Lilith

[alpiyn]

Has anyone heard of the myth of Lilith?

I have been reading about it and I find it fascinating and incredibly alluring: the idea of a Christian figure of feminine independence and power. Here is my favorite:

"After God created Adam, who was alone, He said, 'It is not good for man to be alone' (Gen. 2:18). He then created a woman for Adam, from

Comments

[glowing_rd_eyes]

She was never (to my knowledge) a demoness. She was, depending on where you're reading, a Sumerian, Akkadian, or generic Middle-Eastern goddess. If memory serves, she was the goddess of the wind.

[alpiyn]

Sumarian Lilith:
The deamon of waste places who originally lived in the garden of the Sumerian Goddess. (I like the relation to Christian mythology there)

"Years passed, the tree matured and grew big. But Inanna found herself unable to cut down the tree. For at its base the snake 'who knows no charm' had built its nest. In its crown, the Zu-bird -- a mythological creature which at times wrought mischief -- had placed its young. In the middle Lilith, the maid of desolation, had built her house. And so poor Inanna, the light-hearted and ever-joyful maid, shed bitter tears. And as the dawn broke and her brother, the sun-god Utu, arose from his sleeping chamber, she repeated to him tearfully all that had befallen her huluppu-tree."

Lilith as found in Persian Incatiations:

"You are bound and sealed

[karl_lembke]

In ancient Jewish tradition, demons were not necessarily negative beings. The word "demon" actually derives from the Greek "daemon" (pronounced the same, despite what many FRPG players think). The word simply means "self-willed spirit". This would apply to most nonphysical beings.

Lilith was introduced as part of the midrash, a collection of tales intended to reconcile contradictions and tie up loose ends in the Bible. In this case, the contradiction is between God's initial creation of mankind - "Male and female created He them", and the creation of Eve from Adam's rib.

Who was the female before Eve was created?

So we have the story of Lilith, created at the same time, and refusing to be subordinate.

In Rabbi Allen Maller's book, God,
Sex, and the Kabbalah, he relates how this led to an impasse, in which the commandment "be fruitful and multiply" would be impossible to carry out. At Adam's request, God creates Eve to be subordinate. Lilith is seriously peeved, and stalks off. But in her jealousy, she vows eternal enmity

[cmdrsuzdal]

I liked Lilith ever since I was a wee little infidel... she's the original Femme Fatale :)

I remember when I figured out that the Witch in the Narnia books was probably her or related to her, anyway.

[boymaenad]

in case it hadn't already crossed your mind or path: the lilith fair was really named for her.

they say she went and lived in some other land and there was a whole lineage of people who sprang from her loins, but she killed a hundred of them a day. or something like that.

*shrug*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith

[essentialsaltes]

Lilith came up recently in convert_me and not-so-recently (also) in convert_me.

???

[marinusc8]

Ummmm, I have known about her for years..... I have interested in religion since I was younger....the call her the night demon because of something she did....I dont feel like typing all that right now.. But...ummm... there are Religions based on her.... and here is a fun fact.... they said that Adam named all creatures on land.. well she named them all in water. Also I have my Minor was Religion so if you have any question just ask.