Ubar and Ubara

The High Council names a Ubar, sometimes known as a War Chieftain, [1] in a time of crisis. [2] Usually the Ubar will be one of the Caste of Warriors. [3] To be eligible though, you must at least be of High Caste. [4] Or, one can presume to name himself Ubar and hope the people will accept him. [5] But if not of a High Caste, he would violate the limits of caste and the traditions of Gor to do so. [6]

There can be quite a celebration when a Ubar or Ubara takes the throne. The great signal bars of the city are rung. Warriors lift their swords in salute. Members of the High Council stand and applaud. Processions take place on the bridges. There are tournaments of the game organized. Poets and historians vie in praising the day. A holiday is declared, and great games and races are sponsored without cessation for the next ten days. [7]

For a Ubara, a crown of Tur leaves might be placed upon her head. Of course, members of the High Council would be in attendance. A medallion would be placed about her neck. Too, the ring of the Ubar would be placed on her finger. Also she is given the Home Stone of the city to hold it in her left hand, and a scepter, a rod of office, signifying power, to hold in her right hand. Her coronation might be followed by a declaration of five holidays. [8]

While Ubar, what authority does he have?
The Ubar's word is law. More powerful than a king, [9] he rules without check and by decree, [10] needing to give no accounting or explanation for what he does. [11] His power is limited institutionally only by his capacity to inspire and control those whose steel keeps him upon the throne. [12]

While on the throne, there is still a High Council in place. [13] It's just that the Ubar's word takes precedence over councils. [14] The courts of the city are also under the jurisdiction of the Ubar. [15]

The Ubar could also be involved with seeing to it that certain women are sold as a slave. [16]

What does a man wear to signify he is Ubar?
Like several of the Castes which have their own color broadcasting their meaning, the Ubar wears imperial purple proclaiming his position. [17] No doubt this includes a swirling cloak of office. [18] He also wears a golden chain of the Ubar, from which hangs a medallion inset with a replica of the Home Stone of the city. [19]

The Ubar Bila Huruma of Schendi is shown to wear a resplendent outfit. He sits upon a royal stool, of black, lacquered wood, mounted on the crossed, tied, horns of kailiauk. He has gold armlets, bracelets, and anklets. About his loins are the pelts of the yellow panther. As a necklace, the teeth of a beast. Also a gigantic cloak of yellow and red feathers, from the crested lit and the fruit tindel. On his head he has an elaborate headdress, formed largely from the long, white, curling feathers of the Ushindi fisher. [20]

It might be mentioned that, while, obviously, many of the free women of Gor and almost always those of High Caste wear the Robes of Concealment, their garments are seldom as complex or splendidly wrought as those of a Ubar's daughter. [21]

And then, somewhat humorously, at least it was to me, is that daughters of Ubars wear ridiculously tall platform shoes so that they can look down on their subjects, literally. [22]

Among the other numerous duties of being a Ubar, [23] perhaps the unification and revision of the codes, [24] he is responsible to, on the first day of En'Kara and in the name of the city, greet the sun, welcoming it to the city on the first day of the year. [25]

It has been said that the power of the Ubar rests on the lower castes. [26] One can imagine trying to keep the populace in check. To do so, Ubars have always employed the Initiates as tools to keep the lower castes contented. [27] But yet it is known that Ubars may fear the White Caste. [28]

Ubars might court the favor of the Merchant Caste [29] and are often in debt to them. [30]

Contests of arms, fought to the death, are popular in some cities. [31] And then there is always the clan of torturers, trained as carefully physicians, in the arts of detaining life and the arts of detection and persuasion. [32] He may even have on hand what is known as a torture slave, a slave trained to arouse, humiliate, frustrate, and then deny a male prisoner. [33]

The life of a Ubar is not easy. To illustrate, here are just a few quotes, the rest can be found below in the supporting references. [34]

"Take what men of mine you will," he said. "But I must fight for my city. I am Ubar of Ar, and while I live, my city will not perish."
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1    Page 203

"If a Ubar does not respect the law of the Home Stone, what man shall?"
"None," said I. "It is hard to be Ubar."
Assassin of Gor     Book 5    Page 407

It is not always desirable to look deeply into the eyes of a Ubar.
Explorers of Gor     Book 13    Page 237

"Ubars, and Ubaras, have no friends," said Alcinoë.
Mariners of Gor     Book 30    Page 399

Even though the Ubar would most likely have his palace in the tallest cylinder of the city, [35] complete with its own kitchens, [36] he might still have his own separate dwelling. [37] Too, he may be fond of wine, to the point where he might barter a city or a hundred slaves for a given flask of ka-la-na. [38] He would also have his own personal Physician. [39]

The palace and seat of power for a Ubar can range from a great domed chamber set with lights and stones in which, on a high, stepped dais, sits a marble throne, [40] to nothing more than a simple, worn, tattered robe of gray boskhide. [41] The palace of a Ubar is also the mint of a city. [42]

The Ubar's personal guards [43] might likely be outfitted in resplendent uniforms their helmets laced with gold, shields bound with silver and shoulders draped with the purple of the Ubar. [44] Also around their necks they might wear, in silver, the medallion of the Ubar. [45]

Some Ubars have a small number of elite and well paid guards. A drawback to this is that the honor of serving the Ubar is not broadly distributed. Also that faction of men might come, in time, to dominate the other guards. [46]

