunt, he alters the balance of the community. Perhaps he brings more meat to the community, but it now has less roots, berries and firewood.
Suppose on Gor a man who lives in a small village is of the Lamplighters. He chooses instead to be a Baker. The village will have an excess of pastries, but the street will not be safe at night from the predation of brigands as no one has lit the lamps. The village would do well, then, to make his investiture in another Caste a serious thing. He, as his father, and his father before him, plays a role. Tradition has a way of ingraining these things into the minds of people. Soon, it is not only a role, but a source of pride. "I am of the Lamplighters, as was my Father."
There are other issues of course than people simply dutifully fulfilling their places as cogs in the machinery. With distribution of responsibility, there is also a disproportionate distribution of wealth and power. If one is born of higher caste, he will generally be better off socially and monetarily than one born of low caste for no other reason than his birthright. Over the years, even the centuries, whether it is justifiable or not, one has an incentive to maintain the lines of caste if they are in his favor. Those who benefit have the power to make certain it remains so. The Initiates of Gor, for example, are the highest caste. At one time, before great metropolises such as Ar, village life must have held the Initiate, the voice of the Sardar, with great regard. The value of the Initiates has been upheld over millennia not by anything tangible, but by tradition. What is interesting is that even made aware of it, one of lower caste would tend to yet hold pride in his caste and not think in terms of upward mobility. And, as seen in the books, would continue to support the Initiates and all of the castes higher than his.
Castes
A merchant can FC with a scribe. Indeed, anyone can FC with anyone they choose. It would be opportune for the woman in this coupling if the woman was the merchant and the man was the scribe. Though merchants think themselves deserving of high caste, they are low caste. Scribes are one of the five high castes. In effect, the woman could raise caste by the companionship.
It should be noted as well that although caste is rigid, it is not entirely inflexible. If one shows enough determination and enough proof they are deserving, they may be invested in another caste.
In any case, the child would undoubtedly take the caste of the male in the companionship.
Re: Castes
ah, then a child can be of a caste then, growing to maturity in that caste. Say a child of a healer, though the gorean may not be "a healer" but chosing to support and assist a healer. this gorean would still be of the healers, and could claim as such?
Children
Many Castes require training and acceptance before handing out full investiture. One may be of the Caste of Warriors, for example, but not be permitted to pledge his sword. He must first be trained in the arts of swordplay, self-defense, etc. Even a woman who is the companion of a Warrior is of that Caste. She is generally not permitted to raise arms, however, or receive the training.
In the case of a healer, I would think it must be similar. To be granted full investiture, one would have to learn medicinal arts.
Re: Children
So the Lady Gleniss is correct in her claim that she is of the warrior caste, by right of her father being a warrior, even though she does not parctice the warrior arts. And if she wanted to change to the caste of her mother, that of the merchant, that too would be possible because she would be moving to a lower caste.
So when a female FC's, she can then claim the caste of her companion, moving up or down, even though she her self does not possess knowledge or skill in that caste.
raising, lowering caste
A daughter of a Warrior is of the Warrior caste, yes. Can she lower herself to the caste of her mother? That is a tricky question and one I am not entirely certain of. However, she can raise or lower to the caste of her companion, yes.
Lofweyr Oran
Unregistered User
(12/8/99 21:45) Reply
About Castes
I know this is a old thread, but a good one. I've seen it said somewhere in the books that many women do not perform any duties in their Caste. They belong to it, but they do other things such as socializing, raising children, etc. To fully serve the Caste, they would have to train and be approved by their peers within the Caste, and if their interests or skills lay in other areas, they may end up changing Castes. Since Gor is a Man's world though, the child usually follows the Man's path. Men Companion with Free Women to create heirs to their father, as well as propogating the numbers of the Caste and allowing it to grow. Physicians, Warriors, Scribes, and Builders are that way. Physicians require their Free Women to bear two children before they are fully approved to join the Caste's working force. This ensures the Castes numbers grow before their time is taken with service to others as a full physician. Warriors are men, but women are in their Caste and serve as educators and family raisers. The women can educate young men in reading, writing, social skills, the Codes, history, etc. I started up a list of Free Women in the Warrior Caste on our web site to give those women attention. It took a while because there was alot of resistance to any women in the Caste because of those who choose to be warrior women. One other thing, Initiates are all Male. They are also Celibate, so that makes it difficult for them to have heirs or increase their Caste size. Their numbers must come from other Castes. Perhaps adopting young boys into the Caste to train them in the ways of an Initiate, or other ways. I wish John Norman had written more about Castes, and perhaps some day he will. I wish you well.
