Odalisque
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An odalisque was a female slave or concubine in the Ottoman Seraglio, tending to the harem of the Turkish sultan. The word appears in a French form, and originates from the Turkish odalık, meaning "chambermaid", from oda, "chamber" or "room". Various writers spell the word as odahlic, odalisk, and odaliq.
An odalisque was not a concubine of the harem, but she could possibly become one. Odalisques were the virgin slaves of the harem, where they were at the bottom of the social ladder, serving not the sultan himself but rather his concubines and wives as personal chambermaids. Odalisques were usually given as gifts to the sultan, and many Georgian and Caucasian families even urged their daughters to enter the harem as slaves in the hopes that they would become a palace concubine, favored slave, or wife of the sultan.
An odalisque was generally never seen by the sultan, but instead was under the direct supervision of the Valide sultan. If an odalisque was of extraordinary beauty or had exceptional talent in dancing or singing, she would be trained as a possible concubine. If called for, an odalisque trained as a concubine would serve the sultan sexually, and only after such sexual use would she change in status, becoming thenceforth a concubine. In the Ottoman Empire, concubines provided the equivalent of a one-night stand in modern times, and would only see the sultan again if they were especially skilled in dance, singing, or the sexual arts, and had thus caught his attention. If by chance the concubine's time with the sultan resulted in the birth of a son, she would become one of his wives.
In popular usage, the word odalisque may also loosely refer to a mistress, concubine, or paramour of a wealthy man.
- In Western culture odalisques became common 19th century fantasy figures in the artistic movement known as Orientalism; they feature in many erotic paintings from that era.
- A song by The Decemberists speaks of the Odalisques (perhaps figuratively) with some fairly provocative lyrics: "Lay your belly under mine/Naked under me, under me/Such a filthy dimming shine/The way you kick and scream, kick and scream"
See also
- Circassian beauties
- Culture of the Ottoman Empire
- Hammam
- Harem
- Köçek
- Orientalism
- Ottoman Turkish language
- Seraglio
Sources
- The Imperial Harem by Leslie Pierce
- The Nature of the Early Ottoman State Heath W Lowry
External links
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