A Ubar may wish to keep his true identity secret as a protection against danger or assassination. [47] Messengers using tarns are commonly employed as couriers. [48] Should a Ubara be captured from a conquered city, quite likely, the victorious Ubar will keep the, now enslaved, woman for himself. [49]

Ubars needn't necessarily be of a city. Just as being the leader of his vast, predatory horde qualified Pa-Kur to be called Ubar. [50]

There are also the Ubars of the four Wagon Peoples who, of course, have no actual city. At times, they even chose a single Ubar to lead them all, referred to as a Ubar San. [51]

Port Cos, on the other hand, though a city, was at one time, ruled by five Ubars all at once. [52]

At one time in the forests outside of Brundisium, a famous brigand named Clearchus proclaimed his area of operations a Ubarate, proclaimed himself its Ubar, and then proceeded to impose taxes and levy tolls. Interestingly enough, in time, several cities accorded this Ubarate diplomatic recognition, generally in return for concessions on the taxes and tolls. Finally a large force of mercenaries, in the hire of the merchant caste, in a campaign that lasted several months, put an end to the spurious reign of Clearchus, driving him from the forest and scattering his men. It is generally conceded, however, that had Clearchus had more men he might have turned out to be the founder of a state. [53]

And according to the codes of the Warriors, "Within the circle of each man's sword, therein is each man a Ubar". [54]

The Ubar would need to be cautious that he did not fall victim to the smile of a slave [55] or the sparkling eyes of a Free Woman. [56]

But then again, he may have innumerable slaves of whom he might not even be aware. [57]

The Ubara is the companion of the Ubar. [58] However, the Ubar does not companion casually or lightly. [59]

The Ubara may also just be a woman ruler. [60] The word Ubara is a title, just as is Ubar. [61]

She would be regally dressed in the full regalia of a Ubara. [62] This would also include a tiara [63] and medallion of the Ubara. [64]

To be Ubara is the most glorious thing to which a woman might aspire. It means she would be rich and the most powerful woman in the city. It would mean the armies and navies, and tarn cavalries, could move upon her very word. And that the most precious of gems and jewelries might be hers. [65] Her word might create and destroy fortunes, humble generals and exalt common armsmen. Armies might march at her word, tarn cavalries launch, wars begin and wars end. [66]

A Ubar can rule for years and years, even after a time of crisis has passed. [67] However, the Ubar is supposed to step down after the time of crisis. It can be voluntarily relinquished meaning the time of crisis has passed. [68] But this rarely seems to happen. Not that the crisis never ends but that the Ubar does not voluntarily step down. The end of such a Ubar is not a pretty sight. [69]

It could be though, the Ubar makes a grievous error such as losing the Home Stone of the city. In such a case he would need to flee for his life. [70] Or the penalty could be being publicly refused bread and salt and, under penalty of death, ordered to leave the city. [71]

Perhaps the Ubar is thought to be unfit. It is not then uncommon for him to die beneath the steel of his outraged men. [72]

On the other hand, short of assassinations or uprisings, there is no legal limit placed on their tenure in office nor are there any obvious provisions for removing them from office. [73] In fact, They select their own successors, often by legally adopting a favored individual. Their power remains in place then, in a sense, not only because of popular support and contentment, but, as well, by means of the backing of the military. [74]

"But," said Xenon, "the will of the Ubar is law, and law is justice. Thus, it is the will of the Ubar that is justice. Thus a trial would be unnecessary and irrelevant."
. . .

"The Ubar is then above the law," I said.

"Certainly, the Ubar is above the law," said Seremides. "He must be; otherwise he could not make the law or change the law."
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Pages 195 - 196

"As you doubtless know," he said, "in Ar, the law is the Ubar and the Ubar is the law. But, in this case, the noble Marlenus, Ubar of Glorious Ar, in his graciousness and generosity, will allow the verdict to be delivered by a jury of suitably chosen citizens, subject, of course, to his right to overrule the verdict, should it somehow fail to be in conformity with justice, as he sees it."

"If, somehow, Talena should be acquitted," I said, "the Ubar may void that verdict, and pronounce one of guilt?"

"As is his right," said the scribe. "He is the law, and the law is he."
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 273

"Justice is founded on the will of the Ubar," said Decius Albus. "How could it be otherwise? Such is right and law."
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 299

"Will the Ubar be present at the trial?" I asked.

"Of course," said Hemartius. "He is the supreme ruling judge."
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 312

"She is guilty," said Thurnock. "What need is there of a trial?"

"Perhaps," I said, "that vengeance be decked in the colors of law."

"The Ubar makes law," said Thurnock. "He is thus above the law."
Avengers of Gor     Book 36     Page 429


[10] who rules without check and by decree
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1     Page 42

"You are herewith, by edict of the Ubar," said Marlenus, "commanded from the city of Ar, to depart before sundown of this day, not to return on pain of penalty of torture and impalement."
Assassin of Gor     Book 5     Pages 404 - 405

I saw that among those barbaric ornaments was a ring. I gasped, for it was the seal of Ar, the signet of Glorious Ar. He threw it to Verna, as a bauble.
She caught it.
"With that," he said, "you are safe in the realm of Ar. With that you can command the power of the city. This is as the word of the Ubar. With this you can buy supplies. With this you can command soldiers. Any who come upon you and see this ring will know that behind you stands the power of Ar."
Hunters of Gor     Book 8     Page 301


