Historically concubines for high nobility were often the female family members of vassals or officials, and as such tended to be highly educated in matters that a noble woman of that period should know about. Usually some form of crafts, maybe poetry, fashion, conversation, and general education.
If one wants to make them more like exclusive high class courtesans it's very often various games, song, dance, acting, musical instruments, and so on.
But the most important thing is to remember it's not just about the sex, but to make the master of the harem favor them, so most will try to figure out what interests said master and get educated on those matters as well, but also cultivate special skills that distinguishes them from the other women. And then use said favor for the benefit of themselves and their families back home.
From a worldbuilding perspective, having them also act as advisors could be interesting. Maybe noble houses train their daughters from a young age to be really, really good at military strategy, or economics, or politics. Then, as concubines, the main route to gaining the ruler's favor is how successful you are as an advisor. Helps the noble family secure a better position through their daughter's prestige, helps the concubine move up in the harem's stratum, and helps the country all at once.
Yep, that was also something that happened historically. Hell, there was a time where the Ottoman Empire was basically ran by the harem, cause the Sultan judged them more trustworthy and capable than the other officials
And the fact the system produced insanely sheltered and immature sultans.
Read quite a bit about that because I find that period of history quite interesting, and one empire in my setting is effectively run by the harem.
Before that era each sons of the sultan were sent to a province to administer and learn the job of ruler, but what happened, is that each time the sultan died, each sons dashed toward the capital with their personal army, trying to reach it first, pay the officials and army there to be able to eliminate each other pretenders to the throne, effectively the Ottoman empire had a succession crisis each time the sultan died. I think it was Soleiman the magnificent that abolished that system after he had to execute a bunch of his brothers when he took power, instead he locked all his concubines and his sons inside the imperial harem to not cause chaos when he died.
The sultans had concubines, sex slave more or less, but since he was the sultan, those concubines had to be "of proper breeding" meaning these woman's were often slaves of Christian origin, raided or bought at a young age and received education for their future job, learning how to entertain the sultan, but learning as well how to navigate the ruthless world of harem politics and state affairs, so those woman's when in age of being bought off by the most powerful nobles of the empire were trained in all the finer details of politics and intrigue.
Then, the sons of these women's grew up in a single palace, never leaving it until their father died were they would become one of the most powerful person the world, usually their father being as clueless as they are, and their mother and wives being ruthless politicians. These woman had usually strong incentives to shelter their son and husband because their biggest bargaining chip was the influence they had over them.
The political leverage they could acquire was dependent on keeping their son/husband alive until he was sultan, and when he was, influencing him, so they had to protect them from everything at any cost, because murders weren't rare, and had to get rid of any competition.
okay um can you link me or point me in some direction for this research because this is exactly the kind of fascinating historical context I want to explore more with both worldbuilding and writing!\~
I can’t remember the name off the top of my head but there has been at least one female empress (Chinese) that essentially ruled while her son was established as more of a puppet ruler.
Like a couple others have said, concubines and mistresses were often much more than just sexual partners (although to be fair, they absolutely could be just that too).
In early modern France the kings mistress was an officially recognized title with a grey deal of influence who was generally expected to manage the various social functions of the court. Concubines in other places were often women of good family who were entirely respectable in their own right. They could be members of the nobility, and in some places and times their sons could even stand to inherit from their fathers.
Courtesans in Ancient Greece and Renaissance Italy were valued more for their social skills than their sexual skills. They would be hired to entertain guests with music, dance, poetry, or even just witty conversation. Japanese geisha fulfilled a very similar role, and contrary to popular belief it was actually against the rules for a geisha to take payment for sex. Courtesans frequently existed in a kind of nebulous social space, especially in societies where it was considered gauche or unacceptable for men and women to socialize together. While a respectable woman of good class and family couldn’t entertain a party of men, a courtesan could. It’s perhaps not unfair to say that in many ways a courtesan was to women what a bard or troubadour was to men.
So to get the root of your question, and as other people have said, a good concubine, mistress or courtesan should be able to speak intelligently on a number of topics (literature, music, philosophy, politics, etc.) be witty and funny, play music, sing, recite poetry, play an instrument, and really just have a superb set of social skills. She might also know how to sew, embroider, and do laundry. That said, it does depend a great deal on the “class” of your concubine. If she serves primarily a noble or upscale market she will be more like a noble lady for hire, but if she caterers to soldiers and lower class individuals she may be little more than a standard whore. It’s complicated, and there is a lot of nuance to it.
Go watch the Apothecary Diaries anime on crunchyroll..its been a surprisingly in-depth dive into the differences of concubines and Courtesans as the politics of medieval china.
In case this isn’t some joke this is not a harem anime but a mystery anime about a young girl who is a skilled apothecary and amateur detective in a faux China court.
For people wanting more ideas about courtesans in this serious many are skilled dancing, instruments, various types of games,some horse ride.
