COURTESIES OF THE STREET: PASSAGE, GREETING, AND PUBLIC AWARENESS
Class 8 — Level 1: The World
Track 1: Etiquette and Social Navigation
by Lady Kati Evans
September 26, 2026
The time in parentheses shows how many minutes after the hour each section should begin. It is a private teaching aid and is not intended to be read aloud.
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION (0 minutes)
/me enters the Educational Hall carrying a market basket, a folded street veil, a small wooden baton, and a blue cord tied into the shape of a narrow road. She sets the basket to one side of the road, leaves the center open, and places the baton where everyone can see it.
Welcome to the Educational Hall of Turmus, a place of learning for all. The scrolls in the Library drawers and the books around the room are available for your study. Those who desire refreshments may use the samovar. Click upon your selection, and the cup will appear in your inventory for you to add. Then find a place where you will be comfortable.
Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lady Kati Evans.
I began my career as a Magistrate in January 2010 and began teaching in June 2015 so that knowledge might be preserved and passed to others. In February 2019, I became Head of Caste. My work remains devoted to law, learning, civil order, and service to the people.
If you have a question or comment during the lecture, please raise your hand using @. I will recognize you when it is your turn to speak.
We are continuing our study of Etiquette and Social Navigation. We have distinguished free from bond, examined safe passage and papers, and considered the speech and silence of the unfree. Today we enter the public street, where rank, occupation, danger, traffic, clothing, purpose, and local custom meet within a space no one person controls completely.
Our subject is Courtesies of the Street: Passage, Greeting, and Public Awareness.
SCRIBE'S OBSERVATION — WRITTEN FOR THIS LESSON
Courtesy in the street is the art of seeing another person's path before your own feet become the obstacle upon it.
— A Scribe's Civic Observation
This is original in-character teaching text prepared for this lesson. It is not a quotation from John Norman's novels and is not evidence of Gorean canon.
CORE DOCTRINE & PRINCIPLES (5 minutes)
The Gorean books show crowded markets, narrow streets, bridges, docks, processions, palanquins, carts, mounted riders, Warriors, Initiates, Merchants, free women, slaves, prisoners, guards, and foreigners. People greet one another, step aside, make passage, avoid contact, call warnings, and display status through clothing, bearing, escort, and possession.
The books do not establish one universal street code, a mandatory side upon which all persons walk, a fixed number of paces to yield, a complete ranking table, or one bow required between every combination of status. Customs differ among cities, regions, Castes, sexes, and circumstances.
“Tal” is a common Gorean greeting. It is sometimes accompanied by raising the right arm with palm inward. That does not mean every meeting requires the full gesture or that failure to say “Tal” is a universal offense.
Free women, particularly those of high status, are shown substantial deference. Men step aside and make way. A house marshal in Magicians of Gor clears passage with a baton before the veiled palanquin of a wealthy free woman, and others move aside. Initiate processions and mounted traffic also cause people to clear the path.
The central doctrine is:
OBSERVE BEFORE MOVING; IDENTIFY STATUS AND PURPOSE; GREET WITH PROPORTION; YIELD TO DANGER AND LAWFUL PASSAGE; PROTECT THE DIGNITY OF THE FREE; KEEP THE UNFREE UNDER CONTROL; AND FOLLOW THE CUSTOM OF THE CITY YOU ARE IN.
Must every Gorean bow to every High Caste person in the street? (ANSWER: No. The books do not establish such a universal rule. Greeting and deference depend upon relationship, status, city, and circumstance.)
Does courtesy mean surrendering one's own status? (ANSWER: No. Courtesy recognizes the situation without falsely claiming inferiority, loyalty, or submission.)
Is safety separate from courtesy? (ANSWER: No. Blocking a rider, cart, litter, Guard, or emergency party is discourteous because it is dangerous and obstructive.)
PART I: READING THE STREET (12 minutes)
/me points to the narrow blue cord and then to the open center of the road.
Before speaking, learn to see. A Gorean street communicates through sound and movement: bells, cries of “Make way,” sandals, wooden footwear, wheels, hooves or claws, merchants calling, guards ordering, and crowds changing direction.
