We see it all the time, men who enter a room and sooner or later
address another there as brother. More often than not, the two
men have never met off line. Still, others use the term “Blood”.
To date, the only explanation I have received regarding this
term, from men who use it, is that the speaker and the man he
addresses in this fashion are “Blood Brothers”. Other men that
the same speaker simply calls brother, are addressed in this
fashion because they are “Fellow Masters”. Or, in other words,
an expression of fraternity.
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines the words
brotherhood, fraternity, and the term blood brother this way:
Main Entry: fra·ter·ni·ty
Main Entry: blood brother
That having been said, each of these definitions will still add
to the argument that Gorean men, based on their shared
philosophy, are in fact brothers. There are, however, other
considerations. The first of these being that the definitions
supplied by the dictionary do not take into account the
implications of the words they define. The second, and most
important to those of the Gorean mind set, is that they do not
address the source text from which the philosophy is drawn.
"What madness do you contemplate?"
he whispered. "Surely Zarendargar must be warned,"
I said. "No!" said Samos. "Let him be slain as expeditiously
as possible!" "Once," said Samos, "he sent you forth upon
the ice, to be slain by another Kur." "He did his duty,
as he saw it," I said. "He might slay you, instantly,
if he saw you," said Samos. "It is true he is an enemy,"
I said. "That is a risk I must take." "How is it that you
could even think of doing this?" he asked. "Zarendargar may
need my assistance," I said. "I may be able to aid him."
"But why, why?" he asked. I shrugged. "Once," I said,
"we shared paga."
Cuwignaka's knife moved on his own forearm,
and then on mine, and then on Hci's. Cuwignaka held
his arm to mine, and then I held my arm to that of Hci,
and then Hci, in turn, held his arm to that of Cuwignaka.
Thus was the circle of blood closed. "It is done," said
Cuwignaka. "Brothers," I said. "Brothers," said Hci.
"Brothers," said Cuwignaka.
I include this last quote to both tie the source text to our
reality, and to show the level of commitment expected of Gorean
men to those they call brother. A Gorean man will indeed deny
his brother nothing. This is balanced by the fact that his
brother would not ask for that which he cannot give. Better to
do without than risk causing a brother harm.
How many in the cyber community can honestly say that they are
willing to make such commitments to the man or men sitting at
their keyboards on the other end of a chat screen? If a man has
not so much as sat at table, shared food, drink, and
conversation with another man how can he call him brother? If a
man has not actually looked into another man's eyes and seen
himself, if a man cannot look at others and say without
hesitation; “Everything I have belongs as well to this man.”
How then can he call him brother?
For Gorean men the bar in these matters is set incredibly high.
It is set high for a purpose; it is there to elevate the Gorean
man above the quagmire that modern society has become. For men
who would call themselves Gorean to enter chat rooms and use such
a title when addressing another, without the relationship having
first met the criteria, is to cheapen and degrade it. For these
same men to toss this sacred title around as they would the word
paga is to lower themselves into the quagmire.
The bar awaits you.
Main Entry: broth·er·hood
The classic understanding of the first two definitions,
brotherhood and fraternity, is that when one is a member of a
labor union, college fraternity, or other such society based
group, one takes an oath. This oath, whether actually stated or
simply implied by membership, confers upon the member certain
rights and responsibilities. Foremost among these is the
unwavering support of fellow members of the organization.
In the case of labor unions, it is expected that members will
also support the causes of other trade unions in times of
strife. This support is most often expressed in the form of
boycott of a business’ products or services during strikes or
other labor disputes. There was a time in western society when
these forms of brotherhood or fraternity were weighty matters.
Today one need only take a quick look around to discover that,
to a large extent, the meaning of brotherhood and fraternity,
as they apply here, are greatly diminished.
Pronunciation: 'br&-[th]&r-"hud
Function: noun
1 : the quality or state of being brothers
2 : FELLOWSHIP, ALLIANCE
3 : an association (as a labor union) for a particular purpose
4 : the whole body of persons engaged in a business or
profession
Pronunciation: fr&-'t&r-n&-tE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ties
Date: 14th century
1 : a group of people associated or formally organized for a
common purpose, interest, or pleasure: as a : a fraternal order
b : GUILD c : a men's student organization formed chiefly for
social purposes having secret rites and a name consisting of
Greek letters d : a student organization for scholastic,
professional, or extracurricular activities (a debating
fraternity).
2 : the quality or state of being brothers : BROTHERLINESS
3 : persons of the same class, profession, character, or
tastes (the racetrack fraternity)
Function: noun
Date: 1890
1 : a brother by birth
2 : one of two men pledged to mutual loyalty by a ceremonial use
of each other's blood
- blood brotherhood noun
“What,” I asked Kamchak,
“would you do if you thought the message were
truly from Priest-Kings?” “Nothing,”
said Kamchak, gravely. “You would risk,”
I asked, “the herds the wagons the peoples?”
Both Kamchak and I knew that Priest-Kings were not
lightly to be disobeyed. Their vengeance could extend to
the total and complete annihilation of cities. Indeed their
power, as I knew, was sufficient to destroy planets. “Yes,”
said Kamchak. “Why?” I asked. He looked at me and smiled.
“Because,” said he, “we have together held grass and earth.”
The first two quotes above show men willing to risk literally
everything rather than betray what they believe to be a sacred
bond, the bonds of brotherhood. The third quote, while not
directly showing this willingness does indeed imply it.
What could possibly be more profound than for men to
inflict wounds upon themselves and then mix their blood?
Nomads of Gor - Page 52
Savages of Gor - Pages 66 through 71
Blood Brothers of Gor - Page 475
“He is my sword brother. I can deny him nothing.”
Marcus of Ar referring to Jakil in a post on the Gorean Public
Boards
Marauders of Gor- Page 7
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