A creature of the night

11.23. - A creature of the night.

An odalisque is a creature of the night. A Keeper shall not make her a creature of the daylight like a memlook.

Code d’ Odalisque is based upon some careful distinctions. An odalisque is not a whore, not a slut, not a freewoman. And she is not a memlook. That is, she is not a low slave. The provisions of the Code are designed to reinforce these distinctions. Anything that might confuse an odalisque with a whore, or a slut or a freewoman or a memlook is to be avoided. For example, an odalisque should not be dressed like a whore. Nor should she be dressed like a common worker (a memlook). In her habits and manners she should always be careful not to act like a slut or a whore or a freewoman or a memlook. She must be careful to stay within the defined limits of the odalisque’s role.

One thing that distinguishes an odalisque from a memlook is that an odalisque is a creature of the night. This is because she doesn’t work. A memlook is a creature of the day because memlooks are employed in labour: cooking, cleaning, domestic work. This is also true of freewomen. An odalisque’s work is sexual pleasure. She is a creature of leisure. It is normal for her to sleep for much of the day and to be active in her role at night – nighttime is the time for love. By keeping these hours she is kept away from the work-a-day world. To make her rise early is to treat her like a memlook, to treat her like something she is not.

Odalisques live at night while workers sleep. The Code insists upon this. It is important not to treat an odalisque like a memlook (a low slave). A Slavekeeper should not wake his slave up early like he would a work slave. Ordinarily, an odalisque will sleep to lunch time at least, and stay up until three or four in the morning. They are her natural hours.

In this respect, an odalisque keeps similar hours to a whore. Whores also are creatures of the night. Freewomen and memlooks are creatures of the day. Freewomen and memlooks work. Whores, too, are workers - workers of the night. Odalisques are not workers. They are preserved from toil.