Where's this quote??

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May 2012

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[Delaynie Barbosa]

So if you were in the gor-sl chat a bit ago you witnesed the "To be well or not to be well" debate.  I am positive I had a card, and know I saw someone (maybe Kaitlin) post to this website somewhere showing slaves saying "Be well."  I can't find it now and someone requested the example. Anyone remember what thread that one was in?

[Kaitlin Eiren]

"Be well" is not used in any of the books as a farewell address by free or slave.  Furthering the onlinism is the restriction that slaves should somehow not say it.  "I wish you well" is used by both free and slave.

“I wish you well, Master,” she said.  I then kissed her and put the sack over her head, and, with its strings, tied it closed, about her neck.
(Vagabonds of Gor)

“I wish you well,” said Labienus, rising.
“I wish you well, Captain,” I said.
He clasped my hand. I did not cry out. I do not know if he fully realized what he had done to his hands.
(Vagabonds of Gor)

[Delaynie Barbosa]

Thank you Kaitlin. That must be it. Do you know where the one where the slave said goodbye to the other slave before saying goodbye to the Master present was?  It's something along those lines.

[Meredith Topaz]

Ahhh...I thought it was 'be well' and that all used it.  *tosses that saying out the window*   

Still, I see nothing wrong with a slave saying 'be well'.  Some think it is too much like an order.  But, begging for forgivness, that can be a type of order as well, right?   

[Garrgon Resident]

Ahhh...I thought it was 'be well' and that all used it.  *tosses that saying out the window*   

Still, I see nothing wrong with a slave saying 'be well'.  Some think it is too much like an order.  But, begging for forgivness, that can be a type of order as well, right?   

No. Begging for forgiveness is not ordering a free to do anything. You're basically asking them really desperately lol I don't think a Free would even have much to say over, "Forgive me, Master!" since it's still seen as a beg. That was also a point made in chat by someone (sorry to have forgotten who said it) about the "Buy me, Master!" quote. It's not really ordering. It's begging (I concede to that, whoever you were).

I guess I've been saying "I wish you well" for so long that it's just second nature to me. I learned early on as a slave that it's the best way to say goodbye. Nobody ever beats you for it and nobody can argue that slaves didn't say it or that it's not book accurate.

[Xaz Elephas]

I am not that anal over greetings and such. If a slave said to me 'Be well, Master'  I know what she means is her desire that I stay well. Rather it is an onlineism or not. Certain onlineism like this one for example I surly would not flip over, stop role-play, beat a slave over and scream Invailding... I mean sheeh... some people really take some things just too damn serioues.

[Triad Fallen]

Well well well ..........BE Well !! stick your nose in a  well

[Kaitlin Eiren]

Thank you Kaitlin. That must be it. Do you know where the one where the slave said goodbye to the other slave before saying goodbye to the Master present was?  It's something along those lines.

I'm aware of a slave greeting another slave before the free but not sure about this in terms of departing.  I always err on the side of caution and show respect to those who might decide to feed me to a sleen for a minor infraction. 

I am not that anal over greetings and such. If a slave said to me 'Be well, Master'  I know what she means is her desire that I stay well. Rather it is an onlineism or not. Certain onlineism like this one for example I surly would not flip over, stop role-play, beat a slave over and scream Invailding... I mean sheeh... some people really take some things just too damn serioues.

I'd have to agree with this.  While "be well" is not used as a farewell the usage feels authentic so I'd never correct anyone in game and often I will reciprocate with the same in return. 

I do enjoy informing the person who jumps into my IM about this issue that it is not BTB for a slave to say it but it isn't BTB for anyone to say it just to get them to shut up.

[Delaynie Barbosa]

I'm in agreement with everyone so far.  I must be mistaken about what I thought I read because I can't find it now, so we'll let it rest at "be well" being an onlinism that is best left to people who don't know the standard salutations and don't know "To Be" is a passive verb and serves no purpose except to make the language sound better when smoothing together other types of verbs so the tense form makes sense. I IMed the person who brought this up in chat, and found that it was the same man who "corrected" her who "corrected" me on the exact same issue in another city. 

Random piece of linguistics information because I'm a language geek:

To be is an important piece of glue, there's at least 23 forms in English, among them these: is, as, was, were, are, being, been, had, has, have, should, would, could, may, maybe, might, ought, do, doing, and did. Closely related to "to be" is "to go" which includes the verbs go, going, gone, and went. Some linguists classify to go as a subset of to be; equally passive as it does not indicate location or intent of a specific kind of movement, but merely an indicator that someone at some moment did something involving some kind of movement.

Thusly, if I say "Be well," it means no different then "Were you well?" The verb change from be to were indicates tense, nothing more. If "Be well" is a command, then the question form "Were you well?" could equally be construed that checking a command was obeyed since it's past tense question form of "Be well."  Clearly this is not the case as context has a lot to do with how language is interpreted when the sound of speech hits the ears, and in context we know "Were you well" is used as polite exchange. It's from the context, and not the word combination that we get the meaning of a speech phrase.

