Caste of Artisans

 CASTE OF ARTISANS

The mindset of the Gorean Artist:

- Tend not to sign their work

- What is important is the art, not who made it

I might also mention, in passing, if only to make the controversy concerning the "Aurobion marbles" more understandable, that many Gorean artists do not sign or otherwise identify their works. The rationale for this seems to be a conviction that what is important is the art, its power, its beauty, and so on, and not who formed it. Indeed many Gorean artists seem to regard themselves as little more than vessels or instruments, the channels or means, the tools, say, the chisels or brushes, so to speak, by means of diversities, in its beauties and powers, its flowers and storms, its laughters and rages, its delicacy and awesomeness, its subtlety and grandeur, expresses itself, and rejoices. Accordingly the Gorean artist tends not so much to be proud of his work as, oddly enough perhaps, to be grateful to it, that it consented to speak through him.

As the hunters of the north, the singers of the ice pack and of the long night have it, "No one knows from whence songs come." It is enough, and more than enough, that they come. They dispel the cold, they illuminate the darkness. They are welcomed, in the darkness and cold, like fire, and friendship and love. 

The focus of the Gorean artist then, at least on the whole, tends to be on the work of art itself, not on himself as artist. Accordingly this attitude toward his art is less likely to be one of pride than one of gratitude. This makes sense as, in his view, it is not so much he who speaks as the world, in its many wonders, great and small, which speaks through him. He is thusly commonly more concerned to express the world, and truth, than himself. 

(Magicians of Gor)

- From this quote we know that there are more than one artisan caste among the lower castes. We are told that some of the higher artisan castes have accents that resemble High Caste Gorean (the accent of the five Higher Castes)

The second girl was tall, fragile and willowy, with slender ankles and large, hurt eyes; she had dark, curling hair that fell about her shoulders and stood out against the white of her garment; she may have been of High Caste; without speaking to her it would be hard to tell; even then it might be difficult to be sure, for the accents of some of the higher artisan castes approximate pure High Caste Gorean; she stood with her back against the far wall, the palms of her hands against it, her eyes fastened on me, frightened, scarcely breathing. 

(Priest Kings of Gor)

LIBRARIAN NOTE - Although we are given fairly "direct information" about several other castes in the books (such as Initiates do not eat beans, free women of the Scribes favor a certain hairstyle, the caste color of Warriors is scarlet, etc) much of what we learn of artisans is "indirect" or the result of educated guesses, and even sometimes just a process of elimination. The dictionary defines artists as those who create works with "aesthetic value" (works having beauty) and lists sculptors, painters, and writers among them. The Library presents information from the books consistent with that definition. 

- Museums existed in Gorean cities, displaying arts as well as items of historical significance and interest. It is reasonable to conclude that the works of artists may be featured and displayed there much as is done on Earth.

"Why would the marbles be removed?" asked Marcus.

"They have antiquarian value, as well as aesthetic value," I said. "I would suppose that they are now on their way to a museum in Cos."

(Magicians of Gor)

- Galleries are mentioned along with libraries, theaters, and parks. All are a tribute to the enjoyment of culture and beauty in the cities.

Aside from the markets and bazaars, and the theaters in the evening, I had seen much else of Corcyrus as well. It had been pleasant to walk through the cool halls of the libraries, with their thousands of scrolls organized and cataloged, and through the galleries on the avenue of lphicrates. 

(Slave Girl of Gor)

SCULPTURE, ETC.

- Gorean sculpture : Decorative reliefs, scuplted in marble, adorned public buildings.

"The wall seems very bare there," said Marcus, as we passed a public edifice, a court building. 

There were also numerous small holes in the wall, chipped at the edges.

"Surely you have noted similar walls," I said.

"Yes," he said.

"Decorative reliefs, in marble, have been removed from them," I said. "As I recall the ones here, they celebrated the feats of Hesius, a perhaps legendary hero of Ar."

"He for whom the month of Hesius is named," said Marcus.

"I presume so," I said. The month of Hesius is the second month of the year in Ar. It follows the first passage hand. In Ar, as in most cities in the northern hemisphere, the new year begins with the vernal equinox.

"Were the marbles here well done?" asked Marcus.

"Though I am scarcely a qualified judge of such things," I said, I would have thought so. They were very old, and reputed to be the work of the master, Aurobion, though some have suggested they were merely of his school."

"I have heard of him," said Marcus.

"Some think the major figures profited from his hand and that portions of the minor detail, and some of the supportive figures, were the work of students."

(Magicians of Gor)

- Small clay, painted replicas of stadium and racing tarns

- Glass ornaments

...numerous ornaments of glass and cheap metal; the strung pearls of the Vosk sorp; polished, shell brooches; pins with heads carved from the horn of kailiauk tridents; lucky sleen teeth; racks of rep-cloth robes, veils and tunics in various caste colors; cheap knives and belts and pouches; vials containing perfumes, for which extraordinary claims were made; and small clay, painted replicas of the stadium and racing tarns.

