L I L I T H R I S I N G
"The sexual life of adult women is a 'dark continent' for psychology."
SIGMUND FREUD
SIGMUND FREUD
A valid concept (for the time being let's call Lilith a concept) should survive the 'elevator pitch'. That is, if the essence of a proposition can't be encapsulated in a compact, extemporised, statement (on the occasion of a hyperthetical meeting between a dot com entrepreneur and a potential investor in said elevator) then there is either a fault in the concept or the wrong person is articulating it.
Here's my elevator pitch for Lilith based on the number of levels we are destined to travel.
Here's my elevator pitch for Lilith based on the number of levels we are destined to travel.
'Lilith is female libido'.
'Lilith is female libido personified and mythologised.'
'Lilith is a record of societal interaction with female libido manifested in myth.'
'Lilith is the demonisation of female libido subsumed into myth by primitive, fearful male dominated society '
Sudden jolt; elevator jams between floors; whilst we await rescue there's a captive audience of which, of course, I take full advantage...
L I L I T H O N T H E C O U C H
"Of all the motifs in Jewish mythology, none - other than the Messiah - remains so vivid to this day as the myth of Lilith"
SIEGMUND HURWITZ - The First Eve, Historical and Psychological Aspects of the Dark Feminine
SIEGMUND HURWITZ - The First Eve, Historical and Psychological Aspects of the Dark Feminine
The psychiatrist Siegmund Hurwitz, in my opinion, has written the seminal work on Lilith. In his book 'The First Eve' Hurwitz tackles this fascinating subject in two clearly defined sections. In the first he concentrates on describing the myth and its development within a historical context. In the second part he examines the complex aspects of human psychology which brought this powerful female demon into being.
I'm going to tackle this subject in reverse; because what is of compelling interest to me is the Lilith of today (rather than dogging the dusty trail of evidence scattered across museums and ancient folk lore). Because if you are lucky enough to catch a woman (any woman, any race, any culture) in the right light and at the right time you may have the very great privilege of finding Lilith staring right back at you.
I'm not going to try to compete with Common defense mechanisms against feelings which evoke fear, guilt and shame are avoidance, rationalisation and projection (not necessarily in that order). In primitive societies personal culpability for dangerous thoughts (and, in extreme cases, actions) was avoided by rationalising the existence of a bogey man with the appropriate characteristics and projecting the guilt therein. "It wasn't me that thought those thoughts is was 'Demon X' [or in this case 'Demon XX'] who took temporary, unbidden and unwelcome residence in my head." Hey, and whilst we are at it let's give it a name...and that is how, bless her, Lilith came into being. A convenient dumping ground for the feelings of fear, guilt and shame evoked in both men and women by the massively powerful and very much misunderstood female libido.
; to give it a name. . And you can't consign this attitude to the safety of the history books. Its is a very uncomfortable reality that in less evolved societies Biblical attitudes still pertain. Female circumcision is still practiced and women are still flogged, or worse, for daring to expose a glimpse of ankle or glance at another man besides her husband. It is easy enough for us in the West to see these as archaic and fading minority practices; but the truth is that with the rise of radical Islam these practices are on the increase. Compare, for instance, Iran under the Shah with Iran under the ayatollahs. "...describing things which everyone knows in language which no one understands". RAYMOND CATTELL The fascinating thing about Lilith is that she is identified as an angel, or a demon, or both depending on in what point of history, which situation, and in which culture she manifests. "The great question that has never been answered, and which I have not yet been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is 'What does a woman want?'" If Freud had a problem with this then what hope is there for us 'lesser minds'.
Angels and demons abide as archetypal forces within the collective subconscious (applying academically accepted 20th century terminology); had I said 'live in heaven', or 'dwell in the underworld', or 'the astral' I'd expect howls of derision (not that I'm immune now). Whether these archetypal forces are generated by the human psyche and find some measure of independence within the collective unconscious or whether they pre-existed humanity is moot. I lean towards the former due to their propensity to adapt to and subvert the prevailing social norm.
There have been several marked changes to the Lilith persona down the millennia. So marked, in fact, that you could have been forgiven for believing that these are different entities. This is further confused by her apparent ability to appear in strikingly different forms and with seemingly different motivations dependent on which gender she is interacting with. 'Dangerous seductress' to men and 'evil mother' to women. In religious mythology the male demons massively outnumber the female demons one could be forgiven for accusing the Lilith loby of sloppy etiology. Stuffing all these female demons into one grab bag labelled Lilith because it is easier than sorting them out. Nevertheless there is one single factor which I believe unites these entities and that's libido, specifically the female libido.
This is less straightforward than it may at first seem because of the male psyche has a sexual component which is also subject to the dominion of Lilith. Jung termed this the anima (amimus in the female). Men and women have always struggled with the concept of female libido and they struggle still. This takes it's most gruesome form in pharaonic circumcision. Think of Lilith as the assertive personification of female libido and it all falls into place.
Naturally she would appear differently to men as she does to women. And naturally she appears differently in different cultures and at different stages in human development. Women have been oppressed by their menfolk and their femininity abused; its Lilith that you hear tearing at the chains of female repression and scratching at the doors of the cell in which the male seeks to imprison her. In the Middle East where they consigned her to the role of a desert spook she is at her most mischievous. No still small voice but a banshee howl of indignation at the maltreatment of her sisters.
I'm going to tackle this subject in reverse; because what is of compelling interest to me is the Lilith of today (rather than dogging the dusty trail of evidence scattered across museums and ancient folk lore). Because if you are lucky enough to catch a woman (any woman, any race, any culture) in the right light and at the right time you may have the very great privilege of finding Lilith staring right back at you.
I'm not going to try to compete with Common defense mechanisms against feelings which evoke fear, guilt and shame are avoidance, rationalisation and projection (not necessarily in that order). In primitive societies personal culpability for dangerous thoughts (and, in extreme cases, actions) was avoided by rationalising the existence of a bogey man with the appropriate characteristics and projecting the guilt therein. "It wasn't me that thought those thoughts is was 'Demon X' [or in this case 'Demon XX'] who took temporary, unbidden and unwelcome residence in my head." Hey, and whilst we are at it let's give it a name...and that is how, bless her, Lilith came into being. A convenient dumping ground for the feelings of fear, guilt and shame evoked in both men and women by the massively powerful and very much misunderstood female libido.
; to give it a name. . And you can't consign this attitude to the safety of the history books. Its is a very uncomfortable reality that in less evolved societies Biblical attitudes still pertain. Female circumcision is still practiced and women are still flogged, or worse, for daring to expose a glimpse of ankle or glance at another man besides her husband. It is easy enough for us in the West to see these as archaic and fading minority practices; but the truth is that with the rise of radical Islam these practices are on the increase. Compare, for instance, Iran under the Shah with Iran under the ayatollahs. "...describing things which everyone knows in language which no one understands". RAYMOND CATTELL The fascinating thing about Lilith is that she is identified as an angel, or a demon, or both depending on in what point of history, which situation, and in which culture she manifests. "The great question that has never been answered, and which I have not yet been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is 'What does a woman want?'" If Freud had a problem with this then what hope is there for us 'lesser minds'.
Angels and demons abide as archetypal forces within the collective subconscious (applying academically accepted 20th century terminology); had I said 'live in heaven', or 'dwell in the underworld', or 'the astral' I'd expect howls of derision (not that I'm immune now). Whether these archetypal forces are generated by the human psyche and find some measure of independence within the collective unconscious or whether they pre-existed humanity is moot. I lean towards the former due to their propensity to adapt to and subvert the prevailing social norm.
There have been several marked changes to the Lilith persona down the millennia. So marked, in fact, that you could have been forgiven for believing that these are different entities. This is further confused by her apparent ability to appear in strikingly different forms and with seemingly different motivations dependent on which gender she is interacting with. 'Dangerous seductress' to men and 'evil mother' to women. In religious mythology the male demons massively outnumber the female demons one could be forgiven for accusing the Lilith loby of sloppy etiology. Stuffing all these female demons into one grab bag labelled Lilith because it is easier than sorting them out. Nevertheless there is one single factor which I believe unites these entities and that's libido, specifically the female libido.
