Eumaea

Eumaea or Granny Eumaea is an old maidservant in the service of the Hu royal house. She cared for King Seb when he was a child and later cared for the Crown Prince and Princess.

Eumaea has a sweet, grandmotherly disposition. Especially when she is tired, Eumaea is slow in responding to questions; but she actually has an unusually good memory. She has the commonsense wisdom that comes with age and she is capable of keeping a secret.

Given that she took care of the king when he was a baby, Granny Eumaea is not cowed by his intimidating presence or fits of anger but she knows when to "keep her mouth shut" both to show the deference due from a woman of her station and in order to preserve an air of quiet dignity.

Granny Eumaea is fond of both the Crown Prince and Princess, but it is the Princess who (during the intrigue in FD 5) approaches Granny and enlists her as an ally. Through Eumaea the Princess gains access to the gossip (and information) shared among the old servant women at court who often witness important, noteworthy and even intimate or confidential exchanges as "invisible" observers.

The OId Servant Women

There are a host of servants at the Hu court there to satisfy all the needs of the inhabitants. These include married couples whose children often join the royal service themselves. Among these are a number of old men and women who still perform limited duties as they age such as relaying messages, delivering orders to other servants and even acting as chaperones, present in the room so that young/unmarried men and women are not alone in a chamber. It is usual to find one or more of these women present in any state room in the palace.

The old women gossip among themselves (and some other servants) but never with superiors. They only share information about intimate scenes they witnessed when directly asked by someone of superior rank with a "right to know."