View source for Names to Run Away From Really Fast/Biblical Names

{{trope}}
A form of [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]: Names from [[The Bible]] tend to imposing and vaguely supernatural.

See also [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast/Demons Or Angels|Demons Or Angels]] and [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast/Religious Names|Religious Names]]. [[Name of Cain]] is a popular example.

{{examples}}

== Absalom ==
In Jewish tradition, the name Absalom is considered banned or at least bad luck to give to a child, given that the character [[Calling the Old Man Out|led a revolt against his father]]. Doubles as an [[Ironic Name]] since it literally means "father of peace."

=== [[Comic Books]] ===
* There used to be a ''[[Doctor Who]]'' spin-off comic called "Abslom Daak, Dalek Killer".

=== [[Literature]] ===
* ''[[The Canterbury Tales]]'' have a [[Butt Monkey]] character with this name, but that's probably more in reference to him being "pretty" (as was the Biblical character) than because of ill-omens associated with the name.
* [[Cry the Beloved Country]] features Absalom Kumalo, son of an African preacher who ultimately ends up killing a man (to be fair, it was something of an accident).

=== [[Live-Action TV]] ===
* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' vampire

=== [[Video Games]] ===
* There is also a [[Pokémon]] named Absol, which is considered a bad omen due to its attraction to catastrophe.


== Adam ==

=== [[Anime]] ===
* The first, and by far the most powerful angel in ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]''. The mere act of waking up this being wiped out half the population of earth and changed most of the major landmass. Oh, and when Adam woke up it's four wings were large enough to be visible from space.
* Eve is the [[Big Bad]] of the manga version of ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V]]''; "Adam" is the name of the [[Bigger Bad]], who was killed in the utopian future Eve is from; her goal is to restore him. 

=== [[Literature]] ===
* There's the [[Anti-Anti-Christ|Adam]] from ''[[Good Omens]]''.
* The monster in the original [[Frankenstein]] was named Adam, according to [[Word of God|Mary Shelley]].

=== [[Live-Action TV]] ===
* Adam Monroe/{{spoiler|Takezo Kensei}}, of ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]'' who true to his name is the forerunner of all of the other superpowered people.
* Adam, Frankensteinian Magitek demon-bot on Season 4 of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''.

=== [[Tabletop Games]] ===
* In the ''[[Ravenloft]]'' setting, Mordenkain's creation Adam, Darklord of Lamordia and an [[Expy]] of [[Frankenstein's Monster]].

=== [[Video Games]] ===
* ADAM and EVE in ''[[BioShock (series)]]''.
* Eve in ''[[Parasite Eve]]''.

== Eden ==

=== [[Film]] ===
* One of the two villains from ''[[The Proposition]]'' is named Eden Fletcher. His first name kind of gets him on here. Since he's an evil decadent type, and, better yet, a [[Smug Snake]] ''[[Smug Snake|Snake]]'' his name makes perfect symbolic sense.

=== [[Live-Action TV]] ===
* Villain Eden McCain, from ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]'', a Company operative with [[Compelling Voice|the power of persuasion]].

=== [[Video Games]] ===
* Eden, the ultimate summon from ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]''.
* The [[A.I. Is a Crapshoot|malfunctioning supercomputer]] in ''[[Rez]]'' and ''[[Child of Eden]]''.
* ''[[Project Eden]]''.

=== [[Real Life]] ===
* [[Everything Trying to Kill You|The]] [[Car Fu|Edens]] [[Drives Like Crazy|Expressway]] in Chicago, Illinois.

== Jezebel ==
{{quote|"And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her."}} — The LORD, 1 Kings 21:23

The cruel and heretical wife of King Ahab from the Book of Kings. Long used to evoke images of false prophets (thanks to Jezebel's support for pagan deities over Yahweh) and prostitutes.

=== Anime ===
* Not a straight example, but in Pokémon, James' cruel and sadistic ex-fiancé is named Jesse Bell, a clear pun on the infamous name.