This is less straightforward than it may at first seem because of the male psyche has a sexual component which is also subject to the dominion of Lilith. Jung termed this the anima (amimus in the female). Men and women have always struggled with the concept of female libido and they struggle still. This takes it's most gruesome form in pharaonic circumcision. Think of Lilith as the assertive personification of female libido and it all falls into place.
Naturally she would appear differently to men as she does to women. And naturally she appears differently in different cultures and at different stages in human development. Women have been oppressed by their menfolk and their femininity abused; its Lilith that you hear tearing at the chains of female repression and scratching at the doors of the cell in which the male seeks to imprison her. In the Middle East where they consigned her to the role of a desert spook she is at her most mischievous. No still small voice but a banshee howl of indignation at the maltreatment of her sisters.
D O N ' T M E S S W I T H L I L'
“Women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.”
MICHAEL SANGUINETTI - Constable Toronto Police
MICHAEL SANGUINETTI - Constable Toronto Police
When Canadian police constable Michael Sanguinetti made this fateful public statement, “You know, I think we’re beating around the bush here, I’ve been told I’m not supposed to say this – however, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized” he did so much more than tap into police angst; he inadvertently unleashed the dormant force of Lilith who, normally so reticent, made her most public display yet.
Street protests erupted the world over; and although the subject may at first glance seem to be light-hearted the attitude of the participants was anything but. What shocked anyone with half a brain was that these weren't the stereotypically intellectual bra burning feminists of the '70s; these were ordinary girls with no political agenda who simply enjoy being women and value the freedom afforded (relatively recently) by modern western society of flaunting their sexuality for all to see. True daughters of Lilith. What was even stranger was that many men joined in the protests. What was remarkable was the spontaneity.
When Canadian police constable Michael Sanguinetti made this fateful public statement, “You know, I think we’re beating around the bush [exceptionally poor choice of words] here , I’ve been told I’m not supposed to say this – however, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized” he did so much more than tap into police angst; he inadvertently unleashed the dormant force of Lilith who, normally so reticent, made her most public display yet.
Street protests erupted the world over; and although the subject may at first glance seem to be light-hearted the attitude of the participants was anything but. What shocked anyone with half a brain was that these weren't the stereotypical intellectual bra burning feminists of the '70s; these were ordinary girls with no political agenda who simply enjoy being women and value the freedom afforded (relatively recently) by modern western society of flaunting their sexuality for all to see. True daughters of Lilith. What was even stranger was that many men joined in the protests.
It was as though people across the civilised world belonged to an underground cult (so deep underground that they weren't even aware of their membership, until they were activated by these words, like post-hypnotic 'sleeper-cell'). Such is the power of myth. Their spontaneous activities and their convergence of sentiments were so uniform it was almost as if they were rehearsed.
Street protests erupted the world over; and although the subject may at first glance seem to be light-hearted the attitude of the participants was anything but. What shocked anyone with half a brain was that these weren't the stereotypically intellectual bra burning feminists of the '70s; these were ordinary girls with no political agenda who simply enjoy being women and value the freedom afforded (relatively recently) by modern western society of flaunting their sexuality for all to see. True daughters of Lilith. What was even stranger was that many men joined in the protests. What was remarkable was the spontaneity.
When Canadian police constable Michael Sanguinetti made this fateful public statement, “You know, I think we’re beating around the bush [exceptionally poor choice of words] here , I’ve been told I’m not supposed to say this – however, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized” he did so much more than tap into police angst; he inadvertently unleashed the dormant force of Lilith who, normally so reticent, made her most public display yet.
Street protests erupted the world over; and although the subject may at first glance seem to be light-hearted the attitude of the participants was anything but. What shocked anyone with half a brain was that these weren't the stereotypical intellectual bra burning feminists of the '70s; these were ordinary girls with no political agenda who simply enjoy being women and value the freedom afforded (relatively recently) by modern western society of flaunting their sexuality for all to see. True daughters of Lilith. What was even stranger was that many men joined in the protests.
It was as though people across the civilised world belonged to an underground cult (so deep underground that they weren't even aware of their membership, until they were activated by these words, like post-hypnotic 'sleeper-cell'). Such is the power of myth. Their spontaneous activities and their convergence of sentiments were so uniform it was almost as if they were rehearsed.
R E P O R T S O F L I L I T H
"Hearken, O Lilith! O Sorceress of the blood of life! My lips are for those who suckle not Good, and my kisses for those who cherish not Evil. And my kingdom is for the children of light who trample under foot the garment of shame, and rend from their loins the sackcloth of modesty."
LOUIS GINZBERG
LOUIS GINZBERG
I'm not going to dig too deeply into the dudty old halls of history it's fucking boring for one thing and over estimated and distracting. When I read the bible the words of YBY ring out as clear as a bell as though they wre said yesterday. The thing that I find difficult to reconcile with these chrystal clear sentiments are the 2,000 years of obscure, medieval sophistry, ignorance and bigotry that attempt to get in the way. I feel the same about lilith in reverse. I feel here shining presence in this age and see eons of misunderstanding. Lilith is universal. Let's get this absolutely clear there are some civilisations (which live up to the term) who always recognised Lilith and understood what she stood for and encouraged and gloried in her presence. Karma Sutra. is the most important of a small collection of named female demons in Jewish legend. Historically, she is actually older than Judaism (at least Judaism as defined as a post-restoration phenomenon). Her earliest appearance is probably in ancient Sumer. Although it is far from certain, she may be a minor character in a prologue to the Epic of Gilgamesh. In the ancient world she also sometimes appears in magical texts, amulets, etc., intended to thwart her activities. She appears once in the Bible (Isaiah), in a context that associates her with demons of the desert, and again in some Dead Sea Scroll passages clearly based on the Isaiah reference.
Female demons probably occur in the same proportions to their male counterparts as, say, noted female to male psychologists which is to say less than one in thirty. And the gender thing is a bit moot anyway, the last time I looked the gender in the angelic and demonic realms were a bit undifferentiated, not to say irrelevant to say the least.
We see somewhat more of her in late Roman/early medieval Judaism. She appears frequently on prophylactic magical bowls. In this context, she is clearly associated with childbirth (e.g. as a threat), and perhaps also as a succubus against which men need protection. In these bowls she is often countered by invoking the powers of her nemesis angels: Snvi, Snsvi, and Smnglof (we don't know what vowels to use with these names, but presumably they were intended to be pronounceable). She also shows up in the Talmud, and is clearly linked with the demonic world. Here also, her role as succubus begins to take clear shape.
We see somewhat more of her in late Roman/early medieval Judaism. She appears frequently on prophylactic magical bowls. In this context, she is clearly associated with childbirth (e.g. as a threat), and perhaps also as a succubus against which men need protection. In these bowls she is often countered by invoking the powers of her nemesis angels: Snvi, Snsvi, and Smnglof (we don't know what vowels to use with these names, but presumably they were intended to be pronounceable). She also shows up in the Talmud, and is clearly linked with the demonic world. Here also, her role as succubus begins to take clear shape.
An excuse for wet dreams. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Lilith denier, we've met okay, and on every occasion I know that I'd have come off wthe worse, had I not had the good instinct to mind my Ps and Qs. off worse. When you see a woman's eyes blaze with passion or with righteous anger or any of the panoply of feirce emotions then you are looking into the eyes of Lilith. Middle Eastern supression of women. In the West and laterly the age of Lilith has dawned.
Somewhere between the eighth and tenth centuries, CE, she makes an appearance in a satirical work entitled the Alphabet of Ben Sira. Cl;early satirical and very baudy, like Canterbury Tales, why the Lilith episode was extracted from its context an then taken as a serious myth I have no idea. Probably a bit like Mordte Arthur kicked of interest in the Historical Authur. A bit like you need a strong female lead in a Soap Opera, a dramatic invension. So I have no faith whatsoever in the presence of the female spook. Other than to say that this Dramatis personæ captured the public imagination for a reason.
