handmaidens

A handmaiden is a female attendant who provides personal and domestic services to a more senior woman, particularly within noble or royal households. The role has varied across cultures and eras, but common duties include dressing, fashion advice, running errands, accompanying the mistress in public, managing correspondence, and offering refined companionship. The status of handmaidens ranged from free household retainers to enslaved or bound servants, depending on the legal and social norms of a given time.

In medieval and early modern courts, handmaids or ladies-in-waiting formed part of a noblewoman’s household, serving as confidential attendants and supporters in ceremonial and political life. They were often expected to display deference, preserve the mistress’s privacy, and assist with patronage and matchmaking tasks.

In literature and popular culture, handmaidens appear as trusted companions or symbolic attendants. The term is notably associated with Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), in which handmaids are state-controlled reproductive workers, illustrating how the phrase can carry political and social critique.

Modern usage tends to be historical or metaphorical, referring to someone who serves as a supportive or subordinate aide to a more powerful figure. The concept also appears in fantasy settings and scholarly discussions of courtly life.

See also: maid, servant, lady-in-waiting, attendant, courtier.