King David

King David is the biblical shepherd boy whom children from Odyssey meet firsthand through Whit's inventions, stepping into ancient Israel by way of the Imagination Station and similar machines. A songwriter who guards his flock near Bethlehem and fights off lions, he is anointed Israel's next king by the prophet Samuel, then fells the giant Goliath with a single sling stone, trusting the Lord rather than King Saul's armor. That trust defines him, though he is not flawless - he takes another man's wife and must repent, and he admits that forgiven sin still carries a price. Saul's jealousy drives him into exile, yet he spares the king's life when he could kill him, and his covenant friendship with Saul's son Jonathan stands as a model of loyalty. As king he dances with all his might when the Ark of the Covenant comes home to Jerusalem.