Somewhere between the eighth and tenth centuries, CE, she makes an appearance in a satirical work entitled the Alphabet of Ben Sira. Cl;early satirical and very baudy, like Canterbury Tales, why the Lilith episode was extracted from its context an then taken as a serious myth I have no idea. Probably a bit like Mordte Arthur kicked of interest in the Historical Authur. A bit like you need a strong female lead in a Soap Opera, a dramatic invension. So I have no faith whatsoever in the presence of the female spook. Other than to say that this Dramatis personæ captured the public imagination for a reason.
It is here that she is first given what has become her most famous persona: the first wife of Adam (before Eve). In this story, she is created at more or less the same time as Adam, and, as was Adam, out of the ground. Because of this she tries to assert her equality -- an assertion which Adam rejects. Refusing to conform to Adam's desires, she escapes from Eden, and is subsequently replaced by the more subservient Eve (who has less claim to equality, since she was made out of Adam's side). Having escaped Eden, Lilith takes on her renowned role as baby-stealer and mother of demons. She also promises to leave babies alone who are protected by amulets with the names of the three angels mentioned above.
While it is true that there was a rabbinic tradition that Adam briefly had another wife before the creation of Eve (Genesis Rabbah), there is a great deal of doubt as to whether Lilith had any connection at all to this first wife of Adam story prior the publication of the Alphabet. The satirical nature of the Alphabet casts further doubt on the authenticity of this Lilith connection. But whatever its origins, the connection between Lilith and the first Eve seems to have struck a chord with Jewish folk imagination and it is now an inexorable part of those traditions. It has been able to function both as a 'woman's story' (in which Lilith is a role model for uppity women), and as a patriarchal story (in which we see the dire consequences of being an uppity woman). As a midrash, it also helps to solve a problem that arises from the fact that Genesis 1 has mankind created "male and female," but when we get to Genesis 2, Adam seems to be alone and in need of a partner.
Kabbalistic literature is occasionally aware of the Alphabet story, but more frequently not. Here Lilith usually appears as a partner for Samael (=Satan), and as the chief feminine expression of the Left (evil) Emanation. In some passages, she participates in the temptation of Eve/Adam, and, after the expulsion, she serves as succubus to Adam, generating hoards of demons from his seed. She is also the personification of temptation, and is for all intents and purposes identified with the woman Folly from the early chapters of Proverbs. In one story, she actually serves as consort to the Holy One.
She also appears in Christian iconography. Most late medieval and renaissance paintings of the temptation of Adam and Eve have portrayed the serpent as having a woman's head and often torso as well. This is usually referred to by art historians as 'Lilith,' but there is no Jewish story which easily corresponds to the pictorial representations (the one exception is Bacharach, 'Emeq haMelekh 23c-d, but it is confusing, and problematic at best). I am led to presume that there were Christian versions of the Lilith myth in which the identification between her and the Serpent were made explicit. Unfortunately, none of these versions have survived in either text or known folklore.
Lilith enjoyed something of a revival in literature beginning in the mid 19th century. Usually she represents the feminine dark side (the part that men subliminally fear). Carl Jung made use of her as prime expression of the anima in men (the suppressed feme within), and the best monograph on her still belongs to one of Jung's disciples (Siegmund Hurwitz).
She has also been embraced by many modern, particularly Jewish, feminists. Based mainly, or entirely, on the Alphabet, she is presented as the proto-feminist, willing to sacrifice even the paradise of Eden as the necessary cost of freedom and equality. Of course, her role as baby-stealer is usually down-played (or assigned to a patriarchal layer of the tradition). Some neo-pagan groups have taken up her cause as well, either accepting her dark nature as part of larger sacred reality, or finding the erotic goddess within after removing the clutter of what they argue are patriarchal and monotheistic condemnations.Finally, she has a place in vampire lore either as the first and most powerful of the vampires, or at least as their queen. She is sometimes presented as either the daughter or the consort of Dracula. In her role as succubus, she has, of course, particular control of nightmares and erotic dreams. She also rules a horde of other succuba and incubi.
"Now the daughter of Lilith who made her home in that mirror watched every movement of the girl who posed before it. She bided her time and one day she slipped out of the mirror and took possession of the girl, entering through her eyes. In this way she took control of her, stirring her desire at will.... So it happened that this young girl, driven by the evil wishes of Lilith's daughter, ran around with young men who lived in the same neighborhood." From "Lilith's Cave," Lilith's Cave: Jewish tales of the supernatural, edited by Howard Schwartz (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988)
While it is true that there was a rabbinic tradition that Adam briefly had another wife before the creation of Eve (Genesis Rabbah), there is a great deal of doubt as to whether Lilith had any connection at all to this first wife of Adam story prior the publication of the Alphabet. The satirical nature of the Alphabet casts further doubt on the authenticity of this Lilith connection. But whatever its origins, the connection between Lilith and the first Eve seems to have struck a chord with Jewish folk imagination and it is now an inexorable part of those traditions. It has been able to function both as a 'woman's story' (in which Lilith is a role model for uppity women), and as a patriarchal story (in which we see the dire consequences of being an uppity woman). As a midrash, it also helps to solve a problem that arises from the fact that Genesis 1 has mankind created "male and female," but when we get to Genesis 2, Adam seems to be alone and in need of a partner.
Kabbalistic literature is occasionally aware of the Alphabet story, but more frequently not. Here Lilith usually appears as a partner for Samael (=Satan), and as the chief feminine expression of the Left (evil) Emanation. In some passages, she participates in the temptation of Eve/Adam, and, after the expulsion, she serves as succubus to Adam, generating hoards of demons from his seed. She is also the personification of temptation, and is for all intents and purposes identified with the woman Folly from the early chapters of Proverbs. In one story, she actually serves as consort to the Holy One.
She also appears in Christian iconography. Most late medieval and renaissance paintings of the temptation of Adam and Eve have portrayed the serpent as having a woman's head and often torso as well. This is usually referred to by art historians as 'Lilith,' but there is no Jewish story which easily corresponds to the pictorial representations (the one exception is Bacharach, 'Emeq haMelekh 23c-d, but it is confusing, and problematic at best). I am led to presume that there were Christian versions of the Lilith myth in which the identification between her and the Serpent were made explicit. Unfortunately, none of these versions have survived in either text or known folklore.
Lilith enjoyed something of a revival in literature beginning in the mid 19th century. Usually she represents the feminine dark side (the part that men subliminally fear). Carl Jung made use of her as prime expression of the anima in men (the suppressed feme within), and the best monograph on her still belongs to one of Jung's disciples (Siegmund Hurwitz).
She has also been embraced by many modern, particularly Jewish, feminists. Based mainly, or entirely, on the Alphabet, she is presented as the proto-feminist, willing to sacrifice even the paradise of Eden as the necessary cost of freedom and equality. Of course, her role as baby-stealer is usually down-played (or assigned to a patriarchal layer of the tradition). Some neo-pagan groups have taken up her cause as well, either accepting her dark nature as part of larger sacred reality, or finding the erotic goddess within after removing the clutter of what they argue are patriarchal and monotheistic condemnations.Finally, she has a place in vampire lore either as the first and most powerful of the vampires, or at least as their queen. She is sometimes presented as either the daughter or the consort of Dracula. In her role as succubus, she has, of course, particular control of nightmares and erotic dreams. She also rules a horde of other succuba and incubi.
"Now the daughter of Lilith who made her home in that mirror watched every movement of the girl who posed before it. She bided her time and one day she slipped out of the mirror and took possession of the girl, entering through her eyes. In this way she took control of her, stirring her desire at will.... So it happened that this young girl, driven by the evil wishes of Lilith's daughter, ran around with young men who lived in the same neighborhood." From "Lilith's Cave," Lilith's Cave: Jewish tales of the supernatural, edited by Howard Schwartz (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988)
C O U N T E R - C U L T U R A L I C O N
“I'm not a man. I have no male pride for you to trick me with, and I am not interested in single combat. That is entirely a weakness of your sex, not mine. I am a woman. I will use any weapon and all weapons to get what I want.”
