A grendel head popped through the hole, Inverted, looking at them with fixed, milky, dead eyes. Cadmann sank a baling hook into its neck and dragged it through the opening.

Rick said quietly, “You wouldn’t want to do that to a live and curious grendel. Whack the tail with a stick first and see if It wiggles.”

THE LEGACY OF HEOROT (with Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes), 1987

“SHALL WE INDULGE IN RISHATHRA?”

LETTER TO SCIENCE FICTION

REVIEW, NOVEMBER 1978

Enclosed are five cartoons and a possibly cryptic list, and this letter. They all relate to the word “rishathra.”

“Rishathra” is a word used extensively in THE RINGWORLD ENGINEERS, a sequel to RINGWORLD, now two-thirds finished. It is one of the few words common to all of the Ringworld languages.

The word means “Sex outside of one’s species, but within the horninids.” Sometimes rishathra applies to intelligent hominids only, and sometimes not, depending on who (and what) you’re talking to. A given species’ attitude toward rishathra, whether determined by custom or by biology, can be very important in trading, in treaties, in war.

Obviously, what Louis Wu was doing with Halrloprillalar was “rishathra.”

I was having lunch with Bill Rotsler and Sharman DiVono a year ago, and I broached this subject. I had been jotting down a list of possible replies to the question. “Shall we do rishathra?” Bill looked it over. Then he started drawing cartoons. He’s given me permission to send them to you for publication.

Some of what’s on the list of replies will go into the book. Some are useless. of course. “You do not have sufficient openings” would surely not apply to the hominids!

“SHALL WE INDULGE IN RISHATHRA?”

1)         Sure.

2)         You’re too big/small.

3)         If that’s what it takes to make a trade deal .

4)         It is not my season. Can you wait around, or come back in a falen or so?

5)         Taboo!

6)         Our species cannot. Please do not be angry/insulted.

7)         Only during our menstrual period. Day after tomorrow?

8)         Only with sentient beings. Would you mind taking a short intelligence test?

9)         Only with nonsentient beings. It lets us avoid becoming involved.

10)       Does your companion indulge? (This would require long explanation, given that Louis Wu’s companion is a kzin.)

11)       Yes. We will choose you a companion if you will state your sex.

12)       May my family watch?

13)       My family insists on watching.

14)       We have certain practices to be used as a substitute .

15)       We must eat together first.

16)       Our form of foreplay may be dangerous to you.

17)       Can you function underwater?

18)       No! You have the odor of a meat eater.

19)       May we watch you with your companion? We will reciprocate . . (Sorry, Chmeee is male.)

20)       You do not have sufficient openings.

21)       Negotiate first! Then discuss rishathra.

22)       No, but we like to talk about it.

23)       We would like to make tape recordings for our communal archives.

24)       Only during our fertile period, as a means of birth control.