What is a kajira?

Simply, a kajira is a Gorean slave girl, who is collared and/or branded. A slave's submission comes from deep within her belly. If owned, she belongs to her Master completely (mind and body, heart and soul) and unconditionally. A slave girl's sole purpose is to be pleasing to men.

"Deep in the belly, too, of every female is a desire, more ancient than the caves, to be forced to yield to the ruthless domination of a magnificent, uncompromising male, a master; deep within them they all wish to submit, vulnerably and completely, nude, to such a beast. This is completely clear in their fantasies; Earth culture, of course, gives little scope to these blood needs of the beauties of our race; accordingly, these needs, frustrated, tend to express themselves in neurosis, hysteria and hostility." Marauders of Gor, p. 136.

"You are slave. You are owned. You are a female. You will be forced to be a woman. The Gorean man will accept no compromise on your femininity, not from a slave. She will be what he wishes, and that is a woman, fully, and his. If necessary, you will be whipped or starved. You may fight your Master. He will, if he wishes, allow this to prolong the sport of your conquest, but in the end, it is you who are slave, it is you who will lose." Tribesmen of Gor, p. 12

"Q: What are you?
A: I am a slave girl.
Q: What is a slave girl?
A: A girl who is owned.
Q: Why do you wear a brand?
A: To show that I am owned.
Q: Why do you wear a collar?
A: That men may know who owns me.
Q: What does a slave girl want more than anything?
A: To please men.
Q: What are you?
A: I am a slave girl.
Q: What do you want more than anything?
A: To please men." Assassin of Gor, p. 197

"'What are my duties?' I asked.
'Exquisite beauty and absolute obedience,' said Sucha." Slave Girl of Gor, p. 261.

"The most fundamental property prized by Goreans in women, I suppose, though little is said about it, is her need for love, and her capacity for love. How much does she need love? And how deep and loving is she? That is the kind of woman a man wants, ultimately, one who is helplessly and totally love's captive, in his collar." Mercenaries of Gor, p. 322

General Rules

1. Slaves address all Free Men and Women as Master or Mistress. If their gender cannot be determined by the nick, use Master until corrected, beg mercy for your error, and then make note. All slave nicks begin with a lowercase letter. Master or Mistress nicks begin with an uppercase letter. In the Gor series, slaves are only allowed to address a Free Man by his given name with permission (i.e., Master John instead of just Master). Although it is a common practice in the medium of IRC, some men will demand that girls receive permission first. Simply beg forgiveness for your error and make a note.
2. While Free Men may not always be right, they are by definition, never wrong. Therefore slaves do not argue with Free Men (especially in an open channel). Remember, you have the last two words in any disagreement...those being, "Yes, Master."
3. Slaves have no rights, you own nothing. Even your name is not your own, it can be changed at any time (in fact, for an unowned girl it may be changed several times at a Free Man's whim, so be prepared). Any items your Owner gives you can just as easily be taken away. His will supersedes your own, and his tiniest whim is your absolute law. 
4. Jealousy and possessiveness of one's Owner are not becoming in a slave. It's you who are owned, not he. While any human may FEEL these emotions, a slave girl does not act upon them. It may be how you handle these feelings when you experience them that speak for your maturity and growth in your slavery.
5. Slaves shouldn't privately message (MSG, whisper, PM) any man in channel without first seeking permission in the open channel.
6. Slaves who entice should be prepared to act upon such actions. "Slave heat" is a term girls use to describe their sex. However, in the Gor series, the author uses the term to describe the deep desire and sexual need of a slave girl, not her actual anatomical genitalia. In any event, "slave heat" should not be used unless the slave is allowed and ready to sexually please the man. If you show it, be prepared to use it. Slaves new to Gor or to a particular channel should lot use slave heat in their serves. Learn channel rules regarding its usage by observation or MSGing other slaves first.
7. Slaves should not enter into the conversations of Free Men and Women. If you wish to converse with other girls, do so in MSG's. Please, do not discuss personal, everyday issues in an open channel.
8. Slaves do not touch any form of weaponry. Also, slaves are not allowed to touch coins without express authorization from their Master. If a man tries to give you a coin, either let it fall to the furs or accept it in your mouth and carry it to the appropriate Free Man.
9. Slaves are to be pleasing at all times; there is no room for PMS or bad moods. Perfection of service and submission is the goal, mere excellence will be tolerated.
10. Slaves speak in third person speech. Therefore you shouldn't use the words "I," "me," or "mine." Instead, say "this one," "this slave," or "this girl." The exception is in speaking of a girl's particular Owner. If permitted, she may be allowed to say, "my Master." Although there are instances of slaves using the standard greeting of "Tal" in the books, most channels on IRC restrict its use to the Free.
11. It is a good idea to ask for permission to enter a channel, if you are unsure of the channel's policy. Always ask permission before leaving a channel or going away from your keyboard.
12. If you don't know how to serve, you should not try unless a man commands it. Then it is wise to tell the man that you are untrained before you begin. He will decide whether he wishes you to serve or not. If he insists upon your service, take a deep breath, MSG another slave for help with that item, and try your best to be pleasing. :)
13. Never correct another slave in the open channel, send a MSG instead. If you are unsure of something, it's always a good idea to MSG a more experienced slave for advice.
14. A slave girl is supposed to serve all Free Men and be pleasing. However, if you are told to do something that goes against a direct order from your Owner, relate to the Master your Owner's wishes regarding the matter. If he still insists, ask for help from the Channel Ops. If you receive no help from them, some girls are instructed close the window and turn off their computer. If a girl is owned, she may have explicit instructions and you should beg your Master to know about yours. If a girl is unowned, and the request does not go against any Owner's command, but you are terrified, you may MSG a Channel Op for help, but remember a slave girl's primary purpose is to serve men and be pleasing. The Ops may not take it too kindly if you are constantly running to them for protection.
15. Gor is not a fair or just place. There is both incredible beauty and savagery in the books. Out of respect for those who take the philosophies outlined in the writing of John Norman seriously, please try to be polite, pleasing and follow the rules of whatever channel you may find yourself in. When in Gor, do as the Goreans do. :) Besides, it is incredibly rude to enter a man's house, and disrespect his home.

