Magic and Superstition: Many Goreans believe in the validity and efficacy of magic, especially the Low Castes though even some of the High Castes may also do so. These Goreans believe in such matters as telepathy, shape-changing, teleportation, curses, divination, and other powerful spells. "This ingenuousness is doubtless dependent upon several factors, such as the primitiveness of the world, the isolation and uniqueness of cities, the disparateness of cultures and the tenuousness of communication." (Magicians of Gor, p.254). It is also encouraged by the High Castes to help maintain the social order and keep the Low Castes in their place.
The Initiates are believed to possess secret tomes and scrolls that contain powerful magical spells. These spells are claimed to be even more powerful on certain feast days, especially if those spells are read backwards. The magicians of Anango are also famed across Gor for their powerful magics. The Low Castes are truly frightened of such people.
"The religious conditioning of the men of Gor, based on superstition though it might be, was as powerful as a set of chains-more powerful than chains because they did not realize it existed. They feared the word, the curse, of this old man without weapons more than they would have feared the massed swords of a thousand foemen." (Tarnsman of Gor, p.206)
One effect of fear is that many Low Caste Goreans are reluctant to reveal their true names. Part of the First Knowledge states that one's true name can give an enemy great power over you. Your true name can be used in various spells against you. Thus, to protect themselves from this perceived threat, they create a "use name." This use name is a false name that they will give to other people. Only their close relatives or friends might know their real name. The High Castes usually use their true names freely though the Low Castes firmly believe that they possess use names as well.
Despite one's Caste, most Goreans seem to believe in divinatory abilities and pay heed to the taking of auspices. Many Goreans will not begin an action until the omen as read. Omen taking is common before military actions and the Initiates frequently take omens prior to numerous important matters. These omen takers are known by various terms such as soothsayer or haruspex. It is common to sacrifice animals for these divinations and then read the animals entrails or blood. The vulo, verr and bosk are also common sacrificial animals. Human sacrifice has been practice on Gor in the past by at least the Wagon Peoples and Torvaldslanders though this practice has apparently ceased except by the Paravaci tribe. Omen taking does not require sacrifices though. A soothsayer may read the wind and grass, the stars, the flight of birds, or almost anything else.
Hunters have their own divinatory practice, especially sleen hunters. When they kill an animal, they will drink a cup of its blood. Then they will examine the blood in another cupped hand, trying to divine their own ultimate fate. If they see themself with a black and wasted look, then it indicates that they will die of some disease. If they see themself all torn and scarlet, then it indicates that they will die in battle. If they see themself old and white-haired, then it indicates they will die in peace, leaving behind heirs. They then drink the blood to finish the divinatory ritual. These hunters also believe that eating the heart of the animal will bring them luck. Sleens bring much luck though the mountain larl brings the most luck.
Religion: The worship of the Priest-Kings is the most prevalent religion on Gor, especially in the civilized lands. Much of this has been previously addressed in the Scrolls Initiate Caste and the Priest-Kings and you can find much information there. The Priest-Kings are seen are vastly powerful and very knowledgeable. Few Goreans would wish to purposefully offend the Priest-Kings. Most Goreans have either seen or heard of the effects of the Flame Death so they have much reason to believe that the Priest-Kings actually exist. They may not know the nature of the Priest-Kings but they rarely debate their existence. The Flame Death is a form of capital punishment imposed by the Priest-Kings and triggered from their stronghold in the Sardar Mountains. A victim seems to spontaneously erupt in blue flames. This is most commonly a punishment for those who violate the Technology and Weapon Laws.
In addition, the Priest-Kings sometimes use the Flame Death just to show their power to the Goreans. This is very effective.
"Occasionally on Gor we destroy a city, selecting it by means of a random selection device. This teaches the lower orders the might of Priest-Kings and encourages them to keep our laws."
"But what if the city has done no wrong?" I asked.
"So much the better," said Misk, "for the Men below the Mountains are then confused and fear us even more--but the members of the Caste of Initiates, we have found, will produce an explanation of why the city was destroyed. They invent one and if it seems plausible they soon believe it." (Priest Kings of Gor, p.123)
The general populace of Gor both fear and respect the Initiate Caste, yet they do so only because the Initiates are alleged to be the messengers and direct servants of the Priest-Kings. The Initiates claim that they speak for the Priest-Kings and further their objectives. As the populace is positive of the great power of the Priest-Kings, they do worry that the Initiates may just be speaking the truth. Thus, to be safe, the populace chooses to generally respect the Initiates. They may ridicule the Initiates behind their backs but they rarely would dare to do so openly, fearful of potential retribution.
There is another religion on Gor that appears to exist, at least in part, in some of the cities of Gor though it is likely more prevalent in the countryside. This small cult, much lesser in numbers and power than the worship of the Priest-Kings, worships the Sun. The books say almost nothing about this cult and it does not appear to possess much significance on Gor.
The barbaric lands also have their own religious beliefs. Some of these cultures acknowledge the existence of the Priest-Kings but they choose to pray to other deities. The Red Hunters appear to be one barbaric culture that does pray to the Priest-Kings. The Initiate Caste tries to eliminate the worship of at least some, if not all, of these other gods. They are fiercely defensive of their primacy on Gor.
The tribes of the Wagon Peoples revere the Priest-Kings but they do not worship them. Instead, they choose to worship the "Spirit of the Sky." In their myth structure, it was Spirit who caused the rains that would form the world, the Peoples and the bosk. Males of the Wagon Peoples will pray only when they are mounted and women are not permitted to pray at all. A man prays to the Spirit as if he was a warrior addressing a Ubar. Thus, the Spirit is seen more as a leader than an actual god. He is someone to respect. To the Wagon People, certain matters are considered holy such as the bosk and one's martial prowess.
The people of Torvaldsland respect the Priest-Kings but they also do not worship them. Torvaldslanders worship gods such as Odin and Thor, gods based on the Norse pantheon of Earth. This helps show the connection of the Earth Vikings to the Torvaldslanders. The Initiate Caste especially despises this religion and harshly punishes anyone they catch worshipping them. They may torture these heretics, boiling them in oil or burning them alive. They might even place a snake into one's mouth, forcing the mouth closed and waiting for the snake to tear its way through one of the cheeks. The worshippers of these gods may be known by the sign of Thor, where they make a fist over their drink. The fist is symbolic of Thor's hammer.
Torvaldsland has its owns priests, called rune-priests. They commonly wear white robes (like Initiates), possess long hair and may have a spiral ring of gold on their left arms. They carry a bag of omen chips, small wood chips that are soaked in the blood of a sacrificial bosk. These chips are thrown like dice, sometimes several times, and interpreted to divine the future. They also often engage in animal sacrifices. They once sacrificed male slave, thralls, but they have ceased doing so. It is now thought that thralls, like urts and tiny tharlarion, are not worthy enough to be sacrificed to the gods. Rune-priests are less organized than the Initiate Caste and the high council of rune-priests rarely meets all at once.
(Luther's Scroll #33 - Myths & Legends of Gor)
Lun 6 Juil - 12:11
parce que là on ne comprend pas car on est sur un fofo franco bon on peut traduire avec google mais le résultat ne sera pas potable ... 