Who was Judith?

I was perplexed when I was reading about Baroque music and saw the painting Judith Slaying Holofernes (c. 1613) by Artemisia Gentileschi. The subject of the painting is brutal and bloody, and I had to know the story behind it.

It turns out that Judith is a deuterocanonical book of Bible. It tells the story of a widow who charms an invading general, then cuts off his head as he sleeps (or while he was drunk - take your pick).

The story has inspired many paintings and other works of art, including the famous painting (above) by Gustav Klimt and musical pieces by Vivaldi and Mozart . In the lower right corner of Klimt's painting, you can see the severed head of Holofernes. I told you it was bloody.