Brands, Collar, Slave Silks, and Slave Dress

Brands

A brand is a symbol, burned into the flesh of a slave girl by her Owner, which marks her as property.

"In theory, if not in practice, when the girl finds herself branded like an animal, finds her fair skin marked by the iron of a master, she cannot fail, somehow, in the deepest levels of her thought, to regard herself as something which is owned, as mere property, as something belonging to the brute who has put the burning iron to her thigh.

Most simply the brand is supposed to convince the girl that she is truly owned; it is supposed to make her feel owned. When the iron is pulled away and she knows the pain and degradation and smells the odor of her burned flesh, she is supposed to tell herself, understanding its full and terrible import, I AM HIS." Outlaw of Gor, p. 189.

"Masters, incidentally, seldom brand their own slaves. ... The girls are usually branded impersonally, perfunctorily, as cattle. Though they feel their mark intensely physically, it is felt, interestingly, even more intensely, more profoundly, psychologically; often it, in itself, radically transforms their self-images, their personalities; they are then only slaves, not permitted their own wills, rightless, at the bidding of masters; the mark is an impersonal designation; this is understood by the girls; when she is marked she understands herself not to be marked by a given man for a given man, to be uniquely his, but rather, so to speak, that she is marked for all men; to all men she is a slave girl; usually, of course, only one among them, at a given time, will be her master; the brand is impersonal; the collar is intensely personal; the brand marks her as property; the collar proclaims whose property she is, who it is who has either taken, or paid for, her; that the brand is an impersonal designation of an absence of status in the social structure is perhaps another reason why masters do not often brand their own girls; the brand relationship to the free man is institutional; the collar relationship, on the other hand, is an intensely personal one ..." Tribesmen of Gor, p. 41-42

Here is a short list:

The Kef is the common kajira brand: "It was more slender, more vertical, more like a stem with floral cursive loops, about an inch and a half in height, and a half an inch in width; it was, I would later learn, the initial letter in cursive script of the Gorean expression 'Kajira'" (Slave Girl of Gor, p. 61)

The mark of Treve: "'It is the first letter, in cursive script,' she said, 'of the name of the city of Treve.'" (Captive of Gor, p. 277)

The Dina: "It was a small flower, stylized; it was circular, about an inch and a half in diameter; it was not unlike a small rose; it was incredibly lovely and delicate." (Slave Girl of Gor, p. 52)

The mark of the Tahari: "Taharic is a very graceful script...The initial printed letter of 'Kajira', rather than the cursive letter, as generally, is used as the common brand for women in the Tahari. Both the cursive letter in common Gorean and the printed letter in Taharic are rather lovely, both being somewhat floral in appearance." (Tribesmen of Gor, pp. 148-49.)

The mark of Torvaldsland: "The brand used by Forkbeard, found rather frequently in the north, consisted of a half circle, with, at its right tip, adjoining it, a steep diagonal line. The half circle is about an inch and a quarter in width, and the diagonal line is about an inch and a quarter in height. The brand is, like many, symbolic. In the north, the bond-maid is sometimes referred to as a woman whose belly lies beneath the sword." (Marauders of Gor, p. 87)

The Tuchuk brand: "...the sign of the four bosk horns, that of the Tuchuk standard; the brand of the four bosk horns, set in such a manner as to somewhat resemble the letter 'H,' is only about an inch high." (Nomads of Gor, p. 62)

In addition to the brands used to mark a girl slave, there are also the more ignominious penalty brands. Penalty Brands are small brands used to mark one as liar, thief or traitor.

