The mysterious East still has many unique traditions and laws, and in former times it was completely surprising with a different way of life from the European way of life. The mere fact that the ruler had a huge harem, the inhabitants of which could simultaneously be thousands of girls, girls and women of different ages and nationalities, still arouses curiosity and controversy, a desire to learn more and understand the features of such an unusual family structure. Who is this Odalisque? What is her role in the life of a harem?
Who are the odalisques
The meaning of the word "odalisque" in Western literature is often at odds with the actual one.
Slaves and servants were called odalisques in harems. They mainly served as maids to the sultan's wives and mistresses, doing housework.
Ignorance and misunderstanding of the hierarchy of the harem gave rise to western world an alternative version, according to which odalisks are the sultan's mistresses.
Of course, any odalisque belonged to the owner of the harem, and he could use it at his discretion, but they were not purposefully prepared for these functions. Most of the slaves fell into the harem in this capacity, but upon examination or general learning the most beautiful and talented, who attracted the attention of the servants of the harem responsible for this, soon changed their status, falling on the bed of the sultan.
Origin of the word
Odalisque is a French word in form that originates from the Turkish odalik, meaning a maid in rooms, "maid" (oda means "chambers" or "rooms"). It is possible to write odahlik, odalisk, odaliq.
Odalisque's place in the hierarchy of harem women
At the top of the hierarchy were women from the sultan's clan - his mother (valid), then sisters and daughters. In 1521, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent introduced the title "Haseki", which was later used for the ruler's wives and beloved concubines, who occupied a special position under him and had a high status - after the title belonging to the mother of the Turkish emperor, he was the second most important.
The sultan's wives were called kadins or kadyn, the most significant of them was bakh-kadina. Official wives were allowed to have no more than four. The rest of the kadins, relations with whom were not confirmed by the marriage contract and ceremony, but who became the mothers of the sultan's children, also occupied a very high position in the harem.
After the favorites, the next in importance and influence were the gedikli or kalfs - the powerful personal servants of the Sultan and families with their own titles and areas of responsibility. The most respected of them is Kahya Kadyn, who was the caretaker of the harem.
One of essential women was the khaznedar-usta, who performed the functions of the chief (great) treasurer of the harem, she obeyed the kahya kadyn.
The next and lowest in the hierarchy are odalisques - they are from a certain age here - those that the sultan "honored with a glance", if we talk about the translation of the word. Girls from about 13 years old who performed the role of servants, but were potential concubines, belonged to the place.
In fact, odalisques were all women in a harem who did not have a separate reason to change their situation. Unnoticed and unselected from total mass, they did a variety of jobs and dreamed of raising their status.
Possible fate
Everyone in the harem could hope to rise higher in the general hierarchy. A huge number of rivals contributed to the development of many insidious intrigues. Odalisques had to have extraordinary beauty or ability in order for the upward advancement to begin quickly.
Otherwise, the attention of the Sultan, changes in their fate and status were sought by various tricks. Fate did not smile at every odalisque, so that such a course of life, which did not go beyond the usual for a servant, became the lot of hundreds of girls.
Odalisque Odalisque (tour. Odalik). Concubine of the Sultan.Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language.- Chudinov A.N., 1910.
ODALISCUS concubine in a harem, in the East.
A complete dictionary of foreign words that have come into use in the Russian language. - Popov M., 1907.
ODALISCA slave in eastern harems.
Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language.- Pavlenkov F., 1907.
Odalisque ( fr. odalisque tour.) 1) a slave or servant in a harem; 2) a concubine in a harem.
New Dictionary of Foreign Words - by EdwART, 2009.
Odalisque odalisque, f. [from Turkish, lit. assigned to the room]. 1. Slave, servant in the harem. 2. In European novels from oriental life (due to a misunderstanding of the Turkish word) - an inhabitant of a harem, a concubine.
A large dictionary of foreign words. - Publishing house "IDDK", 2007.
Odalisque and, f., soul. (fr. odalisque tour.ōdalik ōdah room).
Slave (maid) or concubine in a harem.
Dictionary foreign words L.P. Krysin.- M: Russian language, 1998.
Odalisque is:
Odalisque Ingres. "Big Odalisque".Odalisque(from Tur. odalık - "maid, slave, servant") - a woman who is in the sultan's harem. Odalisques were perceived in the West as concubines or sex slaves, and their status was lower than that of an official wife. In fact, they were the servants of the sultan's wives. Usually they never saw the Sultan. If the odalisque was distinguished by beauty, or some kind of arts, she was prepared to become the wife of the Sultan. A beautiful odalisque, who managed to charm the master with her beauty, singing and dancing, could become the wife of the Sultan. The image of the odalisques attracted the imagination of 19th century Orientalist Western artists (Ingres). These artists, who had not seen, let alone the Sultan's palace, and often not even been to the Ottoman Empire, depicted pictures drawn by their imaginations. Odalisques were usually depicted as young, beautiful, half-naked women in oriental clothing and interiors. In the images, they either reclined on pillows against the background of carpets and a hookah, or performed a belly dance in front of their master.
