A virgin woman is called a maiden.
The etymological origin of the term maiden that concerns us now is found in Latin. Specifically, we can state that it derives from the diminutive dominicella , which comes from domina , which is “lady of the house.” That last word emanates from domus , which is synonymous with “house.”
Its first meaning mentioned by the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to a woman who is a virgin .
According to this meaning, therefore, a maiden is a member of the female gender who did not have sexual relations . By extension, young women are known as maidens. In classical literature, maidens were often princesses who hoped to meet the ideal man to marry and start a family .
The maiden as a servant
A maid, on the other hand, can be a maid or servant who assists the lady of the house in carrying out domestic tasks, except for cooking.
The maidens, in this framework, receive financial compensation in exchange for their work .
Joan of Arc
In the same way, we cannot ignore the historical importance of the nickname “The Maid of Orleans” . Specifically, this was used to refer to Joan of Arc (1412 – 1431), the young English peasant woman who managed to have Charles VII of Valois crowned Gaulish king after having led the army of France during the well-known Hundred Years' War. .
That nickname comes from him because it was precisely in Orleans where the aforementioned Charles VII gave him the necessary authority to lead his army.
In relation to this historical female figure and her nickname, there is a play titled “The Maid of Orleans .” It was written by the German playwright Friedrich Schiller , it premiered at the beginning of the 19th century and I came to expose not only the most important moments of Juana 's career on the battlefield but also when she is captured by the English and even when she manages to free herself by herself to join the French again and win the fight.
This work would also inspire an opera written by Giuseppe Verdi under the title “Joan of Arc” (1844).
The British band Iron Maiden takes its name from the torture instrument known in Spanish as the iron maiden.
iron maiden
An instrument of torture and execution that would have been created in the 16th century is known as the iron maiden . It is a kind of metal coffin with nails in its door. The victim entered the box standing: when the door was closed, the nails passed through his body, but without affecting the vital organs, in such a way as to cause a painful and slow death. The medieval use of this macabre instrument to carry out a judicial sentence has never been proven, although it was known that, later, the iron maiden was used outside the law.
Iron Maiden , a famous rock group of British origin, took its name from this instrument. The expression iron maiden , in fact, is translated in English as iron maiden .