Cities of Gor
The world of Gor sprawls across a continent roughly parallel to Earth’s Mediterranean and Eurasian zones, dotted with dozens of independent city-states, each with its own caste structure, ruler, and Home Stone. Below is a detailed overview of the notable cities of Gor mentioned throughout John Norman’s series, divided by region and influence.
The Central Cities (Heart of Civilization)
These cities form the political and cultural core of the northern continent—wealthy, proud, and often at war with one another.
Ar – The greatest and most powerful city of Gor, often called the “Glory of Ar.” A sprawling metropolis ruled by a Ubar or Administrator, known for its warrior caste, gold coinage, and imperial ambitions.
Ko-ro-ba – “City of Cylinders,” famous for its architecture and philosophical ideals. It’s often seen as the moral center of Gor. Tarl Cabot’s home city.
Torcadino – A major trade hub between Ar and the south, often contested by rival powers. Known for its strategic importance and mercantile wealth.
Vonda – A scholarly and cultured city, known for its scribes and refinement.
Venna – A resort city near Ar, famous for its baths and pleasure gardens.
Turmus – A border city near the Vosk River, often serving as a defensive outpost.
The Northern Vosk River Basin
The Vosk River cuts across the continent and supports numerous riverine city-states, each fiercely independent but connected by trade.
Port Kar – “The Tarn of the Sea,” a lawless pirate city built on canals and marshes. Known for its raiders, free captains, and lack of formal governance. Tarl Cabot spends much time here.
Victoria – A fortified trade port and naval power on the Vosk, known for its discipline and commerce.
Fina, Tarnburg, Teslit, Rence, Ar’s Station – Smaller Vosk cities or settlements, often mentioned as trade outposts or military points.
Iskander – Known for its shipyards and river traffic control.
The Northern Territories and the Barrens
These are lands of colder climates and fierce independence.
Torvaldsland – Home of the Torvaldsmen, a Norse-like seafaring culture of raiders and traders. The cities here are more like clan strongholds.
Kassau – A northern port city on the coast of Thassa (the Gorean sea), gateway to Torvaldsland.
Skjern – A northern trade center tied to the salt and timber industries.
Ax Glacier and Hunjer – Northern settlements known for mining and fur trading.
The Southern and Eastern Cities
These are warmer, wealthier regions influenced by desert and steppe cultures, often seen as exotic by northern Goreans.
Turia – “The Ar of the South.” A great walled city near the Plains of Turia, famed for its wealth, silks, and the powerful Caste of Merchants. Known for its opulent markets and intricate politics.
Kasra – A major river city on the Lower Vosk, strategically located and militarily significant.
Tyros and Cos – Island nations in the Thassa Sea, long-time rivals of Ar. Both are naval powers that frequently wage wars of trade and conquest.
Teletus – An island city allied with Port Kar, known for its sailors and shipbuilders.
Anango – A distant island city mentioned as part of southern trade routes.
Lydius – A key port city at the mouth of the Laurius River, gateway to northern trade and furs.
Desert and Nomadic Regions
These are loosely governed lands populated by tribes rather than formal city-states.
The Tahari Region – A harsh desert realm where water and salt are wealth. Cities here include:
Tor – The “Gateway to the Desert,” largest of the Tahari cities.
Kavars and Aretai – Rival nomadic tribes controlling desert oases.
The Wagon Peoples (Plains of Turia) – Not true cities but vast mobile nations: the Tuchuks, Kataii, Paravaci, and Koskars, who live in herds and raid settled lands.
The Far South and Beyond
Schendi – A tropical port city near the equator, home to black-skinned peoples and maritime trade. It’s a humid, bustling place of jungles and exotic goods.
Bazi – A coastal city known for its spice trade, merchants, and humid climate.
Tabor and Samos – Island cities engaged in southern commerce and piracy.
Isolated or Lost Cities
These appear in individual novels and often have strange customs or hidden histories.
Tharna – Once ruled by women under a silver mask queen; later overthrown. Symbol of decadence and reversal of “natural order.”
Selnar – Destroyed in war; a reminder of the fragility of Gorean politics.
Corcyrus and Tyros – Bitter rivals in the island wars.
Laura – A frontier trading post on the edge of the northern forests.
In Summary
Gor is a patchwork of fiercely proud city-states—each with its own laws, loyalties, and ambitions. No central empire binds them; only the Priest-Kings’ distant gaze keeps total war from devouring the planet. Cities rise and fall in endless cycles of honor, trade, and conquest—each one anchored by its Home Stone, and the belief that to belong to a city is to have meaning in the brutal beauty of Gorean life.
Would you like a map-style summary of how these cities relate geographically (north–south, by trade routes and seas)? It paints a surprisingly coherent picture once laid out.