Safehand

Safehand
by Sheep
Related to	Vorinism
World of Origin	Roshar
Universe	Cosmere

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Safehand is an Alethi term for a woman's left hand. According to Vorin cultural tradition, it is improper for a woman to leave her safehand uncovered.

Upper-class women adhere to this tradition by wearing a sleeve that covers their left hand loosely. Often the sleeve has a safepouch sewn on the inside for women to store personal objects. It is considered extremely rude to open another woman's safepouch. Lower class women and women of non-Vorin or only nominally Vorin countries, such as Thaylen women, wear a glove so they can use both hands freely. Prostitutes often wear no covering at all or will wear fingerless gloves on their safehands in order to be provocative and show others who they are before being hired out.

The safehand derives from the book Arts and Majesty, which claimed that "true" feminine pursuits and arts were the ones that could be performed with one hand, while "manly" arts were the ones performed with two hands, thus tying delicacy with women and brute force with men.

Trivia

• According to Ben McSweeney, it was not originally intended for safehands to become a sexual and nudity taboo. After the release of The Way of Kings, however, fans made the connection themselves and Brandon worked it into the world as a result.

Notes

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