Tag: hereditary servitude

Hereditary servitude is a link in which a family is continuously in the service of another for multiple, usually many, generations. This link is generally initially established for reasons such as obligation or debt, but continued usually for other reasons, such as: for the pride of the servant family; for the sake of the continuity of the already long-lasting relation; or for the sake of the attachment felt between masters and servants, as in some cases the children of both families will even play together. Often, this carries a sense of deep respect, commitment, and wish to protect and shelter from any harm felt by the members of the servant or employee family towards their master or employer family; the members of the servant family may act rather akin to serfs toward their feudal lords, even if slavery or servitude have already been abolished, and the relation would very likely last even should the masters become impoverished. This sort of behaviour may include all sorts of professions that directly serve families, from house servants and gardeners to physicians and lawyers. In anime, such relations may be used as a source of a deep friendship or romance.