A Very Extensive Explaination
As stated in the "Education Scrolls" Of Ubar Luther:
The following is an excerpt from one of my Gorean education scrolls concerning the caste system on Gor.
Caste System: Gorean society has a firmly established Caste System. Almost all Free Persons belong to a Caste. Each caste has its own Code to govern the conduct of its members. Most of the ethical teachings of Gor are little more than the Caste Codes, collections of sayings whose origins are lost in antiquity. The Caste system is a vital component of civilized Gorean society. There are three basic categories outside of the caste system: Priest-Kings, outlaws and slaves. Priest-Kings are the “gods” of Gor and live hidden away in the Sardar Mountains. A man who refuses to practice his livelihood or strives to alter status without consent of the Council of High Castes is by definition an outlaw. Outlaws belong to no city and usually live hidden in the forests or mountains. Outlaws do not have identifying devices on their garb. Most cities will impale outlaws if they try to access the city gates. There are few outlaws on Gor. Slaves are considered property and have no status in the caste system. There are also some peoples who do not fall into these three primary exceptions but are still outside the caste system. There are some people who have lost caste or been deprived of caste for various reasons. Some are born outside of the caste system. A few occupations are not traditionally associated with a caste, like gardening, domestic service and herding. There are also cultures and peoples on Gor without any caste system. But these peoples are traditionally considered barbarians and not a part of civilized Gor. These include such cultures as the Wagon Peoples, Torvaldslanders, Red Savages and the Tribesmen of the Tahari. Caste is primarily governed by birth. Children take on the caste of their father. Caste is relatively immobile but not frozen. Free Companionship is one method to change caste. Normally, mating remains within the same caste. But, if of mixed caste, the woman can keep her own caste or take her partner’s caste. This can serve to raise her caste. A show or lack of ability can also raise or lower your caste. To change caste, the High Council of the city must approve the change, based on your qualifications for the new caste and the willingness of the new caste to accept you. Women are promoted and demoted by the same criteria as men though it varies from city to city. To most Goreans though, it is unthinkable to alter their caste. Most Goreans are proud of their caste, even peasants and laborers. It is recognized that all, or at least most, castes perform necessary, useful or commendable tasks. Their skills are appreciated by others and not looked down on. Each caste views itself as special in some way. Each Caste has its place and worth in Gorean society. Castes are divided into High Castes and Low Castes. There are only five High Castes and include Initiates, Scribes, Builders, Physicians and Warriors. Each has its own color, respectively white, blue, yellow, green, red, which is also their ranking of order of importance. The High Castes elect the Administrator and Council of a city for stated terms. There are subcastes of some of these castes. For example, cartographers and lawyers belong to the Caste of Scribes. The Lower Castes includes all the other established castes. These includes such castes as assassins, bakers, bleachers, carriers of wood (woodsmen), charcoal makers, cloth worker, cosmeticians, dyers, goat-keepers, growers of rence, leather workers, metal workers, musicians, peasants, potters, saddle makers, singers (poets), smiths, tarn keepers, vintners, and weavers. There are many more castes and some subcastes. These castes are also ranked in order of their importance with peasants at the bottom of the ranking order. Belonging to a Caste gives you certain privileges. Charity is administered through the caste structure. Goreans do not favor begging and some even view it as an insult. When charity is in order, the caste or clan comes to the rescue. Caste Sanctuary, the protection of caste members in times of need, is another privilege. A Caste protects its own members and they form a cohesive unity. Caste rights are a matter of birth and you are entitled to them automatically, even if you never practice your caste work. But, one cannot practice a craft in a caste until an apprenticeship is done though you might be able to do some subsidiary work in that craft without such practice. A Metalworker, who has not completed his apprenticeship, might be able to paint iron or transport it though he could not work the iron. An apprenticeship helps to guarantee the quality of the products. Women