I am not Esther

Names – what is hidden in a name

In the novel a number of the characters have biblical names. Below are the names of 9
characters involved with the text. Attempt to match as many characters names with their
correct meanings.

Character Meaning
From a title which meant "of Magdala". Mary Magdalene, a character in the New
Testament, was named thus because she was from Magdala - a village on the sea of
Kirby Galilee whose name meant "tower" in Hebrew. She was cleaned of evil spirits by Jesus
and then remained with him during his ministry, witnessing the crucifixion and the
resurrection.

Means "dog" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the twelve
Esther spies sent by Moses into Israel. Of the Israelites who left Egypt with Moses, Caleb and
Joshua were the only ones who lived to see the promised land.

From the Hebrew name ‫( ָדנִּיֵאל‬Daniyyel) meaning "God is my judge". Daniel was a
Hebrew prophet whose story is told in the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament. He lived
Ellen during the Jewish captivity in Babylon, where he served in the court of the king, rising to
prominence by interpreting the king's dreams. The book also presents Daniel's four
visions of the end of the world.

From a surname which was originally from a place name meaning "church settlement" in
Martha Old Norse.

From the Hebrew name ‫מי‬ ִ ‫( נ ָ ֳע‬Na'omiy) meaning "pleasantness". In the Old Testament
Magdalene this is the name of the mother-in-law of Ruth. After the death of her husband, Naomi
took the name Mara (see Ruth 1:20).

Possibly means "star" in Persian. Alternatively it could be a Hebrew form of Ishtar, the
Miriram name of a Persian goddess. The Book of Esther in the Old Testament tells of Queen
Esther, the Jewish wife of the king of Persia, who saves many Jews from persecution.

Means "mistress of the house" or "lady" in Aramaic. This is the name of sister of
Naomi Lazarus and Mary of Bethany in the New Testament. It was also borne by Martha
Washington, the wife of the first American president.

Original Hebrew form of Mary. It is used in the Old Testament, where it belongs to the
Daniel elder sister of Moses and Aaron.

Caleb Medieval English form of Helen. It is also the Dutch form of Helen or Eleanor.

Answer the following questions:

Do any of the meanings for names match up with the characters portrayed in the text?

If yes or no then justify your answer to the question given above.

Authour’s usually consider the names given to their protagonists, because the name for the
hero is often an