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There are so many--but from an early age Greece, Rome, Egypt (especially the Ptolemaic period)and the Renaissance (specifically the Tudor period) have had a hold upon my imagination. Then I got into the Loas of the Caribbean and all kinds of the mythology that comes out of Hoodoo and Voodoo in the Southern States. Strangely, despite my Celtic roots, I've never been especially drawn to their mythology....

Lol. Along the same lines, I've always rather liked Jezebel ever since my old headmaster and priest used to call me one


In the Tanakh (the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Old Testament), Jezebel is a queen of ancient Israel. Her story is told in 1st and 2nd Kings. She is introduced as a Phoenician princess, the daughter of King Ithobaal I of Sidon, who marries King Ahab. She turns Ahab away from the God of the Israelites and of the Jews (being the inhabitants of Judah in this context) and toward the worship of Phoenician god, Baal. Ahab and Jezebel let temples of Baal operate in Israel, and the pagan religion receives royal patronage. Furthermore, the queen uses her control over Ahab to lead the Hebrews into sin and subject them to tyranny. After she has the prophets of Yahweh slaughtered, the prophet Elijah challenges 450 prophets of Baal to a test (1 Kings 18), exposes their god as powerless, has them slaughtered (1 Kings 18:40), and incurs Jezebel's furious enmity. After Ahab's death, Jezebel continues to rule through her son Ahaziah. When Ahaziah is killed in battle, she exercises control through her other son, Jehoram.

As recounted in 2Kings 9:1-10, God speaks through the prophet Elisha (Elijah's successor), and has one of his servants anoint Jehu as king in Jehoram's place, adding "thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master." Acting on this divine commission for revolution, Jehu kills King Jehoram as he attempts to flee in his war chariot. Jehu then confronts Jezebel in Jezreel and urges her eunuchs to kill the queen mother by throwing her out a window (defenestration). They comply, tossing her out the window and leaving her in the street to be eaten by dogs. Only Jezebel's skull, feet, and hands remained. Her ignominious end thus fulfills Elijah's prophecy 1Kings 21:22-26.

[edit] The Name

Using the vowels traditionally used for this name by Hebrew readers, the Hebrew form of this name means "not exalted". But it is highly unlikely her parents would have given her such a name. Read with different vowels it can be understood as meaning "Where is the Prince?" ('ay zebul in Hebrew). In fact, early Syrian inscriptions from Ugarit demonstrate that "the Prince" (equivalent of Hebrew "Zebul") was a popular title for the storm god of the Phoenicians. The sentence "Where is the Prince?" is even found in Ugaritic literature. It is a form of invocation, calling on the god named to appear and act. In other words, this Tyrian princess was given a name in praise of the chief god of her people (whom the Hebrew Bible refers to mainly by the title "Baal", meaning "lord, master"). "Jezebel" is, then, a reinterpretation, intended to mock this Queen and her god, whom she encouraged Israel to worship.

The Hebrew Bible contains two other examples of this name formula. First, in the larger context of the Jezebel story, after Elijah is taken up, Elisha strikes the Jordan with Elijah's cloak and cries, "Where is YHWH, the God of Elijah?" as an invocation for God to part the waters, as he had done from Elijah (2 Kings 2). Second, the name "Ichabod", traditionally read as "no glory" (son of the priest Phinehas, in 1 Samuel) may be read as, "Where is the Glory?" In context, the question becomes sadly ironic, because "the Glory" is associated with the ark of the covenant, which has just been captured by the Philistines. A related type of Hebrew name is "Who is like God/yaweh?" (Michael/Micaiah)

[edit] In the New Testament

In Revelation 2:20, a prophecy is uttered against a prophetess in the church of Thyatira named Jezebel. She is accused of inducing members of the church there to commit acts of sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols. ^[1]

[edit] Carthage

Jezebel is said to be the great aunt of Queen Dido, founder of Carthage, who is best known for her depiction in Virgil's The Aeneid.

[edit] Jezebel in modern culture

[edit] Jezebel as a 'hussy'

The name Jezebel has come down through the centuries to be used as a general name for all wicked women.

In modern usage the name of Jezebel is sometimes used as a synonym for sexually promiscuous and sometimes controlling women, as in the title of the 1938 Bette Davis film Jezebel or the 1951 Frankie Laine hit "Jezebel". This image is epitomised by the phrase "painted Jezebel." The "painted" part refers to a line in II Kings, just before she is killed, where she puts on her makeup. While it is often negative in connotation, some embrace the image, as is evidenced by various lingerie designs named after Jezebel.

From a biblical and Christian point of view, a comparison to Jezebel would suggest that a person would be a pagan or an apostate masquerading as a servant of God, who by manipulation and/or seduction misleads the saints of God into sins of idolatry and sexual immorality, making them ineffective. From a Christian point of view, It has also been used to refer to those who challenge evidence and belief in God.^{[citation needed]}

That name is used in reference to a woman who rules her husband.

[edit] Cultur