Mariamne (second Wife of Herod) - Talmudic Legends

Talmudic Legends

There is a Talmudic legend concerning the marriage and death of Mariamne, although her name is not mentioned. It is to the effect that when the whole house of the Hasmoneans had been rooted out, she threw herself from the roof and was killed. Out of love for her, Herod is said to have kept her body preserved in honey for seven years. In the Talmud this sort of mental derangement is called a "deed of Herod". Josephus relates also that after her death Herod tried in hunting and banqueting to forget his loss, but that even his strong nature succumbed and he fell ill in Samaria, where he had made Mariamne his wife. The Mariamne Tower in Jerusalem, built by Herod, was without doubt named after her; it was called also "Queen"