Priest-Kings Law

"Do you believe in Priest-Kings?" asked Marcus.

"Certainly," I said.

"I do not," he said.

"As you will," I said.

"But how are we to explain the Weapons Laws, the Flame Death?" he asked.

"That would seem to be your problem, not mine," I said, "as I accept their existence."

"Something exists," he said, "but they are not Priest-Kings."

"That is an interesting thought," I said.

"It is only that they possess the power of Priest-Kings!" he said.

"That is a second interesting thought," I said. "But if they possess the power of Priest-Kings, why not call them Priest-Kings?"

"Do you think they would mind, if I did not?" he asked, somewhat apprehensively.

"Probably not," I said. Indeed, provided men kept their laws the Priest-Kings were content to let them do much what they wished. The major concern of Priest-Kings with men, it seemed, was to have as little to do with them as possible. That had always seemed to me understandable.
Magicians of Gor     Book 25     Pages 208 - 209

"You have loosed lightning," said Portus Canio. "Have you released such lightning before?"

"Several times," said Mirus, "here and there, and in hunting."

"Then," said Portus Canio, "the Priest-Kings will know of it."

"This is the world of the Priest-Kings," said a man. "They have forbidden men such things."

"There are no Priest-Kings," said Mirus. "If there were Priest-Kings they would have acted, to enforce their so-called laws. But there are no Priest-Kings, as we see, and the laws have a simple explanation, namely, an attempt to preclude an ever-increasing efficiency of engineered carnage."
Prize of Gor     Book 27     Page 572

"They concern themselves with the keeping of their laws," said a man.

"Beware the Priest-Kings," said one of the men.

Mirus, and several of those with him, smiled.

"Have you ever seen a Priest-King?" asked one of the strangers, of the fellow who had spoken.

"No," said the man.

"Have you ever seen any evidence of the enforcement of their laws?" asked another of the strangers.

"I have heard of such things," averred the man.

"But have you ever seen any evidence of such a thing?" he was asked.

"No," said the man.

"It does not exist," he was told.
Prize of Gor     Book 27     Pages 573 - 574


"You have broken the law of Priest-Kings," said Portus Canio.
. . .
"As I understand it," said Mirus, who now joined the group, "the Priest-Kings enforce their laws by the Flame Death."
Prize of Gor     Book 27     Page 656


"Priest-Kings do not exist," said Mirus.
"Even so," smiled Portus Canio, "I would advise you to keep their laws."
Prize of Gor     Book 27     Page 671

Human beings tend to assume that the Priest-Kings are rather like themselves, that they are human, or, at least, humanoid. Perhaps their vanity prompts such a speculation. Kurii, too, incidentally, assume that the Priest-Kings must be somehow akin to them. Surely the terror of their ships and the accuracy of their weaponry suggests that. But let us not waste fruitless speculation on this matter. Whatever may be the nature of the Priest-Kings, it is clear, as does not seem to be the case with many gods, that they exist.

The Flame Death, with which they commonly enforce their laws, if nothing else, mitigates against agnosticism in this matter.

One thing about the Priest-Kings puzzles the Kurii, and that is why this mysterious life form seldom behaves otherwise than defensively. They will react sharply if not inevitably to border crossings, but they will not pursue the rebuffed invaders; they will not seek them out, and destroy them in their lairs.

Indeed, Priest-Kings are tolerant of the presence of Kurii on Gor itself, provided they respect their technology and weapon laws.
Kur of Gor     Book 28     Pages 8 - 9


"Have you common weapons, on the ships?" inquired Cabot.
"For use on Gor, of course," said Peisistratus, "to be used there, that we not attract the attention of Priest-Kings nor seem to violate their laws, crossbows, blades, javelins, spears, and such."
Kur of Gor     Book 28     Page 290


I had little love for Priest-Kings, but theirs was the law and the rod which held in check the inventive and indiscreet aggressions of humans on this, their world. . Had it not been for the governance of Priest-Kings, and their surveillance, and the enforcement of their prohibitions on technology and weaponry, I had little doubt that the suspicions, fears, and simian ingenuity of my species on Gor would have by now produced lethalities equivalent to, if not superior to, the madnesses which currently threatened the destruction of another world, the ruination of another habitat, the extinction of an indigenous species, my own, on that other world. The paw which first grasped a jagged stone can eventually become the hand which can, with the pressing of a switch, eliminate continents. How easy it is to poison atmospheres, and how easy, soon, to set axes awry, and roll a world into a star's flaming maw. I supposed that the human species was one of the few species with the capacity to render itself extinct. I doubted that the Priest-Kings were overly concerned with the welfare of humans, but it seemed clear that they had no intention of sharing the psychotic pastimes of such a species, or of enduring the consequences of its stupidities, hence their weapon and technology laws.
Swordsmen of Gor     Book 29     Pages 96 - 97

"I wish I had a rifle," said Pertinax.

"It is better that you do not," I said. "If you possessed such a weapon, you would be in violation of the weapon laws of Priest-Kings, and liable to the flame death."

"Surely there would be an inquiry, a trial, or such," he said.