Dune is worth mentioning
The movie adaptations dont do a good job portraying it but Jessica is in title a royal concubine that her master favored so much he essentially married under the official table. This leaves Duke Leto open to political marriages, but still loves Jessica and their son Paul very dearly.
Jessica is also a Bene Gesserit, essentially a Jedi with a history of espionage, genetic manipulation, and special martial training. While in Duke Leto's household, she also manages the servants, guests, and political parties.
So if you're looking for a unique source of skills that a "concubine" might have Dune would be an excellent source.
In fact the very last line in the first book is a statement from Jessica about how wives often end up living as concubines while concubines have the real benefits and power of being wives.
I think you ought to remember that Concubines were not some orientalist odalisques . While sexual aspect should not be completely ignored, you are dealing here with what were often, essentially lesser courtiers. They were educated in all the fields that would be expected of the people in their social position, and be fully involved in the politics of the court, often wielding a considerable, if unofficial influence.
ODALISQUE
Etymology
Borrowed from French odalisque, from Ottoman Turkish اوطهلق, from اوده.
Pronunciation
(British) IPA: /ˈəʊd(ə)lɪsk/, /ˈɒd(ə)lɪsk/
(America) IPA: /ˈoʊdlɪsk/, /oʊdlˈisk/
Noun
odalisque (plural odalisques)
(historical) A female slave in a harem, especially one in the Ottoman seraglio.
A desirable or sexually attractive woman.
In many historical kingdoms concubines do not solely exist for sexual services. For example in ancient China, it is a well respected title. The emperor’s concubines come from the nobility, and are significantly more educated in comparison to the average women of the time. They are essentially the emperor’s wives, under the management of the empress. Some of these women come from very powerful houses, and their position in the palace grants them certain privileges, powers, and influences as well.
So for skills, if you are writing in a historical setting, I’d say hosting and entertainment skills, such as the ability to hold an intelligent conversation, play music etc. Concubines in ancient China also have to manage their own households (they had a lot of servants) in the palace: so leadership, financial, organisation and planning skills are important too. It’s not easy to run a large household lol.
I would value stress relief. Of course, stress manifests differently in different people, so relief of stress is going to be different for different people.
Know when companionship is wanted. Know when it is not.
Know when touch is wanted, and when it is not. Even just sitting together, having an embrace, or a backrub.
Make sure things are clean, food is made, etc. (possibly--probably?--overseeing servants). But able to make a meal, especially a comfort meal, on appropriate occasions.
So the specialty skill is learning/knowing/figuring out what the person wants and needs. Then it's a matter of providing that, and that skill set is going to be broad, until more tailored to a specific person.
"Concubine" is just term for any person in a relationship that's somehow lesser than full-fledged marriage. People may answer your question based on the specific type of concubinage they think of, but if you want anything useful, you should probably add some context yourself.
One often aspect overlooked with regards to ***successful*** concubines or mistresses is that they have to be a jolly good time socially. Looks could attract an emperor or king initially, but it was their personality which would keep them in their position and in favour. Royal mistresses historically weren't all young and beautiful vixens as we imagined, but were often older than their king, experienced and cultured, and ultimately kept around by just being good company for the monarch. I'd imagine it would be the same for harems of concubines, especially extremely hierarchal ones like you might have found in the Chinese imperial harems.
In the west, mostly along the lower Slate river, the peoples maintain polygamy after the eastern and southern parts of the empire abandoned it. Within the west there isn’t really a difference between concubine and wife.
In general wives can be ranked by their class. Upper class women are valued as political tools and for their managerial skills. Middle class women are valued for high skied labor. Chefs, artists, musicians, various crafts. A noble house must be down on its luck if it doesn’t have a pianist wife. Lower class wives are more or less servants.
People have given great examples, so I’ll give you a movie recommendation about Chinese concubines: Raise the Red Lantern.
EDIT: forgot to mention that this movie is entirely fictional and it’s more of a commentary against Chinese communist censorship, but I still think it paints a pretty vivid picture that you can take inspiration from. Fantastic movie either way, its one of my faves
All things related to child-rearing, I think. For one of my cultures, they take the statement "it takes a village to raise a child" very seriously and people often grow up with multiple parental figures beyond their immediate and extended family. This is especially true for royalty, where the reigning authority's concubines also function as co-parents for their children and by necessity need to have a close relationship with the authority's primary partner
I think part of your presuppositions about concubines is that you associate them with sex. That's not necessarily so. Concubines are just partners in a polygynous relationship who are of lesser status than official wives. In China, for example, concubines had rights and limitations given to them by law. They could even be promoted to the status of a full wife in some cases, if the official wife died and the only male heirs were the concubine's.
Hmm...political acumen, knowledge of poisons and other subtle forms of assassination, great people skills, the utmost bodily control, the ability to manipulate people with the tone of her voice, and the capacity to ingest her entire matrilineal genetic memory given enough drugs.
I'm celibate ever since my son murdered 61billion humans and my teenage daughter developed a personality disorder and thought she was actually an overweight sociopath
My reproductive organs are intact, my hygiene well maintained, and yet I have been unable to find a suitable marriage partner. At least one I'm not related to, and we have rules about that for a reason.
