purple scarf means fuck???? omggggg
I wound up researching the history as I went along when watching the show (because I'm a nerd!) and, as it turns out, while the show has some much bigger historical inaccuracies, a lot of the more mild ones, at least to me, are those that I think got chosen because of how popular the misconception became for people.
And the idea of the sultan "choosing" his woman for the night by throwing out a purple handkerchief to them is definitely one of those!
"The surprised virgin snatches at this prize and good fortune with such eagerness that she is ravished with joy, before she is deflowered by the sultan."—Paul Rycaut, English diplomat
Of course, since the harem was a forbidden place for men other than the sultan, it would've been impossible for Rycaut, like other ambassadors, to actually have seen this happen, so he would've had to rely on gossip or spies. Except, former concubines, even those present at roughly the same time period Rycaut was reporting, have claimed this to have been a total myth.
Still, like other moments in the show, I think it makes for a great visual moment!