of a caste often do not engage in caste work. Women of the Metal Workers do not commonly work at a forge and women of the Builder’s do not supervise the construction of fortifications. But, women do commonly work as Scribes and Merchants. There are even female slavers. Some of these female slavers even engage in field captures. Another notable exception is that of the Physician’s Caste. The Physician’s Caste though does restrict women in one way. The Caste will not permit a woman to practice medicine until she has first born two children. In many cities, at age fifteen, a woman of the Physician’s Caste dons two bracelets. One is removed for each child born, and when both are removed, she is allowed to practice medicine. The reason behind this is that it is understood that professional women tend not to reproduce themselves. This would serve over time to diminish the quality of the caste. Thus, the rule helps to preserve the future of the caste. The future of the caste is vitally important to Goreans. The welfare of the caste takes priority over the ambitions of specific individuals. The welfare of a larger number of individuals is more important than the welfare of a smaller number of individuals. Caste is crucially important to Goreans in ways that those of Earth cannot easily comprehend. The importance of the caste to Goreans cannot be underestimated. Thus, the logic behind this restriction on women in the Physician’s Caste should apply as well to the Warrior Caste. Why would the Warrior Caste allow women to risk their lives in combat? There would be more women dying in combat which would lead to fewer births. In addition, dead women could not raise their existing children. Goreans would not want their children to grow up with mothers. This would all diminish the quality of the caste over time. With the welfare of the caste at stake, Warriors would not permit women to engage in combat. In addition, women would not want to endanger the welfare of the caste so they would accept their role in the Caste. This may be one of the strongest single arguments against female warriors. There are a number of key differences between the High and Low Castes. First, each learns a different type of knowledge concerning their world. The Low Castes learn the First Knowledge which is a simpler knowledge with a number of falsehoods and half-truths. They learn that the world is flat and are not taught of the existence of Earth. The High Castes have the Second Knowledge. They know about Earth and most of the true information about Gor though they know little of the true nature of the Priest-Kings. Most of them would have uncovered these truths on their own anyways. There is a Third Knowledge belonging to the Priest Kings, a knowledge of the many secrets of Gor. The Low Castes are also very superstitious normally. They are reluctant to reveal their true names. They thus have both a use name and a real name. Often only close relatives know their real name. High Castes usually use their names freely though the Lowers believe they have use names. Knowing a real name supposedly gives one power, a capacity to use the name in spells and insidious magical practices. Many of the Low Castes believe in magic and that some people can read thoughts. They believe the stories of the wizards and monsters of Anango. There is an accent that differentiates the High and Low Castes, though some of the higher artisan castes speak almostlike the High Caste. Illiteracy is common on Gor and is not taken as a mark of stupidity. Literacy usually follows by caste lines and many Goreans of the Low Castes cannot read. Even some of the High Castes, primarily warriors, may be illiterate. Some warriors feel that they should not be literate so they hide the fact that they can read. The caste system is vital to the proper functioning of Gorean society. The caste system contributes considerably to the stability of society. It reduces competitive chaos, social and economic, and prevents the draining of intelligence and ambition into a small number of envied, prestigious occupations. In your role-playing, you should be proud of your caste and participate in caste matters such as caste leader elections. Goreans care about the future of their castes. They place their personal desires below the welfare of their caste. If you are a Low Caste, remember the differences from the High Castes. Remember that you only have the First Knowledge and are likely illiterate. Respect those of Higher Caste than you. Follow your Caste codes.
Ubar Luther
"Her voice had borne the cruel, icy, confident, passionate menace of a woman from Treve, accustomed to have what she wanted, who would not be denied."
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