[11] "A Ubar," pointed out Telima, "need give no accounting, no explanation."
Raiders of Gor     Book 6     Page 95


[12] Some cities are governed by a Ubar, who is in effect a military sovereign, sometimes a tyrant, whose word is law. The Ubar's power is limited institutionally only by his capacity to inspire and control those whose steel keeps him upon the throne.
Slave Girl of Gor     Book 11     Page 114

"Marlenus is impatient," said Thurnock. "And the city will cry for the blood of Talena. And few Ubars, even a Marlenus, can brook the will of a roused, clamoring city with impunity."
Avengers of Gor     Book 36     Page 429

He was well aware of the balance of numbers, a fraction very little in our favor. Thus, to neutralize this disadvantage, he counted on surprise and audacity, and the indisputable awe in which a Ubar is commonly held, particularly by those nominally under his rule. Suppose a king had suddenly, unexpectedly appeared, as though from nowhere, to subjects, even recalcitrant subjects. Might not the power of his mere presence strike terror into the hearts of many? His voice then utters a thunderous command.
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 529


[13] The sack was to be opened, and she was to be presented to Claudius Ubar of Argentum, and the high council, and high citizens of Argentum, at the climax of a great feast, to be celebrated two days from now.
Kajira of Gor     Book 19     Page 345

"Tomorrow night, at the great victory feast," he said, "you will be turned over to Claudius, my Ubar, and the high council."
Kajira of Gor     Book 19     Page 351

At these tables were Claudius, the Ubar of Argentum, and members of the high council.
Kajira of Gor     Book 19     Page 362

It was not within your province to determine my innocence or guilt. That responsibility was that of Claudius, the Ubar of Argentum, and the high council.
Kajira of Gor     Book 19     Page 396


[14] The men about him he appointed high officers, by his word alone."
This was possible, as the word of the Ubar takes precedence over councils.
Swordsmen of Gor     Book 29     Page 115


[15] There are two systems of courts on Gor those of the City, under the jurisdiction of an Administrator or Ubar, and those of the Initiates, under the jurisdiction of the High Initiate of the given city; the division corresponds roughly to that between civil and what, for lack of a better word, might be called ecclesiastical courts.
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1     Page 194


[16] Apparently he had realized she would be sold in this market on this day. I supposed that was not common knowledge. It seemed probable to me that this matter had been arranged, perhaps even with the collusion of a praetor, if not the Ubar himself.
Conspirators of Gor     Book 31     Page 134


[17] "Why do the slaves wear purple?" I asked Misk. "That is the color of the robes of a Ubar."
Priest-Kings of Gor     Book 3     Page 91

I was glad that the tunic I wore was not of the Ubar's purple
Priest-Kings of Gor     Book 3     Page 108

Kamchak stood before the throne of Phanius Turmus, the purple robe of the Ubar over one shoulder,
Nomads of Gor     Book 4     Page 255

Some seventy or eighty yards away I saw the box of the Ubar and, upon the throne of the Ubar, Cernus, of the House of Cernus, in the imperial purple of the Ubar.
Assassin of Gor     Book 5     Page 354

He was not wearing the purple of the Ubar, but his shoulders were covered with a brown cloak, rather of the sort worn by Administrators in certain cities, civilian statesmen, servants of the people, so to speak.
Mercenaries of Gor     Book 21     Page 288

The purple of Marlenus's cloak was the Ubarial purple. That is a special color. Only Ubars may wear that color.
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 372


[18] the swirling robe of the Ubar,
Assassin of Gor     Book 5     Page 376


[19] Around his neck he wore the golden chain of the Ubar, carrying the medallionlike replica of the Home Stone of Ar.
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1     Page 154

the golden medallion of a Ubar
Assassin of Gor     Book 5     Page 6

"One who steals a sul may be mutilated, crippled, or killed," said Callias, "whereas one who steals cities may be gifted with the medallion of a Ubar."
Mariners of Gor     Book 30     Page 514


[20] "He is surely a big fellow," I said, "but I scarcely noticed him." Bila Huruma, indeed, had been an extremely large man, and long armed. He had sat upon a royal stool, of black, lacquered wood, mounted on the crossed, tied, horns of kailiauk. His arms and legs had been bare, and they had glistened from oil. He had worn armlets and bracelets, and anklets, of gold. He had worn at his loins the pelts of the yellow panther. He wore, too, the teeth of his beast as a necklace. Behind and about him had swirled a gigantic cloak of yellow and red feathers, from the crested lit and the fruit tindel, brightly plumaged birds of the rain forest. In making such a cloak only two feathers are taken from the breast of each bird. It takes sometimes a hundred years to fashion such a cloak. Naturally it is to be worn only by a Ubar. His head was surmounted by an elaborate headdress, formed largely from the long, white, curling feathers of the Ushindi fisher, a long-legged, wading bird, It was not unlike the common headdress of the askari. Indeed, save for the length of the feathers and the intricate leather and beading, in which the feathers were mounted, it might have been such a headdress.
Explorers of Gor     Book 13     Page 236


[21] Many of the free women of Gor and almost always those of High Caste wear the Robes of Concealment, though, of course, their garments are seldom as complex or splendidly wrought as those of a Ubar's daughter.
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1     Page 87