And by a stretch, if I say, "Master said he is going down to the dock," I haven't said anything concrete other then Master and dock, and you can make of it what you wish. 

[Elle Couerblanc]

Examples like this show how much Norman blended cultures in his books. "I wish you well," was used often in the middle ages in England. I am no expert on historical language but "Be Well" to me seems like a more modern derviative.  I don't recall "Be well" in the books at all.

Even though his references to dress and even architecture seems to have a lot of Greco/Roman/Middle Eastern influence, his language usage seems very Medieval to me.

[Revenge Sempati]

My thoughts have always been that since the books were manuscripts translated from Gorean to English is that not all words translate neatly.  So the "I wish you well" in English could just be a single word in Gorean.

The language tends to be more formal in nature, less slang is used than we use in our own day to day.  'Good day to you Sir' vs. the 'Sup' head bob.

[Husam Darkfire]

Thank you Kaitlin. That must be it. Do you know where the one where the slave said goodbye to the other slave before saying goodbye to the Master present was?  It's something along those lines.

*patiently waits to hear someone open up the discussion about slaves in the book saying "serve with fire" as a form of goodbye to another slave.

[Kaitlin Eiren]

Thank you Kaitlin. That must be it. Do you know where the one where the slave said goodbye to the other slave before saying goodbye to the Master present was?  It's something along those lines.

*patiently waits to hear someone open up the discussion about slaves in the book saying "serve with fire" as a form of goodbye to another slave.

LOL...but you can have such fun with that.

*Kaits walks over and pulls a candle from the wall before sauntering over to the table careful not to spill any of the hot wax, "Your fire and paga Master"*

[Delaynie Barbosa]

Thank you Kaitlin. That must be it. Do you know where the one where the slave said goodbye to the other slave before saying goodbye to the Master present was?  It's something along those lines.

*patiently waits to hear someone open up the discussion about slaves in the book saying "serve with fire" as a form of goodbye to another slave.

hates you. 
 

[Kail Lefevre]

Be well, if you use a pdf search gets hit 163 times. How ever, they are all in a different context then a good bye.

She might now, I speculated, be well induced to serve
me with exceeding fervor and diligence, should I assign her
tasks in accord with her thieving skills, for fear that she be
given to the massive, handsome Arn.

I have yet to check all 163 hits, I am sure they all are the same sort of context.

But since we are on the topic....

Honor and Steel - only 1 hit in 27 books

I went back over various things in my mind, the Crooked
Tarn, the camp of the Cosians, the trenches, the approach to
the wall, my captivity, my escape, the fighting at Ar’s Station,
the escape from the piers. How complex and desperate had
become the world. I felt so small, like a particle adrift on a
vast sea, beneath a vast sky, a particle taken here and there,
at the mercy of the tides, the currents, the winds, not
understanding. But there were compasses and landmarks, as
palpable to me as the stars by which I might navigate on
Thassa, as solid and undoubted as the great brick structure of
the pharos of Port Cos itself. There were the codes, and
honor, and steel.

Not quite the way we use it either. Just for the assassin and merc types.... gold and steel 10 hits in 4 books, none used as a fare well. In book 5 Assassins....

“Justice must be done,” said the man.
11
Kuurus said nothing, but only looked at the man. Often,
though not always, they spoke of justice. It pleases them to
speak of justice, he said to himself. And of right. It eases
them and gives them peace. There is no such thing as justice,
said Kuurus, to himself. There is only gold and steel.

Serve with fire - zero hits

Well met -5 times in 3 books, only the last book has this as a greeting.

"Well met!" said Portus Canio, gratefully.
"Well met," said Bosk of Port Kar.

Hello......11 times, 6 books.

Good bye.....13 times, 9 books

Tal....This one is harder to do because the search feature also catches the grouping in words like Mortal, but in the end I did managed to make it sit up and beg properly and it came up with 105 times in 17 books. Always used as a greeting.

The girls stood straight, proud under the gaze of a warrior.
“Tal, Master,” said many of them, as I rode slowly by. “Buy
me in Tor, Master,” called another.

Safe path(s).....Not once.

The F word....2 times 1 book. However I should point out that it is said in English, not Gorean from a slave to her master after he asks her how they say they want to be taken where she was from.

Fur..........Ha, 283 times, 26 books.... Not once was it used to describe sex. Yes I checked all 283 times including the pain staking 97 hits in beasts of gor and the 41 hits in marauders.

Use, as in I used the girl, use me master, etc.....40 times, 19 books, not all of them sexual. There was some though

The crowd roared with amusement.
“Doubtless,” called the auctioneer, “her Tuchuk master
used her well.”
The crowd laughed.