The Collar

The collar entrusted to you carries the name of your Owner. Your behavior can determine the weight (or permanence) of the collar you wear. The {} for females or [] for males after a slave's nick is their Owner's collar. The initials are of the Master, Mistress or tavern which owns the slave.

"'The collar has four common purposes, Master,' she said. 'First, it visibly designates me as a slave, as a brand might not, if it should be covered by clothing. Second, it impresses my slavery upon me. Thirdly, it identifies my master. Fourthly-fourthly-'
'Fourthly?' he asked.
'Fourthly,' she said,'it makes it easier to leash me.'
He kicked her in the side. She winced. Her response had been slow." Explorers of Gor, p. 80

Slave Silk

White silk slave:

These girls are virgins, not merely reserved for her Master's sole use. In the novels, they are permitted to serve drinks and food and engage in conversation, but their sexual use is forbidden (until their Owner says otherwise). "Among slaves, not free women, these things are sometimes spoken of along the lines as to whether or not a girl has been 'opened' for the uses of men. Other common terms, used generally of slaves, are 'white silk' and 'red silk', for girls who have not yet been opened, or have been opened, for the uses of men, respectively." (Dancer of Gor, p. 128) This girl has seen men who prefer to reserve their slave's use for themselves simply place restrictions upon the girl.

Red silk slave:

Red silk slaves are non-virginal slaves. On IRC, red silk is often worn by "pleasure slaves," and the two terms have come to be synonymous, though they are different things. Red silk slaves may generally be used by any whom desire her usage, but may be reserved for the sole use of the Owner if collared. Sometimes payment is made to the Owner for the use of the slave. Any uncollared slave who is red silk, should be prepared to be well used as red silk. :)

Yellow:

Yellow silk was worn by tavern slaves in a few of the novels. A tavern girl's use is rented from the tavern owners and is usually included in the price of paga.

Gray:

State owned slaves wore gray or striped slave livery (simple slave camisk) in the books this girl has read.

Black:

Other sites list black silk as the mark of an unowned slave.. However, you will find unowned slaves in the novels and IRC Gor to be naked because, well...the men prefer it that way! A common Gorean saying is that only a fool buys a clothed kajira. ;)

* Please note: The above are indications of a slave's status. A girl dressed as a slave will wear whateter pleases her Owner. For instance, a girl may be naked or wear any color of silk, and still be classified as a red silk slave.

Slave Dress

A slave owns nothing and has nothing unless it is given to her by her Owner. This is a list of some common items worn by slaves.

Bina Beads:

These beads are cheap jewelry, usually made of plain metal, string, and wooden or glass beads.

Camisk:

A simple garment, about 18 inches wide, it is shaped like a poncho, split completely down the sides with a slit for the head. Just long enough to cover the slave's bottom, it is held in place at the waist by a piece of chain or binding fiber.

Chalwar:

Baggy pants made of diaphanous silks, these pants are worn by slave girls of the Tahari. They are similar to the harem trousers of Earth.

Chatka:

Worn like a breech-cloth, the chatka is a strip of black leather, 6 inches by 5 feet long, worn over the curla. The chatka is worn by slaves of the Wagon Peoples.

Curla:

Worn by slaves of the Wagon Peoples, the curla is the red waist cord which supports the chatka.

Kalmak:

The kalmak is a vest of black leather worn by slave girls of the Wagon Peoples.

Kes:

The kes is a short tunic of black leather worn by male slaves of the Wagon Peoples.

Koora:

A strip of red fabric, the koora is worn as a headband by slaves of the Wagon Peoples.

Piercing:

The piercing of a girl's ears is considered the ultimate degradation. Unlike nose piercing, a practice common among Free Women of the Wagon Peoples, and sometimes used to increase the beauty of female slaves, pierced ears are a very visible sign of a girl's slavery (even a brand and collar can be hidden under clothing). Piercing a girl's ears virtually guarantees she will always be a slave.

"To the Gorean, the piercing of the woman's ear, with its analog of penetration, and the fixing in it of earrings, chosen by the master, ornamenting her for his pleasure, is an act of power and clemency scarcely less significant than her branding and collaring." Dancer of Gor, p. 157.

