Gorean Slave Training 101: Master/Slave Dynamics Guide

Gor is the setting of John Norman's novel series, which began with Tarnsman of Gor in 1966. Practitioners borrow its vocabulary: a female slave is a kajira, a male slave a kajirus, and the person in charge is a Master or Mistress. Training means learning agreed habits, such as how to kneel, how to address your partner and how to behave during rituals. If you want the background first, start with What Is a Gorean Slave?

Training here is mutual learning, not breaking someone's will. The novels portray non-consensual capture, while the real-world version only works when every rule is agreed, revocable and reviewed.

• Consent comes first. Every position, title and task is something the slave has agreed to and can withdraw from at any time.
• Negotiate before you train. Talk through limits, health needs, triggers and safewords before the first lesson, not during it.
• Keep it revocable. No agreement creates legal ownership of a person. So-called slave contracts are generally not enforceable, and laws differ by country and region.
• Treat the novels as inspiration. They are fiction and a poor guide to consent. Your own written agreement is the rulebook.
• Start small. A few well-understood habits beat a long list of rules nobody can keep.

Positions are physical shorthand for readiness and respect. The best known is nadu, usually described as kneeling with the knees apart, back straight and hands resting on the thighs. Other named positions exist, and their details differ between households and sources, so do not assume your partner shares your definition.

• Protect the body. Kneeling strains knees, hips and back. Use a cushion or mat, keep holds short at first, and stop for pain, numbness or tingling.
• Adapt freely. Injuries, disability or fatigue are good reasons to use a seated or standing alternative. It is just as valid.
• Agree a release signal. Decide how the slave can ask to move or pause without breaking the mood, and keep the safeword separate.
• Define your terms. Write down what each named position means in your household so there is no guessing.

Protocol is the set of habits that gives the dynamic its shape. Choose a few that mean something to both of you rather than copying a long list.

• Forms of address. Choose titles together, such as Master or Mistress, and decide when they apply.
• Speech. Some households ask for formal phrasing during rituals. Keep it optional outside agreed times.
• Greeting and closing rituals. A short ritual at the start and end of a scene or day marks the shift into and out of the dynamic.
• Collar. If you use one, treat it as a symbolic gift agreed by both of you. See our guide to BDSM collars for meanings and etiquette.
• Public discretion. Keep any protocol outside the home subtle, and never involve people who have not agreed to take part.

1. 1Run a trial period. Agree a short, defined stretch of a few weeks and review it before committing further.
2. 2Teach one habit at a time. Pick a single position or ritual, practise it until it feels natural, then add the next.
3. 3Reward progress. Positive reinforcement tends to feel better and work better than punishment. Negotiate any consequences in advance.
4. 4Give feedback both ways. The slave says what is hard or unclear, and the Master explains what they want, calmly and specifically.
5. 5Review on a schedule. Hold regular check-ins to adjust rules, renew consent and make time for aftercare.

Our guides to submissive training and D/s tasks, rewards and punishments go deeper on routines and reinforcement.

• No safeword. A dynamic that bans stopping is unsafe, whatever it is called.
• Isolation. Pressure to drop friends, family or work is a classic red flag.
• Money or control of daily life. Demands for payment or for decisions about housing, work or medical care need serious thought and independent advice.
• The books as leverage. Quoting the novels to override your no is coercion, not culture.

The BDSM Contract Builder helps partners write down titles, rules, limits and check-ins together, and the UNION Features page shows how the private couples app supports tasks and rituals. More guides live in the Relationship Tools & Intimacy hub. This article is educational and is not legal or medical advice.