#Book of Judith

[thefugitivesaint]

Harry Clarke (1889-1931), 'Judith slaying Holofernes', no date Source

[skelecha1rs]

[illustratus]

Judith holding the Head of Holofernes by Jean-François Godefroy

[lionofchaeronea]

Judith with the Head of Holofernes, Lavinia Fontana, 1600

[dilutedh2so4]

Judith is the embodiment of gaslight gatekeep girlboss

[elliot-amy]

Paintings of Judith beheading Holofernes

[lovelyllamasblog]

Servants I Want to see in FGO

Catherine the Great (Rider/ Ruler)

Saint Olga of Kiev (Ruler/ Avenger)

Tomyris (Lancer/ Rider)

Hua Mulan (Archer/ Lancer)

George Washington (Rider)

John Henry (Lancer)

Molly Pitcher (Archer)

Harriet Tubman (Rider/ Archer)

Mary Seacole (Caster)

Harry Houdini (Caster)

Judith (Book of Judith) (Assassin)

Abhimanyu and Vrishaketu (maybe Archer for both ?)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Caster)

Sybil Ludington (Rider)

Deborah Sampson (Archer)

BONUS

Yudhishthira (Saber) - but as a Lily version of himself so that he can be the pampered little brother for once and not have to put up with his younger brothers’ BS. Duryodhana tries to make fun of him for it and Yudhi goes running to Karna, crying. While Karna chastises Dury for making fun of him, Yudhi evilly smirks at Dury from behind Karna, who faithfully plays into the Big Brother role. EVERYBODY is aware that Yudhi is basically playing Karna besides Karna!

Inspo links: (1) @krishna-premi (2) @fanfictionroxs

[mirthridatism]

Lyrics: Paris Paloma. “Labour” (2023)  || Artemisia Gentileschi. Judith Slaying Holofernes (1614–1620)  || Caravaggio. Judith Beheading Holofernes (1599–1602)

[thyateira]

I can't help but see an echo of Ruth and Naomi in Judith and her maid. Ruth following Naomi into the unknown, into danger. Naomi trusting God with the future of her people, Ruth trusting Naomi with the future of herself.

Of course, the comparison can only go so far. Judith's servant was, after all, a servant. To our knowledge, she did not have the same agency Ruth had. She does not get to speak, she never acts on her own, we don't even know her name.

Still, we don't get an indication she was unwilling. That she didn't want to do this. Judith called, and she followed. Judith walked, and she walked with her. Judith did, and she assisted.

[beatrack92]

Judith with the Head of Holofernes

[fassophy]

Judith, the heroine of the book, introduced in chapter 8. A God-fearing woman, she is the daughter of Merari, a Simeonite, and widow of a certain Manasseh or Manasses, a wealthy farmer. She sends her maid or "waitingwoman" to Uzziah to challenge his decision to capitulate to the Assyrians if God has not rescued the people of Bethulia within five days, and she uses her charm to become an intimate friend of Holofernes, but beheads him allowing Israel to counter-attack the Assyrians. Judith's maid, not named in the story, remains with her throughout the narrative and is given her freedom as the story ends.

[twobrothersatwork]

Guercino (Italian, 1591-1666), Judith with the Head of Holofernes.

[dyingdreamgirl]

Judith Slaying Holofernes (c. 1612-1613) Artemisia Gentileschi

[historybizarre]

Although Hanukkah is not mentioned in the story at all, and the Book of Judith never made it into the Tanakh, starting around the Hasmonean dynasty (140 B.C.E to 37 B.C.E) it became popular to recite the story on the Shabbat of Hanukkah– a tradition that continued into the Middle Ages. Due to this tradition of reading the story of Yehudit many people still associate eating dairy with Hanukkah (even if retelling the story isn’t as popular in modern times).

[lionofchaeronea]

Judith with the Head of Holofernes, Giorgione, 1504

[dilutedh2so4]

gay bible: part 2! apocrypha edition

JUDITH AND HER MAID FROM THE BOOK OF JUDITH MAKE ME GO FERAL

AND THE MAID DOESNT EVEN GET A NAME

AND IDK WHY SHES ALWAYS DEPICTED AS AN OLD WOMAN WHEN SHE OUTLIVES JUDITH BUT OH WELL

- Artemisia Gentileschi's "Judith and her maidservant" my girls look so confused in this lmao

Context: > Judith's city of Bethulia was besieged by the Assyrian army. > The leaders of her city were planning to surrender to them. > Judith, some rando widow, was like: lol no

"You cannot plumb the depths of the human heart or understand the workings of the human mind; how do you expect to search out God, who made all these things, and find out his mind or comprehend his thought?" -Judith 8:14

So, Judith and her maid set out alone to go and girlboss these Assyrians. Alone... With her maid...

Perfect date night!

This maid goes with Judith on this dangerous mission to assassinate the enemy general, even when literally everyone else has given up.

"Stand at the town gate tonight so that I may go out with my maid, and within the days after which you have promised to surrender the town to our enemies, the Lord will deliver Israel by my hand." -Judith 8:33

Then; > Judith rizzes up the enemy general Holofernes. > In his sleep, she and her maid cut off his head. > The Assyrian army freaks out and runs away!

"Judith went out and gave Holofernes’s head to her maid, who placed it in her bag. Then the two of them went out together, as they were accustomed to do for prayer." -Judith 13:9-10

^ Helping out the wife ^

You're telling me they were accustomed to going out in the dark together? Alone? At night? Hmmm...

Once they are back in Bethulia, everyone celebrates being saved. Judith rizzes up some ladies (Judith 15:12) and never remarries (Judith 16:21-22) despite every single person she interacts with finding her hot (Judith 8:7-8, 10:7, 10:14, 10:19, 10:23).

"Judith went to Bethulia and remained on her estate. For the rest of her life she was honored throughout the whole country. Many desired to marry her, but she gave herself to no man." -Judith 16:21-22

She lives with her maid on the estate for the rest of her life, unmarried, to the age of 105!

At her passing, she gives freedom to her maid, despite passing all her other property (like servants) onto her relatives. This seems to be in gratitude for the help all those years ago, but why not free her back then?

Unless...

Perhaps...

There was something else going on hmmm...

-Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi me and the gf hard at work

-Judith and Her Maid, artist unknown, German origin c.1600

Judith does appear to love her deceased husband though, mourning deeply for him as seen in Judith 8:6, so I vote her as bi or pan ;)

It could be a cover/excuse for her not remarrying but you can decide that for yourself

Judith remained as a widow for three years and four months at home, where she set up a tent for herself on the roof of her house.

She put sackcloth around her waist and dressed in widow’s clothing.

She fasted all the days of her widowhood except the day before the Sabbath and the Sabbath itself, the day before the new moon and the day of the new moon, and the festivals and days of rejoicing of the house of Israel.

She was beautiful in appearance and was very lovely to behold. Her husband Manasseh had left her gold and silver, male and female slaves, livestock, and fields, and she maintained this estate.

No one spoke ill of her, for she feared God with great devotion.

-Judith 8:4-8

Many desired to marry her, but she gave herself to no man all the days of her life after her husband Manasseh died.

She became more and more famous and grew old in her husband’s house, reaching the age of one hundred five.

Before she died, she set her maid free. She died in Bethulia, and they buried her in the cave of her husband Manasseh.

-Judith 16:22-23

^ the language is very male-centred and focused around her husband (who plays no role in the story) as might be expected from a text coming out of a male-centred society ^ it still points out she gave herself to *no man* afterwards soooo yk (she was too in love with her gf)