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{{short description|Biblical figure}}
{{Other uses}}
[[File:Rembrandt - Haman Begging the Mercy of Esther.jpg|thumb|''Haman Begging the Mercy of Esther'', by [[Rembrandt]]]]

'''Haman''' ({{Langx|he|הָמָן}} {{Transliteration|he|Hāmān}}; also known as '''Haman the [[Agagite]]''') is the main antagonist in the [[Book of Esther]], who according to the [[Hebrew Bible]] was an official in the court of the [[Achaemenid Empire|Persian empire]] under King [[Ahasuerus#Book of Esther|Ahasuerus]], commonly identified as [[Xerxes I]] (died 465 [[Common era|BCE]]) but traditionally equated with [[Artaxerxes I of Persia|Artaxerxes I]] or [[Artaxerxes II of Persia|Artaxerxes II]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hoschander|first=Jacob|date=1918|title=The Book of Esther in the Light of History|journal=The Jewish Quarterly Review|volume=9|issue=1/2|pages=1–41|doi=10.2307/1451208|jstor=1451208|issn=0021-6682|hdl=2027/uc1.c100234370|url=https://archive.org/details/bookofestherinli00hosc|hdl-access=free}}</ref> His epithet, ''Agagite'', indicates that Haman was a descendant of [[Agag]], the king of the [[Amalekites]]. Some commentators interpret this descent to be symbolic, due to his similar personality.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Esther 3 Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges|url=https://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/esther/3.htm|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=|website=Biblehub}}</ref><ref name=jewishencyclopedia.com>{{Cite Jewish Encyclopedia |title=HAMAN THE AGAGITE |url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/7124-haman-the-agagite |first1=Emil |last1=Hirsch |first2=M. |last2=Seligsohn |first3=Solomon |last3=Schechter |volume=6 |page=189&ndash;190}} Retrieved 13 February 2017</ref>

In the narrative of the Book of Esther, Haman was a proud and ambitious man who demanded that everyone bow down to him as a sign of respect. However, a Jewish man named [[Mordecai]] refused to bow down to him, which enraged Haman. Seeking revenge, Haman convinced the king to issue a decree that all [[Jews]] in the Persian empire be [[Genocide|exterminated]]. Haman's plot was foiled by Queen [[Esther]], who was also Jewish and had concealed her identity from the King. Esther revealed Haman's plan to Ahasuerus and pleaded with him to spare her people. The King was outraged at Haman's treachery and ordered that he be executed instead.

==Etymology and meaning of the name==
The name has been equated with the Persian name ''Omanes''<ref name=EJ_CDROM>Encyclopaedia Judaica CD-ROM Edition 1.0 1997, ''Haman''</ref> ({{langx|peo|𐎡𐎶𐎴𐎡𐏁}}, {{Transliteration|peo|Imāniš}}) recorded by Greek historians. Several etymologies have been proposed for it: it has been associated with the Persian word {{Transliteration|fa|Hamayun}}, meaning "illustrious"<ref name=EJ_CDROM /><ref>{{cite book |title=The Book of Esther between Judaism and Christianity |last=Kalimi |first=Isaac |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2023 |isbn=978-1-009-26612-3 |page=111 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HvnAEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA111}}</ref> (naming dictionaries typically list it as meaning "magnificent"); with the sacred drink [[Haoma]];<ref name=EJ_CDROM /> or with the Persian name [[Vohu Manah|Vohuman]], meaning "good thoughts". The 19th-century Bible critic Jensen associated it with the [[Elam]]ite god [[Humban]], a view dismissed by later scholars.{{sfn|Paton|1908}} [[Ahriman]], a [[Zoroastrian]] spirit of destruction, has also been proposed as an [[etymon]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yoreh |first=Tzemah |date=2019-03-03 |title=Purim coincides with Spring this year. |url=http://citycongregation.org/rabbi-blog/purim-coincides-with-spring/ |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=The City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism |language=en-US}}</ref> Hoschander suggests that Haman is a priestly title and not a proper name.{{sfn|Hoschander|1918}}

== Haman in the Hebrew Bible ==
[[File:Esther Denouncing Haman.jpg|thumb|Esther denouncing Haman by [[Ernest Normand]]]]

