No knights, please.
Definition/Summary:
Content
- State of peaceful happiness
- All needs are met
The damsel-in-distress, persecuted maiden, or princess in jeopardy
- Classic theme used and widely adapted in later tales
- Tales of a princess being saved from solitude or threat of a dragon
Folklore and storytelling
- Usually involves a beautiful or innocent young woman, placed in a dire predicament by a villain or monster, and who requires a male hero to achieve her rescue
- After rescuing her, the hero often obtains her hand in marriage
- Traced back to the knight-errant of Medieval songs and tales, who regarded protection of women as an essential part of their chivalric code which includes a notion of honour and nobility
Expanded info:
- Though she is usually human, she can also be of any other species, including fictional or folkloric species; and even divine figures such as an angel, spirit, or deity.
Add/Misc:
The word “damsel” derives from the French demoiselle, meaning “young lady”