Names for odalisques

11.16. - Naming an odalisque

A Keeper may leave a slave nameless or may give her whatever name he chooses so long as it is a name that ornaments rather than detracts from her beauty.

An odalisque, like a low slave (memlook), need not have a name. She may merely be called “slave” or “servant” or some other description of her actual role. In principle, names are for freemen, not slaves. It is usual, though, for an odalisque to go by a name, either one of her own choosing which is approved by her owner or one which her owner has given her. In either case, it may be her real (i.e. birth) name or it may be a new assumed slave name. It is more common for women under Code d’ Ode to take a new name as distinct from her freewoman name: the new name – her slave name – signifies a new identity and a new lifestyle, a new dedication to a new vocation. Some people are content with "Jenny" or "Sue" - their freewoman names. It is more common for odalisques to adopt a new slave name for the duration of their service.

Under the Code, names are a prerogative of the Slaveowner. Note, however, that a name selected by the Slaveowner must “ornament” the slave and not “detract from her beauty.” This stipulation is to prevent men from giving a name to a slave that is intended to ridicule or debase her. We know of a case, for example, where a man in the BDSM lifestyle kept a slave that he named “Bitch”. He thought it was funny, and appropriate since he treated her like a dog. This is forbidden under the protocols of Code d’ Odalisque. An odalisque is a creature of beauty and pleasure – her name ought to reflect this. Her name should enhance her identity as an odalisque, not detract or belittle it. Usually, a Slaveowner will consult the odalisque on this question and they agree upon a name together.

Some players like to go for a name that is not only attractive and feminine, but also exotic. Such names reflect the historical background of odalisque slavery in the ancient and medieval Turkish and Levantine worlds. Here are a few random examples (with their meanings):

Aleva = fire
Enisha = desire
Ezrin = dark moon
Layla = night
Penina = pearl
Aliza = joy
Aydani = of the moon
Belkesh = slave of Solomon
Emela = diamond
Nesrin = soft
Risa = rose
Nura = bright

And it is possible to vary and adapt any of these. There are countless others. It is also possible to be more creative and construct names from appropriate languages. This is an acceptable way to adorn an odalisque with an overtly sexual name. It would detract from a slave's beauty to name her "Cocksucker" but it is entirely appropriate to construct a name from the Turko-Persian roots of the verb "to suck", for example "Emmeka" or "Shemeka" etcetera, meaning much the same.

Examples from various language roots:

Shehvet = lust

Zadika = obedient

Fahisha = promiscuous

Epshora = lascivious

Zuzqa = tramp, loose woman

Escra = slave

Norda = illicit love

Pomama = crazy, wild

Zeshi = wet, excited, aroused

Another option is to adopt a name derived from the root etymologies of the word “odalisque”, most of them beginning with O. This was, in fact, the practice at the very beginning of what became Code d’ Odalisque; the players who first shaped the Code used such names. It is a limited strategy but it does yield some nice names. Examples:

Oda
Alisque
Ola
Odala
Isqa
Silda

If all of these are too exotic or contrived, a further option is to choose a name that is evocative of the Orientalist era, the era in which Europeans became fascinated with images and tales of the odalisques of the courts of the East. We now think of many of the women's names from that era as old fashioned, but they are consistent with the guiding aesthetics of Code d' Odalisque. Examples:

Charlotte
Edith
Hettie
Rufina
Mildred
Maude
Edwina
Orphia
Nelly
Parthena
Zylphia

Proper thought should go into naming an odalisque, she has a right to a beautiful name, although her name is not as important as her attar, her personal perfume. Every slave has her own personal attar, her distinct and unique perfume. No two odalisques smell the same. Names are more fluid, but still an important part of the slave's identity. A good name helps a woman adapt into the slave role. Using your birth name has obvious limitations, namely all the baggage that comes with that name. An odalisque has no past. When a woman becomes an odalisque it is usually best if she sheds her birth name and takes a new identity in her new life.

Note that if an odalisque is purchased by a new Master, or for any other reason changes Master, the new Master may change her name to his liking. Finally, it is the Slavekeeper who must like the slave's name. The slave does not have a right to retain her name between Masters - but she does retain the same perfume (attar). Her name may change, but she always smells the same.