As described in the [[Book of Esther]], Haman was the son of [[List of Biblical names starting with H|Hammedatha]] the Agagite. After Haman was appointed the principal minister of the king [[Ahasuerus]], all of the king's servants were required to [[Proskynesis|bow down]] to Haman, but [[Mordecai]] refused to. Angered by this, and knowing of Mordecai's Jewish nationality, Haman convinced Ahasuerus to allow him to have all of the [[Persian Jews|Jews in the Persian empire]] killed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sefaria.org/Esther.3|title=Esther 3|website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref>

The plot was foiled by Queen [[Esther]], the king's recent wife, who was herself a Jew. Esther invited Haman and the king to two banquets. In the second banquet, she informed the king that Haman was plotting to kill her (and the other Jews). This enraged the king, who was further angered when (after leaving the room briefly and returning) he discovered Haman had fallen on Esther's couch, intending to beg mercy from Esther, but which the king interpreted as a sexual advance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sefaria.org/Esther.7.2|title=Esther 7:2|website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref>

On the king's orders, Haman was hanged from the 50-[[cubit]]-high [[gallows]] that had originally been built by Haman himself, on the advice of his wife [[Zeresh]], in order to hang Mordecai.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sefaria.org/Esther.7.9|title=Esther 7:9|website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref> The bodies of [[Sons of Haman|Haman's 10 sons]] were also hanged, after they died in battle against the Jews.<ref name="Esther 9:6-14">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sefaria.org/Esther.9.6|title=Esther 9:6|website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref> The Jews also killed about 75,000 of their enemies in [[self-defense]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sefaria.org.il/Esther.9.16?lang=he&with=all&lang2=he|title=Esther 9:16|website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref>

The apparent purpose of these unusually high gallows can be understood from the geography of [[Susa|Shushan]]: Haman's house (where the pole was located) was likely in the city of Susa (a flat area), while the royal citadel and palace were located on a mound about 15 meters higher than the city. Such a tall pole would have allowed Haman to observe Mordecai's corpse while dining in the royal palace, had his plans worked as intended.<ref>Yehuda Landy, ''Purim and the Persian Empire'', p. 83</ref>

== Haman in other sources ==
=== Midrash ===
{{main|Haman in rabbinic literature}}
According to [[Hanan bar Rava|Ḥanan b. Rava]], his mother was ʾĂmatlaʾy, a descendant of ʿÔrebtî (also ʿÔrǝbtāʾ ''she-raven''), apparently patriarch of a major [[Nehardea]]<nowiki/>n house.<ref>Bava Batra 91a, Ein Yaakov</ref><ref>Qiddushin 70b</ref>

TgEsth1 and TgEsth3 call him "Haman the son of Hamedatha, descended from Agag the son of Amaleq." The [[Targum Sheni]] gives Haman's lineage as follows: "Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, son of Khada,{{efn|also 'Ada}} son of Kuza,{{efn|also Bizna'i}} son of Alipilot,{{Efn|also Aphlitus}} son of Dios, son of Diosos,{{efn|variants ''Djosim'' and ''Djosef''}} son of Peros, son of Ma'dan,{{Efn|also Hamdan}} son of Bala'qan,{{Efn|also Talyon}} son of Antimiros,{{Efn|also Atnisomos}} son of Hadrus,{{Efn|also son of Harum, son of Harsum}} son of Shegar, son of Negar,{{Efn|also Genar}} son of Parmashta, son of Vaizatha, son of Agag, son of Sumqar, son of [[Amalek]], son of a concubine of [[Eliphaz]] the son of [[Esau]]".<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon|url=http://cal.huc.edu/showtargum.php?bookname=36&chapter=03&verse=1&Peshitta=1&Sam=1|access-date=2021-03-01|website=cal.huc.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Paton|first=Lewis Bayles|author-link=Lewis B. Paton|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RxYXAAAAYAAJ|title=A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Esther|date=1908|publisher=Charles Scribner|isbn=978-0-8370-6297-6|language=en}}</ref> There are apparently several generations omitted between [[Agag]], who was executed by [[Samuel]] the prophet in the time of [[King Saul]], and Amalek, who lived several hundred years earlier.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}} According to the [[Midrash Abba Gorion]], Haman was also called [[Memucan]], because he was "destined for punishment".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://dafaleph.com/home/2016/3/24/memuchan-is-haman-explaining-a-classic-purim-medrash | title=Memuchan is Haman: Explaining a Classic Purim Medrash | date=24 March 2016 }}</ref>

