Disambiguation

Free Companion is a term specific to the Gorean setting. It should not be confused with the general use of companion in everyday English, nor with contemporary marriage. Within Gorean communities it may denote either a fictional relation described in the novels or a ceremonial form adopted by present-day practitioners.

A Free Companion is, in the Gorean setting, a free person joined to another by the contract of Companionship, the principal formal bond between free persons in the novels. The contract is typically annual and subject to renewal. Free Companions retain their own Caste and Home Stone unless otherwise arranged.

The concept is drawn from the novels and stands in contrast to the modern institution of marriage, though it fulfils some of its social functions within the setting.

In community practice, Companionship is sometimes adopted as a ceremonial form to mark long-term partnership between free persons within a Gorean household.