Onan is a name inspired by the biblical son of Judah. Onan died because he was expected to take his brother's widow as a wife to give descendants to his deceased brother and, against the will of his father and God, instead he chose to spill his seed. "And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground" (Genesis 38:9) Onan is used by some scholars as a negative paradigm, expanding this very particular situation to all masturbation in general.