Jacob

• Son of Isaac; father of Israelites; has twin brother named Esau, with whom he fought while still in their mother Rebecca's womb; in Hebrew, Jacob means "holder of the heel" or "prince with God"; only person in Bible whom God said he "loved"; regarded as prophet in Islam; had 12 sons, who went on to found the 12 tribes of Israel.

• Jacobus, in Lower Latin, means James.

• Shem...short...Shemus...Jem...joky...Jacob: Alliterative verse, in which alliteration rather than rhyme is the main poetic foliation, was the most frequent verse technique in Old English poetry (eg., Beowulf)