Marine Creatures of Gor

BINT

Lets start with some exotic fish and then move on to discuss those which might be find in our waters!

Beginning in the rainforest of Schendi ...

"Ayari nodded, shuddering. Such blood might attract the bint, a fanged, carnivorous marsh eel ..."

~Explorers of Gor~

The BINT is a carnivorous eel of the rainforest, filling a similar role to the piranha of earth perhaps.

They are attract by the scent of blood, and the main predators they need to worry about are the varieties of large tharlarion which inhabit this area.

CARP

A couple of other freshwater fish now ...

CARP are mentioned as being quite common in the Vosk river. They are probably much like the carp of earth, coming in many varieties and being popular as food fish.

"I saw the sudden, rolling yellowish flash of the slatted belly of a water tharlarion, turning as it made its swift strike, probably a Vosk carp or marsh turtle."  

~Raiders of Gor~

EEL

Now, lets move on to species of fish which might be found in our own waters!

"A man walked by carrying a long pole, from which dangled dozens of the eels of Cos." 

~Siave Girl of Gor~

EELS are common in Gor, whether in the oceans or the rivers and lakes. And they come in several varieties!

DOCK EELS are black, carnivorous and aggressive, about four feet in length and weighing up to ten pounds.

They tend to inhabit the shallow waters around the docks and wharves of river ports, and are a real danger, being tenacious creatures.

Once they've fastened their teeth onto you, they don't like to let go!

The VOSK EEL is a variety which inhabits the waters off the Vosk river. They are mainly scavengers, hiding under docks ad pilings, feeding off garbage and other organic materials.

Some varieties of eel are edible and considered to be a delicacy on Gor. They are also kept for other purposes ...

"Many estates, particularly country estates have pools in which fish are kept. Some of these pools contain voracious eels, of various sorts, river eels, black eels, the spotted eel, and such, which are Gorean delicacies. Needless to say a bound slave cast into such a pool, would be eaten alive." 

~Magicians of Gor~

GINT / LUNG FISH

"It was similar to the tiny lung fish I had seen earlier on the river, those little creatures clinging to the half-submerged roots of shore trees, and, as often as not, sunning themselves on the backs of tharlarion, those tiny fish called gints." 

~Explorers of Gor~

GINTS are Gorean lung fish - freshwater fish which have retained the ability to breathe air, having both lung and gills.

This ability enables them to leave the water, during dry seasons, to seek out other streams or pools. It also enables them to elude predators to some extent.

The have also developed the interesting behavior of sunning themselves on the backs of tharlarion, which affords even greater protection ... so long as they stay away from its jaws!

They can also thrive off the scraps from the thalarion's kills, and will even drive each other away from their local tharlarion - regarding the creature as 'their territory'.

A similar relationship exists between some fish on earth, such as the remora fish and the shark.

Common gints are described as bulbous eyed and about six inches long, with flipper-like lateral fins.

The GIANT GINT is its larger cousin, found further inland in the jungles. 

"The creature which had surfaced near us, perhaps ten feet in length, and a thousand pounds in weight, was scaled and had large, bulging eyes. It had gills, but it, too, gulped air, as it had regarded us."

~Explorers of Gor~

The giant gint is similar in appearance, but has a four-spined dorsil fin, and is a lot bigger!

They are carnivorous, like their smaller brethren, and can be dangerous to humans. However, they don't like to stray too far away from water so the best defence is simply to head into the trees!

LEFT

"I ran to the stern that I might watch. Held out of the water, then returning to it, I saw the great speckled grunt, four-gilled. It dove, and swirled away."

~Slave Girl of Gor~

The GRUNT is a large, carnivorous fish of Thassa which is attracted by the blood of a wounded creature, much like a shark.

It is distinct from a shark, however, as varieties of sharks are themselves also mentioned by name in the chronicles ...

Grunts are hunted for their meat, which is served as fillets or in rich soups.

Some varieties included the GREAT SPECKLED GRUNT and the WHITE-BELLIED GRUNT, which is common in the northern waters.

The white-bellied grunt haunts plankton beds, feeding on parsit fish. It's eggs are considered a rare delicacy!

BLUE GRUNTS are a distinct breed of freshwater fish, related to the Thassa grunt and sharing the behaviour of being attracted by blood.

    

These fish are not particularly dangerous, except in the daylight hours preceding its mating periods, which also coincides with the fullness of the major Gorean moon.

MARINE SAIRIAN / SEA THARLARION

SEA THALARIONS are also mentioned in the chronicles as coming in various shapes and sizes, but unfortunately are never described in much detail.

   

There are reference to a MARINE SAURIANS, which may be a type of sea tharlarion.

They are described as reptilian, and they come in several varieties, some of which are harmless and others are feared by sailors.

   

"I had seen, yesterday, the long neck of a marine saurian lift from the waters of gleaming Thassa, It had a small head, and rows of small teeth. Its appendages were like broad paddles. Then it had lowered its head and disappeared. Such beasts, in spite of their frightening appearance, are apparently harmless to men."

~Slave Girl of Gor~

"Far more common, and dangerous, are certain fishlike marine saurians, with long, toothed snouts; they are silent and aggressive, and sailors fear them as they do the long-bodied sharks."  

~Slave Girl of Gor~

Later in this book, dina is attacked by a marine saurian which is more than twenty feet in length!

MOLLUSKS

Now to finish, mollusks!

There are a wide variety of these mentioned in the chronicles ...

