Gorean culture revolves around the Homestone. Most Gorean cities have a Homestone, and a Council, Administrator or Ubar governs each city. The Gorean society is based upon a caste system, made up of High Castes and Low Castes. The Caste system is the division of the Gorean society into occupations and professions. There are five High Castes, which are ranked in order from highest to, lowest. The Initiates, the Scribes, the Physicians, the Builders and lastly the Warriors. In most instances a cities ruling body comes from the High Castes and are elected into place. Of course this differs in some cities, like Port Kar, where Captains, of any caste who have enough ships can be on the Council.
"On the heights of distant Turia itself I could see the flutter of flags and pennons. The walls were crowded, and I supposed many upon them used the long glasses of the Caste of Builders to observe the field of the stakes."
"Less impressive perhaps but even more essential to the operation of the House were its kitchens, its laundries, commissaries and storerooms; its medical facilities, in which dental care is also provided."
"Flee!" she said. "I am of the Warriors," I said. "But you may die," she said. "That is acknowledged in the codes," I said. "What are the codes?" she asked. "They are nothing and, and everything," I said. "They are a bit of noise, and the steel of the heart. They are meaningless, and all significant. They are the difference. Without the codes men would be Kurii." "Kurii?" she asked. "Beasts, such as ice beasts, and worse," I said. "Beasts such as the face you saw in the sky." "You need not keep the codes," she said. "I once betrayed my codes," I said. "It is not my intention to do so again." I looked at her. "One does not know, truly what it is to stand, until one has fallen. Once one has fallen, then one knows, you see, what it is to stand." "None would know if you betrayed the codes," she said. "I would know," I said, "and I am of the Warriors." "What is it to be a warrior?" she asked. "It is to keep the codes," I said. "You may think that to be a warrior is to be large, or strong, and to be skilled with weapons, to have a blade at your hip, to know the grasp of the spear, to wear the scarlet, to know the fitting of the iron helm upon one's countenance, but these are things are not truly needful; they are not, truly what makes one man a warrior and another not. Many men are strong, and large, and skilled with weapons. Any man might place upon his brow the helm of iron. But it is not the scarlet, not the steel, not the helm of iron which makes the warrior." She looked up at me. "It is the codes," I said.
"Are you of the Warriors?" asked Labenius. "Yes," I said. "Hear," said Labenius to his men. "He is of the Warriors." "He says he is," said a fellow, glumly. "What is the 97th Aphorism in the Codes?" inquired Labenius. "My scrolls may not be those of Ar," I said. To be sure, the scrolls should be, at least among the high cities, in virtue of conventions held at the Sardar Fairs, particularly the Fair of En'Kara, much in agreement. "Will you speak?" asked Labenius. "Remove the female," I said. "He is a Warrior," said one of the men. One of the men lifted the bound Ina in his arms, one hand behind the back of her knees, and the other behind her back, and carried her from where we were gathered. In a few moments he returned. "The female is now out of earshot?" inquired Labenius, staring ahead. "Yes," said the fellow, "and she will stay where I left her, on her back, as I tied her hair about the base of a stout shrub." "The 97th Aphorism in the Codes I was taught," I said, "is in the form of a riddle: `What is invisible but more beautiful than diamonds?'" "And the answer?" inquired Labenius. "That which is silent but deafens thunder." The men regarded one another. "And what is that?" asked Labenius. "The same," said I, "as that which depresses no scale but is weightier than gold." "And what is that?" asked Labenius.
The Caste of Assassins are also known as "Killers" and more commonly - the Black Caste. Their Caste Codes do not permit the use of Kanda.
"There standing before the low doorway, I looked once more upon the squat, powerful figure of Kron, of the Caste of Metal Workers. His great hammer was slung from his belt and his blue eyes glistened with happiness."
"His right ear had been notched, doubtless sin some accident. Such notching, I knew, is usually done to the ears of thieves; a second offense is normally punished by the loss of the right hand; a third offense by the removal of the left hand and both feet. There are few thieves, incidentally, on Gor. I have heard, though, there is a Caste of Thieves in Port Kar, a strong caste which naturally protects its members from such indignities as ear notching."
Co-Provider of most the common fuel for Gorean Cities. Also known as Carriers of Wood.