=== Comic Strips ===
* Played for laughs in Peanuts, during a storyline when Linus meets a female classmate who constantly changes her name from day to day.
{{quote|Classmate: Today my name is Jezebel. 
Linus: Jezebel was the evil wife of King Ahab in the Old Testament. In II Kings, it says that her servants threw her out of the window and she landed on her head. 
Classmate: ...Today my name is Susan.}}

=== Live Action Television ===
* A variant from ''[[Sabrina the Teenage Witch]]'', Zelda's [[Evil Twin]] Jezebelda.

== Gog and/or Magog ==

=== [[Comic Books]] ===
* The titular [[Anti-Hero]] of ''[[Kingdom Come]]''. Although this may be a subversion, as the character was recently reintroduced in the pages of [[Justice Society of America|JSA]] as a [[Legacy Character]] and seems to be reforming from his [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]] self.
* Alien foe of [[Spider-Man]]

=== [[Literature]] ===
* Gog and Magog are the names of the blacksmith's hulking, mentally challenged slaves in the ''[[Sea of Trolls]]'' book.
* Aragog, the [[Giant Spider]] from the ''[[Harry Potter (novel)|Harry Potter]]'' books.
* [StarWarsGalaxyOfFear: Borborygmus Gog].

=== [[Live-Action TV]] ===
* The [[wikipedia:Magog (Andromeda)|Magog]] are a race of [[Nightmare Fuel]] aliens in ''[[Andromeda]]''.
* [[Power Rangers Dino Thunder|Mesogog]]. Mix of "Gog" and "Mesozoic".

=== [[Video Games]] ===
* Gogs and Magogs are base-level creatures of the "inferno" town type in ''[[Heroes of Might and Magic]] III''.
* The Gronns Goc and Magoc in ''[[World of Warcraft]]''.
* The first boss in [[Final Fantasy XIII-2]] is Gogmagog.


== Lazarus ==
Any medical experiment named "Project Lazarus", run by a Dr. Lazarus, or building "the Lazarus Device" will be intended to [[Fountain of Youth|cheat death]] or even return the dead to life. As sure as night follows day, it will [[Gone Horribly Wrong|go horribly wrong]].

=== [[Film]] ===
* Except in ''[[Galaxy Quest]]''.

=== [[Live-Action TV]] ===
* [[Doctor Who|The Tenth Doctor's]] incident with, wouldn't you know it, a Dr. Lazarus. The episode ''title'' was "The Lazarus Experiment."
* ''[[Sanctuary]]'' had the Lazarus virus and while it only infected abnormals not human, the infected nonetheless became hazardous to human health as a result of the disease. Among abnormals it was also lethal.

=== [[Video Games]] ===
* Averted in ''[[Mass Effect]]'' apparently.
* [[Diablo|Archbishop Lazarus of Tristram]]. If Big D isn't running the show, he is. Then again, Big D is ''always'' running the show. Still, the guy's a bastard.
* Father Lazarus, a Forsaken (read: undead) priest trainer in ''[[World of Warcraft]]''.
* Referenced in ''[[Command & Conquer]]'' with the stealth tank, which uses the Lazarus Shield to camouflage itself.
* Lazarus in ''[[Deus Ex: Human Revolution|Deus Ex Human Revolution]]'' is a radio host, focusing on conspiracy theories. [[Properly Paranoid|Most of the time he's right.]]
* The [[Big Bad]] in the obscure PSX driving combat game ''Auto Destruct''.
* Averted by the Lazarus Concordance, the elders of the Lost Land in the ''[[Video Game]]/{{Turok}'' series.
=== [[Western Animation]] ===
* Ra's al Ghul's Lazarus Pit in ''[[Batman: Under the Red Hood]]'' goes terribly awry


== Moloch ==
A Biblical god/demon who [[Demonization|according to his enemies]] went in for child sacrifice by fire.

