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A handmaiden (or handmaid) is a female assistant (or slave) that waits at hand as a servant or attendant. Typically, queens and princesses of old would have a handmaiden - they also feature in fiction, particularly fantasy and science fiction (such as the The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and Doctor Who), and mythology - Norse goddesses (such as Frigga) frequently had handmaidens, as did Biblical characters such as Leah. [1]

Handmaidens also feature heavily in rites associated with the Wiccan religion.

Typically a handmaiden was a woman of common birth, who would take a new name upon their appointment. They would be expected to be subservient and submissive.

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. The handmaids in Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel The Handmaid's Tale (made into a 1990 film The Handmaid's Tale (film)) are another example.

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An alternative role of handmaiden is also believed by some to have been brought into being through a development within Egyptian religious practices. One of the early gods, Atum, was supposed to have brought the world into being through self-fornication. However, there was a later development whereby a female entity was brought into the story, who assisted the act of fornication. She was literally using her hands.

In subsequent ritual, a priestess would assist the priest in the ceremony, through the use of a carving representing Atum's penis. These female priests were important within the ritual for they assisted in the creation of the world.

Likewise, there are numerous references to prostitutes near or within the religious buildings. This is a mistaken representation of their role, for the priestesses were, as well as oft being 'handmaidens', involved in 'sex magic' rituals. It was believed that the culmination of the process of sex brought the participants closer to 'god' or closer to where they could commune with either gods or enlightenment. In this role, these handmaidens were essential in the process of bringing people closer to enlightenment.

• Nurse stereotypes

• Lady-in-waiting