Subversion or Sub /Version: The Judith Myth in the Apocrypha and in Van Herk's Novel

From the Middle Ages to the present, the story of Judith of the Apocrypha' has fascinated the artistic community. The Book of Judith tells the story of Nebuchadnezzar's general, Holofernes, who lays siege to the Hebrew city of Bethulia, but who is defeated by Judith, whose charms he could not resist. While he lies in a drunken stupor, Judith decapitates him, returns to Bethulia to display his head, and thereby encourages her people to counterattack. Nebuchadnezzar's army is dispersed, and subsequently, Judith becomes a matriarch of Bethulia.