Henchman

This article is about the occupation. For other uses, seeHenchman (disambiguation).

Ahenchmanis a loyalemployee,supporter, or aide to some powerful figure engaged in nefarious or criminal enterprises. Henchmen are typically relatively unimportant in the organisation: minions whose value lies primarily in their unquestioning loyalty to their leader. The termhenchmanis often used derisively, or even comically, to refer to individuals of low status who lack any moral compass of their own.

"RobinShoots withSir Guy"byLouis Rhead.Illustration toBold Robin Hood and His Outlaw Band: Their Famous Exploits in Sherwood Forest:Guy of Gisborne acts as theSheriff of Nottingham's henchman

The termhenchmanoriginally referred to one who attended a horse for his employer, that is, ahorse groom.Hence, likeconstableandmarshal,also originally stable staff,henchmanbecame the title of a subordinate official in a royal court or noble household.

Etymology

The first part of the word, which has been in usage since at least the Middle Ages, comes from theOld Englishhengest,meaning "horse", notablystallion,cognates of which also occur in manyGermanic languages,such as Old Frisian,Danishhingst,German,DutchhengstandAfrikaanshings[həŋs]. The word appears in the name ofHengest,the Saxon chieftain, and still survives in English in place-names and other names beginning withHingst-orHinx-.It was often rendered asHenxmanin medieval English.

Young henchmen, in factpages of honourorsquires,rode or walked at the side of their master in processions and the like, and appear in the English royal household from the 14th century until Tudor QueenElizabeth Iabolished theroyal henchmen,known also as the children of honour.

The word became obsolete for grooms in English from the middle of the 17th century, but was retained in Scots as "personal attendant of a Highland chief". It was revived in English by way of the novelistSir Walter Scott,who took the word and its derivation, according to theNew English Dictionary,fromEdward Burt'sLetters from a Gentleman in the North of Scotland,together with its erroneous derivation fromhaunch.The word is, in this sense, synonymous withgillie,the faithful personal follower of a Highland chieftain, the man who stands at his master's haunch, ready for any emergency.

The modern sense of "obedient or unscrupulous follower" is first recorded 1839, probably based on a misunderstanding of the word as used by Scott, and is often used to describe an out-and-out adherent or partisan, ready to do anything.

Modern examples

The phrase henchman is also used as a pejorative for any sort of political mastermind or to present others as such. Thus it was used for associates ofPresidentGeorge W. Bush,e.g., byVenezuelanPresidentHugo Chávez.Likewise, it was also used against associates of the former U.S. PresidentBill Clinton.Rebekah Brookshas been described as the henchwoman ofRupert Murdoch.

Members of theSS,or any ofAdolf Hitler's staff, are often called "Hitler's Henchmen",a phrase used as the title of a book byGuido Knoppand a television documentary.

Fictional examples

Henchman have been depicted in various capacities across genres of fiction, whether as low-level functionaries or capable lieutenants of major characters. Notable examples include henchmen such asOddjobfrom theJames Bondfranchise, who was also paralleled by "Random Task" in theAustin Powersparody film. In animation,Starscreamis generally depicted as the second-in-command to the main antagonistMegatron,while more literal depictions of a henchman can be seen in the animated seriesThe Venture Bros.This includes the secondary characters Henchman 21 and 24, among other characters seen in service to the supervillians in the series.

See also

• Flying monkey
• Hitman
• Igor (character)
• Nodwick
• Sidekick
• Sycophant

Bibliography

• EtymologyOnLine
• This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Henchman".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 266.