[22] She tried to rise, but one foot was, of course, some ten inches higher than the other. She fell again, and I unstrapped the remaining shoe. "No wonder you can hardly walk," I said. "Why do you wear these silly things?"
"The daughter of a Ubar must look down on her subjects," was the simple if extraordinary reply.
. . .
The daughter of a Ubar looked up to no man.
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1     Page 92


[23] Cernus was often in the Central Cylinder, attending to the numerous duties of Ubar of the city,
Assassin of Gor     Book 5     Page 271


[24] the unification and revision of the codes of the five Ubars,
Raiders of Gor     Book 6     Page 159


[25] Then, at dawn, on the first day of En'Kara, in the name of the city, the Administrator of Ar, or a Ubar if it be Ubar, greets the sun, welcoming it to Ar on the first day of the New Year.
Assassin of Gor     Book 5     Page 211

Lastly, as the culmination of Ar's Planting Feast, and of the greatest importance to the plan of the Council of Ko-ro-ba, a member of the Ubar's family goes to the roof at night, under the three full moons with which the feast is correlated, and casts grain upon the stone and drops of a red winelike drink made from the fruit of the Ka-la-na tree. The member of the Ubar's family then prays to the Priest-Kings for an abundant harvest and returns to the interior of the cylinder, at which point the Guards of the Home Stone resume their vigil.
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1     Page 68

At dawn on the day of the vernal equinox a ceremonial greeting of the sun takes place, conducted usually by the Ubar or administrator of the city. This, in effect, welcomes the New Year to the city.
Players of Gor     Book 20      Page 10


[26] It was sometimes said that the power of Marlenus, the Ubar himself, rested ultimately on the lower castes, whom he cultivated and flattered.
Conspirators of Gor     Book 31     Page 103


[27] Ubars have always employed the Initiates as tools, some of the boldest even contending that the social function of the Initiates is to keep the lower castes contented with their servile lot.
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1     Page 188


[28] "Perhaps," he said, "the ost, the sleen, the hith, the panther, the river shark, the larl, was created in their image."
"Such words might have you impaled," I said.
"Only where Ubars fear the white caste," he said.
Smugglers of Gor     Book 32     Page 144


[29] She had apparently once been of the Merchants, perhaps the high Merchants, and had even held herself to be of high caste, despite the fact that few Goreans accepted the Merchants as a high caste. It was regarded as a rich caste, but that is not, in the eyes of many, the same as being a high caste. It was, of course, a powerful caste, given its wealth, and even Ubars might court its favor.
Smugglers of Gor     Book 32     Page 154


[30] If the Merchants are not a high caste, it is clear they are an important caste. It is said they own councils and sway law, that their gold hides and whispers behind thrones, that cities heed their words, that Ubars are often in their debt.
Smugglers of Gor     Book 32     Page 64


[31] Contests of arms, fought to the death, whereas they may not take place at the fairs are not unknown on Gor, and are popular in some cities. Contests of this sort, most often involving criminals and impoverished soldiers of fortune, offer prizes of amnesty or gold and are customarily sponsored by rich men to win the approval of the populace of their cities. Sometimes these men are merchants who wish thereby to secure goodwill for their products; sometimes they are practitioners of the law, who hope to sway the votes of jury men; sometimes they are Ubars or High Initiates who find it in their interests to keep the crowds amused.
Priest-Kings of Gor     Book 3     Page 11


[32] I hoped that I would be granted death in battle, if death it must be. The Wagon Peoples, of all those on Gor that I know, are the only ones that have a clan of torturers, trained as carefully as scribes or physicians, in the arts of detaining life.
Some of these men have achieved fortune and fame in various Gorean cities, for their services to Initiates and Ubars, and others with an interest in the arts of detection and persuasion.
Nomads of Gor     Book 4     Pages 9 - 10


[33] A torture slave, as is well known, is a slave trained to arouse, humiliate, frustrate, and then deny a male prisoner. Some captains, commanders, Ubars, and such, utilize the services of such a slave, usually for the pleasure of witnessing the discomfiture and misery of some hated enemy. Irons, knives, and cords are not the only means by which a helpless enemy may be tormented.
Smugglers of Gor     Book 32     Page 412


[34] I looked at Marlenus, testing the man. "What is it, Ubar, that you hold dearest - your city or your title? Do you seek the welfare of Ar or your private glory?"
Marlenus leaped to his feet, hurling the yellow robes of the Afflicted from him, drawing his blade from its sheath with a metallic flash. "A Ubar," he cried, "answers such a question only with his sword!"
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1     Page 172

"Take what men of mine you will," he said. "But I must fight for my city. I am Ubar of Ar, and while I live, my city will not perish."
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1     Page 203

It was obvious that Thorn, unlike my old enemy Pa-Kur, who presumably had perished at the siege of Ar, was not a man above sensual vices, not a man who could with fanatical purity and single-minded devotion sacrifice himself and entire peoples to the ends of his ambition and power. Thorn would never make a Ubar.
Outlaw of Gor     Book 2     Page 60

The wagons are said to be countless, the animals without number. Both of these claims, are of course, mistaken, and the Ubars of the Wagon Peoples know well each wagon and the number of branded beasts in the various herds;
Nomads of Gor     Book 4     Page 21

