Category:Herodias (subject)

Herodias was a member of the Herodian family, the wife of Herod II and then of Herod Antipas, the mother of Salome.

Herodias in ancient sources

Herodias in Scholarship

Herodias in Fiction

Herodias was the original villain in the story of the death of John the Baptist. She was the one who plotted to have John the Baptist killed and cunningly used his daughter Salome to reach her goal. The interest in the character began to grow in the 19th century. She is now the undisputed protagonist of the story, and her motivations are scrutinized, from revenge to jealousy to rejected love. It is to her that the infamous kiss to the head of the dead John the Baptist is first attributed by Heine. Gradually however her role is overshadowed by her daughter, who proved to be much more credible and suitable to such metamorphosis into an unstoppable femme fatale. Salome replaced Herodias as the villain of the story and condemned Herodias to a marginal and obscure role.

Gabriele Boccaccini, University of Michigan

External links

• Wikipedia