Previously, Balladeer’s Blog examined Samson myths depicting the figure as a sun god and Islamic variations of the Samson saga. In this third installment, I will look at Samson as depicted in The Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg in 1909. For the first post in this series click HERE.
SAMSON IN THE LEGENDS OF THE JEWS – Samson was born the son of Manoah, a man of the Dan tribe and his wife Zelalponit aka Hazelalponit of the tribe of Judah.
NOTE: Though the Bible and many non-Biblical versions of the Samson tale reveal no name for Samson’s mother, the Babylonian Talmud and other sources provide the names mentioned above.
Typical of so many myths from around the world, Manoah and Zelalponit/ Hazelalponit had never had any children and had given up hope of having any. The Legends of the Jews does not deal with the angelic visits informing Samson’s parents of his impending birth so I will save that aspect of the story for a future installment. Continue reading
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