A mute maiden who lived with her blind mother, Corceca, in Spenser’s The Faerie Queene. In Spenser’s allegory, the women are an unflattering portrayal of monasticism.
The women lodged Princess Una after she was abandoned by her protector, the Red Cross Knight. Abessa’s lover, Kirkrapine, was killed by Una’s pet lion when he tried to break into their house.
Source
The Faerie Queeene | Edmund Spenser, 1570-1599