Hannah
Hannah, the wife of Elkanah, was the mother of the prophet Samuel, whom she dedicated to the Lord's service at a young age.
Hannah was the beloved but barren wife of Elkanah, an Ephraimite, who endured years of taunting from Elkanah's other wife Peninnah because she could not conceive (1 Samuel 1). In deep distress she prayed at the Tabernacle in Shiloh with such intensity that the priest Eli mistook her for drunk; when he understood her situation he blessed her, and she conceived and bore Samuel, dedicating him to lifelong service at Shiloh as she had vowed. Her prayer of thanksgiving (1 Samuel 2:1–10) is a theological masterpiece celebrating God's reversal of human fortunes—exalting the humble and bringing down the mighty—and served as the direct model for the Magnificat of Mary in Luke 1:46–55. She subsequently bore five more children (1 Samuel 2:21).