Look ahead, behind, and toward side passages. Notice whether a group is ceremonial, commercial, military, judicial, hurried, frightened, or disorderly. Observe robes and colors without assuming that clothing proves every office or intention.
Someone new to a city should watch how citizens respond. Do they clear the middle for carts? Do they avoid a particular procession? Are weapons peace-bound? Are certain gates restricted? Which local habits are courtesy, and which are law?
Why should a traveler avoid stopping in a gate? (ANSWER: Gates concentrate traffic, inspection, defense, and authority. Blocking one can create danger and draw official attention.)
May clothing be used to identify Caste? (ANSWER: Often it provides a clue, but garments may be ceremonial, borrowed, disguised, incomplete, or locally varied. Confirm before acting upon a serious assumption.)
What is the first street courtesy? (ANSWER: Awareness—do not force others to rescue you from your own inattention.)
PART II: GREETINGS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT (15 minutes)
“Tal” is the common greeting most newcomers learn. It may be formal or casual depending upon voice, gesture, and company. A lifted right arm, palm inward, is book-supported as a common greeting gesture.
A greeting may also acknowledge profession or status: “Tal, Warrior,” “Tal, Lady,” “Tal, Merchant,” “Tal, Master,” or “Tal, Mistress,” where appropriate. Do not award a title you do not know, and do not call a slave “Lady” merely to be kind.
Not every passerby must be stopped for conversation. A brief acknowledgment may be enough. A person carrying a burden, commanding a cart, guarding a prisoner, or attending a free woman may have no freedom to pause.
May a slave say “Tal”? (ANSWER: Book examples support slaves using the greeting. The slave's manner and address remain subject to ownership, training, and the status of the person greeted.)
Does silence always insult? (ANSWER: No. The person may not have heard, may be occupied, may be forbidden to speak, or may choose not to acknowledge. Context matters.)
Should a stranger use a personal name immediately? (ANSWER: Not necessarily. A respectful title or neutral greeting may be safer until identity and permission are known.)
PART III: MAKING WAY AND CLAIMING PASSAGE (18 minutes)
To make way is to remove oneself from another's path. The reason may be dignity, danger, urgency, authority, or simple efficiency.
The books show passage being cleared for a wealthy free woman's palanquin, for mounted persons, for processions, and for officials or guards moving people. A cry of “Make way” is information, not by itself proof that the caller has lawful authority over everyone present.
Yield where the burden or danger is greatest. A laden porter may be unable to turn quickly. A palanquin requires room for its bearers. A mounted tharlarion can injure a pedestrian. A cart cannot step sideways. A prisoner escort must remain secure.
Does the person of higher Caste always have the narrowest burden? (ANSWER: No. Practical movement matters. A High Caste Scribe may courteously yield to laborers carrying a heavy beam.)
May one shout “Make way” merely to feel important? (ANSWER: One may shout, but others may judge the claim false, arrogant, or disruptive. Authority and necessity should support the demand.)
Where should one move? (ANSWER: Toward a safe open edge or space that does not block another route. The books do not establish one universal right-or-left rule.)
PART IV: FREE WOMEN IN PUBLIC (22 minutes)
/me unfolds the street veil and lays it beside the market basket.
The Gorean free woman is a person with Caste and Home Stone. She is respected and commonly shown deference. In Smugglers of Gor, free women describe men stepping aside and making way for them.
In high cities, free women—especially those of higher Caste—are commonly veiled and wear robes of concealment in public. Lower-Caste women may use less elaborate street garments, and customs vary by region. Clothing signals status, but a student must not turn “commonly” into “always.”
Do not touch a free woman's robes, veil, wrist, arm, or person without permission or necessity recognized by law. Do not crowd her merely because the street is busy. Her escort, guard, house marshal, or slave may manage space around her.
Must every free woman travel in a palanquin? (ANSWER: No. The palanquin is one book-supported form of travel associated especially with wealth or status; many free women walk, ride, use carts, or travel otherwise.)