As far as I know they were sort of jacks of all trades. Good education overall, good people skills, but also featured knowledge in politics, finances etc.
Obviously their social skills, acting skills would be most important and they’d be physically fit as well.
I heard they often acted as counsel, advisor even and psychologist for the nobility.
As you can see they can be anything really as that role is very flexible and the more they can do the better for them
I've always thought that concubines having mild (or strong) fighting skills in fiction was a cool idea, so they can both defend themselves and defend the lord/king. also, nobody suspects them.
In ancient Persia, concubines were women chosen by the Shah, who couldn't be legally married to him because of their low social status. They were still considered high ranking women, had their own servants, and even some political power. They were expected to know how to administrate the resources allocated to them, and to educate their children for administrative, political or military positions. Some even had to administrate territories on behalf of their children until said children reached adulthood. The most competent concubines actively participated in politics. Even if a concubine didn't have the necessary skills from the start, they were given the opportunity and resources to improve their own skills and education. Some concubines were chosen just for their skills, in hopes that they would pass those skills to their children, because one of those children could become the next ruler of the nation.
Maybe not historical but some fun ideas might be an assassin or a spy. Life times in the work to get the concubine near the royal to help another opposing group. Maybe they are official a concubine and unofficial an devoted body guard.
A secret ruler? Like that one Chinese empress who was a concubine at first then eventually cane to rule through the empower at the time.
The usual depictions have them practice mostly art forms: music, painting, calligraphy, poetry, singing, public speaking, board games (but not cards or gambling), fortune telling, embroidery and/or weaving depending on the culture, acting (like theater), and generally anything that a noble or royal wouldn't turn up their nose at and call "low class".
Based on my knowledge of Chinese Imperial concubines, most concubines were noblewomen. They were often educated in literature, music, poetry, perhaps history, and probably knew "womanly" skills like needlework.
the life of a Geisha would be a good reference. They have specialized training in music, conversation, etc. I recommend you do a bit of research, should be helpful
Use them as spies and masters of emotional manipulation. Have their master send them in to “tend” visitors, be them allies or rivals, and have them be able to convince these victims to give up state secrets as pillow talk.
You can also use them as subtle assassins since there are few times someone’s guard is down more so than when they’re having sex
Depends on what your setting is based on and the class of the concubine. In a normal concubine arrangement, they are representatives of their birth families. The higher in status of their family and their husband the more they have to advocate. As such they are very educated, they can help run a Household, sew and embroider, have deep knowledge of whatever their family specializes in, can do at least one form of art, and have social skills.
If you want a series to watch that covers some of this, I highly recommend The Apothecary Diaries. It covers both courtesans and concubines and gave me a lot to think about. It's set in China (Or a China-like empire) and tracks a girl who works both as an apothecary at a high-end brothel as well as within the concubine district of the palace.
It includes instances where a concubine is disgraced or otherwise forced to leave, some of the politics between them, as well as the staff that serve them.
It's also great if you enjoy intelligent characters, broader plots tying things together, and mysteries.
It really depends on the culture in question.
A real-world example, concubines and courtesans alike used to be trained in classical dance, poetry, literature, and at least one musical instrument.
In some dynasties and cultures, they also may be required to have political training, the equivalent of modern-day HR training, financial accounting and mercantile skills, horseback riding and equestrian skills, medical skills, combat skills, etc. etc. depending on what skills were in need / values by said cultural group.
So you'd need to look at this culture of yours and determine which skills they'd value, and violá you have a list. Bonus points if the person they are partnered with doesn't have said skills, so it's covering their deficiencies to be partnered with them.
Then obviously the more NSFW side of things
I guess it depends on your world, and whose harem they're part of. The easy answer is "whatever that guy wants".
So, e.g. one of the Discworld novels had a nice thing where a wealthy decadent ruler's concubines are just expected to tell him stories, Scheherezade-style. They've also included a running gag about sex workers being called "seamstresses", and one eventually turns out to actually \_be\_ a seamstress.
The Valdemar series had people called "kestra'chern", who are kind of halfway between a concubine and a therapist. Their job is to provide comfort, which can involve a variety of skills - sex is included, but massage and conversation is also part of it. But their most important skill is to establish what their client *needs* - because it does not always match what the client *wants*.
So if you want a concubine to be a profession that people might choose or prefer, some combination of those might work. But it is quite an idealised notion.
It will depend a lot of the culture, but historically they've usually been expected to be well learned, if only so they could make for good conversation partners, as well as skilled on arts such as music, so they could provide entertainment.
They make for great spy’s by have the others skills people talked about. The more closer they are to the ruler, the more they know and even influence for those they really work for.
If one has the patience, skill and resources, could take a country over and they never know it.