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Categories:- Harem
- Sexual slavery
Odalisque
Ingres. "Big Odalisque". 
Sleeping Odalisque; 1745; German National Museum in Nuremberg Odalisque(from Tur. odalık - "maid, slave, servant") - a woman who is in the sultan's harem. Odalisques were perceived in the West as concubines or sex slaves, and their status was lower than that of an official wife. In fact, they were the servants of the sultan's wives. Usually they never saw the Sultan. A beautiful odalisque, who managed to charm the master with her beauty, singing and dancing, could become the wife of the Sultan.
The image of the odalisques attracted the imagination of 19th century Western Orientalist painters (Ingres). These artists, who had not seen, let alone the Sultan's palace, and often not even been to the Ottoman Empire, depicted pictures drawn by their imaginations. Odalisques were usually depicted as young, beautiful, half-naked women in oriental clothing and interiors. In the images, they either reclined on pillows against the background of carpets and a hookah, or performed a belly dance in front of their master.
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Who is an odalisque?
How can it be called differently?
Marina82
Odalisque, who is also a concubine, is a woman from the harem of the Eastern ruler or a rich man, who is not his wife, but at his request must please him. You can also call her a slave, but this is a bit of a wrong word.
Odalisque from Turkish translates as "slave, maid, servant." Many odalisques possessed beauty and knew how to sing and dance well. If the odalisque was pleasing to the sultan's wife, it could be prepared in order to become the wife of the master himself.
In many meanings, odalisques are maids in the sultan's harem, and the translation itself from Turkish "odalık" is a maid, a slave, a maid. However, many sources claim that the odalisques were "goddesses of the harem", they were often depicted by artists on their canvases. How it was actually quite difficult to say.
In films, however, the main meaning of the word "odalisque" is offensive, indicating the low position of the girl or her indecent behavior.
Matvey628
Odalisque Is an inhabitant of a harem. Odaliska can be called Gulchatay from the "White Sun of the Desert" or any other wife of the harsh Abdullah.
The purpose of the odalisque- the gratification of his master, the agonizing expectation of love.
In a figurative sense of the word, odalisques were called mistresses of rich gentlemen, whom they rented or gave an apartment and visited them from time to time.
I have odalisque word steadfastly associated with Ingres' painting "Big Odalisque".
Julia Muromskaya
Odalisque is a captive of a harem, or in other words, a slave who mainly served the Sultan, pleasing him in carnal pleasures. But the odalisques were also like servants, serving the wives of the Sultan. As a rule, odalisques had no rights.
Now this expression is often used in eastern countries, just as an insult.
And you can read about the difficult fates of the odalists on this site.
Tatty
Odalisque is a young, attractive woman who somehow ended up in the eastern harem and was there as one of the many concubines of the owner of the harem.
Odalisque was not the sultan's wife, she was something like a servant of his wives, and also entertained the owner of the harem with dancing and singing. The odalisque, which strongly attracted the Sultan, could pretend to be his wife.
Tamil123
Odalisque is a woman from the sultan's harem. In the now popular TV series, Clone Lara Nazira always calls Latifa and Zhadi odalisks. In general, in the speech sense of Lar Nazira, it is more like the meaning of the word "prostitute".
Odalisque (maid, slave, maid) is a woman who is in the sultan's harem. Odalisques were perceived in the West as concubines or sex slaves, their status was lower than that of an official wife. They were the servants of the Sultan's wives. Usually they never saw the Sultan. If the odalisque was distinguished by beauty, or some kind of arts, she was prepared to become the wife of the Sultan.
A beautiful odalisque, who managed to charm the master with her beauty, singing and dancing, could become the wife of the Sultan. The image of the odalisques attracted the imagination of 19th century Orientalist Western artists. These artists, who had not seen, let alone the Sultan's palace, and often not even been to the Ottoman Empire, depicted pictures drawn by their imaginations. Odalisques were usually depicted as young, beautiful, half-naked women in oriental clothing and interiors. In the images, they either reclined on pillows against the background of carpets and a hookah, or performed a belly dance in front of their master.