CASSANDRA CLARE - City of Fallen Angels
CASSANDRA CLARE - City of Fallen Angels
She also appears in Christian iconography. Most late medieval and renaissance paintings of the temptation of Adam and Eve have portrayed the serpent as having a woman's head and often torso as well. This is usually referred to by art historians as 'Lilith,' but there is no Jewish story which easily corresponds to the pictorial representations (the one exception is Bacharach, 'Emeq haMelekh 23c-d, but it is confusing, and problematic at best). I am led to presume that there were Christian versions of the Lilith myth in which the identification between her and the Serpent were made explicit. Unfortunately, none of these versions have survived in either text or known folklore.
Lilith enjoyed something of a revival in literature beginning in the mid 19th century. Usually she represents the feminine dark side (the part that men subliminally fear). Carl Jung made use of her as prime expression of the anima in men (the suppressed feme within), and the best monograph on her still belongs to one of Jung's disciples (Siegmund Hurwitz).
She has also been embraced by many modern, particularly Jewish, feminists. Based mainly, or entirely, on the Alphabet, she is presented as the proto-feminist, willing to sacrifice even the paradise of Eden as the necessary cost of freedom and equality. Of course, her role as baby-stealer is usually down-played (or assigned to a patriarchal layer of the tradition). Some neo-pagan groups have taken up her cause as well, either accepting her dark nature as part of larger sacred reality, or finding the erotic goddess within after removing the clutter of what they argue are patriarchal and monotheistic condemnations.Finally, she has a place in vampire lore either as the first and most powerful of the vampires, or at least as their queen. She is sometimes presented as either the daughter or the consort of Dracula. In her role as succubus, she has, of course, particular control of nightmares and erotic dreams. She also rules a horde of other succuba and incubi.
Lilith enjoyed something of a revival in literature beginning in the mid 19th century. Usually she represents the feminine dark side (the part that men subliminally fear). Carl Jung made use of her as prime expression of the anima in men (the suppressed feme within), and the best monograph on her still belongs to one of Jung's disciples (Siegmund Hurwitz).
She has also been embraced by many modern, particularly Jewish, feminists. Based mainly, or entirely, on the Alphabet, she is presented as the proto-feminist, willing to sacrifice even the paradise of Eden as the necessary cost of freedom and equality. Of course, her role as baby-stealer is usually down-played (or assigned to a patriarchal layer of the tradition). Some neo-pagan groups have taken up her cause as well, either accepting her dark nature as part of larger sacred reality, or finding the erotic goddess within after removing the clutter of what they argue are patriarchal and monotheistic condemnations.Finally, she has a place in vampire lore either as the first and most powerful of the vampires, or at least as their queen. She is sometimes presented as either the daughter or the consort of Dracula. In her role as succubus, she has, of course, particular control of nightmares and erotic dreams. She also rules a horde of other succuba and incubi.
Women not being victims - sub culture have taken Lil' to its heart...
T H E L I L I T H L E G A S Y
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"Congratulations, Frasier, you've done it again! You've led another unsuspecting innocent down one of your dark, dead end Freudian hallways."
DR. LILITH STERNIN-CRANE MD
DR. LILITH STERNIN-CRANE MD
Lilith is only demonised in cultures with a repressive attitude to female sexuality. The ancient Roman and Greek cultures had a very different attitude about sexuality than successive European cultures, more akin to that of the Kama Sutra. This, of course, was unimaginable to latter day Europeans, who rigidly compartmentalized body, mind and spirit, and to whom any sexuality was sinful and morbid.
"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass."
ANTON CHEKHOV
ANTON CHEKHOV
"The beauty of the female is the root of joy to the female as well as to the male, and it is no accident that the goddess of Love is older and stronger than the god. To desire the desiring of her own beauty is the vanity of Lilith, but to desire the enjoying of her own beauty is the obedience of Eve, and to both it is in the lover that the beloved tastes her own delightfulness."
C. S. LEWIS
C. S. LEWIS
BLACK MOON
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamia_(mythology)
http://feminism.eserver.org/theory/papers/lilith/lamia.html
http://www.anneofcarversville.com/body-politics/christina-hendricks-reveals-our-inner-lilith-woman.html
spider
the gidilema but he really didn't think it through. What he was really saying is wouldn't it be great if there weren't any causes of crime. Then there'd be no more criminals. This in a society that has made a virtual religion out of conspicuous consumption and displays of wealth. He's also attacking out culture and vestigial religion. Why not take the logical step and dress our women like Muslims. We are fighting wars over that attitude. Just look at this man and you can tell he's as dumb as a bag of spanners. They have been trying to suppress crime for centuries. And it just gets worse. Criminality is part of what makes us us. We don't want to own up to it but that doesn't make it anty less of a fact. Lilith is also part of us. Part of us as a species. Probably part of other species as well. She's the animus in women and the anima in men. Yes guys, you too are sluts. Our sluttishness should be a matter of national pride. And as you can see women of other nations feel the same way. Our sluts are a religious display. Exuberant and anti repressive. This is the age of Lilith.
Lilith is the subversive, mischeivous, alluring, confident, powerful, primitive core of female nature. Advice to men; she'll stand shoulder to shoulder with you and die proudly at your side if you'll let her and if you don't she'll do her best to bring you down. Advice to women; she's your secret weapon, choose your battles wisely, she's the most powerful weapon in your armoury and you may not even know she's there, and all the more powerful if she remains invisible. But don't try that on me 'cos I've got these special glasses.
Black moon
Its that aspect of feminity which is most scary to those but the most gender secure. It's the reason why women are made to cover up in the Middle East. Why women are publicly flogged for modesty offences. Why expression of the Lilith aspect of the femine caused the world wide public reaction to---------------------------------which manefested in the 'Slut Walk'. Whenever Lilith becomes too aparent there is a man somewhere trying to put her back in the box.
You can't let the basest of instincts dictate the way you live your life. Rape is the downside of attraction as theft is the downside of acquisition.
On January 24, 2011 Constable Michael Sanguinetti spoke on crime prevention at a York University safety forum. He said: "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized."
When Michael Sanguinetti was giving a talk to some students at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto he allegedly said:
“You know, I think we’re beating around the bush here, I’ve been told I’m not supposed to say this – however, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.”
Car crime analogy
I’ve been told I’m not supposed to say this, however, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.
Here's some news for that poor Canadian constable, read my lips, Pandora has already opened that particular box.
In common with many figures of legend Lilith is complicated; disturbingly so. There are her fascinating origins of the Lilith mythology extending back to the dawn of time; and there are the psychological and psychosocial aspects of the Lilith phenomena which forms an indispensible dynamic of the way we live our lives today. This involves root aspects of the female psychology and physiology and any serious attempt at a true representation of Lilith will inevitably involve the history of sexual politics. I am aware that this subject needs to be handled with great sensitively and circumspection in order to minimise the predictable accusations of gratuitousness. But in any portrait of Lilith which attempts to be comprehensive these potentially inflammatory aspects can not be avoided. So buckle up; and no tittering in the back row please.
Lilith is simply the fully actualised woman. Because of the way that we have traditionally organised society the opportunities for 'full actualisation' have been effectively denied to half of our population. What a waste. Attempts by women to reach out of this straitjacket. I was fortunate enough to be born in time to witness the death throws of this phenomenon in the West. But let's not be complacent this is still a male dominated society but all hopes of a non confrontational femininist Utopia were very effectively crushed when one Margaret Thatcher waded into the Fallklands War mouthing jingoistic slogans which had previously considered an all male attribute. Before and after the divine Margaret female heads of state have made no real difference in attitude to foreign policy - Golda Mayer. In terms of agression, we've got to admit, we're all as bad as each other. And you have only got to witness a drunken catfight in to really understand that this agression exhibits itself in the microcosim of the inner city gutter as well as the political big stage. But let's not get into that here.