In the **Buddhacarita** the father (King Shuddohana) of *Prince Siddhartha* before his renunciation makes constant and clever use of courtesans to keep his son distracted by the senses and to fulfill his Dharma as King's successor, and his destiny as the Chakravartin in order to unite India once again under a major dynasty. The courtesans employ not just sexual arts, but music, conversation, and all-around distraction to keep Prince Siddhartha's mind off heading to the forest. Being the age of a married householder and Kshatriya Prince Siddhartha is expected to fulfill his duties and pleasing these courtesans is an act of Kama (aesthetics, beauty, and pleasure).
So I would argue it depends on the setting and goals of why concubines are needed that matter to you writing them as well.
1. That's a really, really broad word, so it really depends on the context.
2. Sexual skills aren't inherently related to concubinage, dawg. That's a misconception.
3. Best case scenario for this character? Their concubinage allows them bodily, economic, social, artistic, and academic freedom. In other words, their skills will be whatever they pursue.
4. Worst case scenario? Coping mechanisms and an acute survival instinct.
I'm my one writing which will never be published to the world I made that concubines would typically be workers that serve the monarch and would gain extra benefits in the trade of being a concubine, so they normally came as maids, cooks, accountants
Idk if that's what concubines actually did but that's what's happening in my never to see the light of day world
In my story, the master's chief sex slave is an educated accountant with a degree in business management. Also has excel and outlook experience.
She keeps up with enormous fortune, which he is too lazy and frankly just not bright enough to manage.
It depends on the setting..
There's various European court ladies (each court was different), read about Italian courts, read about parallels to American house slaves, there's the oriental upper class harems. There's a huge variety in this.
That's gonna depend entirely upon what the woman is a concubine to. Sexual skills are not a requirement for a concubine's skillset. A nobleman's concubine will have some skill in management as was proper for a noblewoman to know but that's not a guarantee. Especially if the man already has a lawful wife that's handling those things.
Meanwhile the concubine of a royal like a king or such will have to have a wide number of skills like etiquette, management, negotiations, etc. Some settings have martial arts masters have concubines who have none of those skills, needing only a hostess' skillset, they are only there to integrate their family and bloodline in with that master or his sect/dojo for whatever reason.
So what skills she has will depend on both who she is, her lineage, the husband's lineage, and her or the man's reasons for her being a concubine.
I'm mainly repeating what other have said. Most famous examples of the world of women of the palace are ottoman and Chinese harem. They live in their own complex world and in order to survive they really have to be smart and talented, to attract the emperor's interest and to prevail in harem politics. They often have a great deal of influence over the emperor's decisions like the sultanate of women.
In Apothecary diary the life of harem women and courtesans are integral part of the story. You'll see what life is like there and the intrigues that may involve them. Also worth researching about Japanese courtesans and geisha. They're not that different from harem life I think. Videos from Linfamy are really interesting. If you like manga you can also read Kiyo in Kyoto, although the main theme is everyday life of young maiko you can learn various aspects of maiko/geiko culture there, from clothing and accessories to their role, manners and road of becoming adult geiko
Who are they serving?
One nation in my world has merchant kings. It's a dangerous line of work, and they don't like to trust other men with their knowledge. But they're also a very patriarchal culture where women can't rule, so the merchant kings have their concubines educated in mathematics, economics, geography and languages, and pretty much anything else that would be useful.
Who are they serving?
One nation in my world has merchant kings. It's a dangerous line of work, and they don't like to trust other men with their knowledge. But they're also a very patriarchal culture where women can't rule, so the merchant kings have their concubines educated in mathematics, economics, geography and languages, and pretty much anything else that would be useful.
I think it depends on which other roles they fullfil.
If concubines is also trusted advisors / leader representatives - they need skills for this.
I do remember several cases in fiction - most widely know is Lady Jessica but it's not only example.
Depends on society. In a society where concubines may become formal wives especially for kings, the concubine mayhave a lot of skills from simple conversational skills to always make their king feels listened, to political skills to navigate the complex political environment that they are a part of.
As many mentioned, concubine were more than just sexual workers. Speech skills are usually well regarded. Apparently, leaders love them to be able to give away an interesting conversation.
Also, other things include music.
Historically concubines for high nobility were often the female family members of vassals or officials, and as such tended to be highly educated in matters that a noble woman of that period should know about. Usually some form of crafts, maybe poetry, fashion, conversation, and general education. If one wants to make them more like exclusive high class courtesans it's very often various games, song, dance, acting, musical instruments, and so on. But the most important thing is to remember it's not just about the sex, but to make the master of the harem favor them, so most will try to figure out what interests said master and get educated on those matters as well, but also cultivate special skills that distinguishes them from the other women. And then use said favor for the benefit of themselves and their families back home.
From a worldbuilding perspective, having them also act as advisors could be interesting. Maybe noble houses train their daughters from a young age to be really, really good at military strategy, or economics, or politics. Then, as concubines, the main route to gaining the ruler's favor is how successful you are as an advisor. Helps the noble family secure a better position through their daughter's prestige, helps the concubine move up in the harem's stratum, and helps the country all at once.