=== [[Comic Books]] ===
* A (former) crime boss in ''[[Watchmen (comics)|Watchmen]]'', though he's well past his prime in most of the scenes featuring him.

=== [[Literature]] ===
* [[Ravenor|Zygmunt Molotch]]

=== [[Live-Action TV]] ===
* The techno demon on ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''.

=== [[Video Games]] ===
* A boss in the ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' series.
* Mortimer and Randolph Moloch, twins in the Stormwind Stockade.
{{quote|"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Randolph Moloch, and I will be killing you all today."}}

=== [[Web Comics]] ===
* ''[[Girl Genius]]'' has Moloch von Zinzer -- really ''sounds'' like a name to run away from, but he's dangerous almost exclusively when trying to save his hide. Eventually, [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20120817 the reason is revealed].

== Nimrod ==
An ancient conqueror mentioned only once in Genesis. Given that the first half sounds like a Portmaneau of "numb" and "dim," and what "rod" can mean, this name's level of badass may have decayed a bit by now. ([[Bugs Bunny]] calling Elmer Fudd "Nimrod"<ref>Elmer Fudd, of course, being an utterly incompetent hunter, the exact opposite of Nimrod's reputation among the Bible's authors.</ref> certainly didn't help.)

=== [[Comic Books]] ===
* Shares the same name as a [[X-Men/Characters/Villains|robot from the future]].
* Similarly, there's a serial killer named Nimrod ("a mighty hunter before the Lord" and all) in ''The Doll's House'' from [[The Sandman|Sandman]]. Which also has the Corinthian, named for the Biblical symbolism of "through a glass, darkly" (as a dark mirror of humanity) as well as for the [[The Charmer|the]] [[Jerkass|mode]] [[Kavorka Man|of]] [[Serial Killer|behavior, with his particular twist on it.]]

=== [[Live-Action TV]] ===
* A subversion in the ''Doctor Who'' episode "Ghost Light". Nimrod is the name of the  {{spoiler|original}} [[Big Bad]]'s Neanderthal butler, and a  {{spoiler|worshipper of the actual [[Big Bad]], a [[Physical God]] known only as Light}}, but he's a good guy.
** The Whoniverse has '' another'' Nimrod - an [[Ax Crazy]] [[Our Vampires Are Different|undead]] government agent hell-bent on world domination by Britain, and complete control of Britain by his organization, [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|the Forge]], which should be itself put around here given its Orwellian type of evil and willingness to abuse alien tech.

=== [[Tabletop Games]] ===
* Demonic Nimrods are type of [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Demon]] in ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''.


== Samson ==
The guy who killed an entire army with the jawbone of an ass.

=== [[Comic Books]] ===
* ''[[Incredible Hulk]]'' [[Genius Bruiser]] Doc Samson.

=== [[Live-Action TV]] ===
* [[Retired Monster|Samson Gray]], Sylar's father on ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]''.
* An excellent zig-zag of the trope is Samson from ''[[Carnivale]]'', who is the dwarf manager of the carnival. He isn't particularly evil or physically imposing, but he was once a weightlifter and is certainly closer to the supernatural elements of the show than other characters.

=== [[Western Animation]] ===
* Brock Samson from ''[[The Venture Brothers]]'' The man is a walking TERROR. He once proposed weaponizing a jawbone, which (combined with his oft-mocked mullet) are subtle little Shout Outs to the original.


== Zillah ==
The wife of Lamech (descendant of Cain). No relation to 'Zilla, the [[Fan Nickname]] for [[Godzilla (film)|the American Godzilla]].

=== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ===
* However, as ''[[Toei]]'' so capably showed us, Zillah without the H is a horrible failure.

=== [[Literature]] ===
* Poppy Z. Brite's ''Lost Souls'''s character. Interestingly, Brite's Zillah is male.
* The third book in [[Madeleine L'Engle]]'s ''Time Quartet'', ''[[A Swiftly Tilting Planet]]'', revolves around women of a particular line all named "Zillah/Zylle/Zyll". Zillah is actually the middle name of Meg's mother in law, who sets the events of the story into motion and is central to the conflict.