In [[Midrash|Rabbinic tradition]], Haman is considered to be an archetype of evil and persecutor of the Jews. Having attempted to exterminate the Jews of Persia, and rendering himself thereby their worst enemy, Haman naturally became the center of many Talmudic legends. Being at one time extremely poor, he sold himself as a slave to Mordecai.<ref>Megillah 15a</ref> He was a barber at Kefar Karzum for the space of twenty-two years.<ref>Megillah 16a</ref> Haman had an idolatrous image embroidered on his garments, so that those who bowed to him at command of the king bowed also to the image.<ref>[[Esther Rabbah]] 7</ref>

Haman was also an [[astrologer]], and when he was about to fix the time for the genocide of the Jews he first [[Cleromancy|cast lots]] to ascertain which was the most auspicious day of the week for that purpose.<ref name="jewishencyclopedia.com"/> Each day, however, proved to be under some influence favorable to the Jews.<ref name=jewishencyclopedia.com /> He then sought to fix the month, but found that the same was true of each month; thus, [[Nisan]] was favorable to the Jews because of the [[Passover]] sacrifice; [[Iyyar]], because of the small Passover.<ref name=jewishencyclopedia.com /> But when he arrived at [[Adar]] he found that its zodiacal sign was [[Pisces (astrology)|Pisces]], and he said, "Now I shall be able to swallow them as fish which swallow one another" (Esther Rabbah 7; [[Targum Sheni]] 3).<ref name=jewishencyclopedia.com />

Haman had 365 counselors, but the advice of none was so good as that of his wife, Zeresh.<ref name=jewishencyclopedia.com /> She induced Haman to build a gallows for Mordecai, assuring him that this was the only way in which he would be able to prevail over his enemy, for hitherto the just had always been rescued from every other kind of death.<ref name=jewishencyclopedia.com /> As God foresaw that Haman himself would be hanged on the gallows, he asked which tree would volunteer to serve as the instrument of death. Each tree, declaring that it was used for some holy purpose, objected to being soiled by the unclean body of Haman. Only the thorn-tree could find no excuse, and therefore offered itself for a gallows (Esther Rabbah 9; Midrash Abba Gorion 7 (ed. Buber, Wilna, 1886); in Targum Sheni this is narrated somewhat differently).

According to the [[Targum Sheni]], he killed the prophet [[Daniel (biblical figure)|Daniel]], who managed to live to [[Ahasuerus]]'s reign (Targum Sheini on Esther, 4, 11).

=== Quran ===
{{Main|Haman (Islam)}}
In the [[Qur'an]] ([[Islam]]'s primary scripture), '''Haman''' ({{langx|ar|هامان|Hāmān}}) is a person mentioned and associated with pharaoh of the Exodus. McAuliffe's Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān among other sources relates "Haman" to be the Arabized form of "Ha-Amana" in Egyptian.<ref>A. H. Jones, "Hāmān", in J. D. McAuliffe (Ed.), ''Encyclopaedia Of The Qur'an'', 2002, Volume II, op. cit., p. 399</ref><ref name="Asad 1980 751">{{cite book |last=Asad |first=Muhammad |author-link= |date=1980 |title=The Message of the Qur'ān |url=https://quran-archive.org/explorer/muhammad-asad |location=Gibraltar |publisher=Dar al-Andalus |page=751 |isbn= }}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[Muhammad Asad]] contended that Haman is Ha-Amen as shortcut of the first few letters of title of [[High Priest of Amun]]  in his book "[[The Message of The Qur'an]]".<ref name="Asad 1980 751"/>
However, some scholars disagree with the theory of the Quranic Haman being an Egyptian title, instead of a name and the biblical figure himself.<ref name="Silverstein">Silverstein, Adam "Veiling Esther, Unveiling Her Story: The Reception of a Biblical Book in Islamic Lands" Oxford University Press, 2018, p. 20-21.</ref><ref name="Reynolds">Reynolds, Gabriel Said "The Qur'an and the Bible: Text and commentary" Yale University Press, 2018, p. 603-604.</ref>