May a free woman order every stranger from the street? (ANSWER: Her freedom and dignity deserve deference, but they do not automatically grant civic authority over all public space.)
What should a stranger do if uncertain of her rank? (ANSWER: Offer ordinary respectful distance and address without inventing titles or staring intrusively.)
PART V: INITIATES, PROCESSIONS, AND CEREMONIAL SPACE (25 minutes)
Processions make temporary use of the street. Initiates may pass with bells, incense, chanting, standards, and attendants. Magicians of Gor shows people stepping aside for such a procession and a free woman drawing back her robes to avoid touching an Initiate.
The Initiates' avoidance of women is a particular Caste practice. It does not mean every High Caste procession has the same restrictions. A civic proclamation, funeral, victory march, religious observance, or festival may use different signs and expectations.
Do not cross between members of an organized procession merely to save a few steps. Do not touch standards, offerings, incense bowls, weapons, or ceremonial objects. Keep animals and slaves from disrupting the line.
Does stepping aside prove agreement with the procession's beliefs? (ANSWER: No. It may recognize custom, order, safety, or the rights of others to pass.)
Should one kneel whenever bells are heard? (ANSWER: No universal book rule establishes this. Identify the procession and follow actual local custom.)
May a procession block the street forever? (ANSWER: No. Ceremonial precedence is temporary; civic authority and local practice govern the use of public ways.)
PART VI: SLAVES, SERVANTS, AND PROPERTY IN MOTION (28 minutes)
Slaves in the street remain under ownership and control. They may carry baskets, lead animals, accompany free persons, deliver messages, serve as bearers, or be transported in chains. Their position should not obstruct their master's purpose or expose others to danger.
A slave normally yields to free persons and addresses them according to training and status. A slave should not stare boldly at free women, insert herself into conversation, or abandon a burden to socialize. These are broad book-consistent patterns, not a single universal choreography.
Free persons should remember that another's slave is property. Do not command, touch, borrow, punish, or release that slave without authority. If the slave creates immediate danger, prevent harm and then seek the owner or competent official.
May a stranger order a slave to carry a parcel? (ANSWER: Not merely because the stranger is free. The slave belongs to another unless available for public hire or the owner consents.)
What if a slave blocks a doorway with baskets? (ANSWER: Address the owner, handler, or slave as circumstances permit and request that the obstruction be moved; do not invent a right to punish.)
Should a chained group be approached closely? (ANSWER: No. Give room to handlers and guards, avoid entanglement, and do not interfere with custody.)
PART VII: WARRIORS, GUARDS, PRISONERS, AND ARMED MEN (32 minutes)
Weapons change the meaning of careless movement. Do not reach toward another's sword, shield, spear, bow, or belt. Do not crowd behind a Warrior or step between armed men during a dispute.
Guards and prisoner escorts may require passage. Their authority depends upon city law and office, not merely a loud voice or red clothing. A traveler should comply with a lawful direction while preserving questions for a safer time and proper authority.
A crowd around an arrest can become dangerous. Shouting, pushing, drawing weapons, or attempting rescue may transform observation into riot. The books show crowds whose sympathy threatens to overwhelm mercenaries moving a prisoner; that is an example of tension, not a universal arrest procedure.
Must every civilian bow to every Warrior? (ANSWER: No. Warriors are High Caste and often command respect, but the books do not impose one universal street bow.)
May a Guard seize a person's goods merely because the street is crowded? (ANSWER: Only with actual authority and lawful cause under the city's rules.)
What should one do when weapons are drawn? (ANSWER: Create distance, avoid sudden movement, protect dependents, seek cover or lawful help, and do not add pride to an already dangerous moment.)
PART VIII: MERCHANTS, PORTERS, CARTS, AND MARKET TRAFFIC (35 minutes)
The market street is a workplace. Merchants display goods, porters carry loads, carts deliver stock, buyers stop unexpectedly, and slaves move between stalls. Courtesy keeps commerce from becoming collision.