The traditional harem (from the Arabic "haram" - forbidden) is the female half of the Muslim house. Only the head of the family and his sons had access to the harem. For everyone else, this part of the Arab home is a strict taboo. This taboo was observed so strictly and zealously that the Turkish chronicler Dursun Bey wrote: "If the sun were a man, then even he would be forbidden to look into the harem."
Concubine candidates were forced to sever all ties with the outside world, received new names and learned to live in obedience.
The largest in the history of the Muslim world was the Istanbul harem Dar-ul-Seadet, in which all the women were foreign slaves, the Turkish women did not get there. The concubines in this harem were called "odalisque", a little later the Europeans added the letter "s" to the word and got "odalisque". From among the odalisques, the sultan chose up to seven wives for himself. Those who were lucky to become a "wife" received the title of "kadyn" - madam. The main "kadyn" was the one who managed to give birth to the first child.
But not many were destined to give birth. In a harem there are up to a thousand concubines and it is easier to wait for the weather by the sea than the sacred sacrament of mating with the sultan. Even if the Sultan condescends, it is not a fact that the happy concubine will necessarily become pregnant. And even more so, it is not a fact that she is not going to have a miscarriage.
Old slaves watched the odalisques and any pregnancy noticed was immediately terminated. And this is logical - any woman in childbirth became a contender for the role of a legitimate "kadyn", and her baby - a contender for the throne.
But if the odalisque managed to keep the pregnancy and did not allow the child to be killed during "unsuccessful childbirth", she automatically received her own staff of slaves, eunuchs and an annual Basmalik salary.
If the sultan died, all the concubines were sorted by the sex of the children they had time to give birth. The girls' mothers could well get married, but the mothers of the "princes" settled in the "Old Palace", from where they could leave only after the accession of the new Sultan.
Irishka, thank you for the interesting answer !!!
Barinova tanya
As now, they would say in hotel business- housemaid. This was the work of an odalisque, and being slaves, they served in a harem, but were assigned to serve one wife (or concubine), that is, they served the room in which the hostess lived. And, only an incorrect translation and interpretation allowed the mistake to happen, due to which the odalisques were considered concubines in Europe. Odalisques during the years of service in the harem could never see the owner of the harem.
Who is "odalisque" and where does this word come from?
Nina duke
Odalisque (from Tur. Odaliq, "maid, slave, servant") is a woman who is in the sultan's harem. Odalisques were perceived as concubines or sex slaves, but their status was lower than that of an official wife. Officially, they were the servants of the sultan's wives. They were recruited from virgins and presented as a gift to the sultans. The beautiful odalisque, who managed to charm the master with her beauty, singing and dancing, became the wife of the Sultan. The image of the odalisques attracted the imagination of 19th century artists (Ingres). Usually they were depicted as young, beautiful half-naked women in oriental clothes and interiors. In the images, they either reclined on pillows against the background of carpets and a hookah, or performed a belly dance in front of their master.
From time immemorial it has developed that rich aristocrats and other representatives of the nobility did not deny themselves the pleasure of spending time with a beautiful and seductive girl. In the West or the East, there was little difference. Only in Europe they were called courtesans, in China - Changsan, and in the harems of the sultans - odalisques.
Changsan
If we turn our attention to the Celestial Empire, then there women close in occupation to European courtesans were called Changsan. Their tasks included entertaining men with songs, dances, and conversations. Changsan has been trained in this craft since childhood.
They themselves decided to have sex with men or not. More often than not, Changsan became the kept women of wealthy bachelors. It was not uncommon for girls to marry their patrons.
Odalisque
Odalisques were those women who were in the sultan's harem. They all wanted to be in the master's quarters, but for most of them it remained an unattainable dream.
Those unlucky were the maids in the harem. They carried out all the orders of the sultan's wives. In addition, the odalisques did not give up learning to dance, singing, versification, needlework, because at any moment the sovereign could call them to him.
Courtesan
The heyday of courtesans in Europe came at the end of the 18th and mid-19th centuries. The Ladies of the Half World were divided into two categories: the lower courtesans (cortigiane di lume) and the honest courtesans (cortigiane oneste). While the former were comparable to street prostitutes, the latter were several steps higher. Such ladies were specially trained in music, dancing, good manners, correct speech, so that wealthy aristocrats were not bored with them.
The younger and more cunning the courtesan was, the higher her chances of getting a patron became. It also happened that because of courtesans kings abdicated the throne.
Pilesh
In Jewish tradition, the designation pilegesh was understood as a female concubine who was in the house if the wife was unable to conceive a child. Even if the Pilegesh gave birth to a child, she still remained in the status of a servant, but not a slave.
A similar case is even recorded in biblical texts. For example, the character Sarah and Abraham. Sarah could not give birth to a child, so she voluntarily sent the maid Hagar to her husband so that she would give birth to his son.