Haman appears six times throughout the Qur'an<ref>{{cite book | last1=Noegel | first1=S.B. | last2=Wheeler | first2=B.M. | title=The A to Z of Prophets in Islam and Judaism | publisher=Scarecrow Press | series=The A to Z Guide Series | year=2010 | isbn=978-1-4617-1895-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lNAWAgAAQBAJ | access-date=2021-09-23 | page=131|chapter=Haman}}</ref> four times with Pharaoh and twice by himself,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.searchtruth.com/search.php?keyword=haman&translator=5&search_word=all&start=0|title=Search Quran – Search haman in Quran القران الكريم in English translation by Mohsin Khan – all words|website=SearchTruth.com}}</ref> where God sent Moses to invite Pharaoh, Haman, and their people to [[monotheism]], and to seek protection of the Israelites whom Haman and Pharaoh were tormenting. Referring to Moses as a sorcerer and a liar, the Pharaoh rejected Moses' call to worship the God of Moses and refused to free the Israelite children. The Pharaoh commissioned Haman to build a tall tower using burnt bricks so that the Pharaoh could ascend and see the God of Moses. The Pharaoh, Haman, and their army in chariots pursuing Israel's fleeing children drowned in the [[Red Sea]] as the parted water closed on them. The Pharaoh's submission to God at the moment of death and total destruction was rejected, but his corpse was saved as a lesson for posterity and he was mummified.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://corpus.quran.com/wordbyword.jsp?chapter=10&verse=92#(10:92:1)|title=Quran, Surah 10:92, note: the phrases 'we will save you' (nunajjīka نُنَجِّيكَ) & 'that you may be' (litakūna لِتَكُونَ) are all written (addressed to) in the second person singular, thus grammatically speaking there is one person addressed, namely Pharaoh, as evident in the preceding verses (Surah 10:90–91)|quote=So today We will save you in body that you may be to those who succeed you a sign. And indeed, many among the people, of Our signs, are heedless.}}</ref>
[[File:Lastman Haman.png|thumb|''Haman Begging the Mercy of Esther'', by [[Pieter Lastman]]]]

=== Josephus ===
[[Josephus]] mentions Haman in his ''[[Antiquities of the Jews]]''. Josephus's account of the story draws from the [[Septuagint]] translation of the Book of Esther and from other Greek and Jewish sources, some no longer extant.

===Septuagint===

The version of the Book of Esther in the Septuagint portrays Haman in a distinct manner:<ref name="Lacocque">{{cite web |last=Lacocque |first=André |title=HAMAN IN THE BOOK OF ESTHER |s2cid=28428883 }}</ref>

*Haman is referred to as a "Macedonian" and described as "an alien" to Persia.<ref>Esther 16:10</ref> This characterization presents him as an outsider and not a true Persian.
*Haman is accused of plotting to transfer the sovereignty of Persia to the Macedonians, while the Jews are called "loyal Persians" by the king.<ref>Esther 8:12-14</ref> This portrays Haman as disloyal and conspiring against Persia.
*In various passages, Haman is referred to as an "Agagite" (Amalekite),<ref>Esther 3:1, 8:3, 9:10, 9:24</ref> "Gogite" (from the cursed city of Gog), "Ebugaios" (an unexplained term),<ref>Esther 9:24 (Codex Sinaiticus)</ref> and "Bugaean".<ref>Additions to Esther 12:6</ref> These labels serve to further mark Haman as a foreigner and enemy.
*The text suggests that Haman represents the Biblical Amalekites, the epitome of evil that God commands to be destroyed.<ref>Exodus 17:8-16, Numbers 24:7, Deuteronomy 25:17-19, 1 Samuel 15, 1 Chronicles 4:42-43</ref> Haman thus symbolizes the evil that the Jews must struggle against in every generation until the final eschatological triumph of God's kingdom.<ref>Midrash Shoḥer Tov 9:10</ref>

=== Vulgate ===
[[File:The Punishment of Haman.png|thumb|''Crucifixion of Haman'' by Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel]]
As in the Septuagint, Haman's execution is ambiguous, suggestive of both [[hanging]] and [[crucifixion]]. The fifty-cubit object, described as ''xylon'' in the Septuagint ({{langx|grc|ξύλον|xulon|wood}}), is similarly ambiguously referred to as "wood" ({{Langx|la|lignum}}). The Vulgate translation of Esther 7:10 furthermore refers to a {{Lang|la|patibulum}}, used elsewhere to describe the cross-piece in crucifixion, when describing the fate of Haman: {{Langx|la|suspensus est itaque Aman in patibulo quod paraverat Mardocheo|lit=therefore was Haman suspended on the ''patibulum'' he prepared for Mordechai|label=none}}.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://studybible.info/compare/Esther%207:9-10|title=Esther 7:9–10, Apostolic Polyglot Bible English|website=Study Bible|access-date=2020-04-05}}</ref> In the corner of the [[Sistine Chapel ceiling]] is a depiction in [[fresco]] of the execution of Haman by [[Michelangelo]]; Haman is shown crucified in a manner similar to typical [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] depictions of the [[crucifixion of Jesus]], though the legs are parted and the apparatus resembles a natural tree shorter than fifty cubits high.