Do not handle merchandise without invitation. Do not block a stall while debating elsewhere. Complete bargaining or step aside. Keep animals away from food and fragile goods. If damage occurs, identify witnesses and address responsibility rather than disappearing into the crowd.
A porter bent beneath a load may have little view of the road. A cart driver may use calls or gestures. A person leaving a doorway should look before entering the flow of traffic.
Does the buyer always have precedence? (ANSWER: No. The street must also serve workers, owners, residents, officials, and travelers.)
May a Merchant spread goods across the entire road? (ANSWER: Not merely by being a Merchant. Stall limits, market authority, and public passage depend upon local law and practice.)
Why avoid loud accusations of cheating? (ANSWER: They may provoke violence and harm reputation before measures, price, or mistake are verified. Seek witnesses and proper market authority.)
PART IX: FOREIGNERS, MISTAKES, AND DE-ESCALATION (37 minutes)
A stranger may know Common Gorean yet misunderstand Turmus custom. A northern woman, a Wagon Peoples traveler, a Tahari nomad, a Pani visitor, or someone from a distant city may dress, greet, yield, and travel differently.
Begin with correction proportionate to the mistake. “The procession passes here,” or “Lady, the carts use this lane,” often serves better than public humiliation. Distinguish ignorance, accident, fear, insult, and deliberate challenge.
When corrected, a newcomer should not argue that another city does things differently as though that settles Turmus practice. Ask, observe, apologize briefly where appropriate, and adjust.
Does apology make one weak? (ANSWER: No. A measured acknowledgment can preserve dignity and prevent a small error from becoming a public contest.)
Must Turmus imitate every custom of Ar? (ANSWER: No. Book-supported practice informs the setting; Turmus law and established local custom govern Turmus.)
When should one seek a Guard? (ANSWER: When danger, persistent obstruction, theft, assault, unlawful coercion, lost dependents, or another matter exceeds safe private correction.)
THE STREET COURTESY CHAIN (39 minutes)
/me writes a sequence across the blackboard:
OBSERVE → IDENTIFY → GREET → YIELD → PASS → RESUME
Observe before reacting. Identify status, danger, and purpose before choosing words. Greet without obstructing. Yield enough space for safe passage. Pass without staring or interfering. Resume only after the way is clear.
Below it, she writes:
STATUS • SAFETY • PURPOSE • LOCAL CUSTOM
These four considerations explain more than any invented chart of who must bow to whom.
KEY TERMS (40 minutes)
TAL: A common Gorean greeting, sometimes accompanied by raising the right arm with palm inward.
DEFERENCE: Respectful acknowledgment of another's freedom, status, office, dignity, or circumstance.
PRECEDENCE: Priority of movement or attention arising from status, authority, ceremony, danger, burden, or necessity.
RIGHT OF WAY: For this lesson, practical or lawful priority to pass; not asserted as one universal Gorean street code.
PALANQUIN: A covered or veiled conveyance borne by persons, associated in book examples with wealthy or high-status free women.
HOUSE MARSHAL: A household official or attendant shown clearing passage before a palanquin; not a universal city office.
STREET VEIL: A veil used by a free woman in public; veiling varies by city, Caste, region, wealth, and circumstance.
ROBES OF CONCEALMENT: Public garments commonly worn by free women, particularly in high cities and among higher Castes.
PROCESSION: An organized ceremonial, religious, civic, or military group moving together.
ESCORT: A person or group accompanying another for protection, custody, dignity, or assistance.
OBSTRUCTION: Conduct or an object that unreasonably blocks passage, work, safety, or lawful activity.
DE-ESCALATION: Reducing tension and danger through distance, calm words, proportionate correction, and lawful assistance.
QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS (43 minutes)
I will pause here for questions or comments.
LADY KATI'S NOTE: Allow students to raise their hands using @. When someone proposes a mandatory bow, fixed street side, or universal ranking, ask for the book passage and city. Emphasize practical awareness and local custom.
PRACTICAL EXERCISE: THE CROWDED MARKET CROSSING (47 minutes)
/me moves the market basket partly across the blue cord.
