Hester

Hester is the Latin form of Esther – a name borne from the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament). In the Bible, Esther was a Jewess living in the Persian capital city of Susa (the Jewish people had been exiled from Jerusalem during the reign of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II); she would eventually become the wife of Ahasuerus, the king of Persia in the 5th century B.C. Her story is recounted in the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) in the aptly named Book of Esther. Readers are introduced to Esther’s “real” name Hadassah (which is the Hebrew word for “myrtle”, a flowering plant native to the Mediterranean region), but this name is only used once (in Esther 2:7) before being immediately translated to Esther (which is a translation of the Persian word for “star”). Suffice it to say, it was safer for exiled Jews to assimilate with Persian names rather than their Hebrew birth names. As the story unfolds, we learn that Ahasuerus (the Persian king) rid himself of his first wife after she publically disobeyed him. In an effort to find a replacement wife, the king decides to hold a regional “beauty pageant”. In preparation for the big contest, all the beautiful virgins from all the provinces throughout the Persian Empire were gathered in Susa, they were given cosmetics and beauty treatments for a year, and tutored in court etiquette by one of the king’s eunuchs. According to Esther 2:7, Esther herself “had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at” so she too was taken into custody where she quickly won the goodwill of the king’s eunuch. Guess which “star” contestant wins the pageant? That’s right, Esther (after winning the king’s favors in the bedroom, that is). And so Esther became the Queen of all the Persian Empire all the while keeping her Jewish heritage a secret. Eventually, at the urging of her cousin Mordecai and on behalf of her own people, Esther risks it all by appearing in the king’s chambers uninvited. She uses her acuity, perception and persuasion to save a large number of Jewish people throughout the Persian Empire from the evil Haman, one of the King’s highest court officials, who was hell-bent on exterminating the Jewish people throughout the kingdom. Her courageous acts are celebrated during the Jewish holiday known as Purim. Besides Ruth, Esther is the only Biblical Book named after a woman. Go ladies! Furthermore, it is a wonderful narrative filled with political satires, literary irony and nail-biting plot twists. It’s no wonder that Esther has been a favorite name among Jews for centuries. She was one beautiful, brilliant and brave ancient gal. As mentioned previously, Esther’s birth name (Hadassah) comes from the Hebrew word for “myrtle” – a bush whose leaves release their fragrance only when they are crushed. This is fitting, you see, because Esther’s true heroism was released once her people were in terrible danger. Esther comes from an Old Persian word (stāra) some believe to mean “star” while others hold that it also means “myrtle”. Some say the name translates to “secret, hidden” given that Esther hid the fact that she was Jewish. Lastly, there is a school of thought that Esther is a Hebrew form of the name “Ishtar” – the goddess of love and sexuality in Babylonian mythology (Greek counterpart: Aphrodite; Roman counterpart: Venus). Given Esther’s successful beauty pageant career and her feminine wiles with the king in his chambers, this proposed meaning of her name is not exactly a stretch of the imagination. The name Esther has always been a favorite among Jews in particular, but it has enjoyed popularity among Christians throughout Europe. Some variations of the name in other languages include: Estée (French); Ester (Spanish); Estera (Polish), and Yesfir (Russian). Hester is the Latin form of Esther adopted by the Puritans after the Reformation. It was the Puritans who brought the name to colonial America.