Which only makes it the more poynient to witness the primitive suppression of women in other cultures. But this isn't going to be a commentary on feminism, which is by now very well trodden ground. Although Lilith is about feminism; it's not strictly a cross gender issue for her. Her transcends arguament extends beyond into the psychic arena of archetypes.
Much, if not all, of the following is unapologetically speculative and/or opinion and very much from the Western perspective. You have been warned.
You either love Lilith or hate her; indifference is not an option. Once she reveals herself, you have to commit, there is no going back. Catch a glimpse of her and you either erect the strongest barriers you've got or you run with her. That's why opinion is so polarised. It's all or nothing with Lilith; she's the great seducer. In the Oddessy is litterred with lotus-eaters (lotophag)In 1917, Franz Kafka wrote in The Silence of the Sirens, "Now the Sirens have a still more fatal weapon than their song, namely their silence. And though admittedly such a thing never happened, it is still conceivable that someone might possibly have escaped from their singing; but from their silence certainly never." Clingy Calypso is remembered most for her role in Homer's Odyssey, in which she keeps the fabled Greek hero Odysseus on her island so she could make him her immortal husband. A concept, for the time being let's call Lil' a concept, has to live up to the 'elevator pitch' test. That is, if you can't encapsulate the essence of your proposition in a short comprehensive, impromptu statement (such as when unexpectedly meeting an investor in an elevator) then there is either a fault in your concept or you are not the right person to be articulating it.
Here's my 'elevator pitch' for Lilith based on how many floors we are going to travel.
[1] floor
'Lilith is the female libido'.
[2] floor
'Lilith is the female libido personified and mythologised.'
[3] floor
'Lilith is a record of societal interaction with the female libido manifested through myth.'
Now let's work on the basis that the elevator has broken down.
Inquisition - sexual torment
and if it's a one floor pitch I'd simply go with 'Lilith is the female libido'.
There's so much bollocks written about Lilith, by historians, and theologists (both forgivable) and psychologists (unforgivable). Debating the number of angels can dance on the head of a pin whilst attempting to establish the breath of their vocabulary. A turgid exercise in obvuscation and competative professional snobery.
When xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxmade his fateful statementxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxhe did so much more than tap into the policeman's dilema but he really didn't think it through. What he was really saying is wouldn't it be great if there weren't any causes of crime. Then there'd be no more criminals. This in a society that has made a virtual religion out of conspicuous consumption and displays of wealth. He's also attacking out culture and vestigial religion. Why not take the logical step and dress our women like Muslims. We are fighting wars over that attitude. Just look at this man and you can tell he's as dumb as a bag of spanners. They have been trying to suppress crime for centuries. And it just gets worse. Criminality is part of what makes us us. We don't want to own up to it but that doesn't make it anty less of a fact. Lilith is also part of us. Part of us as a species. Probably part of other species as well. She's the animus in women and the anima in men. Yes guys, you too are sluts. Our sluttishness should be a matter of national pride. And as you can see women of other nations feel the same way. Our sluts are a religious display. Exuberant and anti repressive. This is the age of Lilith.
Lilith is the subversive, mischeivous, alluring, confident, powerful, primitive core of female nature. Advice to men; she'll stand shoulder to shoulder with you and die proudly at your side if you'll let her and if you don't she'll do her best to bring you down. Advice to women; she's your secret weapon, choose your battles wisely, she's the most powerful weapon in your armoury and you may not even know she's there, and all the more powerful if she remains invisible. But don't try that on me 'cos I've got these special glasses.
Black moon
Its that aspect of feminity which is most scary to those but the most gender secure. It's the reason why women are made to cover up in the Middle East. Why women are publicly flogged for modesty offences. Why expression of the Lilith aspect of the femine caused the world wide public reaction to---------------------------------which manefested in the 'Slut Walk'. Whenever Lilith becomes too aparent there is a man somewhere trying to put her back in the box.
You can't let the basest of instincts dictate the way you live your life. Rape is the downside of attraction as theft is the downside of acquisition.
On January 24, 2011 Constable Michael Sanguinetti spoke on crime prevention at a York University safety forum. He said: "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized."
When ` was giving a talk to some students at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto he allegedly said:
“You know, I think we’re beating around the bush here, I’ve been told I’m not supposed to say this – however, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.”
Car crime analogy
I’ve been told I’m not supposed to say this, however, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.
Here's some news for that poor Canadian constable, read my lips, Pandora has already opened that particular box.
In common with many figures of legend Lilith is complicated; disturbingly so. There are her fascinating origins of the Lilith mythology extending back to the dawn of time; and there are the psychological and psychosocial aspects of the Lilith phenomena which forms an indispensible dynamic of the way we live our lives today. This involves root aspects of the female psychology and physiology and any serious attempt at a true representation of Lilith will inevitably involve the history of sexual politics. I am aware that this subject needs to be handled with great sensitively and circumspection in order to minimise the predictable accusations of gratuitousness. But in any portrait of Lilith which attempts to be comprehensive these potentially inflammatory aspects can not be avoided. So buckle up; and no tittering in the back row please.
Lilith is simply the fully actualised woman. Because of the way that we have traditionally organised society the opportunities for 'full actualisation' have been effectively denied to half of our population. What a waste. Attempts by women to reach out of this straitjacket. I was fortunate enough to be born in time to witness the death throws of this phenomenon in the West. But let's not be complacent this is still a male dominated society but all hopes of a non confrontational femininist Utopia were very effectively crushed when one Margaret Thatcher waded into the Fallklands War mouthing jingoistic slogans which had previously considered an all male attribute. Before and after the divine Margaret female heads of state have made no real difference in attitude to foreign policy - Golda Mayer. In terms of agression, we've got to admit, we're all as bad as each other. And you have only got to witness a drunken catfight in to really understand that this agression exhibits itself in the microcosim of the inner city gutter as well as the political big stage. But let's not get into that here.
Which only makes it the more poynient to witness the primitive suppression of women in other cultures. But this isn't going to be a commentary on feminism, which is by now very well trodden ground. Although Lilith is about feminism; it's not strictly a cross gender issue for her. Her transcends arguament extends beyond into the psychic arena of archetypes.
Much, if not all, of the following is unapologetically speculative and/or opinion and very much from the Western perspective. You have been warned.
You either love Lilith or hate her; indifference is not an option. Once she reveals herself, you have to commit, there is no going back. Catch a glimpse of her and you either erect the strongest barriers you've got or you run with her. That's why opinion is so polarised. It's all or nothing with Lilith; she's the great seducer. In the Oddessy is litterred with lotus-eaters (lotophag)In 1917, Franz Kafka wrote in The Silence of the Sirens, "Now the Sirens have a still more fatal weapon than their song, namely their silence. And though admittedly such a thing never happened, it is still conceivable that someone might possibly have escaped from their singing; but from their silence certainly never." Clingy Calypso is remembered most for her role in Homer's Odyssey, in which she keeps the fabled Greek hero Odysseus on her island so she could make him her immortal husband.
Mujahadim
Here's my point.
Don't mess with Lil.
If you witnessed the Slut Walks then you'll have caught a glimpse of her.
Okay here's the lowdown on Lilith.
Every website needs a pin-up
The bad girl of Genesis; so bad that they tried their damnedest to expunge her.
But you can't keep a bad girl down.
Lilith like Hermes is complicated, disturbingly so.
It would be tempting, as some do, to suggest that she is a compound character assembled from wish-fantasy, tradition and myth and syncretised among various Middle Eastern cultures as may at first glance may seem to be the case.
But we don't stop at first glanced here.
Think of Lilith as a glamorous alternative Dr Who; because this bad girl travels time as well as space.
Here's a revelation; Lilith is quintessentially feminine. Male as well as female; acknowledging their feminine side.
Sexual currency.
More of a case that cultures glimpse her and records of various encounters come down to us.
In the same way that a globe trotting starlet would meet various people of differing stations in diverse culltures and they would each take their own impression of her.
A biographer would be able to assemble a picture of her life exploits and personality from these sources but would never be in any doubt as to the fact that he was dealing with the same woman.