At a Turmus market crossing, a free woman approaches on foot with one guard and a slave carrying parcels. A porter carries a long beam from the opposite direction. A light tharlarion rider calls “Make way!” A procession of Initiates with bells is entering from a side street. A visitor stops in the center to greet the free woman at length.
What is the immediate danger? (ANSWER: Conflicting traffic, the rider and mount, the long beam, blocked sight lines, and a person stopped in the center.)
Who should move first? (ANSWER: Clear the visitor and bystanders from the center, control the rider's approach, and coordinate space so the burdened porter and procession do not collide. No simple rank chart answers the whole scene.)
How should the free woman be treated? (ANSWER: Give respectful space and passage without forcing her, guard, or burdened slave into danger.)
Should the porter drop the beam and kneel? (ANSWER: No universal rule requires that. Safe control of the burden is the immediate courtesy.)
What should the visitor do? (ANSWER: Offer a brief greeting from a safe position, apologize for blocking the crossing, and continue conversation only after leaving the traffic flow.)
How should the procession be handled? (ANSWER: Avoid crossing through it, keep contact from Initiates, and allow organized passage under Turmus custom while maintaining safety.)
SCHOLAR'S EXAMINATION (52 minutes)
After the crossing clears, the rider angrily claims that every pedestrian must kneel whenever a mounted Warrior calls “Make way.” The free woman's guard claims her rank requires all traffic to stop. The porter claims workers always have precedence. A Turmus Guard arrives and asks what happened.
Which claim is universally correct? (ANSWER: None. Each turns a relevant consideration into an unsupported absolute.)
What evidence should the Guard gather? (ANSWER: Witness accounts, positions, warnings given, speed, available space, obstruction, any injury or damage, and the actual Turmus traffic or market rule.)
Does the rider's weapon prove civic authority? (ANSWER: No. Caste and arms do not automatically create command over the street.)
Does the free woman's dignity entitle her to endanger the porter? (ANSWER: No. Deference should be provided through safe coordination, not blind collision.)
What should Lady Kati teach as the governing method? (ANSWER: Observe status, safety, purpose, and local custom; choose the smallest courteous action that allows safe passage.)
THE SCRIBE'S KEY (55 minutes)
The visitor's long greeting created the first avoidable obstruction. The rider's warning identified real danger but did not establish an unlimited right to charge through the crossing. The free woman deserved deference, but her guard still had to account for the beam, mount, and procession. The porter needed room because of his burden, not because labor always outranks freedom or Caste.
The proper response is coordination: stop or slow the most dangerous movement, clear the center, identify safe edges, and let each party pass in an order suited to space and momentum. A Guard may direct traffic through actual local authority. Courtesy from everyone reduces the need for force.
If injury or damage occurred, preserve facts before blame. Identify the mount, rider, witnesses, porter, owner of the beam, and any damaged goods. Apply Turmus law rather than inventing punishment from someone's rank.
The exercise demonstrates why street etiquette cannot be reduced to “higher rank always goes first.” The person who can yield most safely may yield first. The person carrying the greatest danger may need to stop first. The person owed the greatest deference may receive it through protection rather than precedence.
FINAL QUESTIONS, SUMMARY, AND DISMISSAL (58 minutes)
I will pause once more for final questions or observations.
LADY KATI'S NOTE: Allow students to raise their hands using @. Address each person before beginning the dismissal.
The sand in the hourglass has run out for this watch.
The street is shared, but it is not equal in every moment. Freedom, Caste, office, burden, danger, ceremony, and urgency all shape public conduct. The wise traveler observes before asserting a rule.
Remember the chain: observe, identify, greet, yield, pass, and resume. Remember also the four tests: status, safety, purpose, and local custom. Courtesy is not theatrical submission. It is disciplined awareness that lets different people use the same city without turning every crossing into a contest.
/me folds the street veil, moves the market basket fully away from the blue cord, and lifts the wooden baton only long enough to point toward the now-open road.
The lesson is concluded. Dismissed.
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