Man is least himself when he talks in his own
person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
My last
story was about my first visit to Gor
in Second Life (SL). A freewoman of Gor,
Lady
Wiebeline Hoorenbeek (Lady
Bel), and a friend of mine took on a tour of Genesian
Port.
Gor is a
fictional universe based on the novels of John Norman. They are fairly controversial given their
treatment of women. But, SL being the
place that it is, whole communities have been built around this theme. Gorean communities are purportedly among some
of the largest and best organized inworld.
I’ve been meaning to visit them and see for myself what’s going on. I’m finally able to visit and see for myself
what’s going on.
My story
received more than the usual number of replies.
(OK, most of my stories don’t get any at all but this one was still
significant.) The general tone was
thanking me for writing the story and being balanced.
One reply
came from Lady Sophiaa
Farella, a resident of Genesian Port and the editor-in-chief of the
Genesian Gazette, the town newspaper. In
addition to thinking me, she pointed out to me by mistakes in Gorean
marriage customs. (Quite nicely, I must
say. Not like a Real Life (RL) editor
would have done.)
Suffice to say, I quickly
took advantage of this opportunity to continue my travels across Gor and
arranged an interview. (I was rather
pleased with myself. Significant Other
said desperate was more like it.)
I TP to Genesian Port at the
appointed time and walk to Lady Sophia’s offices which are a short distance
from the actual port area. Along the way,
I spot kiosks which offer the Genesian Gazette for free to passersby. (I’d read past editions before visiting. Strongly recommend reading this paper to get
a feel for what’s happening locally.)
Lady Sophiaa comes out to
greet me at the heavy metal gate outside of her building (I’m beginning to
suspect that I’m in a high crime area.) and takes me inside to her
offices. She is tall, dressed in white
traditional attire for a free woman, and wears a veil even though not
obligatory in this city (More on this later.)
Her hair is auburn and eyes are blue.
Lady Sophia exudes the confidence of one used to command. Which contrasts to her background as I know
she began as slave in Gor.
We sit in two chairs in
front of her desk. Safi, Lady Sophiaa’s slave,
comes in and kneels on the floor in front of us.
I begin by asking Lady
Sophiaa what brought her to SL originally.
She replies that years ago she heard about it on NPR (One of my favorites too.) while driving in
her car and decided to give it a shot.
She did and was hooked.
In 2007, she was approached
by a woman inworld asking if she would like to be a model. She modeled the clothes of many SL dress
designers in fashion shows and was in the February 2007 edition of SL
Vogue.
After this, Lady Sophiaa
describes meeting a strange man as she made the social circles inworld (sounds
like Real Life (RL) here) whom she founds intriguing and who enticed her into becoming
his slave in Gor inworld. From here she
passed through a series of masters until her final master became Urbar(a position
comparable to king) of Treve and she became his Urbara (or queen) for by this
time they had become Free
Companions.
During these years in
servitude, Lady Sophiaa worked in taverns, a teahouse, and was a sexual
slave. Bought and sold as a slave back
when it could be done with real Linden dollars.
(This practice is apparently no longer permitted.) But, she loved it. She, at one time, begged for the collar of master
to become his kajira (or
slave). This was all voluntary. No one made her do anything against her
will. Lady Sophia could have walked away
at any time. Yet, she didn’t.
This is where I’m perplexed. Maybe because I reflect twenty-first century
norms of Western belief. Why does a
woman do this to herself?
Lady Sophiaa explains it to
me as the Gorean rejection of the notion of women having responsibilities in
the world outside of the home. The
Gorean, that is the men view who dominate everything, view is that women are
freed in Gor to become sexual objects for everyone’s mutual pleasure and merely
take care of the household and children in their spare time. Each sex fulfilling their role in the natural
order as predefined by the Creator.
OK, this is definitely not
RL, and, as Lady Bel keeps reminding me that this is only a RP game played by
fully consenting adults.
I do not mean to judge and I
do not. I only wish to report back what
I observe. Gor is a large and
significant part of SL and probably the most highly developed community in
terms of roles and responsibilities for its members. Based on the canon of the Norman books they
have a head start on virtually all others in SL.
