Though Herod desired to put John to death, he feared the multitude, because they held John as a prophet, so Herod kept John under lock and key.
Nevertheless, when Herod's birthday was celebrated near midsummer, Herod made a supper for his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee. It was at this feast that St. John's fate was sealed.
When the daughter of the said Herodias came in, she danced the dance of the seven veils before them.
Herod was well pleased. Thereupon, he said unto the damsel, "Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee." And he swore an oath to her before all his guests, "Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom."
She, having been advised by her mother, requested, "Give me here upon a dish the head of John the Baptist."
Herod was grieved; but for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which ate with him at the feast, he commanded the head to be given to her. An executioner beheaded John in the prison and brought the head in a charger and gave it to the damsel, and the damsel carried John's head to her mother.
When the head was presented, a great wind began to blow. It seemed to be blowing from the dead saint's mouth. Then the daughter of Herodias wept. The many tears of the damsel fell upon the ground. The wind blew into a roaring tempest, and she was swept away up into the night sky, where she must go in the airs until the end of time.
copyright 2009 Myth Woodling
Myth's Notes
This story is my retelling of an old Italian folktale.
The Roman Catholic Church commemorates of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist on August 29. However, in Italian folklore the story of the daughter of Herodias became attached to June 23, St John's Eve, which is the night before the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist, June 24. Usually, a feast day of a saint commemorated the death of that saint to celebrate her/his martyrdom; the feast of St. John the Baptist is one of the very few saints' days to mark the anniversary of a saint's birth. In Rome, youths would gather in front of the cathedral of Basilica of St. John Lateran on the night of June 23, because Herodias traveled in the air.
"Salome of the Seven Veils" is the name by which the "daughter of Herodias" is generally known in modern USA culture. Yet, I specifically refer to the girl as "daughter of Herodias" for a reason.
J.B. Andrews in his folklore article Neapolian Witchcraft, FOLK-LORE TRANSACTIONS OF THE FOLK-LORE SOCIETY, Vol III March, 1897 No.1 wrote:
It is believed that at midnight then [St. John Baptist's Eve, June 23] Herodiade may be seen in the sky seated across a ray of fire, saying:"Herodiade" or "Erodiade" is the Italian version of the name Herodias." Mamma, mamma, perche` lo dicesti?"
"Figlia, figlia, perche' lo facesti? "
Sabina Magliocco in her incredible article Who Was Aradia? The History and Development of a Legend, The Pomegranate: The Journal of Pagan Studies, Issue 18, Feb. 2002 explained what Herodiade was doing in the airs on June 24, the Eve of St. John Baptist's Feast Day, by citing a legend in Alfredo Cattabiani, Lunario. Milano: Arnoldo Mondadori, 1994.
According Sabina Magliocco, there was an early Christian legend or folklore derived from the bibical account (Matthew 14:3-11, Mark 6:17-28) of Herodias and Herodias' daughter. When the head of the saint was brought forth on a platter, she-who-danced-for-the-head-of-the-Baptist had a fit of remorse, weeping and bemoaning her sin. A powerful wind began to blow forth from the saint's mouth, so strong that it blew the famous dancer up into the air, where she is condemned to wander.
Titus Flavius Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian provides the name of stepdaughter and niece of Herod Antipas as Salome, but Josephus makes no mention of the infamous dance. Josephus in his Antiquities of the Jews recounted that after the excution of John that Herod, Herodias, and her daughter Salome were exiled Lugdunum, near Spain.
However, the name "Salome" does not appear in the biblical accounts of the beheading of John the Baptist. In the Latin Vulgate Version, the girl is refered to as the "daughter of the said Herodias."
At some point, the "daughter of Herodias" and "Herodias" became conflated in folklore in early medieval Europe.
Perhaps because she is otherwise unnamed in the bible narrative, it was not odd that Herodias and her daughter became confused in folklore in medieval Europe. Most Catholic Church doctors refered to the one who danced for the head of John as "Herodias's daughter" or "the girl."
Isaac Asimov in Asimov's Guide to the Bible: A Historical Look at the Old and New Testaments, 1967, 1969, 1981 explained that some ancient Greek versions of Mark read "Herod's daughter Herodias" (rather than "daughter of the said Herodias").
Another reason why some Christian Church Fathers using these ancient Greek texts thought both mother and daughter had the same name of "Herodias" was explained by Magliocco in her article about Aradia: "Since in Roman usage, the wives and daughters of a house were commonly known by the name of the male head of the household, it is easy to see how Salome became confused with her mother Herodias."
Probably because the holiday of St John the Baptist was widely celebrated during the Middle Ages, a great deal of religious folklore surrounds Herodias. Magliocco also explained:
Diana in the Canon Episcopi, a document attributed to the Council of Ancyra in 314 CE, but probably a much later forgery, since the earliest written record of it appears around 872 CE (Caro Baroja, 1961:62). Regino, Abbot of Pr¸m, writing in 899 CE, cites the Canon, telling bishops to warn their flocks against the false beliefs of women who think they follow "Diana the pagan goddess, or Herodias" on their night-time travels. These women believed they rode out on the backs of animals over long distances, following the orders of their mistress who called them to service on certain appointed nights. Three centuries later, Ugo da San Vittore, a 12th century Italian abbot, refers to women who believe they go out at night riding on the backs of animals with "Erodiade," whom he conflates with Diana and Minerva (Bonomo, 1959:18-19).Eventually there developed a widespread belief that Herodias was a the supernatural leader of a supposed cult of witches, apparently asociated with or synonymous with the legendary witch-queens Diana, Holda, Abundia, and many others. In Italy, Raterius of Liegi, Bishop of Veronia in the 9th century c.e. complained that many folk believed that Herodias was a queen or goddess and that they also claimed a third of the earth was under the dominion of Herodias. Herodias was supposed to preside over the night assembly or night flight.
In parts of Italy, the dew formed on St. John's Eve was often said to represent the tears of the daughter of Herodias. This dew was believed to have healing virtues and promote fecundity. June 23 was also known as la notte delle streghe. It was once customary in Rome to build bonfires outside the Basilica of St. John Lateran in anticipation of the night flight led by Herodias.
For more information on Erodiade or Herodiade, the flight of Herodias, or the cult of Herodias, you really ought to read the article by Sabina Magliocco.
My retelling of the legend incorporates the drama of the story from Matthew 14:3-11, Mark 6:17-28, as well as the Italian elements above.
Those who are familiar with the metaphorical phrase, "Give me his head on a silver platter," should know that this phrase is directly related to the request by the daughter of Herodias for the head of John the Baptist. A "charger," also known as a service plate, is a large decorative plate used to dress up dinner tables at parties and other special events. Formerly, the word, charger, which originated in 1275 - 1325 from the Middle English chargeour, signified either a large, shallow dish for liquids or a large platter.
I am sorry to report that the Dance of the Daughter of Herodias may have never taken place. It was simply not a common practice for young women of royal blood to dance for male strangers at a family birthday party. Secondly, this story uses a common folklore motif of the "dolorous promise" or "rash boon." This motif related to the fact that a ruler may lose honor as the result of failing to fulfill a publically uttered oath.
All that being said it is still a great legend from Italy worth retelling.