Castes and Colors
HIGH CASTES:
Initiates: Representatives of the Priest Kings, their
color is White
Scribes: Scholars and Clerks, their color is Blue
Builders: Includes builders, architects etc, their color
is Yellow
Physicians: The Caste of Physicians color is Green
Warriors: The Caste of Warriors color is Red
***
"These tiers shared the color of that portion of the
wall behind them, the caste colors.The tier nearest the floor, which denoted
some preferential status, the white tier, was occupied by the Initiates,
Interpreters of the Will of the Priest Kings. In order, the ascending tiers;
blue, yellow, green and red were occupied by representatives of the Scribes,
Builders, Physicians, and Warriors."
Tarnsman of Gor, page 61
" 'Ho!' cried Torm, that most improbable member of the
Caste of Scribes, throwing his blue robes over his head..."
Tarnsman of Gor, page 36
"On the other hand, the High Castes, specifically the
Warriors, Builders, Scribes, Initiates, and Physicians...."
Tarnsman of Gor, page 41
"Many castes, incidentally, have branches and divisions.
Lawyers and Scholars, for example, and Record Keepers, Teachers, Clerks,
Historians and Accountants are all Scribes."
Assassin of Gor, page 208
LOW CASTES:
Assassins: Their color is black
"You will see the black banner of the Caste of Assassins"
Tarnsman of Gor, page 175
*
Bakers: Their colors are yellow
and brown
"I stayed for four days in the rooms above the shop of
Dina of Turia, there I dyed my hair black and exchanged the robes of the
merchant for the yellow and brown tunic of the Bakers; to which caste her
father and two brothers had belonged."
Nomads of Gor, page 237
*
Bleachers:
Mentioned in Assassin of Gor
"...its libraries, its records and files; its cubicles
for Smiths, Bakers, Cosmeticians, Bleachers, Dyers, Weavers, and
Leather Workers..."
Assassin of Gor, page 111
*
Cosmeticians:
Mentioned in Assassin of Gor
"...its libraries, its records and files; its cubicles
for Smiths, Bakers, Cosmeticians, Bleachers, Dyers, Weavers, and
Leather Workers..."
Assassin of Gor, page 111
*
Charcoal Makers:
"His stature and burden proclaimed him a member of the
Caste of Carriers of Wood, or Woodsmen, that Gorean caste which, with the
caste of Charcoal Makers, provides most of the common fuel for the Gorean
cities."
Outlaw of Gor, page 27
*
Cloth Workers:
"The Carders and Dyers, incidentally, are subcastes separate
from the Weavers. All are subcastes of the Rug Makers, which itself, interestingly,
perhaps surprisingly, is accounted generally as a subcaste of the Cloth
Workers. Rug Makers themselves, however usually regard themselves in their
various subcastes, as being independent of the Cloth Workers. A rug maker
would not care to be confused with a maker of kaftans, turbans, or djellabas."
Tribesmen of Gor, pages 49-50
"I was the daughter of a Cloth Worker..."
Assassin of Gor, page 317
*
Dyers
"...its libraries, its records and files; its cubicles
for Smiths, Bakers, Cosmeticians, Bleachers, Dyers, Weavers, and
Leather Workers..."
Assassin of Gor, page 111
*
Goat Keepers:
"I was pleased to see that the men of other castes....and
even castes as low as the Peasants, Saddle-Makers, the Weavers, the Goat-Keepers,
the Poets, and the Merchants...."
Priest-Kings of Gor, pages 294-295
*
Leather Workers:
"It was there that she had been purchased by Barus, of
the Leather Workers."
Captive of Gor, page 234
"...its libraries, its records and files; its cubicles for
Smiths, Bakers, Cosmeticians, Bleachers, Dyers, Weavers, and Leather
Workers..."
Assassin of Gor, page 111
*
Magicians:
"The magicians of Anango are famed on Gor. If you wish
to have someone turned into a turtle or something, those are the fellows
to see."
Magicians of Gor, page 259
*
Merchants: Their colors are gold and white
"Down the stairway slowly, in trailing white silk, bordered
with gold, the colors of the Merchants... ...Aphris of Turia, then, was
of the caste of merchants."
Nomads of Gor, page 91
"I wore a white robe, woven of the wool of the Hurt, imported
from distant Ar, trimmed with golden cloth, from Tor, the colors of the
Merchant."
