Judith

Judith is a war epic, written originally in Old English, that dates to the late 10th century. It tells the story of military resistance and deliverance against enormous odds. Addressed to the Anglo-Saxon Christian communities along the eastern coast of England terrified by the perpetual threat of invasions by armadas of Viking marauders from Northern Europe, Judith drew on a familiar archetypal figure, the eponymous heroine from the Old Testament’s Book of Judith, a courageous Jewish widow renowned for leading a triumphant resistance against an invading Assyrian army. In retelling the story of the victory of the Israelites, led by Judith, against the overwhelming power of the pagan Assyrians, Judith was most likely designed to inspire its contemporary community to rally together and stand strong against the nearly constant threat of armies from the pagan north.

In using the towering figure of Judith, the poem challenges entrenched gender stereotypes. The victory against the Assyrians is led by a woman of uncommon moral strength, savvy resourcefulness, and profound faith. Although the poem, at more than 300 lines, survives today only as a fragment, it creates a grand portrait of the cunning, courage, and faith of Judith as she singlehandedly beheads a powerful Assyrian general and then inspires her native city of Bethulia to attack and defeat the leaderless Assyrians.