poem, the remaining martyrs listed are Hutzpit the Interpreter, Elazar ben Shamua, Hanina ben Hakinai, Yesheivav the Scribe, Judah ben Dama and Judah ben Baba, in that order. In Midrash Eleh Ezkerah, the order is somewhat different. Listed Martyrs Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel Rabbi Ishmael ben Elisha ha-Kohen Rabbi Akiva Rabbi Haninah ben Teradion Rabbi Hutzpit the Interpreter Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua Rabbi Hanina ben Hakinai Rabbi Yesheivav the Scribe Rabbi Judah ben Dama Rabbi Judah ben Baba Historical evaluation Popular imagination seized upon this episode in Jewish history, and embellished it with various stories relating the virtues of the martyrs and the fortitude shown by them during their execution. These legends became in the Geonic period the subject of a special midrash—the Midrash Asarah Harugei Malkut, or Midrash Eleh Ezkerah. The deaths are described therein as being gruesome. Contrary to the accounts given in the Talmud, Midrash Rabbah, and Midrash Eleh Ezkerah, which clearly state that there were intervals between the executions of the ten teachers, the poem Eleh Ezkerah describes their martyrdom as occurring on the same day, probably in order to produce a greater effect upon the mind of the reader. To this end, while certain accounts of the Ten Martyrs' deaths from these sources are more fragmented than others, they seem to preserve a more historically accurate account of the deaths themselves: The Avot of Rabbi Natan states that Shimon ben Gamliel and Ishmael ben Elisha ha-Kohen were executed while in Roman captivity, having drawn lots to determine who would be first to die. When the lots fell on Shimon, he was swiftly decapitated, and as Ishmael grieved over his friend's death, he was quickly decapitated as well. The deaths of Rabbi Akiva and Haninah ben Teradion are consistent over practically every source, including the embellished accounts in the Eleh Ezkerah. All that can be gleaned of the execution of Hutzpit the Interpreter from historical sources is that he was dismembered either as or after his execution, as several sages apparently opined that the sight of Hutzpit's detached tongue lying in the dirt was one of the reasons for Elisha ben Abuyah's apostasy. Elazar ben Shamua seemingly wasn't martyred at all, as contemporary sources lack any mention of him in discussions of the Ten Martyrs — in fact, Rav Nachman names Eleazar's cause of death as croup (or diphtheria, depending on the translation). Likewise, it appears