Think of Lilith as a glamorous alternative Dr Who because this girl travels time as well as space.
She's not strident; she doesn't need to be; she's quite, purposeful, confident, powerful in command.
So given that she goes under different nom de voyage is re
On your best day don't even think of starting on Lilith.
Female spider.
The Lilith phenonema didn't have just one origin. Historically (Biblically historically that is).
Demoness.
Sumerian Goddess.
Eve's dark sister and first wife of Adam.
Representative of all that is dark, wild, intensely creative, and free in human nature, existing beyond the reach of society's boundaries or control.
Bad Girl. No Male equivilent. The girl they couldn't tame.
Flaunt their bodies whenever and wherever they want to an men will just have to rein in their libidos.
Lilith a character in Jewish mythology, found earliest in the Babylonian Talmud (completed between 500 and 700 AD/CE), who is generally thought to be related to a class of female demons Līlīṯu in Mesopotamian texts.
However, Lowell K. Handy (1997) notes, "Very little information has been found relating to the Akkadian and Babylonian view of these demons. Two sources of information previously used to define Lilith are both suspect."[1] The two problematic sources are the Gilgamesh appendix and the Arslan Tash amulets, which are discussed below.[2]
In Jewish folklore, from the 8th–10th Century Alphabet of Ben Sira onwards Lilith becomes Adam's first wife, who was created at the same time and from the same earth as Adam.
This contrasts with Eve, who was created from one of Adam's ribs.
The legend was greatly developed during the Middle Ages, in the tradition of Aggadic midrashim, the Zohar and Jewish mysticism. In the 13th Century writings of Rabbi Isaac ben Jacob Alfasi ha-Cohen, for example, Lilith left Adam after she refused to become subservient to him and then would not return to the Garden of Eden after she mated with archangel Samael.
The resulting Lilith legend is still commonly used as source material in modern Western culture, literature, occultism, fantasy, and horror.
The Alphabet of Jesus ben Sirach (Alphabetum Siracidis, Othijoth ben Sira) is an anonymous medieval text attributed to Jesus ben Sirach, the author of the Wisdom of Sirach. It is dated to anywhere between A.D. 700 and 1000.
It is a compilation of two lists of proverbs, 22 in Aramaic and 22 in Hebrew, both arranged as alphabetic acrostics.
Each proverb is followed by an Haggadic commentary. The work has been characterized as satirical, and it contains references to masturbation, incest and flatulence. The text has been translated into Latin, Yiddish, Judeo-Spanish, French and German. A partial English translation appeared in Stern and Mirsky (1998).
The text is best known because of its reference to Lilith, and it is the fifth of Ben Sira's responses to King Nebuchadnezzar. This is the entire text.
Soon afterward the young son of the king took ill. Said Nebuchadnezzar, "Heal my son. If you don't, I will kill you." Ben Sira immediately sat down and wrote an amulet with the Holy Name, and he inscribed on it the angels in charge of medicine by their names, forms, and images, and by their wings, hands, and feet. Nebuchadnezzar looked at the amulet. "Who are these?"
The angels who are in charge of medicine: Senoy, Sansenoy and Semangelof (English version). While God created Adam, who was alone, He said, "It is not good for man to be alone" (Genesis 2:18). He also created a woman, from the earth, as He had created Adam himself, and called her Lilith. Adam and Lilith immediately began to fight. She said, "I will not lie below," and he said, "I will not lie beneath you, but only on top. For you are fit only to be in the bottom position, while I am to be the superior one." Lilith responded, "We are equal to each other inasmuch as we were both created from the earth." But they would not listen to one another. When Lilith saw this, she pronounced the Ineffable Name and flew away into the air. Adam stood in prayer before his Creator: "Sovereign of the universe!" he said, "the woman you gave me has run away." At once, the Holy One, blessed be He, sent these three angels to bring her back.
Said the Holy One to Adam, "If she agrees to come back, what is made is good. If not, she must permit one hundred of her children to die every day." The angels left God and pursued Lilith, whom they overtook in the midst of the sea, in the mighty waters wherein the Egyptians were destined to drown. They told her God's word, but she did not wish to return. The angels said, "We shall drown you in the sea."
"Leave me!" she said. "I was created only to cause sickness to infants. If the infant is male, I have dominion over him for eight days after his birth, and if female, for twenty days." When the angels heard Lilith's words, they insisted she go back. But she swore to them by the name of the living and eternal God: "Whenever I see you or your names or your forms in an amulet, I will have no power over that infant." She also agreed to have one hundred of her children die every day. Accordingly, every day one hundred demons perish, and for the same reason, we write the angels names on the amulets of young children. When Lilith sees their names, she remembers her oath, and the child recovers."
Lilith is a character in Jewish mythology, found earliest in the Babylonian Talmud (completed between 500 and 700 AD/CE), who is generally thought to be related to a class of female demons Līlīṯu in Mesopotamian texts. However, Lowell K. Handy (1997) notes, "Very little information has been found relating to the Akkadian and Babylonian view of these demons. Two sources of information previously used to define Lilith are both suspect."[1] The two problematic sources are the Gilgamesh appendix and the Arslan Tash amulets, which are discussed below.
This story entered Jewish folklore and from the 8th–10th century onwards Lilith becomes Adam's first wife, who was created at the same time and from the same earth as Adam. This contrasts with Eve, who was created from one of Adam's ribs. The legend was greatly developed during the Middle Ages, in the tradition of Aggadic midrashim, the Zohar and Jewish mysticism. In the 13th Century writings of Rabbi Isaac ben Jacob Alfasi ha-Cohen, for example, Lilith left Adam after she refused to become subservient to him and then would not return to the Garden of Eden after she mated with archangel Samael.
The resulting Lilith legend is still commonly used as source material in modern Western culture, literature, occultism, fantasy, and horror.
The creation of Lilith
You think Eve was bad? Then you do not want to mess with Lilith.
According to the text of the Jewish Talmud, Lilith was a demon seductress – a succubus – who lived around the time of Adam and Eve.
Some traditions describe her as Adam’s first wife.
Others describe her as Adam’s post-Eve lover. And love they did – she and Adam were parents to many strange non-humans.
One interesting point about Lilith comes from the anonymous medieval text, The Alphabet of Ben-Sira. God created Adam from scratch – collecting up dust, dirt, mud, snips, snails and puppy dog tails. Eve was created from parts of Adam. Not so with Lilith – she too was created from scratch, just like Adam, and was then introduced to him. The world’s first argument - the first ever Holy Squabble – was about Lilith’s equality to Adam. Lilith refused to submit – socially and sexually – and so Lilith was banished and demonized.
Manifestation.
http://lilithgate.atspace.org/essays/lilith2.html
http://holysmoke.org/sdhok/lilith10.htm
http://www.hindu.com/mag/2001/11/04/stories/2001110400100100.htm
http://rwor.org/a/1219/wtwafg2.htmhttp://www.rawa.org/rawabooks.htm
A Modern Development: Images of Lilith in Literature, Art, and Artifacts
"Gilgamesh and the Huluppu Tree" (2000 BCE)
Usually found as part of the Epic of Gilgamesh of 2400 BC, this tale contains the earliest mention of Lilith. She is here associated with Eden and is portrayed as fearsome.
"The Lilith Relief" (circa 2000 BCE)
Sumerian terra-cotta relief which features Lilith as the primary figure. Lilith is identified as a succubus.
Isaiah 34:14 (circa 900 BC)
This scripture is the site of a much contested incidental literary reference to Lilith. While the word sometimes translated as "Lilith" has been variously translated as "night hag," "night demon," etc., the passage, nevertheless, associates a Lilith-like creature with the desert, night, evil, and flight.
Testament of Solomon (200 CE)
Although the character in question is "Obizuth," she describes herself in terms that correlate almost perfectly with Lilith. This text contains the earliest textual reference to the amuletic tradition of warding off Lilith, the demoness.
The Talmud (400 CE)
This text contains four incidental mentions of Lilith as a winged, she-demon of the night. Although it alludes to the succubus-myth associated with Lilith, it does not show any connection with Adam at all.