"…Caste is important to the Gorean in ways that are difficult to make clear to one whose social structures do not include the relationships of caste. In almost every city, for example, one knows that there will be caste brothers on whom one may depend, Charity, too, for example, is almost always associated with caste rights on Gor. One of the reason there are so few outlaws on Gor. Doubtless that the outlaw, in adopting his way of life, surrenders caste rights. The slave, too, of course has not caste rights. She is an animal. It is said on Gor that only slaves, Outlaws and Priest-Kings, rumored to be the rulers of Gor, reputed to live in the remote Sardar Mountains, are without caste. This saying, however, it might be pointed out, as Goreans recognize, it is not strictly true. For example, some individuals have lost caste, or been deprived of caste; certain occupations are not traditionally associated with caste, such as gardening, domestic services and herding; and indeed, there are entire cultures and peoples of Gor to whom a caste is unknown.
Similarly, caste lines tend to sometimes to be vague, and the relation between castes and subcastes. Slavers, for example sometimes think of themselves as being of the merchants, and sometimes as being a separate caste. They do have their own colors, blue and yellow, those of the merchants being white and gold. Too, are the bargemen of the Southern Cartius a caste or not? They think of themselves as such, but many do not see the matter in the same light.
There are, on Gor, it might be mentioned, ways of raising and altering caste, but the Goreans seldom avails himself to these. To most Goreans it would be unthinkable to alter caste. He is generally too proud of his caste and it is too much a part of him for him to think in such terms. It is, too, recognized that all, or most, of the castes perform necessary, commendable or useful functions. The Leatherworker, accordingly, does not spend much time envying the Metalworker, or the Metalworker the Leather maker, or either the Cloth worker, and so on. All need sandals and wallets, and clothes, and metal tools. Each does, however, tend to think of his own caste as something special, and, somehow, I suspect, as being perhaps a little bit preferable to the others. Most Gorean are quite content with their castes; this is probably a function of caste pride. I have little doubt but what the caste structure contributes considerably to the stability of Gorean society.
"Though one is commonly born into a caste one is often not permitted to practice the caste craft until a suitable apprenticeship has been served. This guarantees that quality of the caste produce, It is possible though it is seldom the case, that members of a caste are not permitted to practice specific caste skills, though they may be permitted to practice subsidiary skills. For example, one who is of the Metalworkers might not be permitted to work iron, but might be permitted to do such things as paint iron, and transport and market it. Caste rights, of course, such as the right to caste support in time of need the caste sanctuary, when in flight, which are theirs by birth, remain theirs, The women of a given caste, it should be noted, often do not engage in caste work. For example, a woman in the Metalworkers does not, commonly, work at the forge, nor is a woman of the Builders likely to be found supervising the construction of fortification. Caste membership, for Goreans. is generally a simple matter of birth; it is not connected necessarily with the performance of certain skills, more the attainment of a given level of proficiency in such skills.
Whereas caste membership is commonly connected with the practice of an occupation, such as agriculture, or commerce, or war, there can be, of course, caste members who are not engaged in caste work and individuals who do certain forms of work who are not members of that caste commonly associated with such work.
Caste, commonly, though not invariably. is a matter of birth. One may, too, be received into a caste by investment. Normally mating takes place among caste members, but if the mating is of mixed caste, the woman may elect to retain caste, which is commonly done, or be received into the caste of the male companion. Caste membership of the children born of such a union is a function of the caste of the father.
Similar considerations, in cities, hold the citizenship. caste is important to Goreans in a way that is difficult for members of non-caste to understand. Though there are doubtless difficulties involved with caste structure the caste situation lends and individual identity and pride, allies him with thousands of caste brothers, and proved him with various opportunities and services. Recreation on Gor is often associated with caste and tournaments and entertainment's.
"There were only three statuses conceivable to the Gorean mind outside the caste system: slave, outlaw, and Priest-King.
I was also instructed in the Double Knowledge - that is, I was instructed in what the people, on the whole, believed, and then I was instructed in what the intellectuals were expected to know. Sometimes there was a surprising discrepancy between the two. For example, the population as a whole, the castes below the High Castes, were encouraged to believe that their world was a broad flat disc. Perhaps this was to discourage them from exploration or to develop in them a habit of relying on commonsense prejudices -- something of a social control device.
On the other hand, the High Castes, specifically the Warriors, Builders, Scribes, Initiates and Physicians, were told the truth in such matters, perhaps because it was thought they would eventually determine it for themselves, from observations such as the shadow of their planet on one or another of Gor's three small moons during eclipses, the phenomenon of sighting the tops of distant objects first, and the fact that certain stars could not be seen from certain geographical positions; if the planet had been flat, precisely the same set of stars would have been observable from every position on its surface.