"Perhaps then, for the first time, I truly began to sense how the Gorean views such things. Surely these things are symbolic as well as beautiful. The girl's lovely ears have been literally pierced; the penetrability of her sweet flesh is thus brazenly advertised upon her very body, a proclamation of her ready vulnerability, in incitement to male rapine." Explorers of Gor, p. 201

Pleasure Silk:

A diaphanous, clingy form of silk, pleasure silk is worn only by slaves. There are many ways to wear slave silk, most commonly it wraps around the slave, with a disrobing loop at the left shoulder.

Sirik:

This arrangement of chains is used to better display the beauty of a slave, rather than confine her. It consists of a collar attached to a length of chain. A few feet down the chain is a pair of manacles, and at the end of the chain is a set of shackles.

Slave Bells:

Threaded on thongs or chains, and locked around a girl's wrists, ankles or attached to her collar, these tiny bells give off a distinct, sensuous sound.

Slave Veil:

This small triangle of diaphanous silk is worn across the bridge of the nose and covers the lower half of the girl's face. It parodies the heavy veils worn by Free Women. It conceals nothing and readily arouses the lust of Masters. "The slave veil is a mockery, it in its way. It reveals, as much as conceals, yet it adds a touch of subtlety, mystery; slave veils are made to be torn away, the lips of the master then crushing those of the slave." Tribemen of Gor, p. 70

Talmit:

A headband.

Ta-teera:

A short and simple, sleeveless, one-piece slave garment, the ta-teera is also called the slave rag.

Turian Camisk:

A piece of cloth shaped like an inverted 'T' with a beveled crossbar, it fastens behind the neck. The bars of the 'T' pass between the girl's legs, and are brought forward snuggly at her hips. The Turian camisk is held in place by the cord that binds it at the back of the neck and the knot of the bars in front at the waist. This camisk is worn by slaves in the City of Turia.

Positions

Basic Gorean Slave Positions:

Nadu (derived from the Gorean word for kneel)

This is the most common Gorean slave position. The slave kneels and sits upon her heels (hopefully not crossed ankles, this girl tried it and ouchie!). Her back straight and chest out, she lifts her head and averts her eyes to the floor. Her thighs are open and spread widely, and her hands either rest upon her thighs or are crossed behind her back for binding.

Tower

This position is a variation upon Nadu. The slave kneels in the same way, but with her knees firmly pressed together. This position is reserved for girls who serve their Master in a non-sexual way, such as kettle girls or female work slaves. A girl also kneels in Tower if she is serving a Free Woman.

Bara or Belly

The slave falls to her stomach, her face to the floor and turned to the left. She crosses her wrists behind her, also crossing her ankles, in preparation for binding.

Sula

The slave lays upon her back, her hands at her sides, palms facing up. She spreads her legs widely, flexing the left knee slightly, and awaits her Master's pleasure.

Lesha

The slave turns and puts her back to the man, her chin lifted and head turned to the left so that a leash may be attached to her collar. Her back and shoulders straightened, she extends her wrists behind her, side by side, so they may be locked in slave bracelets if he desires.

Bracelets or Chaining

The girl stands before the man, her back and shoulders straight, and crosses her wrists behind her back, her head turned to the left, so that slave bracelets may be attached.

Collaring or Female Submission

In this position the Free Woman submits herself to a man as his slave. She kneels at the man's feet and sits back upon her heels, extending her arms up to him, crossed at the wrist, her head lowered between her outstretched arms.

Other Gorean Slave Positions:

First ObeisanceThe slave assumes Nadu, her thighs widely spread. She then leans forward, placing her breasts and forehead against the floor, and reaches out with arms extended, palms against floor.

LeadingShe walks behind the man, places her hands behind her back, crossed at the wrist, and puts her head to his hip.

ObedienceLaying face down before the Master, she places her cheek against his feet, kissing them lightly.

Second ObeisanceThe slave lowers herself to her belly and inches forward to the Master's feet. She licks and kisses his feet, then takes his foot placing it upon her head. Lowering his foot to the floor, she kisses it again, then inches backward slightly, and remains low on her belly.

She-sleen or She-quadrupedMoving to her knees and elbows, she interlocks her hands over her head, buttocks in the air, ready for either being beaten on the buttocks or being taken from behind like an animal. A girl may be commanded to serve in the manner of the she-quadruped, which means she must perform her duties upon hands and knees, without using her hands, silently. She can only use her mouth to manipulate objects and may not rise to her feet.

SubmissionKneeling, the slave bends at the waist, placing her cheek to the floor. She then takes the man's pight foot and places it upon her neck. Placing her arms behind her back, she crosses them at the wrist.

Whipping op "Kneeling to the Whip"She kneels in Nadu, then leans forward, her head to the floor, her arms beneath her crossed at the wrist. She pulls her hair over her head, exposing her entire back to the whip.