Signals are something some Gorean slaves I’ve met in real life are trained in, at least to some extent or another. I suppose it is just another way of instructing a slave without interfering with any conversation or general ‘goings on’ of events – some may find it beneficial, others find it ‘fantasy’. So, I thought I would cover it here anyway – ‘cause, well, it’s my website!
How many should a ‘true Gorean slave know’? Pass – that’s up to the owners of the slave as there are no slavers training pens! Personally, I have knowledge of all of those listed, however I believe I could only respond ‘immediately’ (that is, without having to think about it) to five or six.
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Hand Signals
Position: Leading
Hand Signal: Open and closing hand at waist level
Quote: “I held my left hand open, at my wrist. She stiffened, and looked at me, angrily. I opened and closed my left hand once. I saw her training in Gorean customs had been thorough. But she never thought that such a gesture would be used to her. She came beside me, and a bit behind me, and, crouching, put her head down, deeply. I fastened my hand in her hair. She winced. Women are helpless in this position."
- Beasts of Gor, Pg. 468
Comment: The hand signalled with is the hand the slave should go to – so if the Free indicates with the left hand, the slave should go to the left side and vice versa. The ‘crouching’ tends to be, at least from my experience, bent forward from the waist, so that the cheek of the slave is beside the hip of the freeperson.
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Position: Nadu
Hand Signal: Pointing and then spreading the first and index fingers
Quote: "He suddenly snapped his fingers and, in the swift double gesture of the Gorean Master, pointed to a place on the dirt floor before him, almost simultaneously turning his hand, spreading the first and index fingers, pointing downwards. I fled to him and knelt before him, my knees in the dirt, in the position of the pleasure slave, my head down, trembling."
- Captive of Gor, Pg. 140
Comment: The pointing at the beginning of this command is clearly to indicate where the slave should be positioned, and the spreading of the two fingers symbolises the knees of the slave. If the slave is already kneeling, sitting or standing in the position, there is no need for the pointing. Other men train that the fingers (just before they spread) point to the location.
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Position: Kneel
Hand Signal: Using two fingers to point and show the ‘type’ of kneel required (fingers closed for tower, fingers open for nadu)
Quote: “I spread the first two fingers of my right hand and gestured downward, toward a place nearby in the sand. Immediately she knelt there, her knees widely spread. There are many signals by means of which such behaviors can be commanded. In this particular signal, one of several which, from city to city, might have similar import, the downward movement of the hand indicates that the girl is to kneel, the place where she is to kneel is indicated in effect by pointing, and the spreading of the fingers indicates how she is to kneel, in this case, in effect, in the position of the pleasure slave, the knees spread.”
- Vagabonds of Gor, Pg. 346
Comment: As the quote explains, there are many signals mixed in here. Most people forget that even though they can wave their hand around rapidly and know what they’re signally, slaves need to see the signal before they can respond. So although there are two or three commands in quick succession, they need to be slow enough that the slave sees and computes the order!
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Position: Strip
Hand Signal: Pointing to the left shoulder, and then lowering the hand
Quote: “Two gestures then did he make, in quick succession, the first indicating the left shoulder where, had I been tunicked in that fashion, there would have been a disrobing loop, and the second indicating, fingers spread, palms down, the floor. Instantly I drew the tunic over my head, stripping myself before him, and turned about, and put myself to my belly, legs and arms spread widely, spread-eagled.”
- Witness of Gor, Pg. 151
Comment: The reason behind this gesture is that most, or at least some, of the Gorean slave garments found in the books have a ‘disrobing loop’ on the left shoulder. This, of course, is not true of Earth Gorean clothing – however, as can be seen by the quote I used above, it is clear that the gesture was the same regardless of what the slave is wearing. Which is why it is still practical on Earth!
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Position: Belly / Spread-eagled Belly
Hand Signal: Hand spread, palm down
Quote: “Two gestures then did he make, in quick succession, the first indicating the left shoulder where, had I been tunicked in that fashion, there would have been a disrobing loop, and the second indicating, fingers spread, palms down, the floor. Instantly I drew the tunic over my head, stripping myself before him, and turned about, and put myself to my belly, legs and arms spread widely, spread-eagled.”
- Witness of Gor, Pg. 144
Comment: This, logically, also suggests that the position ‘sula’ can be commanded by the hand spread with the palm up. I don’t believe there are any quotes to support this though. I have also known the position ‘belly’ be gestured with the fingers closed (as in, not spread eagled) and just the hand palm facing down.
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Position: Summon / Come here
Hand Signal: Clicking the fingers
Quote: “I snapped my fingers and Ina hurried to me. As I had kept the palm of my hand up, she did not kneel. She stood happily before me”.
- Vagabonds of Gor, Pg. 345
Comment: It can be assumed that the slave would knel if the palm of the hand had ben down, and whether in tower or nadu would be decided either by the slave (nadu for freemen, tower for freewomen) or by a third gesture.