The Wagon Peoples are fascinated with the future and its signs and though, to hear them speak, they put no store in such matters, yet they do in practice give them great consideration. I was told by Kamchak that once an army of a thousand wagons turned aside because a swarm of rennels, poisonous, crablike desert insects, did not defend its broken nest, crushed, by the wheel of the lead wagon. Another time, over a hundred years ago, a wagon Ubar lost the spur from his right boot and turned for this reason back from the gates of mighty Ar itself.
Nomads of Gor     Book 4     Pages 27 - 28

Tuchuks do not make good spies, for they tend to be, albeit fierce and cruel, intensely loyal; and there are few strangers allowed in the wagon of a Tuchuk Ubar.
Nomads of Gor     Book 4     Page 201

Conrad, Hakimba and the Paravaci strode to the throne of Kamchak, but none of them, as befitted Ubars of their peoples, knelt.
Nomads of Gor     Book 4     Page 334

He released my hand and sat back, cross-legged, his back straight as that of a Ubar,
Assassin of Gor     Book 5     Page 35

"If a Ubar does not respect the law of the Home Stone, what man shall?"
"None," said I. "It is hard to be Ubar."
Assassin of Gor     Book 5     Page 407

"His hand on the hilt of his sword," said Mira, "and his other hand on the medallion of Ar, his daughter was disowned."
I gasped, stunned.
"Yes," laughed Verna, "according to the codes of the warriors and by the rites of the city of Ar, no longer is Talena kin or daughter of Marlenus of Ar."
I lay, stunned. According to irreversible ceremonies, both of the warriors and of the city of Ar, Talena was no longer the daughter of Marlenus. In her shame she had been put outside his house. She was cut off. In law, and in the eyes of Goreans, Talena was now without family. No longer did she have kin. She was now, in her shame, alone, completely. She was now only slave, that and nothing more.
Hunters of Gor     Book 8     Page 131

"Ubar," said I, "if the girl Verna had not cried out for mercy, if she had not wept and yielded herself, completely and utterly, to you as slave, would you have truly done what you threatened?"
"I do not understand," said Marlenus.
"Would you truly have hamstrung her?" I asked.
"Of course," said Marlenus. "I am a Ubar."
Hunters of Gor     Book 8     Pages 163 - 164

Only a Ubar, it is said, may sit upon the throne of a Ubar. Only when a true Ubar sits upon the throne is it said the pledge of sword loyalty is binding.
Slave Girl of Gor     Book 11     Page 114

"To truly see a Ubar," I said, "to look into his heart can be a fearful thing."
. . .
"He who sits upon the throne, it is said," said Msaliti, "is the most alone of men."
. . .
It is not always desirable to look deeply into the eyes of a Ubar.
Explorers of Gor     Book 13     Page 237

I then, truly, for the first time looked into the eyes of Bila Huruma.
He sat upon the high platform, above the others, solitary and isolated, the necklace of panther teeth about his neck, the lamps below him.
I sensed then, for a moment, what it must be to be a Ubar. It was then, in that instant, that I first truly saw him, as he was, and as he must be. I looked then on loneliness and decision, and power. The Ubar must contain within himself dark strengths. He must be capable of doing, as many men are not; what is necessary.
Only one can sit upon the throne, as it is said. And, as it is said, he who sits upon the throne is the most alone of men.
It is he who must be a stranger to all men, and to whom all men must be strangers.
The throne indeed is a lonely country.
Many men desire to live there but few, I think, could bear its burdens.
Let us continue to think of our Ubars as men much like ourselves, only perhaps a bit wiser, or stronger, or more fortunate. That way we may continue to be comfortable with them, and, to some extent, feel ourselves their superior. But let us not look into their eyes too closely, for we might see there that which sets them apart from us.
It is not always desirable to look deeply into the eyes of a Ubar.
Explorers of Gor     Book 13     Pages 242 - 243

"Ubars," I pointed out to Kisu, "seldom see much point in engaging in single combat with common soldiers."
Explorers of Gor     Book 13     Page 428

"To a Ubar a friend is precious," he said. "We have so few."
Explorers of Gor     Book 13     Page 446

"Ubars, and Ubaras, have no friends," said Alcinoë.
Mariners of Gor     Book 30     Page 399

[35] I had little difficulty making out the tallest tower in Ar, the cylinder of the Ubar Marlenus.
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1     Page 77


[36] Before them had been placed large golden dishes heaped with delicacies prepared by the kitchens of the Ubar,
Nomads of Gor     Book 4     Page 253


[37] Cernus, upon occasion, though Ubar of Ar, would return to sit table in his own house,
Assassin of Gor     Book 5     Page 237


[38] I had never tasted ka-la-na but I had gathered there were a great many varieties, differing much in quality. Some Ubars might barter a city or a hundred slaves for a given flask of the beverage.
Smugglers of Gor     Book 32     Page 295


[39] "The personal physicians of Ubars do well," said Mrs. Rawlinson.
Conspirators of Gor     Book 31     Page 26


[40] Soon we had emerged in the great domed chamber set with lights and stones in which, on a high, stepped dais, sits the marble throne of the Ubar of Ar.
Assassin of Gor     Book 5     Page 395


[41] "His wagon," smiled Kamchak, "is the First Wagon and it is Kutaituchik who sits upon the gray robe."
"The gray robe?" I asked.
"That robe," said Kamchak, "which is the throne of the Ubars of the Tuchuks."
Nomads of Gor     Book 4     Page 32