One of the most famous and scandalous "ladies of the half-light" is considered
The unusual mysterious life of the East keeps a huge number of unique features and traditions. The harem is no exception, that is, part of the palace or house where the wives of Muslim rulers lived. Odalisque is one of the inhabitants of the harem (girl, woman), who was a servant for the masters, although at the same time she often played the role of a concubine.
What did the odalisque do
Translated from Turkish, "odalisque" means "room girl", which directly indicates the type of her duties - household, domestic service. Odalisques performed tasks and were subordinate exclusively to the female part of the nobility of the harem, that is, to those who were closest to the sultan (mother, sisters, wives). Amazingly, the clothes of these oriental slaves did not differ in gloss, showiness, beauty, and were about the same as that of the male working staff of the harem. Odalisques occupied the lowest level in the hierarchy of the harem, had no rights and could not declare themselves, however, opportunities were still open for them to take a higher position. If the odalisque was distinguished by the presence of talents in any entertaining sphere, for example, she could charmingly sing, dance perfectly, or even possessed several unique abilities at once, for her there appeared prospects of becoming the wife of the Sultan, in this situation and her desire, she studied in order to become a concubine. This was especially true of those servants who managed to win his sympathy and even the love of the Sultan, such a situation was not uncommon in their living conditions. It is noteworthy that the system of relations in the harem was not depraved, according to Eastern laws everything in it was strict and clear, therefore it is incorrect to call odalisques prostitutes.
Odalisque in art
For European society of the late 18th - early 19th centuries. the oriental way of life, in particular, the harem lifestyle was incomprehensible, mysterious, unexplored, but this aroused great curiosity, therefore, the flight of fantasy and imagination allowed Europeans to misinterpret the concept of odalisque and identify it with a concubine in literary novels, and in painting, thanks to an erroneous representation, formed the direction of "orientalism", in which the odalisques were portrayed in a completely different way than it was in reality. Orientalist artists painted odalisques naked or half-naked in a typical harem setting; in the paintings they depicted hookahs, pillows, and carpets. An oriental slave in such canvases usually lay on her side or performed a belly dance in front of the sultan in an erotic setting.
Odalisques were perceived in the West as concubines or sex slaves, and their status was lower than that of an official wife. In fact, they were the servants of the sultan's wives. Usually they never saw the Sultan. If the odalisque was distinguished by beauty, or some kind of arts, she was prepared to become the wife of the Sultan. A beautiful odalisque, who managed to charm the master with her beauty, singing and dancing, could become the wife of the Sultan. The image of the odalisques attracted the imagination of 19th century Orientalist Western artists (Ingres). These artists, who had not seen, let alone the Sultan's palace, and often not even been to the Ottoman Empire, depicted pictures drawn by their imaginations. Odalisques were usually depicted as young, beautiful, half-naked women in oriental clothing and interiors. In the images, they either reclined on pillows against the background of carpets and a hookah, or performed a belly dance in front of their master.
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Synonyms:See what "Odalisque" is in other dictionaries:
- (tour odalik). Concubine of the Sultan. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov AN, 1910. ODALISKA concubine in a harem, in the East. A complete dictionary of foreign words that have come into use in the Russian language. Popov M., 1907 ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
In European novels from oriental life (due to a misunderstanding of the Turkish word): an inhabitant of a harem, a concubine (Ushakov) See ... Synonym dictionary
odalisque- and, w. odalisque f. tour. odalik assigned to the room. 1. Slave or servant in a harem. ALS 1. Why didn't they bring cold sorbet! Why did slender odalisques not breathe with variegated fans, dropping the long eyelashes of their black eyes and throwing ... ... Historical Dictionary of Russian Gallicisms
- (inosc.) favorite (a hint of an odalisque in the Sultan's seraglio). Wed He combined in himself all kinds of love from casual indiscretions to attachment to odalisks and to the first sultana. Lѣskov. Old-time psychopaths. 5. Wed Neither tambourines nor ... Michelson's Big Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)
Odalisque, odalisques, wives (from Turkish, lit. assigned to the room). 1. Slave, servant in the harem. 2. In European novels from oriental life (due to a misunderstanding of the Turkish word), an inhabitant of a harem, a concubine. Sensible ... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary
ODALISCA, and, wives. (book). A servant in a harem, as well as an inhabitant of a harem, a concubine. Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary
Odalisque- ■ (See La Bayadere) ... Lexicon of common truths
odalisque- odalisque, genus. pl. odalisoc ... Dictionary of pronunciation and stress difficulties in modern Russian
See Harem ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron
