eskemø

English translation: chambermaid

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Norwegian term or phrase:eskemø
English translation:chambermaid
Entered by: Isabelle Knudsen

13:37 Sep 27, 2016
Norwegian to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / Nordic Culture
Norwegian term or phrase: eskemø
Hi everyone,

I am translating a fictional novel that takes place in the 1000s. I came across this paragraph, and can't seem to find an appropriate English word/translation for "eskemøen". Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

"Trellkvinnene begynte å rydde bort drikkehorn, matfat og begere for å ta det med ut i forrådshuset. Hver trell hadde sitt faste arbeid her på kongsgården; noen vartet opp, andre stelte maten, og «eskemøen» gikk dronningens og kongsdøtrenes ærend og passet blant annet deres esker med pynt og stas."

I considered "maiden", but then I don't get the author's specification of "eske".
Isabelle Knudsen
United States
Local time: 18:07
chambermaid
Explanation:
eske mø
møy subst. m/f
1 (eldre forhold, ugift kvinne) maiden
2 (jomfru) virgin, maiden
the boxes are what they kept their belongings in.
Selected response from:

jeffrey engberg
Norway
Local time: 23:07
Grading comment
Late reply, but thanks for your help.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3chambermaid
jeffrey engberg
3maid, dresser, lady-in waiting
Erzsébet Czopyk


Discussion entries: 6





  

Answers


27 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
chambermaid


Explanation:
eske mø
møy subst. m/f
1 (eldre forhold, ugift kvinne) maiden
2 (jomfru) virgin, maiden
the boxes are what they kept their belongings in.

jeffrey engberg
Norway
Local time: 23:07
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
Late reply, but thanks for your help.
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40 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
maid, dresser, lady-in waiting


Explanation:
Very interesting question... I give you some options

lady-in waiting/lady in attendance

The State opening was traditionally attended by the Mistress of the Robes and the two most senior ladies in waiting (usually two Ladies of the bedchamber, who are always peeresses). It has now been reduced by one, and the Duchess of Grafton (Mistress of the Robes) has not attended for some time (might be due to her age).
http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/msg/1432735972.ht...

Formerly (as the name implies) responsible for the queen's clothes and jewelry, the post now has the responsibility for arranging the rota of attendance of the ladies-in-waiting on the queen, along with various duties at state ceremonies.
In modern times, the Mistress of the Robes is almost always a duchess.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mistress_of_the_Robes

She was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II between 1953-66, and has been Mistress of the Robes since 1967

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady-in-waiting

A lady-in-waiting or Court Lady is a female personal assistant at a court, royal or feudal, attending on a queen (either if she is the queen regent or the queen consort), a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family in "good society", but who was of lower rank than the woman on whom she attended. Although she may or may not have received compensation for the service she rendered, a lady-in-waiting was considered more of a companion to her mistress than a servant.
In other parts of the world outside Europe, the lady-in-waiting, often referred to as palace woman, was often in practice a servant or a slave rather than a high ranking woman, but still had about the same tasks, functioning as companions and secretaries to their mistresses. In courts where polygamy was practiced, a court lady was formally available to the monarch for sexual services, and she could become his wife or concubine.
Lady-in-waiting or court lady is often a generic term for women whose relative rank, title, and official functions varied, although such distinctions were also often honorary.

Margaret “Bobo” MacDonald
Bobo served her “little lady” for 67 years, moving from nursery maid to dresser. The daughter of a railwayman, she encouraged the heiress presumptive to be thrifty and frugal, and helped stop her nail biting. Described by valet John Dean as “small, very smart and rather peremptory”, Bobo was nevertheless “friendly when thawed”. “The Queen just enjoyed talking to a sensible Scottish countrywoman,” recalled Mary Clayton, one of Elizabeth’s cousins. As the Queen’s dresser, Bobo’s conservative tastes prevailed. “Bobo could say anything to the Queen, like ‘You look awful in that dress,’ or ‘You can’t wear green’,” recalled Margaret Rhodes, another cousin. When Bobo’s health failed, the Queen hired nurses for round-the-clock care until her death in 1993 at age 89 in her suite at Buckingham Palace. As a mark of her devotion, the Queen came down to London from Balmoral for the funeral, which took place at the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/the_queens_diamond_ju...


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Note added at 43 mins (2016-09-27 14:20:38 GMT)
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Each servant had his own work/task at the royal estate; some served a dish, others cared for the food and the lady-in waiting run the errands of the Queen and Princesses and looked after (among other things) their boxes of ornaments and jewels?


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Note added at 5 hrs (2016-09-27 18:42:47 GMT)
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maid
http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-viking-queen-idUKL258902752...
Tests of the bones of two Viking women found in a buried longboat have dispelled 100-year-old suspicions that one was a maid sacrificed to accompany her queen into the afterlife, experts said on Friday.

The bones indicated that a broken collarbone on the younger woman had been healing for several weeks -- meaning the break was not part of a ritual execution as suspected since the 22-metre (72 ft) long Oseberg ship was found in 1904.

Old Norse Religion in Long-term Perspectives: Origins, Changes, and Interactions
from which it may be considered that one of them was a serving-maid, who has had to accompany her mistress to the grave.

https://books.google.hu/books?id=gjq6rvoIRpAC&pg=PT230&lpg=P...

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Note added at 5 hrs (2016-09-27 18:43:50 GMT)
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Egil, the Viking Poet: New Approaches to 'Egil's Saga'
https://books.google.hu/books?isbn=1442649690 -
Laurence de Looze, ‎Jón Karl Helgason, ‎Russell Poole - 2015 - ‎Old Norse literature
Bard responds in a robust manner and joins the queen in ... drink as we wish this mead brought by merry serving maids, let us find out how 44 Guðrún Nordal.

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Note added at 5 hrs (2016-09-27 18:51:05 GMT)
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Just for reference, a well-written article:
http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/wedding.shtml

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Note added at 5 hrs (2016-09-27 18:55:06 GMT)
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The Saxon Slave-Market

http://www.buildinghistory.org/bristol/saxonslaves.shtml
Slaves were sold in the marketplace of Anglo-Saxon Bristol. Who were they? And what happened to them?

The very name of Bristol is a clue to its origins. The Saxons knew it as Brycg stowe, meaning the settlement by the bridge. Some of the world's greatest cities have grown up around the lowest bridgeable point on a major river. At such a meeting of the ways a market can thrive. Bristol was well placed to trade with Ireland. Sad to say a major export was English slaves.

Slavery was deeply embedded in Anglo-Saxon society. The Normans took over an England where about 10 per cent of the population were slaves. The men mainly worked as agricultural labourers. The women had the tedious task of grinding corn, or were serving maids, wet-nurses, dairy maids, weavers and seamstresses.

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Note added at 5 hrs (2016-09-27 18:58:43 GMT)
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serving maid - it seems to me the most common and good for viking era

Islam Jihad: A Legacy of Forced Conversion, Imperialism ... Pages 251 ...
fliphtml5.com/aupc/azzp/basic/251-295
However, in times of huge catches of slaves, the law of supply and ... Those, deemed fit for the dual role of domestic maid and concubine, were sold for ..... Islamic Jihad The Vikings have been severely condemned for their ...

Erzsébet Czopyk
Hungary
Local time: 23:07
Native speaker of: Native in HungarianHungarian
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