Lady Sophiaa shares with me
that she has a rich and full life with Gor in SL. She hates her RL and wishes she could be
inworld 24 X 7. Where as she puts it, “I
am loved and beautiful and have all the money I need and beautiful clothes and
great excitement.”
The intensity of her emotion
crosses into RL as she tells how she cried when her Free Companion, the Urbar
died. (RL called him away and he decided
to have his avatar die inworld. A large
funeral was held.)
When I ask her about being a
woman in a male dominated society, Lady Sophiaa replies that she feels
protected, treasured, respected and taken care of. Although, she doesn’t want to be collared
again. She believes she has far more to
offer as a Free Woman than as a slave. Slaves
are not treated with respect, they are property and no one takes them seriously. Lady Sophiaa states that she has to be free
to contribute to society as she does.
Even Lady Sophiaa’s slave,
Safi, expresses her feelings for her mistress with passion as she describes her
as a “grand and wonderful Free Woman”. I
see no sign of coercion. (How would one
even begin to coerce an avatar?)
During our interview, Lady
Sophiaa talks of being a Free Woman in Gor.
She is at risk for infractions of rules such as sex with men other than her
Free Companion or a contractual dispute.
Which is why she continues to wear a veil even though not obligated to
do so because if she’s brought to court without a veil men may construe her as
acting slavishly and collar her and then it’s off to the slave markets. (Safi assures me a beauty like her mistress
would fetch a high price there.
Something tells me that Lady Sophiaa is not reassured by this. Maybe
this is why she intends to sell her off.)
We also have a glimpse of
Gorean RP when visitors pass through while we meet. The quality of the dialogue and its intensity
are of the highest level I’ve yet encountered inworld.
I come to the end of my
interview which has run over by twice as much as I’d planned because of
visitors and all that Lady Sophiaa shared with me. (Not to mention Safi’s asides.)
I’m impressed by this
woman. She runs a newspaper which does a
very good job of staying on top of what’s going on in Genesian Port. She has risen to a high position in Gorean
society where women are not traditionally in important roles based on her wits
and hard work. Gor is not like Dungeons
& Dragons where a roll of the dice can change everything. Gor RP is all about skill and
perseverance.
Lady Sophiaa is passionate about
her life in Gor. She’s shared her
writings with me and trust me this woman feels Gor in every fiber of her body
both SL and RL. She recognizes the
contradictions of Gorean life with RL and doesn’t seem fazed by them. She has her life and is happy with it. Anyone doesn’t like it, that’s their
problem.
I take my leave of Lady Sophiaa thanking her
for her time and hospitality. She
instructs Safi to escort me to the docks.
(Or, Lord knows where I might end up.)
Below
please find links to several pictures that I took during my visit with Lady
Sophiaa. As always, don’t rely on my crude efforts
with photography. But, please when you
go, respect the rules around costume and behavior. The last thing Gor needs is busloads of
tourists gawking. (Remember must people
go about in Gorean sims carrying sharp instruments, even the slaves.)
I’d like
to thank Lady Sophiaa for taking the time to meet with me, answer my questions,
and share her life in Gor. I hope to
return to meet her again and share her life with my readers. Trust me, this one story does not do it
justice!
Gor
inworld is a very interesting place. I
have many more questions and I want to get answers. I hope to blog more frequently about the
world of Gor in SL. Watch this space for
more to come!
As
always, I’m grateful to all inworld for their kindness and time in stopping to
talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives.
I welcome feedback from
readers, please either comment on my blog or
e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com
.
Photo No. 1 Lady
Sophiaa Farella
Photo No. 2 webspelunker
and Lady Sophiaa
Photo No. 3 Lady
Sophiaa and Safi
Photo No. 4 Genesian
Port Trade Docks I
Photo No. 5 Genesian
Port Trade Docks II
Photo No. 6 Safi
at Sunset
Photo No. 7 Gorean
Busker
Photo No. 8 Genesian
Gazette Kiosk
Photo No. 9 Genesian
Gazette Offices
Photo No. 10 Genesian
Street Scene
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