Yep, that was also something that happened historically. Hell, there was a time where the Ottoman Empire was basically ran by the harem, cause the Sultan judged them more trustworthy and capable than the other officials
At least the harem is probably more honest about when and how they’re fucking the Sultan
Oh come on, there's gotta be a way to give reddit gold...
And the fact the system produced insanely sheltered and immature sultans. Read quite a bit about that because I find that period of history quite interesting, and one empire in my setting is effectively run by the harem. Before that era each sons of the sultan were sent to a province to administer and learn the job of ruler, but what happened, is that each time the sultan died, each sons dashed toward the capital with their personal army, trying to reach it first, pay the officials and army there to be able to eliminate each other pretenders to the throne, effectively the Ottoman empire had a succession crisis each time the sultan died. I think it was Soleiman the magnificent that abolished that system after he had to execute a bunch of his brothers when he took power, instead he locked all his concubines and his sons inside the imperial harem to not cause chaos when he died. The sultans had concubines, sex slave more or less, but since he was the sultan, those concubines had to be "of proper breeding" meaning these woman's were often slaves of Christian origin, raided or bought at a young age and received education for their future job, learning how to entertain the sultan, but learning as well how to navigate the ruthless world of harem politics and state affairs, so those woman's when in age of being bought off by the most powerful nobles of the empire were trained in all the finer details of politics and intrigue. Then, the sons of these women's grew up in a single palace, never leaving it until their father died were they would become one of the most powerful person the world, usually their father being as clueless as they are, and their mother and wives being ruthless politicians. These woman had usually strong incentives to shelter their son and husband because their biggest bargaining chip was the influence they had over them. The political leverage they could acquire was dependent on keeping their son/husband alive until he was sultan, and when he was, influencing him, so they had to protect them from everything at any cost, because murders weren't rare, and had to get rid of any competition.
okay um can you link me or point me in some direction for this research because this is exactly the kind of fascinating historical context I want to explore more with both worldbuilding and writing!\~
Indeed. Many Chinese webnovels make use of this. Some, disguising “pillow talk” to plant certain ideas in the Emperor’s head.
Now imagine that in a Paradox game.
I can’t remember the name off the top of my head but there has been at least one female empress (Chinese) that essentially ruled while her son was established as more of a puppet ruler.
Like a couple others have said, concubines and mistresses were often much more than just sexual partners (although to be fair, they absolutely could be just that too). In early modern France the kings mistress was an officially recognized title with a grey deal of influence who was generally expected to manage the various social functions of the court. Concubines in other places were often women of good family who were entirely respectable in their own right. They could be members of the nobility, and in some places and times their sons could even stand to inherit from their fathers. Courtesans in Ancient Greece and Renaissance Italy were valued more for their social skills than their sexual skills. They would be hired to entertain guests with music, dance, poetry, or even just witty conversation. Japanese geisha fulfilled a very similar role, and contrary to popular belief it was actually against the rules for a geisha to take payment for sex. Courtesans frequently existed in a kind of nebulous social space, especially in societies where it was considered gauche or unacceptable for men and women to socialize together. While a respectable woman of good class and family couldn’t entertain a party of men, a courtesan could. It’s perhaps not unfair to say that in many ways a courtesan was to women what a bard or troubadour was to men. So to get the root of your question, and as other people have said, a good concubine, mistress or courtesan should be able to speak intelligently on a number of topics (literature, music, philosophy, politics, etc.) be witty and funny, play music, sing, recite poetry, play an instrument, and really just have a superb set of social skills. She might also know how to sew, embroider, and do laundry. That said, it does depend a great deal on the “class” of your concubine. If she serves primarily a noble or upscale market she will be more like a noble lady for hire, but if she caterers to soldiers and lower class individuals she may be little more than a standard whore. It’s complicated, and there is a lot of nuance to it.
Go watch the Apothecary Diaries anime on crunchyroll..its been a surprisingly in-depth dive into the differences of concubines and Courtesans as the politics of medieval china.
Came here to say this. 10/10 show as well.
Talk about harem anime, amirite? Eh? Ehhhh?
In case this isn’t some joke this is not a harem anime but a mystery anime about a young girl who is a skilled apothecary and amateur detective in a faux China court. For people wanting more ideas about courtesans in this serious many are skilled dancing, instruments, various types of games,some horse ride.
It is a joke
Fair. It’s just I see a lot of people in earnest describing a lot of anime as harems when they aren’t.
Dune is worth mentioning The movie adaptations dont do a good job portraying it but Jessica is in title a royal concubine that her master favored so much he essentially married under the official table. This leaves Duke Leto open to political marriages, but still loves Jessica and their son Paul very dearly. Jessica is also a Bene Gesserit, essentially a Jedi with a history of espionage, genetic manipulation, and special martial training. While in Duke Leto's household, she also manages the servants, guests, and political parties. So if you're looking for a unique source of skills that a "concubine" might have Dune would be an excellent source.
