Tarna is the “darling” of all females that want to play a fighting role in Second Life Gor. It’s the character that is used to justify the existence of female warriors in the Tahari, sometimes even to justify the existence or plausibility of female warriors anywhere on Gor.
Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Tarna is yet another example of Gorean men using women as muppets as they see fit and yet another example that women on Gor are not a match for a Gorean warrior.
Lets look at the story about Tarna in its context.
The first time we hear about her is, when our heros, Hassan and Tarl, are doing business in the Oasis of the two Scimitars, a Bakah oasis – vassal tribe of the Kavar. Its there when they hear the incredible news about Aretei warriors attacking a Kavar oasis without an obvious reason. This on its own seems to be unusual news. Even more so that it has been reported that the aggressors destroyed wells, the biggest crime in the desert and perceived as an act of great dishonor.
Then the man says something very remarkable: “But the strangest thing of all was, the raiders were led by a woman”.
Now lets reflect about this a little.
He did not say: “Oh, and by the way, the captain was female, just you know”. No. He said the fact, that a woman was leading the riders was the strangest thing of all. Even more strange then the fact that riders, assumed to be of the Aretei, destroyed wells. Even more strange that the Aretei in times of piece suddenly attack a Kavar stronghold, the Sand Sleen Oasis as well as the Oasis of the two Scimitars. The strangest thing of all, not just a by the way!
That clearly tells us: female warriors where a strange, until then unknown, thing in the Tahari.
Read here the entire chapter:
First time Tarna is mentioned
Hassan knew about those strange circumstances already as we learn later in the book (In fact almost at the end).
Hassan the bandit is really the leader of the Kavar. The circumstances of this attack where so strange that he decided to investigate the matter disguised as an outlaw. The objective being, to avoid a full scale war between his people and the Aretei tribe.
The second time we read about Tarna is when Hassan and Tarl just checked in at the local Inn at the Oasis of the Red Rock. Tarna is riding with 400 mercenaries of the Salt Ubar a full scale attack on the Red Rock pretending to be of the Kavar.
Tarna attacks the Oasis of the red Rock
As of now it becomes obvious what is going on. She is not a warrior of either tribe but pretends to be of the Kavar when raiding an oasis of the Aretei and vice versa. Somebody is trying to provoke a war between the two leading tribes of the Tahari. That somebody was not Tarna, but the man behind her: The Salt Ubar.
Why is the Salt Ubar using a woman?
For three reasons: Humiliation. A Kavar or an Aretei is hot tempered and very proud. When attacked or worse, defeated by a woman he would feel very humiliated. Add to this the destroying of wells and you have two tribes facing each other in a fierce war. That was the plan and Tarna the muppet.
Second reason is simply: When she has done the job it would be easy to dispose of her: Snap a collar around her neck and done. With a man that would be somewhat more difficult, as he might have the support of the riders, which a woman never will fully have.
Last but certainly not least: It is difficult, if not impossible, to find a skilled warrior who is dishonorable enough to order the destruction of wells in the Tahari desert.
So is the character Tarna a plausible example for female warriors in the Tahari? I don’t think so. Is Tarna a good example for women being used as muppets? Indeed! So if you want to role play an evil man’s muppet, go ahead – its by the books.
Tarna ends up in a collar, after a one on one fight with Tarl. He states she is no match for a warrior. Easily he wins her over and she begs on her knees for her live. He collars and brands her in her own kasbah and re-establishes, yet again, the natural order of things.
I hope this puts the character Tarna in it’s place.
The Tahari Desert of Gor 
Thank you Sheraka! A very insightful read.
You are, of course, correct about Tarna being a mere puppet of the men. I am surprised when I see the occasional references suggesting otherwise on various Gorean Forums. Even a cursory reading of the novel shows that she is blatantly a fraud in terms of being a great warrior.
In fact, I think she is too much of a fraud. The character of Tarna is, in my opinion, one of the worst that Norman created (at least in the first 10 or so books which I have been re-reading… okay, re-skimming). This has nothing to do with role play or a Gorean worldview, but there are times in these novels where I wish he had put in more depth to make them more interesting as novels.
Tarna is one who has been lead to believe she is a great warrior in a world when women are not warriors. One would expect her to have doubts, if only in the back of her mind, things she would never voice, and, perhaps even secret fantasies of being a kajira. It would have been much better as a novel to see that conflict and transformation. Instead she captures Tarl and the conversation goes as:
Tarna: You are my slave!
Tarl: No.
Tarna: Yes you are!
Tarl: No.
Tarna: Yes! Yes! Yes!
Tarl: No.
Tarna: Okay. Teach me to be a true woman you big lug!
There are other things I didn’t like about Tribesman as a straight novel. I started to write about that, but, well, saying John Norman is a crappy writer is hardly a revelation, so I will spare you that, lol.
So again, this comment is about the writing and not about role play or the worldview, and off track on what you are talking about. But, I can’t resist commenting because, geez, even with his rather flat characters I found Tarna to be totally one dimensional.
Hi Caul
She did have those fantasies:
“I have wondered, sometimes,” said she, “what it would be like to be a woman.”
“Surely you are a woman,” I said.
“Am I attractive?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“Do you know that, with a scimitar,” she asked, “I am quite skilled, more skilled than any man?”
“No,” I said, “I did not know that.”
“But I have wondered sometimes,” she said. “What it would be like to be a woman.”
I smiled.
“A true woman,” she said, “at the mercy of a man.”
Sheraka
I would not agree that Norman/Lange is crappy writer… he just decide to express himself through media of pulp fiction. And he did follow guidelines of pulp fiction. Just like that. Gor chronicles are not “Ana Karenina” nor “The Brothers Karamazov”, but they didn’t ever pretend to be high literature…. they are pulp, but in that pulp shell is somewhat important message about deep desires of mind and nature. So, saying “Gor is crappy written” is misundestanding of genre.
Well, as I said above, I am simply giving my opinion as to the quality of the writing in the books. I don’t want to argue about it.
There are authors I read where I hang off of every word. Others not so much. I find the Gor novels to be extreme versions of the latter with lots of skimming. I will read some sections in more detail, then skim along, pay attention to another part, skim, etc.
I find his style to be repetitive, there are critical plot twists which are telegraphed from 30 parsangs away, some sentences are endless, most of the characters sound the same, there are character transformations that are too abrupt, and there are far too many digressions on why women are naturally slaves. (I’m not saying the last point is out of place in the Gor books, it’s fundamental, but he doesn’t need to hammer on it twelve times per book.)
Having said all that this doesn’t mean I am not enjoying role play in the Tahari. I am. Indeed, I am enjoying Gor a lot more than I thought I would. To be there I have to be familiar with the books, which is fine, I don’t mind that. All I am saying is that whether you compare Norman to Tolstoy or off-the-rack generic sf/fantasy that – in my opinion – the writing is not very good.