"I looked at him steadily. They are probably false stones, I said, amber droplets,the pearls of the Vosk sorp, the polished shell of the Tamber clam, glass colored and cut in Ar for trade with ignorant southern peoples."

~Nomads of Gor~

A SORP is a shellfish, a lot like an oyster in that it manufactures pearls. They come in giant sizes, with their shells sometimes used as an elaborate throne.

OYSTERS themselves are also mentioned as a popular food on Gor.

Also mentioned here are CLAMS - which is a general term that can refer to many different types of mollusk, such as mussels.

Elsewhere, CUTTLEFISH are mentioned. These are fascinating creatures, also classified as mollusks and among the most intelligent of invertebrates.

They are noted for their ability to change skin colour at will. They do this both to camouflage themselves, and to communicate with other cuttlefish.

PARSIT FISH

PARSIT FISH are described as a silvery, freshwater fish with brown stripes which inhabits the rivers and lakes of Gor.

Its meat is usually served in fillets, fried or baked, and smoked and dried parsit fish are a common trade item from Torvaldsland.

They are usually caught in large numbers, with nets!

PIKE

PIKES are another freshwater fish, similar in most ways to the Earth variety.

They measure fifteen inches, and swim in large schools, feeding much like the piranhas or barracuda of earth.

They use their razor-sharp teeth to strip and devour the skin and flesh of their victims.

SALT THASSA FISH / UNNAMED FISH

There are various common fish in the chronicles which are never mentioned or described in very much detail ...

The SALT THASSA FISH is apparently a common one, which can be served baked or broiled.

And there are other fish described, tiny and yellow in color, which are never given a name.

SEA SLEEN

"A recalcitrant girl may be kept on the oar for hours. There is also, however some danger in this, for sea sleen and the white sharks of the north occasionally attempt to tear such a girl from the oar."

~Marauders of Gor~

The SEA SLEEN is a long, sleek mammal with flippers. This one is quite small ... some breeds can grow to be as long as twenty feet.

They are regarded as the swiftest and most deadly predators in the sea.

Commonly the frequent the colder, northern waters of Gor from Torvaldsland to the Arctic North, though they are sometimes found further south. We have one or two in our waters I believe!

In the north, sea sleen are hunted by the Red Hunters for their meat and their pelt.

The three most common types of sea sleen found in the north are the BLACK SEA SLEEN, which is what we have here, the BROWN SEA SLEEN and the FLAT-NOSED SEA SLEEN.

There is also the ROGUE SEA SLEEN, which is not quite as common as the others and is a broader-headed, more dangerous variety of sleen.

Even rarer is the WHITE-SPOTTED SEA SLEEN, whose rich fur is particularly valued, often used for cloaks.

WATER SLEEN are a distinct breed from sea sleen, much smaller and often found frequenting the canals of port cities such as Port Kar, along with canal urts.

SHARK

Now, I mentioned SHARKS a moment ago ...

 

 There are several varieties of these mentioned in the chronicles. The NORTHERN SHARK, for instance, is common in northern arctic gor, and is also called the white shark.

It is hunted by the Red Hunters of that region.

The MARSH SHARK inhabits the swamps and marshes of Gor. They are described as long-bodied and nine-gilled.

 

 And finally, the RIVER SHARK is a narrow, black and vicious carnivorous fish.

 

 "I saw a sudden movement in the water. Something, with a twist of its great spine, had suddenly darted from the waters under the pier and entered the current of the Laurius. I saw the flash of a triangular, black dorsal fin. I screamed. Lana looked out, pointing after it. "A river shark," she cried, excitedly."

~Captive of Gor~

 

Shark meat is quite popular in some regions, served much like grunt meat.

WHALE

Now, WHALES!

There are two types of whales mentioned in the chronicles, which both have various sub-species.

Firstly, there are toothed whales ... on earth, these would include sperm whales, orcas and dolphins.

On Gor, it includes the HUNJER WHALE of the arctic north, black and cylindrical, and hunted by the Red Hunters for its meat.

"Suddenly, not more than a dozen feet from the boat, driving upward, rearing vertically, surging, expelling air in a great burst of noise, shedding icy water, in a tangle of lines and blood, burst the towering, cylindrical tonnage of the black Hunjer whale … The monster, as though it stood on its flukes, towered forty feet above us, the line like a tiny thread, billowing, leading downward to the boat." 

~Beasts of Gor~

The HUNJER LONG WHALE is mentioned as being a rarer variety of this whale

The other type of whale are baleen whales, which on earth is an order that includes blue whales and humpback whales.

One type of baleen whale on Gor is the bluish, white-spotted BLUNT FIN WHALE. It's whale bone is used by the Red Hunters to fashion instruments and weapons.

There is also the KARL WHALE, which is described as a four-fluked baleen whale, and is also quite rare.

    

And there are likely other types of whales which exist in other parts of Gor.

WINGFISH

However, one which is described in great detail is the COSIAN WINGFISH, also called the song fish!

They are small and delicate fish, with a series of slender spines on its dorsal fin which are poisonous.

It is called a song fish because males and females, in their courtship rituals, thrust their heads from the water and make a kind of whistling noise ... 

And a wingfish because it is capable of gliding through the air for short distances on its fins.

Usually in an attempt to evade small sea tharlarion, who are immune to its poison.

This particular variety is very small, found only in the waters of Cos, and is about the size of a tarn disk. It is regarded as a great delicacy, and its liver as the delicacy of delicacies.

Larger varieties such as the one I have here are found further out to sea.