The clicking of the fingers, however, varies from person to person, so clicking your fingers at anothers slave might not get the desired response! (Clicking of the fingers and clapping are covered in more detail below)
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Position: Stand
Hand Signal: Raise a hand, palm up.
Quote: “The Lady Gina turned her right hand, back down, to the floor, and lifted it slightly. Both girls, obedient to the gesture; rose together to their feet.”
- Fighting Slave of Gor, Pg. 62
Comment: This is only one of many I’ve seen for ‘stand’, others I’ve seen are tapping the hip, clapping and clicking the fingers.
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Position: Crawl / She-Quadruped
Hand Signal: Pointing four fingers downwards
Quote: “I gestured that she should return the whip, and then, briefly, placed four fingers, downward, on the arm of the curule chair. The whip would be returned, then, in the manner of the naked slave.
"Yes, my Master," she whispered.
She fell forward, to her hands and knees, with a jangle of slave bells, and put her head down. She took the staff of the whip, which is about an inch and a quarter to an inch and a half in diameter, gently between her teeth, and looked up at me. The staff of the whip was crosswise in her mouth. Her mouth, by the whip, was held widely open. I snapped my fingers. Head down, then, on all fours, to the small sounds of the slave bells on her wrists and ankles, and collar, she slowly ascended the three broad steps of the carpeted dais. She was then before me, on all fours, the lovely, obedient slave, the former Miss Henderson, before the curule chair on which I reclined.”
"Yes, my Master," she whispered.
She fell forward, to her hands and knees, with a jangle of slave bells, and put her head down. She took the staff of the whip, which is about an inch and a quarter to an inch and a half in diameter, gently between her teeth, and looked up at me. The staff of the whip was crosswise in her mouth. Her mouth, by the whip, was held widely open. I snapped my fingers. Head down, then, on all fours, to the small sounds of the slave bells on her wrists and ankles, and collar, she slowly ascended the three broad steps of the carpeted dais. She was then before me, on all fours, the lovely, obedient slave, the former Miss Henderson, before the curule chair on which I reclined.”
- Guardsman of Gor, pg 184
Comment: I don’t think I’ve ever seen this command used in real life, I only think I’ve seen a girl commanded to crawl once... and that was a verbal command. Doesn’t mean it’s not used, just that it appears to me to be one of the less common signals.
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Clicking of the Fingers
The snapping or ‘clicking’ of the fingers is used for various reasons throughout the books, as is the clapping of the hands. Masters I know tend to teach one as simply ‘pay attention’ and the other as ‘summoning’ - but this varies from Master to Master. Sometimes the same signal can mean multiple things, depending on the situation – that is, clicking of the fingers can mean ‘pay attention’ or ‘come here’ and it is dependent on the situation which the master is commanding.
These are just a few examples of clapping and clicking used in the books:
"`And if they should snap their fingers and point to the floor?' I asked. `Then I would swiftly lie before them, and as a slave,' she said."
- Rogue of Gor, page 108
"I heard the sound of slave bells attached to ankle rings, to locked wrist bracelets, to Turian collars.
More girls approached rapidly, their feet taking small running steps in a turning line that sped forth from a smal room in the back and to the right."
- Nomads of Gor, Pg. 101
“Rask clapped his hands twice, sharply. And the black-haired, green-eyed, olive-skinned slave girl stood before him.”
- Captive of Gor, Pg. 321
Gag Signals
Gag signals are used in the books relatively frequently. While they’re not so common in the real life Gorean lifestyle they are used occasionally and are often taught to slaves. I, personally, have not been ‘gagged’ by my Master. I have, however, been silenced. So my own knowledge of these signals is purely based on that, although the signals are the same regardless.
One ‘whimper’ means yes, and two means no. This is relatively easy to remember as people tend to say ‘yes and no’ (one and two) as opposed to ‘no and yes’.
"You have not been a kajira long, have you?" he asked.
I shook my head, negatively.
"You are familiar with gag signals, are you not?" he asked.
I whimpered once. When a woman is gagged, one whimper means "Yes," and two, "No."
"That is better," he said.
I hoped he would not cuff me.
"You wish to use them then, do you not?" he said.
I whimpered once. Of course! Of course!
"Good," he said. "Have you been a kajira long?"
I whimpered twice.
"You have much to learn," he said.
I whimpered once.
I shook my head, negatively.
"You are familiar with gag signals, are you not?" he asked.
I whimpered once. When a woman is gagged, one whimper means "Yes," and two, "No."
"That is better," he said.
I hoped he would not cuff me.
"You wish to use them then, do you not?" he said.
I whimpered once. Of course! Of course!
"Good," he said. "Have you been a kajira long?"
I whimpered twice.
"You have much to learn," he said.
I whimpered once.
- Witness of Gor, Pg. 178