handmaidens
Ladies in waiting
Handmaidens is the plural of handmaiden, a female servant or attendant, especially one serving a queen or noblewoman.
The term is archaic in its literal sense but survives in figurative use: something that serves or supports another thing is its handmaiden: Technology became the handmaiden of commerce.
The word carries connotations of subservience.
Hired household workers
- attendantsPeople who assist others
- maidservantsFemale household employees
- ladies-in-waitingFemale royal companions
- domesticsHousehold service workers
retainers · chambermaids · aides · helpers · assistants · household staff · menials · lackeys
Sarah's Egyptian servant
- concubinesNon-wife sexual partners kept
- surrogatesSubstitutes for others
- bondwomenFemale slaves or serfs
- matriarchsFemale family rulers
barrenness · childbearing · lineage · patriarchs · Genesis · slavery · inheritance · covenant
Imaginary terrible society
- GileadTransjordanian territory in scripture
- fertilityCapacity for reproduction
- surrogacyBearing child for others
- oppressionUnjust exercise of power
reproductive · subjugation · theocracy · totalitarian · ceremony · Commanders · Marthas · Jezebels
Those who facilitate harm
- facilitatorsThose who aid progress
- instrumentsTools for precise tasks
- vehiclesMachines for transportation
- conduitsChannels for conveying substances
auxiliaries · supports · adjuncts · companions · accessories · agents · catalysts · precursors
servants
Hired household workers
- attendantsPeople who assist others
- maidservantsFemale household employees
- ladies-in-waitingFemale royal companions
domestics · retainers · chambermaids · aides · helpers · assistants · household staff · menials · lackeys · subordinates
Hagar
Sarah's Egyptian servant
- concubinesNon-wife sexual partners kept
- surrogatesSubstitutes for others
- bondwomenFemale slaves or serfs
matriarchs · barrenness · childbearing · lineage · patriarchs · Genesis · slavery · inheritance · covenant · offspring
dystopia
Imaginary terrible society
- GileadTransjordanian territory in scripture
- fertilityCapacity for reproduction
- surrogacyBearing child for others
oppression · reproductive · subjugation · theocracy · totalitarian · ceremony · Commanders · Marthas · Jezebels · resistance
enablers
Those who facilitate harm
- facilitatorsThose who aid progress
- instrumentsTools for precise tasks
- vehiclesMachines for transportation
conduits · auxiliaries · supports · adjuncts · companions · accessories · agents · catalysts · precursors · contributors
handmaidensmistresses
Female lovers outside marriage
queens · ladies · noblewomen · princesses · empresses
handmaidensmistresses
Female lovers outside marriage
masters · employers · commanders · superiors · overlords