We mounted the dais and approached the seemingly somnolent figure seated upon it. Although the dais was resplendent, and the rugs upon it even more resplendent, I saw that beneath Kutaituchik, over these rugs, had been spread a simple, worn, tattered robe of gray boskhide. It was upon this simple robe that he sat. It was undoubtedly that of which Kamchak had spoken, the robe upon which sits the Ubar of the Tuchuks, that simple robe which is his throne.
Nomads of Gor     Book 4     Pages 42 - 43


[42] the palace of a Ubar is also the mint of a city,
Nomads of Gor     Book 4     Page 251


[43] I was jostled in the crowds, and twice nearly knocked down by officers in the guard of Phanius Turmus, Ubar of Turia.
Nomads of Gor     Book 4     Page 234


[44] Then to my surprise I saw, with us, fighting, a common Warrior, not a Taurentian, one whose helmet was not laced with gold nor his shield bound with silver, nor his shoulders covered with the purple of the Ubar's guard.
Assassin of Gor     Book 5     Page 347


[45] Two warriors passed, proud in their red.
They were probably mercenaries. Their speech reminded me of that of Ar.
They did not wear, in silver, the medallion of the Ubar.
Hunters of Gor     Book 8     Page 45


[46] The palace guard, I had learned from Hup, would be, on a staggered basis, rotated, in order that the honor of serving the Ubar would be more broadly distributed, and, further, presumably, that no given faction of men could come, in time, to dominate the guards; the pay of the guards, incidentally, was substantially reduced, perhaps in order that, in virtue of this sacrifice, the honor of the post might be more clear, and that fewer invidious distinctions might grow up between the palace guard and the military generally, from which it was now composed.
Assassin of Gor     Book 5     Page 393


[47] Further, the Kassars, the Kataii and the Paravaci did not reveal their true Ubars with any greater willingness than the Tuchuks had. Each people, as the Tuchuks had, had its false Ubar, its decoy to protect the true Ubar from danger or assassination.
Nomads of Gor     Book 4     Page 257


[48] Twice earlier, on the great road to Ar, Tup Ladletender had pointed out tarnsmen in flight, presumably messengers. Marlenus of Ar, and other Ubars, commonly employed such couriers.
Slave Girl of Gor     Book 11     Page 248


[49] Sometimes special sales, well-publicized, are held, in which as few as fifteen or twenty girls, of great quality or interest, are sold. All Ar, it is said, tries to fill the house upon such occasions. If a Ubara of a conquered city, for example, were to be sold, it would, customarily, be in such a special sale, unless the victorious Ubar, he who had conquered her city and captured her, chose to have her sold, for his amusement, in a common sale and from an unimportant block. Normally, of course, the conquering Ubar would keep such a regal wench, now collared and debased to slavery, in his own pleasure gardens, as a delicious memento of his victory, and as a woman.
Slave Girl of Gor     Book 11     Pages 431 - 432


[50] That night we brought the caravan into the palisade keep prepared for Mintar by Pa-Kur, the Master Assassin, who was the Ubar of this vast, scarcely organized, predatory horde.
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1     Page 131


[51] It is near Turia, in the spring, that the Omen Year is completed, when the omens are taken, usually over several days by hundreds of haruspexes, mostly readers of bosk blood and verr livers, to determine if they are favorable for a choosing of a Ubar San, a One Ubar, a Ubar who would be High Ubar, a Ubar of all the Wagons, a Ubar of all the Peoples, one who could lead them as one people.
Nomads of Gor     Book 4     Pages 11 - 12

There had not been, I knew, a Ubar San in more than a hundred years. It did not seem likely, either, that one would be elected in the spring. Even in the time I had been with the wagons I had gathered that it was only the implicit truce of the Omen Year which kept these four fierce, warring peoples from lunging at one another's throats, or more exactly put, at one another's bosk. Naturally, as a Koroban, and one with a certain affection for the cities of Gor, particularly those of the north, particularly Ko-ro-ba, Ar, Thentis and Tharna, I was not disappointed at the likelihood that a Ubar San would not be elected. Indeed, I found few who wished a Ubar San to be chosen. The Tuchuks, like the other Wagon Peoples, are intensely independent. Yet, each ten years, the omens are taken.
Nomads of Gor     Book 4     Page 56


[52] Politically, Port Kar is a chaos, ruled by several conflicting Ubars, each with his own following, each attempting to terrorize, to govern and tax to the extent of his power. Nominally beneath these Ubars, but in fact much independent of them, is an oligarchy of merchant princes, Captains, as they call themselves, who, hold council, maintain and manage the great arsenal, building and renting ships and fittings, themselves controlling the grain fleet, the oil fleet, the slave fleet, and others.
Raiders of Gor     Book 6     Page 104

In the council, in effect, was vested the stability and administration of Port Kar.
Above it, nominally, stood five Ubars, each refusing to recognize the authority of the others, Chung, Eteocles, Nigel, Sullius Maximus and Henrius Sevarius, claiming to be the fifth of his line.
The Ubars were represented on the council, to which they belonged as being themselves Captains, by five empty thrones, sitting before the semicircles of curule chairs on which reposed the captains. Beside each empty throne there was a stool from which a Scribe, speaking in the name of his Ubar, participated in the proceedings of the council. The Ubars themselves remained aloof, seldom showing themselves for fear of assassination.
Raiders of Gor     Book 6     Page 126