(Assassins of Gor)

PAINTING

- Painted murals decorate the walls of a particular tavern

I looked about at the decor of the tavern. It suggested the plains of Turia, or the lands of the Wagon Peoples. There were scenes of hunting, of caravan raiding, of girl taming; scenes were fixed there of the great bosk herds and the strings of the wagons of the fierce plains nomads; in one place there was fixed a painting of the walls and towers of Turia, and riders of the Wagon Peoples on hills, looking toward the city. 

(Slave Girl of Gor)

- There is no definitive statement whether or not it is one of the Castes of Artisans that paints signs. The Library includes the reference here for the reader to decide. It is possible that just like simple copiers are as much a part of the Caste of Scribes as Historians, Geographers and Magistrates, so too might sign painters be a part of the Artisans. 

I ducked my head and shoved open the heavy wooden door of the Kal-da shop. The sign KAL-DA SOLD HERE had been repainted in bright letters. 

(Outlaw of Gor)

- Shields on Gor are commonly painted in bold colors. It is unclear from the books exactly who paints the shields. The Library has included the reference for the same reason it included the sign painting. 

Normally the Gorean shield is painted boldly and has infixed in it some device for identifying the bearer's city. 

(Outlaw of Gor)

CARVING

- Intricate decorative carvings

- Ornately carved auction block with intricate patterns.

- Nine carvings of slave girls decorate the auction block at the Curulean

Many girls dream of being sold in the Curulean. Its great block is perhaps the most famous in Ar. It is also the largest. It is semi-circular and some forty feet in width. It is painted for the most part in blue and yellow, the colors of the slavers, and ornately carved, with many intricate patterns and projections. It is perhaps fifteen feet high. An interesting feature of the block is that about it, on the semi-circular side facing the crowd, tall and serene, carved in white-painted wood, evenly spaced, are the figures of nine slave girls. They represent, supposedly, the first nine girls taken, thousands of years ago, by the men of a small village, called Ar. In the carving it may be seen that the throats of the girls are encircled by ropelike collars, presumably woven of some vegetable substance. It is said that at that time the men of Ar were not familiar with the working of iron. 

(Slave Girl of Gor)

- Ornate carvings over doors in the city of Laura

Behind the docks were long, planked ramps leading up to warehouse. The warehouses seemed constructed of smoothed, heavy timbers, stained and varnished. Most appeared reddish. Almost all had roofs had wooden shingles, painted black. Many were ornamented, particularly above the great double doors, with carvings, and woodwork, painted in many colors. 

(Captive of Gor)

- Columns carved and painted to resemble tree trunks

Around the edge of the pool there were eight large columns, fashioned and painted as though the trunks of trees, one standing at each of the eight cardinal points of the Gorean compass; from these, stretching often across the pool, were vines, so many that the ceiling could be seen only as a patchwork of blue through vinous entanglements.

(Nomads of Gor)

- Intricately carved and painted game boxes and pieces (for the game of Stones) may have been created by Artisans

Whereas the "stones" are often tiny pebbles, they may be any small object. Sometimes beads are used, sometimes even gems. Intricately carved and painted game boxes containing carefully wrought "stones" are available for the affluent enthusiast. The game, as it is played on Gor, is not an idle pastime.

(Magicians of Gor)

WORKMANSHIP IN TEMPLES

- Artisans were employed when decoration (or repair) was needed in temples. They were first annointed to allow them access to the sacred areas.

Another initiate, sleek, fat, his shaved head oiled, shining in the light of the candles, carrying a small golden vessel of thickened chrism went to each of the four men of Torvaldsland, making on their foreheads the sign of the Priest-Kings, the circle of eternity.

The crowd gasped. It was incredible honour that was being shown to these men, that they might, themselves, on the platform of crossed spears, carry the body of Ivar Forkbeard, in death penitent, to the high steps of the great altar. It was the chrism of temporary permission, which, in the teachings of initiates, allows one not consecrated to the service of Priest-Kings to enter the sanctuary. In a sense it is counted an anointing, though an inferior one, and of temporary efficacy. It was first used at roadside shrines, to permit civil authorities to enter and slay fugitives who had taken sanctuary at the altars. It is also used for workmen and artists, who may be employed to practice their craft within the rail, to the enhancement of the temple and the Priest-kings' glory. 

(Marauders of Gor)

ADDITIONAL ARTISAN REFERENCES

- Few Gorean garments have pockets - an exception is the working aprons of artisans.

Few Gorean garments are deformed by pockets. An exception is the working aprons of artisans. 

(Tarnsman of Gor)