Hunters of Gor, page 7
*
Metal Workers:
"My opponent was not Andreas, but a squat, powerful man
with short-clipped yellow hair, Kron of Tharna, of the Caste of Metal Workers."
Outlaw of Gor, page 113
*
Musicians:
"A similar decree, in most cities, stands against the
enslavement of one who is in the Caste of Musicians."
Beasts of Gor, page 44
*
Peasants:
"Economically, the base of the Gorean life was the free
peasant, which was perhaps the lowest but undoubtedly the most fundamental
caste..."
Tarnsman of Gor, page 43
*
Players: Their colors are red and yellow
"In most cities it is regarded, incidentally, as a criminal
offense to enslave one of the Caste of Players."
Beasts of Gor, page 44
"...he wore the garb of the Player, but his garb was rich
and the squares of the finest red and yellow silk..."
Assassin of Gor, page 322
*
Poets:
"It could have been worse, I thought. After all, though
the Caste of Singers, or Poets, was not a high caste, it had more prestige
than, for example, the Caste of Pot-Makers or Saddle-Makers, with which
it was sometimes compared."
Outlaw of Gor, page 103
*
Pot-Makers(Potters):
"Hup's rag might once have been of the Caste of Potters."
Assassin of Gor, page 10
(Also, see Poets for quote mentioning the existence of the
Caste of Pot-Makers)
*
Saddle-Makers:
(See Poets for quote mentioning the existence of the
Caste of Saddle-Makers)
*
Rencers:
"The Rencers are often thought to be a higher caste than
the Peasants."
Raiders of Gor, page 94
*
Rope-Makers:
This is more of a guild, or union, not specifically a
caste and are mentioned here as exceptions to the caste system.
"These organizations, such as the sail-makers, almost
guildlike, not castes, have dues...."
Raiders of Gor, page 134
*
Sail-Makers:
See Rope Makers
Singers:
(See Poets for quote mentioning the existence of the
Caste of Singers)
*
Slavers: Their colors are blue and yellow (sub
caste of the Merchants)
"I saw that the cover of the thalarion wagon, which had
been rolled back, was of blue and yellow silk. It was the camp of a slaver."
Outlaw of Gor, page 185
"The Slavers, incidentally, are of the Merchant caste, though,
in virtue of their merchandise and practices, their robes are different."
Assassin of Gor, page 208
"Samos wore the blue and yellow robes of the Slaver."
Hunters of Gor, page 7
"From among the domed tents, wearing a swirling robe of broadly
striped blue and yellow silk, with a headband of the same material, there
approached a short, fat man, Targo the Slaver..."
Outlaw of Gor, page 191
*
Sleen Trainers: Their colors are brown and black (may
be a sub castes or a specialty)
"He now no longer wore the brown and black common to
professional sleen trainers..."
Beasts of Gor, page 78
*
Smiths:
Mentioned in Assassin of Gor
"...its libraries, its records and files; its cubicles
for Smiths, Bakers, Cosmeticians, Bleachers, Dyers, Weavers, and
Leather Workers..."
Assassin of Gor, page 111
*
Tarn Keepers:
"...was purchased by a fat, odious fellow, of the Caste
of Tarn Keepers."
Tarnsman of Gor, page 132
*
Thieves:
"There is even, in Port Kar, a recognized Caste of Thieves,
the only such I know of on Gor...They are recognized by the Thiefs Scar,
which they wear as a caste mark, a tiny, three-pronged brand burned into
the face, in back of and below the eye, over the right cheekbone."
Raiders of Gor, page 104
"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."
Assassin of Gor, page 96
*
Vintners: Their colors are white and green (to represent
leaves)
"...of the Caste of Vintners...wearing a white tunic
with a representation in green cloth of leaves about the collar and down
the sleeves of the garment..."
Assassin of Gor, page 29
*
Weavers:
"I was pleased to see that the men of other castes....and
even castes as low as the Peasants, Saddle-Makers, the Weavers, the Goat-Keepers,
the Poets, and the Merchants...."
Priest-Kings of Gor, pages 294-295
*
Wood Carriers/Woodsmen:
"His stature and burden proclaimed him a member of the
Caste of Carriers of Wood, or Woodsmen, that Gorean caste which, with the
caste of Charcoal Makers, provides most of the common fuel for the Gorean
cities."
Outlaw of Gor, page 27