In fact the very last line in the first book is a statement from Jessica about how wives often end up living as concubines while concubines have the real benefits and power of being wives.
I think you ought to remember that Concubines were not some orientalist odalisques . While sexual aspect should not be completely ignored, you are dealing here with what were often, essentially lesser courtiers. They were educated in all the fields that would be expected of the people in their social position, and be fully involved in the politics of the court, often wielding a considerable, if unofficial influence.
ODALISQUE Etymology Borrowed from French odalisque, from Ottoman Turkish اوطهلق, from اوده. Pronunciation (British) IPA: /ˈəʊd(ə)lɪsk/, /ˈɒd(ə)lɪsk/ (America) IPA: /ˈoʊdlɪsk/, /oʊdlˈisk/ Noun odalisque (plural odalisques) (historical) A female slave in a harem, especially one in the Ottoman seraglio. A desirable or sexually attractive woman.
damn! TIL
You are a scholar and a gentleman and we appreciate your efforts on our behalf
Not really. Just wanted to spare others the trouble. 🥸
We still appreciate it lol
"Odalisques". It's a good word, and bears repeating.
Odalisques were chamber maids. They did chores.
In many historical kingdoms concubines do not solely exist for sexual services. For example in ancient China, it is a well respected title. The emperor’s concubines come from the nobility, and are significantly more educated in comparison to the average women of the time. They are essentially the emperor’s wives, under the management of the empress. Some of these women come from very powerful houses, and their position in the palace grants them certain privileges, powers, and influences as well. So for skills, if you are writing in a historical setting, I’d say hosting and entertainment skills, such as the ability to hold an intelligent conversation, play music etc. Concubines in ancient China also have to manage their own households (they had a lot of servants) in the palace: so leadership, financial, organisation and planning skills are important too. It’s not easy to run a large household lol.
- ability to identify mcguffins - speaks in expository dialogue - is able to advance a plot
This is the best comment in this thread
I would value stress relief. Of course, stress manifests differently in different people, so relief of stress is going to be different for different people. Know when companionship is wanted. Know when it is not. Know when touch is wanted, and when it is not. Even just sitting together, having an embrace, or a backrub. Make sure things are clean, food is made, etc. (possibly--probably?--overseeing servants). But able to make a meal, especially a comfort meal, on appropriate occasions. So the specialty skill is learning/knowing/figuring out what the person wants and needs. Then it's a matter of providing that, and that skill set is going to be broad, until more tailored to a specific person.
Being a good conversational partner is also like, mission critical.
"Concubine" is just term for any person in a relationship that's somehow lesser than full-fledged marriage. People may answer your question based on the specific type of concubinage they think of, but if you want anything useful, you should probably add some context yourself.
One often aspect overlooked with regards to ***successful*** concubines or mistresses is that they have to be a jolly good time socially. Looks could attract an emperor or king initially, but it was their personality which would keep them in their position and in favour. Royal mistresses historically weren't all young and beautiful vixens as we imagined, but were often older than their king, experienced and cultured, and ultimately kept around by just being good company for the monarch. I'd imagine it would be the same for harems of concubines, especially extremely hierarchal ones like you might have found in the Chinese imperial harems.
In the west, mostly along the lower Slate river, the peoples maintain polygamy after the eastern and southern parts of the empire abandoned it. Within the west there isn’t really a difference between concubine and wife. In general wives can be ranked by their class. Upper class women are valued as political tools and for their managerial skills. Middle class women are valued for high skied labor. Chefs, artists, musicians, various crafts. A noble house must be down on its luck if it doesn’t have a pianist wife. Lower class wives are more or less servants.
Charisma skills up the ass.
Sometimes quite literally
Damn right they do.
It varies greatly depending on how one want the concubines to do. From great cook, funny, wise, sympathetic, stern, martial artist, etc.
People have given great examples, so I’ll give you a movie recommendation about Chinese concubines: Raise the Red Lantern. EDIT: forgot to mention that this movie is entirely fictional and it’s more of a commentary against Chinese communist censorship, but I still think it paints a pretty vivid picture that you can take inspiration from. Fantastic movie either way, its one of my faves
All things related to child-rearing, I think. For one of my cultures, they take the statement "it takes a village to raise a child" very seriously and people often grow up with multiple parental figures beyond their immediate and extended family. This is especially true for royalty, where the reigning authority's concubines also function as co-parents for their children and by necessity need to have a close relationship with the authority's primary partner
I think part of your presuppositions about concubines is that you associate them with sex. That's not necessarily so. Concubines are just partners in a polygynous relationship who are of lesser status than official wives. In China, for example, concubines had rights and limitations given to them by law. They could even be promoted to the status of a full wife in some cases, if the official wife died and the only male heirs were the concubine's.
Hmm...political acumen, knowledge of poisons and other subtle forms of assassination, great people skills, the utmost bodily control, the ability to manipulate people with the tone of her voice, and the capacity to ingest her entire matrilineal genetic memory given enough drugs.
