A usually beautiful, virginal, virtuous, and hopelessly passive young woman constantly in need of rescue by the dashing hero. She is portrayed as rather asexual and usually a foil for the assertive but dangerously seductive femme fatale.
While the damsel in distress makes appearances in many folk stories dating back to Antiquity and features in a few fairy tales, this passive heroine does not seem to make regular appearances until the Victorian era; the Middle Ages were idealized as a time of pre-industrial innocence and the Victorians projected their ideals of men and women onto their Medieval ancestors; the Industrial Revolution was in full swing and women, displaced from farms and entering the middle class, lost some autonomy over their lives and became more ornamental, more dependent on their husbands.
Damsels in distress are often shown tied to railroad tracks, to sawmill conveyor belts, or offered as sacrifice to a dragon (or King Kong) until her knight in shining armor arrives to save her in the nick of time.
While the damsel in distress makes appearances in many folk stories dating back to Antiquity and features in a few fairy tales, this passive heroine does not seem to make regular appearances until the Victorian era; the Middle Ages were idealized as a time of pre-industrial innocence and the Victorians projected their ideals of men and women onto their Medieval ancestors; the Industrial Revolution was in full swing and women, displaced from farms and entering the middle class, lost some autonomy over their lives and became more ornamental, more dependent on their husbands.
Damsels in distress are often shown tied to railroad tracks, to sawmill conveyor belts, or offered as sacrifice to a dragon (or King Kong) until her knight in shining armor arrives to save her in the nick of time.
A damsel in distress would not have fared well in Medieval Europe. Generally, European women in the Middle Ages were not expected to be these timid shrinking violets; Christina of Markyate (who resisted a forced marriage and followed her dream of becoming a holy woman), Marjorie of Carrick, Christine de Pisan (a proto-feminist of sorts), Margery Kempe (another mystic), and Nicola de la Haye (led her castle against a siege in her 60s) are just a few of examples of women who took the reins in their own lives.
Women of that time and place were in danger of abduction, especially if they were wealthy... but it was preferable to a loveless marriage. The average "knight in shining armor" was a mix of professional assassin and local rapist, so the damsel often arranged to be kidnapped by her preferred suitor or even do the abducting herself:
Marjorie of Carrick (c. 1253-1292) was a countess in her own right, but was married young to an older husband who died in the Crusades in 1271; she was informed of this by her husband's handsome young companion, Robert de Brus. Marjorie, out hunting at the time and far from upset by the news, was so taken by his beauty that she took him back to her castle and held him captive until he agreed to marry her; she must have done something right, because they were married within days. The second of their eleven children was Robert the Bruce himself.
Women of that time and place were in danger of abduction, especially if they were wealthy... but it was preferable to a loveless marriage. The average "knight in shining armor" was a mix of professional assassin and local rapist, so the damsel often arranged to be kidnapped by her preferred suitor or even do the abducting herself:
Marjorie of Carrick (c. 1253-1292) was a countess in her own right, but was married young to an older husband who died in the Crusades in 1271; she was informed of this by her husband's handsome young companion, Robert de Brus. Marjorie, out hunting at the time and far from upset by the news, was so taken by his beauty that she took him back to her castle and held him captive until he agreed to marry her; she must have done something right, because they were married within days. The second of their eleven children was Robert the Bruce himself.
by Lorelili October 10, 2011
Get the damsel in distress mug.by jman1231 July 30, 2010
Get the Dussel mug.Related Words
Dassel
• damsel
• damsel in distress
• dussel
• dusseldorf
• dashel
• Dasel
• Dassed
• dosselena
• Düşsel
two hispanic parents trying to create a name
besides that very beautiful and tall a big heart breaker and an intelligent girl with many ambitions and always has a smile on her face
besides that very beautiful and tall a big heart breaker and an intelligent girl with many ambitions and always has a smile on her face
Wow, daiselys is the perfect girl!
by foreveryoung69 October 30, 2011
Get the daiselys mug.Dansel is cute ,sweet and an amazing person to hang around. They will treasure their friends like they’re family .
by Giraffetreesomthing November 7, 2019
Get the Dansel mug.by Cathybear January 6, 2019
Get the Dashel mug.When one admits to doing something they most certainly did not do, due to a long interrogation process, utter stupidity, or a combination of the two.
Brendan was interrogated about a murder he was not involved in, but due to his lack of intellect and desire to get back to class for his project and watch Wrestlemania, he was dasseyed into making a false confession.
by Dr. Walter Fanchy October 5, 2016
Get the dasseyed mug.The act of putting a Bratwurst chain inside your partners anus and then pulling it out at extremely high speeds.Eating the sausage afterwards is common.
Person 1:I heard Lisa did the Dusseldorf Anal Beads with Jack last night
Person 2:Didnt know she was into that!
Person 2:Didnt know she was into that!
by Lancerhandle June 9, 2021
Get the Dusseldorf Anal Beads mug.