Handmaiden

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A handmaiden (or handmaid) is a female attendant, assistant, servant, or slave.

Contents 1 Domestic work 2 Religion 3 In fiction 4 See also

[edit] Domestic work

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Typically, royalty and nobility would have handmaidens.

[edit] Religion

Norse goddesses (such as Frigga) had handmaidens,^{[citation needed]} as did Biblical characters such as Leah. [1] Handmaiden was also a common euphemism for a concubine; a man might use a handmaiden to bear his child if his wife was infertile - an example of this is the handmaiden (Bilhah) of the Biblical character Rachel, who gave birth to two of Jacob's children.

Handmaidens also feature heavily in rites associated with the Wiccan religion.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] In fiction

Handmaids also feature in fiction, particularly fantasy and science fiction, such as the The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and Doctor Who. The handmaids in Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel The Handmaid's Tale are a fictional example of handmaids used as concubines in an oppressive future society.

[edit] See also

• Lady-in-waiting
• Nurse stereotypes
• The Handmaid's Tale (film)