"No," I said.
Swordsmen of Gor     Book 29     Page 152


"We must learn their language or be destroyed," said Lord Nishida. "Some recalcitrants and zealots were consumed by fire, streaming from the sky."
That would be the Flame Death. It was commonly used for enforcing the technology laws, and, doubtless, could serve other purposes, as well.
Swordsmen of Gor     Book 29     Page 510


The common wisdom on such matters is that the Priest-Kings favor a common language, as a means to more easily communicate their views to humans, for example, with respect to the technology and weapon laws.
Mariners of Gor     Book 30     Page 319


It is clear, however, that the Priest-Kings are not to be taken lightly. Violations of their weapon, transportation, and communication laws are often, when discovered, followed by sanctions of fearsome import, the destructions of cities, the seizures and flingings of tides, the melting of mountains, the geysers and floodings of fiery magma, inexplicable bursts of flame, and such.
Conspirators of Gor     Book 31     Page 142


Supposedly the Priest-Kings, whoever or whatever they might be, concerned to protect the two worlds of Tor-tu-Gor, in particular, Gor, a generally undamaged world, and their own, would allow this alliance, provided their weapon and technology laws were respected, laws designed to keep dangerous power out of the hands of species too aggressive, or stupid, to manage it with intelligence.
Conspirators of Gor     Book 31     Page 317


Their power makes clear their existence, for example the Flame Death, selectively used, usually to enforce the weapon and technology laws, the policing of the skies, to seek out and destroy intruding ships, the inability of tarns to fly over the palisaded Sardar, and such things.
Conspirators of Gor     Book 31     Page 513

"You have heard of the Flame Death of the Priest-Kings?" asked the first beast of Tyrtaios.

"I have heard of it," said Tyrtaios, "but have not seen it."

"I have seen it once," said the beast, "when a fellow of mine, brandishing a forbidden weapon, one forbidden by the laws of Priest-Kings, was suddenly torn away from me, literally from my side, in a burst of light, of flesh of blood, and ash. The stones on which he had stood had melted."
Smugglers of Gor     Book 32     Page 212


"Dark forces are afoot," he said. "Worlds are at stake. Species, equipped and resolute, are at war. Laws are ignored, at great peril. Mysterious ships stalk the night."
Plunder of Gor     Book 34     Page 92


"The rulers of the world of Gor," he said, "object to violations of their technology laws. Certain forms of technology are denied to humans, certainly technology of the sort that would be involved in such a ship. What is perilous, then, is bringing such a ship to the shores of Gor. Great care, and stealth, is involved."
Plunder of Gor     Book 34     Page 95


"There are elements in the caste of Slavers," he said, "bands that are secret, that proceed covertly, even having recourse to vehicles forbidden by the laws of Priest-Kings."
Plunder of Gor     Book 34     Page 216 - 217

"They are Priest-Kings," I said. "I have heard of them."

"They have enacted laws, weapon laws, communication laws, and such," said Kurik, "that are enforced with severity that no other form of life, Kur or human, or other, may reduce, sicken, or ruin their world."

"Why do not the Kurii," I asked, "if they are so ambitious, violent, and powerful, if this world is not yet available to them, seize Earth?"

"Priest-Kings," said Kurik, "shelter Earth. Who would place at the disposal of an enemy the resources of a planet, who would grant them an island, a platform, from which, in time, to launch a great arrack, a mighty armada, against them?"

"How is it," I asked, "that Priest-Kings have permitted humans on their world?"

"Gods," said Kurik, "have their curiosities, their hobbies, their passions, and interests. Gor has been stocked with thousands of life forms from throughout the galaxy. Humans were brought to Gor with many other forms of life. Surely humans are an interesting form of life."

"And Priest-Kings," I said, "condone humans, and even Kurii, on Gor?"

"Provided the laws are kept," said Kurik.
Plunder of Gor     Book 34     Page 324


Too, such devices might be deemed to contravene the technology laws of Priest-Kings, in which case their construction and employment might be attended with great danger."
Plunder of Gor     Book 34     Page 420


"Few Kurii, on Gor," said Lord Grendel, "will risk the bearing of a forbidden weapon. The laws of the Priest-Kings are strict. Their enforcement is merciless. Doubtless their surveillance, limited as to resources and interest, is incomplete and sporadic, but it exists. There have been several well-documented instances of the Flame Death. No, Kurii on Gor are very much aware, even more so than humans I suspect, of the Weapon and Technology laws of the Priest-Kings and the hazards of contravening them. Many humans do not believe in the existence of Priest-Kings, supposing them to be no more than an invention of Initiates, to deprive the simple and trusting of their coins, but no Kur doubts their existence. Their evidence is irrefutable, destroyed fleets and devastated landing forces."
. . .
"The purport," said Lord Grendel, "is that the armament of our friends, those before us, and those behind us, is unlikely to be in violation of the laws of the Priest-Kings. It is almost certain to fall within the perimeters of permissible weaponry, knives, swords, pikes, spears, staffs, axes, and such, and most likely axes, for Kurii, like the men of Torvaldsland, are fond of the ax."
Plunder of Gor     Book 34     Pages 510 - 511


Indeed, many of the "Laws of the Priest-Kings" seem intended to discourage humans from inquiring into certain forms of knowledge, for example, those leading to technologies by means of which, eventually, after a cascade of steps, a planet might be rendered unlivable, even shattered and destroyed.
Plunder of Gor     Book 34     Page 593