Servants of Naamah

In Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel Trilogy, the Servants of Naamah are sacred prostitutes of Terre d'Ange. They are revered due to their dedication to the angel Naamah, one of the eight who abandoned the One God to follow Elua.

There are many Servants of Naamah but the most highly regarded are those of the Court of Night-Blooming Flowers. Servants of Naamah typically begin their apprenticeships at thirteen, though training is far lengthier in the Night Court than in lesser brothels and in the provinces. In theory, service to Naamah must be entered voluntarily, but in practice it is often a form of indentured servitude until the adept's marque is complete. Until it is complete, an adept's marque may be traded between houses or other parties. Servants of Naamah may be either male or female.

All Servants of Naamah undergo a ceremony at a temple to Naamah. A priest/priestess of Naamah asks if the pupil wishes to be dedicated in Naamah's Service. Upon a positive answer, the priest/priestess will sprinkle a few drops water over the pupil's head saying, "By Naamah's sacred river, I baptise you into her service." The priest/priestess then takes a honey-cake and places a portion of it on the pupil's tongue saying, "May your flesh be bound unto the sweetness of desire." The priest/priestess takes a chalice and holds it to the pupil's lips, letting them drink wine, saying, "May your blood rise to the headiness of passion." Finally, the priest/priestess dips their fingers into oil and rubs it on the pupil's brow saying, "May your soul ever find grace in the service of Naamah. So mote it be." The pupil then releases a dove from their own hands and the ceremony is complete. An adept then begins their trade at the age of sixteen, considered the age of majority for Servants of Naamah.

Texts used by Servants of Naamah include the "Ecstasica", the "Journey of Naamah", the "Trois Milles Joies", and the "Log of Seven Hundred Kisses".

Terms Associated with Servants of Naamah

;Assignation : The name given to the agreement and acts surrounding the procuring of the services of a Servant of Naamah.

;Adept : Title given to an adult member of one of the Houses of the Night Court.

;Flechettes : Razor blades with so sharp an edge they part flesh like gauze. They are used sometimes in Valerian House and Mandrake House, but even the Second of Valerian shows fear and distaste for them.

;Languisement : Oral sex

;Marque : The tattoo covering the back of a Servant of Naamah, paid for through gifts given by patrons. When a Servant of Naamah completes his or her "marque", he or she is free from obligation either to his or her House if he or she is a member of the Night Court or to whoever owns his or her "marque". Each of the Thirteen Houses has its own "marque"-pattern; Servants of Naamah who are not attached to a House have highly individualized designs. Work on the "marque" begins at the base of the spine and progresses up to the nape of the neck; it is considered vulgar to display an unfinished marque. Servants of Naamah bear the "marque" in remembrance of a tale of Naamah, which said that she scored the backs the lovers that pleased her with her nails, and those marks stayed there all their lives.

;Marquist : A highly talented tattoo artist responsible for creating marques; Robert Tielhard is renowned as the greatest.

;Pearl of Naamah : Euphemistic name given to the clitoris.

;Sangoire : A color of dye, a red so dark as to be nearly black, which Phèdre calls "the color of blood spilled on a moonless night". The color is reserved by law only for use by an anguissette. Anafiel Delaunay has a "sangoire" cloak made for Phèdre.

;Signale : A signale is a safeword used between Servants of Naamah and their patrons to stop sexual play when it has become too painful or intense. A patron or adept who fails to heed the "signale" is guilty of heresy for violating the Precept of Blessed Elua. Mandrake and Valerian are the two Houses of the Night Court where activities require the use of a "signale". Signales are also written into contracts for services outside of the purview of the Night Court when necessary.

Characters who are Servants of Naamah

*Phèdre nó Delaunay, protagonist of the first three novels
*Alcuin nó Delaunay, Phèdre's adoptive brother
*Cecile Laveau-Perrin, tutor of Phèdre and Alcuin