== Others ==

=== [[Anime]] ===
* Tobias, the "dreaded" competitive Darkrai trainer from ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]''.

=== [[Film]] ===
* Subverted in ''Diggstown'' with Gabriel [[Name of Cain|Caine]], who, while he is a con man, is still basically good and is unquestionably one of the heroes of the story.
* Jezebel, in ''[[Jacob's Ladder]]''.

=== [[Literature]] ===
* [[Moby Dick|Captain Ahab]], named after an evil king from the Old Testament.
* Ahab's wife Jezebel qualifies as well. In the first ''[[Kingdom Keepers]]'' book, [[The Hero|Finn]] runs across a girl named Jez, who flat out admits it's short for Jezebel, from [[The Bible]]. Not being a biblical scholar, Finn fails to realize he should be worried.
* [[Ciaphas Cain|'''COMMISSAR CIAPHAS CAIN]], [[Fake Ultimate Hero|HERO OF THE]] [[All the Tropes Wiki Drinking Game|IMPERIUM!!!''']], named after TWO biblical villains (Joseph Caiaphas was the high priest who had Jesus condemned to death)
* In [[Isaac Asimov]]'s ''Caves of Steel'', our hero Elijah is married to a woman named Jezebel.

=== [[Live-Action TV]] ===
* ''[[Lost]]'' has a lot of Biblical names. Ironically, the show's resident [[Magnificent Bastard]] is named Benjamin. This should refer to Jacob, too, now that Ben has started to turn into the real powers' [[Butt Monkey]].
* ''[[Carnivale]]'', fittingly enough for a show about Biblical catastrophes and superpowered beings, has many Biblical names, but not among the villains. The only Biblical connection on the dark side is Tommy Dolan, his first name being an excellent and prophetic reference to "doubting Thomas".
* The fourth season of ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]'' featured as its [[Big Bad]] one Samuel Sullivan, a [[Dark Messiah]] who promised to lead the "[[Differently-Powered Individual|specials]]" to a promised land where they would be free of persecution. In the Bible, Samuel is the prophet who essentially founded the Kingdom of Israel.

=== [[Newspaper Comics]] ===
* Captain Judas from ''[[Terry and the Pirates]]''.

=== [[Video Games]] ===
* There are three Jezebel in ''[[World of Warcraft]]'': Jezebel Bican, a simple supplies vendor; [http://tinyurl.com/3665evu Shadowmistress Jezebel Hawke], a warlock; and the [http://www.wowpedia.org/Je%27Tze%27s_Bell Je'Tze's Bell], an item. There's also Jacob Alerius, a Paladin.
* [[The Virus|The Flood]] from ''[[Halo]]''.
* ''[[Marathon Trilogy|Marathon]]'' had a [[What Could Have Been|rejected monster]] called the Armageddon Beast.
* The Ark of Napishtim from ''[[Ys]] VI'' is named after the Ark of Ut-napishtim, the Epic of Gilgamesh's analog of Noah.
=== [[Web Comics]] ===
* In ''[[Impure Blood]]'', the Abomination, the long term sole survivor of every [[Gladiator Games]]. When Dara rescues him [http://www.impurebloodwebcomic.com/Pages/Chapter001/ib007.html she immediately asks for his real name].

=== [[Western Animation]] ===
* Also on ''[[Jimmy Two-Shoes]]'', Lucius' girlfriend is named Jez, though the connection is never explicitly stated.
* Parodied on ''[[Aqua Teen Hunger Force]]'', when Meatwad attempts to name what [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old|appears to be]] a mini-Shake that appeared on their doorstep:
{{quote|"I'm gonna name you Jesus...Ezekiel...Jesus. And that's from the Bible."}}
* [[Gargoyles|David Xanatos]], the father of multiple trope categories?

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