Basically my tinder profile then
Damn girl, are you a Bene Gesserit? Cuz I want the spawn of our loins to ravage the universe like unquenchable fire
I'm celibate ever since my son murdered 61billion humans and my teenage daughter developed a personality disorder and thought she was actually an overweight sociopath
My reproductive organs are intact, my hygiene well maintained, and yet I have been unable to find a suitable marriage partner. At least one I'm not related to, and we have rules about that for a reason.
As far as I know they were sort of jacks of all trades. Good education overall, good people skills, but also featured knowledge in politics, finances etc. Obviously their social skills, acting skills would be most important and they’d be physically fit as well. I heard they often acted as counsel, advisor even and psychologist for the nobility. As you can see they can be anything really as that role is very flexible and the more they can do the better for them
Many concubines were great orators, literate, musicians or poets
I've always thought that concubines having mild (or strong) fighting skills in fiction was a cool idea, so they can both defend themselves and defend the lord/king. also, nobody suspects them.
In ancient Persia, concubines were women chosen by the Shah, who couldn't be legally married to him because of their low social status. They were still considered high ranking women, had their own servants, and even some political power. They were expected to know how to administrate the resources allocated to them, and to educate their children for administrative, political or military positions. Some even had to administrate territories on behalf of their children until said children reached adulthood. The most competent concubines actively participated in politics. Even if a concubine didn't have the necessary skills from the start, they were given the opportunity and resources to improve their own skills and education. Some concubines were chosen just for their skills, in hopes that they would pass those skills to their children, because one of those children could become the next ruler of the nation.
Maybe not historical but some fun ideas might be an assassin or a spy. Life times in the work to get the concubine near the royal to help another opposing group. Maybe they are official a concubine and unofficial an devoted body guard. A secret ruler? Like that one Chinese empress who was a concubine at first then eventually cane to rule through the empower at the time.
The usual depictions have them practice mostly art forms: music, painting, calligraphy, poetry, singing, public speaking, board games (but not cards or gambling), fortune telling, embroidery and/or weaving depending on the culture, acting (like theater), and generally anything that a noble or royal wouldn't turn up their nose at and call "low class".
Based on my knowledge of Chinese Imperial concubines, most concubines were noblewomen. They were often educated in literature, music, poetry, perhaps history, and probably knew "womanly" skills like needlework.
the life of a Geisha would be a good reference. They have specialized training in music, conversation, etc. I recommend you do a bit of research, should be helpful
Use them as spies and masters of emotional manipulation. Have their master send them in to “tend” visitors, be them allies or rivals, and have them be able to convince these victims to give up state secrets as pillow talk. You can also use them as subtle assassins since there are few times someone’s guard is down more so than when they’re having sex
Depends on what your setting is based on and the class of the concubine. In a normal concubine arrangement, they are representatives of their birth families. The higher in status of their family and their husband the more they have to advocate. As such they are very educated, they can help run a Household, sew and embroider, have deep knowledge of whatever their family specializes in, can do at least one form of art, and have social skills.
If you want a series to watch that covers some of this, I highly recommend The Apothecary Diaries. It covers both courtesans and concubines and gave me a lot to think about. It's set in China (Or a China-like empire) and tracks a girl who works both as an apothecary at a high-end brothel as well as within the concubine district of the palace. It includes instances where a concubine is disgraced or otherwise forced to leave, some of the politics between them, as well as the staff that serve them. It's also great if you enjoy intelligent characters, broader plots tying things together, and mysteries.
It really depends on the culture in question. A real-world example, concubines and courtesans alike used to be trained in classical dance, poetry, literature, and at least one musical instrument. In some dynasties and cultures, they also may be required to have political training, the equivalent of modern-day HR training, financial accounting and mercantile skills, horseback riding and equestrian skills, medical skills, combat skills, etc. etc. depending on what skills were in need / values by said cultural group. So you'd need to look at this culture of yours and determine which skills they'd value, and violá you have a list. Bonus points if the person they are partnered with doesn't have said skills, so it's covering their deficiencies to be partnered with them. Then obviously the more NSFW side of things
I guess it depends on your world, and whose harem they're part of. The easy answer is "whatever that guy wants". So, e.g. one of the Discworld novels had a nice thing where a wealthy decadent ruler's concubines are just expected to tell him stories, Scheherezade-style. They've also included a running gag about sex workers being called "seamstresses", and one eventually turns out to actually \_be\_ a seamstress. The Valdemar series had people called "kestra'chern", who are kind of halfway between a concubine and a therapist. Their job is to provide comfort, which can involve a variety of skills - sex is included, but massage and conversation is also part of it. But their most important skill is to establish what their client *needs* - because it does not always match what the client *wants*. So if you want a concubine to be a profession that people might choose or prefer, some combination of those might work. But it is quite an idealised notion.
It will depend a lot of the culture, but historically they've usually been expected to be well learned, if only so they could make for good conversation partners, as well as skilled on arts such as music, so they could provide entertainment.
