U

Ullulaq

As a first name, Judas is today almost extinct outside Judaism, but Judas Ullulaq (pronounced Ooloolah) was one notable exception, a celebrated Inuit artist in his native Canada and beyond. One of three brothers, who all made their name as sculptors, his works in stone, with inlaid animal bone (and occasionally his own extracted teeth), include Arctic animals and shaman figures taken from the legends he grew up with in the Thom Bay area of the Nunavut Territories. They are now in national collections. Judas Ullulaq died in 1999.

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Valentine

In German folklorish traditions, dating back to the fourteenth century, Judas is given a birthday – Judastag. This is variously placed on 1 April (one of a set of three ill-fated days in the calendar, along with 1 August, when Satan is kicked out of heaven, and December, when Sodom is destroyed) or 14 February, Valentine’s Day. The explanation for the latter is lost, but may have something to do with his original love for Jesus, which then turned bad.