[53] As rumor has it, Clearchus was a famous brigand of some two centuries ago who decided to legitimize and regularize his brigandage. He proclaimed his area of operations a Ubarate, proclaimed himself its Ubar, and then proceeded to impose taxes and levy tolls. Interestingly enough, in time, several cities accorded this Ubarate diplomatic recognition, generally in return for concessions on the taxes and tolls. Finally a large force of mercenaries, in the hire of the merchant caste, in a campaign that lasted several months, put an end to the spurious reign of Clearchus, driving him from the forest and scattering his men. It is generally conceded, however, that had Clearchus had more men he might have turned out to be the founder of a state.
Players of Gor     Book 20     Page 100


[54] "Within the circle of each man's sword," say the codes of the warrior, "therein is each man a Ubar"
Marauders of Gor     Book 9     Page 10


[55] Much power I knew could reside within a collar. Have not Ubars succumbed to the smile of a kajira?
Conspirators of Gor     Book 31     Page 302
"Some slaves," she said, "have entangled the hearts of Ubars in their meshes."
"Even a Ubar," I said, "may be a fool."
Smugglers of Gor     Book 32     Page 179


[56] Surely the sparkling eyes of a free woman, and the hint of lips beneath a veil, had brought more than one general to defeat, more than one Ubar to ruin.
Conspirators of Gor     Book 31     Page 502


[57] The pleasure gardens of Ubars and high merchants might house innumerable slaves, even slaves purchased by agents, slaves of whom their masters might not even be aware.
Smugglers of Gor     Book 32     Page 470


[58] "A message from Pa-Kur," I said, "for the ears of Talena, his Ubara-to-be."
"I will carry the message," said one of the guards, a large man, his eyes suspicious. He regarded me closely. Obviously, I was not anyone he knew.
"The message is for the Ubara-to-be, and for her alone," I said angrily. "Do you deny admittance to the messenger of Pa-Kur?"
"I do not know you," he growled.
"Give me your name," I demanded, "so that I may report to Pa-Kur who it is that denies his message to his future Ubara.
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1     Pages 182 - 183

Harold looked at me. "Yes," he said, "she had been a Turian girl taken as slave by Kutaituchik - but he cared for her and freed her. She remained with him in the wagons until her death, the Ubara of the Tuchuks."
Nomads of Gor     Book 4     Page 339

"This woman," said Kamchak of the Tuchuks, brusquely, his voice stem but almost breaking, "is called Aphris - know her - she is Ubara of the Tuchuks, she is Ubara Sana, of my heart Ubara Sana!"
Nomads of Gor     Book 4     Page 340

Raised as she had been, in the sequestered quarters of high-born women in the palace of Tyros in Kasra, I supposed it was perhaps the first time that the lips of a man had touched hers. Doubtless she had expected to receive that kiss standing in the swirling love silks of the Free Companion, beneath golden love lamps, beside the couch of the Ubar of Cos; but it was not in the white, marbled palace of the Ubar of Cos that that kiss was to take place; and it was not to be received as a Ubara from the lips of a Ubar; that kiss was to take place in Port Kar, in the holding of her enemies, under barbaric torchlight, before the table of her master; and she was not to wear the love silks of a Free Companion and Ubara but the brief, wretched garment of a Kettle Slave,
Raiders of Gor     Book 6     Page 235


[59] "A Ubar, a great lord, a potentate," said the beast, "does not companion casually or lightly.
. . .
A Ubar might companion a Ubara from another city, a coveted city, one of wealth and power, or companion the daughter of another Ubar, of such a city, such things."
"I see," she said, not pleased.
As I knelt in the background, inconspicuous but at hand, I saw that the Lady Bina was not so much dissuaded of her astonishing ambition, as convinced that its realization might be less easily achieved than hitherto anticipated.
"Occasionally," said the beast, "a Ubar may companion the Ubara of a captured city, forcing companionship however unwelcome, upon her, making of her free spoils, so to speak, thereby, as she is then companioned, entitling himself legally to the wealth of her treasury and the allegiance of her subjects. In such a case she may sit beside him, on a throne, within her fine robes, chained."
"I suppose," said the Lady Bina "he may do this severally."
"No," said the beast, "for one may have but one companion, at one time."
I had no doubt, of course that a Ubar, or, indeed, any person of means, might have several slaves.
"What if a second Ubara is conquered?" asked the Lady Bina.
"You are thinking of companioning?" asked the beast.
"Yes," she said.
"Then the Ubara of less consequence," he said, "will be demoted to bondage, and then kept, or put up for sale, or such."
"But surely," she said, "companioning is not always involved in such matters."
"Certainly not," he said. "The conqueror holds rights to all in virtue of the right of conquest, in virtue of war rights. The usual ensuance in such matters is that the conquered Ubara will be marched naked in the triumph, chained to the stirrup of the victor's tharlarion or kaiila after which she, and the women of her court, similarly paraded, will serve naked at the victory feast, during which they will be enjoyed, and after which, in the morning, they will be lashed and fitted with their collars."
Conspirators of Gor     Book 31     Pages 228 - 230


[60] "How could this Talena become Ubara of Ar?" I asked. "I thought she was sworn from the line of Marlenus."
"She can be given legal entitlement to the succession," said a fellow. "I have heard it discussed."
"Not as of the line of Marlenus," I said.
"No," he said. "But one need not be of the line of Marlenus, surely, to rule in Ar."
"Minus Tentius Hinrabius and Cernus, both, ruled in Ar," said a man. "Neither was of his line."
"That is true," I said.
"She is a free citizen," said a man. "Accordingly, she could be given such entitlement."
Mercenaries of Gor     Book 21     Page 271