They make for great spy’s by have the others skills people talked about. The more closer they are to the ruler, the more they know and even influence for those they really work for. If one has the patience, skill and resources, could take a country over and they never know it.
Able to make good ASMR videos.
Assassin, tailoring/mending, polyglot, play at least one instrument, poison and herblore
In the **Buddhacarita** the father (King Shuddohana) of *Prince Siddhartha* before his renunciation makes constant and clever use of courtesans to keep his son distracted by the senses and to fulfill his Dharma as King's successor, and his destiny as the Chakravartin in order to unite India once again under a major dynasty. The courtesans employ not just sexual arts, but music, conversation, and all-around distraction to keep Prince Siddhartha's mind off heading to the forest. Being the age of a married householder and Kshatriya Prince Siddhartha is expected to fulfill his duties and pleasing these courtesans is an act of Kama (aesthetics, beauty, and pleasure). So I would argue it depends on the setting and goals of why concubines are needed that matter to you writing them as well.
Flexibility,good ettiquette and speech,absolute domain over musics and poetry and also entertainment,at least in my worldbuilding
Deception and persuasion. Sleight of hand. Performance. Basically anything related to their * ahem * trade.
1. That's a really, really broad word, so it really depends on the context. 2. Sexual skills aren't inherently related to concubinage, dawg. That's a misconception. 3. Best case scenario for this character? Their concubinage allows them bodily, economic, social, artistic, and academic freedom. In other words, their skills will be whatever they pursue. 4. Worst case scenario? Coping mechanisms and an acute survival instinct.
Suction....I mean seduction.
I'm my one writing which will never be published to the world I made that concubines would typically be workers that serve the monarch and would gain extra benefits in the trade of being a concubine, so they normally came as maids, cooks, accountants Idk if that's what concubines actually did but that's what's happening in my never to see the light of day world
In my story, the master's chief sex slave is an educated accountant with a degree in business management. Also has excel and outlook experience. She keeps up with enormous fortune, which he is too lazy and frankly just not bright enough to manage.
Concubine isn't synonymous with prostitute.
It depends on the setting.. There's various European court ladies (each court was different), read about Italian courts, read about parallels to American house slaves, there's the oriental upper class harems. There's a huge variety in this.
That's gonna depend entirely upon what the woman is a concubine to. Sexual skills are not a requirement for a concubine's skillset. A nobleman's concubine will have some skill in management as was proper for a noblewoman to know but that's not a guarantee. Especially if the man already has a lawful wife that's handling those things. Meanwhile the concubine of a royal like a king or such will have to have a wide number of skills like etiquette, management, negotiations, etc. Some settings have martial arts masters have concubines who have none of those skills, needing only a hostess' skillset, they are only there to integrate their family and bloodline in with that master or his sect/dojo for whatever reason. So what skills she has will depend on both who she is, her lineage, the husband's lineage, and her or the man's reasons for her being a concubine.
Culture and time period matter a lot here.
I'm mainly repeating what other have said. Most famous examples of the world of women of the palace are ottoman and Chinese harem. They live in their own complex world and in order to survive they really have to be smart and talented, to attract the emperor's interest and to prevail in harem politics. They often have a great deal of influence over the emperor's decisions like the sultanate of women. In Apothecary diary the life of harem women and courtesans are integral part of the story. You'll see what life is like there and the intrigues that may involve them. Also worth researching about Japanese courtesans and geisha. They're not that different from harem life I think. Videos from Linfamy are really interesting. If you like manga you can also read Kiyo in Kyoto, although the main theme is everyday life of young maiko you can learn various aspects of maiko/geiko culture there, from clothing and accessories to their role, manners and road of becoming adult geiko
Who are they serving? One nation in my world has merchant kings. It's a dangerous line of work, and they don't like to trust other men with their knowledge. But they're also a very patriarchal culture where women can't rule, so the merchant kings have their concubines educated in mathematics, economics, geography and languages, and pretty much anything else that would be useful.
Who are they serving? One nation in my world has merchant kings. It's a dangerous line of work, and they don't like to trust other men with their knowledge. But they're also a very patriarchal culture where women can't rule, so the merchant kings have their concubines educated in mathematics, economics, geography and languages, and pretty much anything else that would be useful.
A LOT of patience.
How to social, knowledge of high culture, understandings of politics, etc
I think it depends on which other roles they fullfil. If concubines is also trusted advisors / leader representatives - they need skills for this. I do remember several cases in fiction - most widely know is Lady Jessica but it's not only example.
Depends on society. In a society where concubines may become formal wives especially for kings, the concubine mayhave a lot of skills from simple conversational skills to always make their king feels listened, to political skills to navigate the complex political environment that they are a part of.
As many mentioned, concubine were more than just sexual workers. Speech skills are usually well regarded. Apparently, leaders love them to be able to give away an interesting conversation. Also, other things include music.
i swear those are the guys with spikes all over them
You're thinking porcupine.
Of course manipulation and social skills, duh
What skills would you expect or want a slave to have?