It's the ambassador part that loses me, the political influence. I don't see how the ability to give a really great blowjob gives one such a great amount of prestige that their opinion counts in a diplomatic situation.

France, 1400-1700. You'll find courtisans doing almost the exact same thing and having actually quite a bit more influence in the royal (and provincial, though to a lesser extent) courts. In fact, this can be traced back through various cultures to the time of King Darius of Persion and Alexander of Macedonia if one were to apply the research necessary. I would cite examples here, but I've just woken up and have not that kind of mental ability at the moment.

France, 1400-1700. You'll find courtisans doing almost the exact same thing and having actually quite a bit more influence in the royal (and provincial, though to a lesser extent) courts. In fact, this can be traced back through various cultures to the time of King Darius of Persion and Alexander of Macedonia if one were to apply the research necessary. I would cite examples here, but I've just woken up and have not that kind of mental ability at the moment.

That's fascinating, Griffyn. sends wake-up and good-coffee vibes Come back and give examples later, please? I'd love to hear more about it.

I'd like to hear more about it as well. It'd be an interesting comparision to Inara's role.

Not Griffyn, but some really quick Googling:

• a brief comparison of the difference between Greek hetaira and normal whores--hetaira were generally educated, associated with only one or two men, invited to dinner parties/symposia, and granted more freedom than wives and more respect than streetwalkers. They had, however, like other Grecian women, absolutely no direct political power--any influence they exerted was due to their association with men. (Alexander the Great famously burned a city to amuse one.)

"Hetaira" apparently translates literally as "companion," something I did not know until 15 seconds ago, and find rather intriguing.

There seems to be an interesting and relevant academic essay (Sex, Politics, and Discursive Conflict in Archaic Greece) online, but it's in PDF.

Based on my really rather haphazard knowledge -- I'd say that hetairae were as respected as Companions, but didn't have the independence or direct political influence Companions appear to have.

• Brief bio of one of Louis XIV's most influential mistresses, Mme du Pompadour.

  Where she and other royal mistresses again differ from Companions is that Companions appear to have status independent of their association with particular men, or a particular class of man, or a long-term relationship with any individuals, which is one of the aspects of Firefly worldbuilding that remains most puzzling--or most indicative of male fantasy, depending on your perspective.

Edited to fix up pronoun antecedents.

Interesting, Micole.

Mme du Pompadour.

This name is cracking me up in a big way.

Because of the hairstyle, Ken? It was named after her, she's the one who set the trend in the first place. And being the favoured of the King, made it a much emulated fashion throughout the ages.

While it is true that courtisans in France (and elsewhere), like the Greek hetaira, had no direct power, it is easy to see that they could sway entire nations and even history itself. Add this to the strong Sino-Japanese culture in the Core and the background of Geisha as an independant class unto themselves and the concept of Companions as persented becomes quite possible indeed.

Then we get into the background knowledge that the Guild is divided into Houses which are governed by a 'Priestess' and we can speculate throwing in the independant political power of the temple priestesses throughout the ancient world. Indeed, if the Guild has the power to revoke a ruling man's cultured companions and leave him with only his wife than they would have considerable power in far ranging political circles. And implied power is politics can be much stronger than actual power, expecially when it is so wide-ranging.

Now the outer folks wouldn't understand this power. Those who could afford a companion on the outer planets (like Persephone) would not understand the political ramifications of the Companion Guild while those unable to even consider such a thing (the sheriff in Train Job) would know them by their mystique and the rumors that they're the ones who actually run the Alliance behind the scenes.

Perhaps it's from too much time spent reading historical and political thesis, but I really havn't ever had a problem with Companions and the Guild as presented. I wouldn't even be the least bit surprised if Inara supplimented her income by being an actual political courier and 'ambassador' between two planetary magistrates as she makes her way around the 'verse. Sure it would be better if they showed Inara being hired for a game of Go or Shogi, or to give flute lessons and do some calligraphy, but the fact of the matter is that we don't see most of Inara's work and I personally assumed that those were not shown because it would confuse the executives.

As for Mal's reaction to Inara's job, he's from a frontier world, a rancher's son. He's probably only ever known whores from houses run by men like Rance Burgess or military doxies brought in to ease the troops on leave. He's more cultured (or more embittered) than the 'stare in awe' people and thus past that stage of things, but still stuck in the same thought concerning the profession as Atherton due to not seeing (or not understanding) the depth and implications of the Guild.

Perhaps with another couple of seasons we could have seen some of these things on the screen, but I choose to see them implied by all that /was/ shown and said.

Another thought on the matter if Inara, I saw the episodes in order as did most of those who like the character rather than dispise her. Watching the season in the broadcast order recently, I saw why people didn't like her. She acted her character too well and thus the subtlties came off as inconsistancies when bumbled about by the network.

ETA: I can type, rwally I cam.

Mme du Pompadour

Heinlein had a character that had a doll named Mme du Pompadour. Cracked me up.

Bloody good point about the Greek prostitutes -- I remember Sophocles left all his goods to his own Companion, and she was supposed to be hella intelligent, airc.

It's the ambassador part that loses me, the political influence

But that's a joke, isn't it? Mal's joke -- I've never heard Inara refer to herself as an ambassador.

In truth, based on Firefly canon, the ME folks haven't given us a very developed idea of what the Companion role is within the society -- or indeed a fully developed picture of the 'verse society. Which is entirely understandable and inevitable, given 13 episodes, and given that they're not making a documentary-style thing. I have no problem with the basic concept -- there are lots of precedents for sex workers having different kinds of status to those extant in 21st Century America.

Plus, society is a very fluid thing. We have been views into three seperate societies, the frontier worlds, Persephene and the Core. Seperating out which role fits into which society is also part of that.