===English translations===
Translations of the ''Book of Esther'''s description of Haman's execution have variously treated the subject. [[Wycliffe's Bible]] referred both to a ''tre'' (tree) and a ''iebat'' (gibbet), while [[Coverdale Bible|Coverdale's]] preferred ''galowe'' (gallows). The [[Geneva Bible]] used ''tree'' but the [[King James Version]] established ''gallows'' and ''hang'' as the most common rendering; the [[Douay–Rheims Bible]] later used ''gibbet''.<ref name=":0" /> [[Young's Literal Translation]] used ''tree'' and ''hang''. The [[New International Version]], [[Common English Bible]], and [[New Living Translation]] all use ''impale'' for {{langx|he|ויתלו}} and ''pole'' for {{langx|he|העץ}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblestudytools.com/esther/7-9-compare.html|title=Compare translations Esther 7:9|website=Bible Study Tools|access-date=2020-04-05}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblestudytools.com/esther/7-10-compare.html|title=Compare translations Esther 7:10|website=Bible Study Tools|access-date=2020-04-05}}</ref>

=== As a god ===
Jacob Hoschander has argued that the name of Haman and that of his father Hamedatha are mentioned by [[Strabo]] as ''Omanus'' and ''Anadatus'', worshipped with Anahita in the city of [[Zile|Zela]]. Hoschander suggests that Haman may, if the connection is correct, be a priestly title and not a proper name.{{sfn|Hoschander|1918}} Strabo's names are unattested in Persian texts as gods; however the Talmud<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sanhedrin 61b|url=https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.61b|access-date=2021-02-17|website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref> and Josephus<ref>{{Cite web|title=Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews, Book XI|url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/ant-11.html|access-date=2021-02-17|website=penelope.uchicago.edu}}</ref> interpret the description of courtiers bowing to Haman in Esther 3:2 as worship (other scholars assume "Omanus" refers to [[Vohu Mana]]).<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Matassa|first1=Lidia D.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xc9MAwAAQBAJ|title=Text, Theology, and Trowel: New Investigations in the Biblical World|last2=Silverman|first2=Jason M.|year=2011|publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers|isbn=978-1-60899-942-2|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MWiMV6llZesC&q=%22omanus%22+%22vohu+manah%22&pg=PA264|title=Handbuch der Orientalistik: Der Nahe und der Mittlere Osten|date=1991|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-09271-6|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Dhalla|first=Maneckji Nusservanji|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XtYVloWlvUgC&q=%22omanus%22+%22vohu+manah%22&pg=PA187|title=Zoroastrian Theology: From the Earliest Times to the Present Day|date=1914|publisher=s.l.|language=en}}</ref>

== Purim traditions ==
{{Main|Purim}}
The [[Jewish holiday]] of [[Purim]] commemorates the story of the Jews' deliverance and Haman's defeat. On that day, the Book of Esther is publicly read and much noise and tumult is raised at every mention of Haman's name. Various noisemakers (''[[gragger]]s'') are used to express disdain for Haman by "blotting out" his name during the recitation of [[Book of Esther|Megillah]]. Pastry known as {{Transliteration|yi|[[hamentashen]]}} (Yiddish for 'Haman's pockets'; known in Hebrew as {{lang|he|אזני המן}}, {{Transliteration|he|ozney Haman}}, 'Haman's ears') is traditionally eaten on this day.