"The Nippur Bowls" (circa 600 CE)
Incantation bowls found near the ancient colony of Nippur. This set of archeological artifacts contains 40 bowls, 26 of which feature Lilith. Her guises as the child-slayer and succubus are joined together in the incantations inscribed here.
The Alphabet of Ben Sira (800 CE)
Controversial text by an unknown author, generally believed to be the "founding text" for the Lilith myth as it is known today. The Lilith of The Alphabet account is the insubordinate first wife of Adam, created from dust as his equal, who fled Eden.
Book of Raziel (circa 1100 CE)
This literary reference draws upon the Hebrew amuletic tradition of warding off Lilith during childbirth. She is here associated with Adam and Eve.
The Zohar (1200 CE)
This central work of Jewish mysticism depicts Lilith in all of her various guises: 1) Lilith as "female of Samael." Seductive and beautiful, Lilith sleeps with men and then kills them. (Zohar I 148a-148b). 2) Lilith begets demons from her intercourse with sleeping men and inflicts diseases on them. (Zohar I 19b). 3) The story of creation (Lilith/Adam/Eve) is "resolved" by making Lilith Adam's first wife. (Zohar III 19a). 4) Lilith is described as a strangler/murderer of children. (Zohar I 19b).
Hebrew Amuletic Tradition (circa 900-1800)
Numerous archeological artifacts which focus on Lilith. Primarily used during child- birth to keep Lilith away, these were worn by the pregnant woman and/or hung on her walls. Some of these artifacts also draw on the facets of Lilith's identity as a succubus and as the first wife of Adam.
Jutta (1565)
German play about Johanna, the granddaughter of Lilith and the only woman known to have been pope. As a backdrop to this plot, the existence of Lilith is explained.
Paradise Lost (1667)
Contains an apparent allusion to Lilith in the single phrase "snake witch."
Faust (1808)
Lilith briefly appears in the Walpurgis Night scene of this work by Goethe. She is portrayed as a beautiful seductress with long, flowing hair, and Mephistopheles explains to Faust that Lilith was Adam's first wife.
"Lamia" (1819)
Poem by John Keats presenting the first Romantic portrayal of Lilith. She is excessively beautiful and is trapped in the form of a snake until freed by Hermes so that she can find the love of her youth, Lycius. She and he live together happily, with him unaware of her mythical past, until, at their wedding, the philosopher Apollonius declares Lilith's name and causes her death. Lycius, unable to live without her, dies also.
"La Belle Dame sans Merci" (1820)
Ballad by John Keats which draws upon themes of "Lamia." The unnamed "La Belle" is an enchantress/phantasm who seduces even the strongest of men. She can be read as representing Lilith herself or simply the femme fatale image of which Lilith is a part.
"Lady Lilith" (1863 and 1864-1868?)
Two paintings by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (watercolor and then oil version) which depict Lilith sitting in a magical boudoir/bower space, combing her long, ensnaring hair in a mirror.
"Lilith," later published as "Body's Beauty" (1868)
Sonnet written by Dante Gabriel Rossetti to accompany "Lady Lilith." She is described as Adam's first wife and possibly implicated in the Fall of Man. The poem emphasizes Lilith's affiliation with the snake and ends with Lilith castrating/killing the universalized young man with her "strangling golden hair."
"Eden Bower" (1869)
Ballad by Dante Gabriel Rossetti which elaborates on the themes of "Lilith." Although this poem represents the first time that Lilith is directly implicated in the Fall of Man, it is also here that Lilith truly makes her transformation. By reading the poem from a feminist perspective, it can be seen that Rossetti gives Lilith the power of narrative voice, a voice which was historically denied her, and explodes the dichotomy between good and evil, thereby undermining traditional responses to the myth of Lilith
"A Sea-Spell" (1868) and "The Orchard-Pit" (1869)
Two poems by Rossetti which tell of other "femme fatales" who are not necessarily Lilith but, nonetheless, draw upon the symbols and imagery of the Lilith myth. The unnamed femme fatale of "The Orchard Pit" is more explicitly associated with Lilith while the Siren of "A Sea-Spell" merely echoes the theme of Lilith.
"Adam, Lilith and Eve" (1883)
Poem by Robert Browning where a thunderstorm drives Lilith to confess that she truly loved Adam, and Eve to confess that she truly loved another man. After the storm is over, Adam naively laughs and dismisses their tales as falsehoods.
"Lilith" (1887)
Painting by the Honorable John Collier which pictures sexuality between Lilith and the snake. While most older sources indicate that Collier's inspiration was Keats' "Lamia," the picture more accurately seems to represent the sexual scenes between Lilith and the serpent in "Eden Bower."
La Fin de Satan (1886)
Novel by Victor Hugo where Lilith is combined with Isis and is portrayed as hideous and bloodthirsty, "the world's black soul."
"La Fille de Lilith" ("The Daughter of Lilith") (1889)
Story by Anatole France about Leila, the daughter of Lilith. Lilith and all of her children are bound to the earth in immortality -- because they were not involved in the Fall from grace --and are described as "neither good nor evil."
Lilith (1892)
Play by Remy de Gourmont which gives a cynical and erotic account of the traditional creation story as described in the sacred Jewish texts. Depicts the myth of Lilith as a completely sexualized being who plots revenge on Adam and Eve only so that she can have sex with Adam.
"Lilith" (circa 1892)
Painting by Kenyon Cox where Lilith coddles and kisses the snake. In a lower panel of the painting, Lilith is shown in the Tree of Knowledge with the body of the Snake. Lilith is handing the forbidden fruit to Eve and she, in turn, passes it to Adam, thus creating a chain of destructive femininity.
(* It should be noted that during the late 1800s, images of snakes and women were widespread in art and literature. Archetypal females portrayed with snakes included Salammb?, Eve, Lilith, and Lamia. The list compiled here only includes references to Lilith explicitly and also some references to Lamia that seem to indicate an implicit representation of Lilith as well (such as Keats' "Lamia" and Waterhouse's "Lamia" paintings). For more information on images of women and serpents in fin-de-si?cle culture, see Dijkstra's Idols of Perversity, pages 305-313.)
Lilith (1895)
Novel by George MacDonald where the hero is forced down a path of painful initiation by the seductress Lilith.
"Lilith" (1896)
Story by Henry Harland in which the hero is a poverty stricken, deaf-mute sculptor named Straham. He creates a clay casting for a statue of Lilith and develops a close bond with the statue, sacrificing everything to keep it from being ruined by the coldness of the winter. He stumbles upon an old woman in the street (Lilith herself) and debates over assisting her or going back to his statue. He finally opts for the former, but when he gets home his statue has shattered. Much later, he starts the figure again, and when it is exhibited he becomes famous.
"Lamia" (1905)
Painting by John William Waterhouse in which Lamia kneels before Lycius as the snake-skin falls from her body. Clearly depicts a scene from Keats' poem "Lamia," but also, more generally, depicts Lilith as the universalized femme fatale. (See illustration #20).
Der Heilige und die Tiere (1905)
Play by Victor Widmann in which Lilith is delivered from evil by a saint.
"Die Kinder der Lilith" (1908)
Poem by the German storyteller Isolde Kurz which rejects as absurd the tradition of Lilith as a winged demon who deserted Adam. Kurz asserts that Lilith must have originally been like an angel and capable of deep insight. Adam, the "lump of clay," was created in God's boredom and Lilith, a charming, elfin creature, was given to him as a companion, in the hopes that something new, something disorderly striving for order, would come out of the contrast between their natures. Lucifer creates Eve to distract Adam from Lilith -- his rival. Lilith flees in despair and gives birth to a child that will lead Adam's other children to spiritual perfection, as God had intended.
"Lamia" (1909)
Second painting of this title by John William Waterhouse, often known to paint multiple paintings upon the same theme. Lamia is seated alone at a river bank, looking at her reflection in the water. The snake-skin she has recently shed is at her feet. Again, this painting clearly speaks to Keats' "Lamia" but also contains elements which refer to the more general femme fatale, including Lilith. (See illustration #21).
