The Lusty Wench

Age Four with sister Susan

With my little sister Susan.
I always insisted on taking the
"best" of everything, while she
got the leftovers.

March 1998

"The Lusty Wench" --
I got the name from a tavern
sign I saw at the Maryland Renaissance Festival.

The terms defined:

LUSTY: adjective, 13th century
1 archaic : MERRY, JOYOUS
2 : LUSTFUL (lusty passion)
3 a : full of strength and vitality :
    HEALTHY, VIGOROUS
  b : HEARTY, ROBUST
  c : ENTHUSIASTIC, ROUSING
synonym see VIGOROUS
(Which am I? Good question)

WENCH: noun, 14th century
1 a : a young woman : GIRL
  b : a female servant
2 : a lewd woman : PROSTITUTE
(Let's go with definition 1a here, shall we?)

The 1913 Webster's Dictionary offers some uses of the word wench in literature:

1. A young woman; a girl; a maiden.

Lord and lady, groom and wench. Chaucer
That they may send again My most sweet wench, and gifts to boot. Chapman
He was received by the daughter of the house, a pretty, buxom, blue-eyed little wench. W. Black

2. A low, vicious young woman; a drab; a strumpet.
She shall be called his wench or his leman. Chaucer
It is not a digression to talk of bawds in a discourse upon wenches. Spectator
Note the two very different definitions. In other words, watch out. Don't mess with the wench!