Since the 1890s, several academics have "agreed in seeing [The Book of] Esther as a historicized [[myth]] or [[ritual]]" and generally concluded that Purim has its origin in a [[Neo-Babylonian Empire|Babylonian]] or [[Achaemenid Empire|Persian]] [[myth]] or [[festival]] (though which one is a subject of discussion).<ref>Moore, Carey A. (1971). ''Esther''. Doubleday. See section "The Non-Jewish Origins of Purim." Pages 46-49. "Esther's canonical status may have been opposed by those Jews who saw the book as a defense for a Jewish festival which, as its very name suggests (*the pûr [that is, the lot]", iii 7; see also ix 26), was non-Jewish in origin. Certainly modern scholars have felt the explanation for Purim's name in ix 26 to be strained and unconvincing. Moreover, the "secular" character of the feast suggests a pagan origin, that is, no prayers or sacrifices are specified, but drinking to the point of excess is permitted in the Talmud, Megilla 7b... pûrim is a hebraized form of a Babylonian word...Efforts to identify Purim with an earlier Jewish or Greek festival have been neither common nor convincing, and ever since the [[1890s]], when Heinrich Zimmern and Peter Jensen equated [[Mordecai]] and Esther with the Babylonian gods [[Marduk]] and [[Ishtar]], and Haman and [[Vashti]] with the [[Elamite]] gods Humman and Mashti, a Babylonian origin for Purim has been popular. Though scholars like Jensen, Zimmem, Hugo Winckler, Bruno Meissner and others have each picked a different Babylonian myth or festival as the prototype for Purim, namely, the [[Gilgamesh Epic]], the Babylonian Creation Story, the [[Tammuz (mythology)|Tammuz]]-[[Ishtar]] Myth, and the [[Zagmuk]] Feast, respectively, they all agreed in seeing Esther as a historicized myth or ritual. More recently, however, a Persian origin for Purim has been gaining support among scholars."</ref> However, more recent scholarship places Purim's origins in the [[Palestine (region)|region of Palestine]] instead.<ref>Moore, Carey A. "Esther, Book of," ed. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 637-638 "Certainly a pagan origin for Purim would also help to explain the "secular" way in which it was to be celebrated, i.e., with uninhibited and even inebriated behavior (cf. above Meg. 7b). Then too, a pagan origin for the festival would also help to explain the absence of various religious elements in the story.... But even more recently scholars are again looking to Palestine for the origin of the festival."</ref>

==In literature and popular culture==
=== Dante's ''Divine Comedy'' ===
Haman at the moment of his execution appears at the beginning of Canto 17 of ''[[Purgatorio]]'' in Dante's [[Divine Comedy|''Divina Commedia'']]. The image occurs in the form of a spontaneous vision given to the character of Dante-as-pilgrim, the purpose of which is to envision Haman's accusers, Ahaseurus, Esther and Mordecai, as emblems of righteous anger. In this divinely inspired hallucination, the fictional Dante sees Haman as "''un crucifisso''", a man who undergoes [[crucifixion]].<ref>Dante Alighieri, ''Divina Commedia'', ''Purgatorio'' XVII, line 26</ref>

=== Novels ===
Margaret Mitchell's novel, ''[[Gone With the Wind (novel)|Gone With the Wind]]'' (1936) references Haman in the scene in which [[Rhett Butler]], in jail, faces the prospect of hanging.

The [[Agatha Christie]] novel, ''[[The Mysterious Affair at Styles]]'' references Haman in a scene where [[Poirot]], investigating a murder, says he will "hang him as high as Haman".

In the [[Lord Peter Wimsey]] novel ''[[The Nine Tailors]]'', Lord Peter, revealing that the victim, Geoffrey Deacon, was inadvertently killed by the ringing of bells, declares that his killers are already hanging "far higher than Haman".

=== Visual media ===
Haman is characterised as evil vizier to a sultan in the "[[Aladdin|Aliyah-Din]]" segment of the 1994 [[television film|made-for-television film]] ''[[Scooby-Doo! in Arabian Nights]]''.

He is featured as the primary antagonist in the 1999 ''[[South Park]]'' episode "[[Jewbilee]]", in which he is portrayed as attempting to re-enter the mortal world in order to rule once more over the Jews.

The character was depicted in the American feature film ''[[One Night with the King]]'' (2006), played by [[James Callis]].

American children's television animations in which the biblical story of Haman is told include the "Queen Esther" episode of the series ''[[The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible]]'' (1985-1992), where he is voiced by [[Werner Klemperer]], and the computer-generated series ''[[VeggieTales]]'' (2000), in which he is portrayed by "Mr. Lunt" during the episode "Esther, the Girl who Became Queen".

==References==
===Notes===
{{notelist}}

===Citations===

{{Reflist}}
* {{JewishEncyclopedia|title=HAMAN THE AGAGITE |url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/7124-haman-the-agagite |first1=Emil |last1=Hirsch |first2=M. |last2=Seligsohn |first3=Solomon |last3=Schechter |volume=6 |page=189&ndash;190}}

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline}}

{{Book of Esther}}
{{Purim Footer}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Biblical murderers]]
[[Category:Book of Esther people]]
[[Category:Esther]]
[[Category:Hebrew Bible people]]
[[Category:Amalek]]
[[Category:People executed by hanging]]