[61] "I have chosen my name," she said. "I call myself 'Ubara'."
"That is not a name," he said. "It is a title."
Kur of Gor     Book 28     Page 267


[62] She wore the concealing robes and veils, the full regalia of a Ubara.
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1     Page 184


[63] "What is the crown she wears?" asked the slave.
"A tiara," said Cabot.
"A tiara?"
"That of a Ubara," said Cabot.
Kur of Gor     Book 28     Page 415


[64] The pendant had been the medallion of the Ubara of Ar.
Swordsmen of Gor     Book 29     Page 526


[65] To be Ubara of Ar was the most glorious thing to which a woman might aspire. It meant that she would be the richest and most powerful woman on Gor, that armies and navies, and tarn cavalries, could move upon her very word, that the taxes of an empire the wealthiest on Gor could be laid at her feet, that the most precious of gems and jewelries might be hers, that she would be the most envied woman on the planet.
Hunters of Gor     Book 8     Pages 300 - 301


[66] Had she had true power in Ar, had she been a true Ubara, and not a puppet of the occupation, her word might have created and destroyed fortunes, humbled generals and exalted common armsmen; armies might have been marched at her word, and tarn cavalries launched, wars begun and wars ended, but she had had, for the most part, only the trappings of power, not power itself.
Mariners of Gor     Book 30     Page 378


[67] The power of Marlenus, or much of it, lay in the mystique of victory that had never ceased to attend him, acting like a magic spell on his soldiers and the people of his city. Never defeated in combat, Ubar of Ubars, he had boldly refused to relinquish his title after a Valley War some twelve years ago, and his men had refused to withdraw from him, refused to abandon him to the traditional fate of the overambitious Ubar. The soldiers, and the Council of his city, had succumbed to his blandishments, his promises of wealth and power for Ar.
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1     Page 65


[68] "The High Castes in a given city," said my father, "elect an administrator and council for stated terms. In times of crisis, a war chief, or Ubar, is named, who rules without check and by decree until, in his judgment, the crisis is passed."
"In his judgment?" I asked skeptically.
"Normally the office is surrendered after the passing of the crisis," said my father. "It is part of the Warrior's Code."
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1     Page 42


[69] "But what if he does not give up the office" I asked. I had learned enough of Gor by how to know that one could not always count on the Caste Codes being observed.
"Those who do not desire to surrender their power," said my father, "are usually deserted by their men. The offending war chief is simply abandoned, left alone in his palace to be impaled by the citizens of the city he has tried to usurp."
I nodded, imagining a palace, empty save for one man sitting alone on his throne, clad in his robes of state, waiting for the angry people outside the gates to break through and work their wrath.
"But," said my father, "sometimes such a war chief, or Ubar, wins the hearts of his men, and they refuse to withdraw their allegiance."
"What happens then?" I asked.
"He becomes a tyrant," said my father, "and rules until eventually, in one way or another, he is ruthlessly deposed." My father's eyes were hard and seemed fixed in thought. It was not mere political theory he spoke to me. I gathered that he knew of such a man. "Until," he repeated slowly, "he is ruthlessly deposed."
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1     Pages 42 - 43


[70] "Marlenus has fled," said the officer. "The city is in chaos. The Initiates have assumed command and have ordered that Marlenus and all members of his household and family are to be publicly impaled on the walls of Ar."
A moan escaped the girl.
The officer continued; "Marlenus lost the Home Stone, the Luck of Ar. He, with fifty tarnsmen disloyal to the city, seized what they could of the treasury and escaped. In the streets there is civil war, fighting between the factions that would master Ar. There is looting and pillaging. The city is under martial law."
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1     Page 102


when its Home Stone had been stolen and its Ubar forced to flee.
Assassin of Gor     Book 5     Page 6

"For the Ubar, too," said Myron. "Is his first office not the protection of the Home Stone?"
Warriors of Gor     Book 37     Page 210


[71] Marlenus, in spite of his heroic role in the victory, submitted himself to the judgment of Ar's Council of High Castes. The sentence of death passed upon him by the usurping government of the Initiates was rescinded, but because his imperialistic ambition was feared, he was exiled from his beloved city. Such a man as Marlenus can never be second in a city, and the men of Ar were determined that he should never again be first. Accordingly, the Ubar, tears in his eyes, was publicly refused bread and salt, and, under penalty of death, was ordered to leave Ar by sundown, never again to come within ten pasangs of the city.
Tarnsman of Gor     Book 1     Page 216


[72] When the Ubar is thought to be unfit, it is thought, too, he has dishonored the pledge of sword loyalty. It is not then uncommon for him to die beneath the steel of his outraged men.
Slave Girl of Gor     Book 11     Page 114


[73] In a sense, I suppose they, too, are tyrants, as there is no legal limit placed on their tenure in office nor are there any obvious provisions for removing them from office, short of, I suppose, assassinations or uprisings. To be sure, they commonly have the support of the people.
Plunder of Gor     Book 34     Page 150


[74] They select their own successors, often by legally adopting a favored individual. Almost invariably a Ubar is a member of the caste of warriors. Their power remains in place then, in a sense, not only because of popular support and contentment, but, as well, by means of the backing of the military.
Plunder of Gor     Book 34     Page 150