Holofernes
Holofernes (Hebrew, הולופרנס) was an Assyrian[1] invading general of Nebuchadnezzar, who appears in the deuterocanonical Book of Judith. It was said that the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar dispatched Holofernes to take vengeance on the nations of the west that had withheld their assistance to his reign. The general laid siege to Bethulia, commonly believed to be Meselieh, and the city almost surrendered. It was saved by Judith, a beautiful Hebrew widow who entered Holofernes's camp and seduced him. Judith then beheaded Holofernes while he was drunk. She returned to Bethulia with the disembodied head, and the Hebrews defeated the enemy. This can be interpreted as a honey trap.
Holofernes is depicted in several paintings and other artworks alongside Judith, including Geoffrey Chaucer's The Monk's Tale in The Canterbury Tales, and in Dante's Purgatorio (where Holofernes is to be found on the Terrace of pride).
See also
- Judith and Holofernes
References
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Holofernes". Image Credit.