"The Avenging Spirit" (1920)
Poem by Arthur Symons which identifies Lilith and Lamia as mother and daughter, united in evil. The Snake plays a primary role in the poem as a symbol of sexuality, lust, and evil.
Back to Methuselah (1922)
Play by George Bernard Shaw in which Lilith is the personification of creative development, the mother of Adam, Eve, and all humankind. Lilith bestowed upon Eve her greatest gift -- curiosity. The last act is set in the year 31,920 and Lilith has the last word, concluding that the experience (experiment) of human development has been worthwhile and humanity is on its way to eliminating cruelty, hypocrisy, and death.
Dieu crea d'abord Lilith (1935)
Novel by Marc Chadourne where Lilith sows ruin, death and an incurable despair before disappearing to no one knows where, in despair herself and still a rebel. She may/may not be dead.
Delta of Venus (1969)
Book of "erotica" by Anais Nin, which features a character named Lilith. Lilith here is described as "sexually cold," but it is not her own fault, for her husband neglects to show any real sexual interest in her. Says Nin, "It was something to be done quickly, for his sake. For her it was a sacrifice."
Pope Joan (20th c.)
A reworking of the German play "Jutta"
"Lilith Prints" (1974)
Pornographic, passionate images of a transcendental sexual creation including Adam, Eve, Lilith, Satan, and God.
"Lilywhite Lilith" (1974)
Song on Peter Gabriel's album "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" in which Lilith is the guide of the soul through the Underworld.
"Lilith" (1981)
A midrash on the text of Genesis 3:7 which explains how Lilith comforted Eve when she was told to cover her body. Eve had felt that Adam must not have liked her body and, thus, was ashamed. Lilith supports her and gives Eve the confidence and determination to speak up to Adam. The two women embrace as good friends.
La Papesse ou la legende de la papesse Jeanne et de sa compagne Bartolea (1983)
A play by Odile Ehret which reworked the "Jutta" story.
La Papesse (1983)
A novel by Claude Pasteur also based on the "Jutta" story.
"The Story of Lilith and Eve" (modern)
Modern Jewish tale by Jakob Lind in which Lilith and Eve are aspects of one female.
Lilith: A Metamorphosis (1991)
Novel by Dagmar Nick in which Lilith tells her version of the story of Adam's experiences in the Garden of Eden, why he and Eve are expelled, and why she herself is transformed into a snake.
From Lilith to Lilith Fair (1998)
Authorized story of the evolution of the Lilith Fair, with an introduction by Sarah McLachlan, founder of the event, stating her own abbreviated version of the Lilith myth. Demonstrates the way in which Lilith is defined in modern culture: the first strong, independent woman, a true feminist heroine.
Which Lilith? (1998)
Subtitled "Feminist Writers ReCreate the World's First Woman," this book contains modern feminists' cogitations upon who Lilith is/might be. The authors describe the text as "contemporary midrash," commentary on biblical text, and assert that "Jewish women have a need to imagine Lilith."
Until the late twentieth century the demon Lilith, Adam’s first wife, had a fearsome reputation as a kidnapper and murderer of children and seducer of men. Only with the advent of the feminist movement in the 1960s did she acquire her present high status as the model for independent women. The feminist theologian judith plaskow’s midrash on the story of Lilith played a key role in transforming Lilith from a demon to a role model. As an individual Lilith is first known from the Alphabet of Ben Sira, a provocative and often misogynist satirical Hebrew work of the eighth centuryc.e., but the liliths as a category of demons, along with the male lilis, have existed for several thousand years.
The Bible mentions the lilith only once, as a dweller in waste places (Isaiah 34:14), but the characterization of the lilith or the lili (in the singular or plural) as a seducer or slayer of children has a long pre-history in ancient Babylonian religion. J. A. Scurlock writes, “The lilû-demons and their female counterparts the lilitu or ardat lilî-demons were hungry for victims because they had once been human; they were the spirits of young men and women who had themselves died young.” These demons “slipped through windows into people’s houses looking for victims to take the place of husbands and wives whom they themselves never had.” Another, related demoness was Lamashtu, who threatened new-born babies and “had a disagreeable taste for human flesh and blood.” The figures of Lamashtu and the lilû and lilitu demons eventually converged to form one type of evil figure that seduced men and women and attacked children (Hutter).
The liliths are known particularly from the Aramaic incantation bowls from Sassanian and early Islamic Iraq and Iran (roughly 400–800 C.E.). These are ordinary earthenware bowls that ritual specialists or laypeople from the Jewish, Mandaean, Christian and pagan communities, who lived in close proximity in the cities of Babylonia, inscribed with incantations in their own dialects of Aramaic. A drawing of a bound lilith or other demon often appears in the center of the bowl. The bowls’ purpose was usually to exorcise demons from the house or from the body of the clients named on the bowls, or to turn back malevolent magic that others had practiced against the clients.
The liliths appear in lists of evil spirits that often refer to the “male and female liliths,” reflecting the ancient conception that these evil demons could appear in either male or female form. The bowl-texts accuse the liliths of haunting people in dreams at night or visions of the day. One text describes the liliths “who appear to human beings, to men in the likeness of women and to women in the likeness of men, and they lie with all human beings at night and during the day” (Montgomery 117). Thus one prominent characteristic of the liliths is that they attack people in the sexual and reproductive realm of life. It is no wonder, therefore, that some of the writers of the bowl-incantations employed the language of divorce to rid people of the liliths. The liliths also attack children. One of the bowls accuses “Hablas the lilith, granddaughter of Zarni the lilith” of “striking boys and girls” (Montgomery, 168). Another text says that this lilith “destroys and kills and tears and strangles and eats boys and girls” (Montgomery, 193).
The few references to Lilith in rabbinic literature point to a figure very much like the female lilith of the incantation bowls. Rabbi Óanina (b. Shab. 151b) refers to the sexual danger that the lilith constitutes for men: “It is forbidden to sleep in a house alone, and whoever sleeps in a house alone, a lilith seizes him.” Two other references to the lilith point to her physical appearance: she has wings and long hair. Drawings of the liliths or demons on the incantation bowls bear out these details of physical appearance. “Rav Judah said in the name of Samuel: An abortion with the likeness of a lilith, its mother is impure because of the birth, for it is a child, but it has wings” (BT Niddah 24b).
Lilith’s image as a dangerous demon persists in the Alphabet of Ben Sira, where she becomes the first wife of Adam (Stern; Yassif 1984). As Scholem (1974) remarks, this tale “sets out to explain the already widespread custom of writing amulets against Lilith.” God created Lilith from the earth after the creation of Adam. They immediately began to fight over who would be on top during sexual intercourse. Lilith said, “We are equal to each other inasmuch as we were both created from the earth.” Lilith then pronounced God’s name and flew away into the air. At Adam’s request, God sent three angels to bring Lilith back, but she refused. According to one version of the tale, she told them that she could not return to her first husband because she had already slept with the “Great Demon.” She told the angels that she was created only to sicken newborn babies and that she had dominion over males until the eighth day (when the boy is circumcised) and over females until the twelfth day after birth. The angels then told her that they would not force her to go back to Adam as long as she agreed to leave the child alone when she saw an amulet inscribed with the angels’ names and forms. Many amulets have been made against Lilith that refer to this tale. For example, Sefer Raziel (Amsterdam, 1701) contains instructions, with drawings, of how to make an amulet against Lilith. Even today, it is possible to purchase amulets made according to this model in Jerusalem shops that sell religious articles.
Lilith became a figure of cosmic evil in medieval Kabbalah. In the thirteenth-century “Treatise on the Left Emanation,” she became the female consort of Samael (Scholem, 1927; Dan). The “Great Demon” of the Alphabet of Ben Sira was given the name of Samael. According to earlier midrashim he had seduced the serpent to evil in the Garden of Eden and he was long identified as the angel of death and the guardian angel of Rome. In the “Treatise on the Left Emanation,” Samael and Lilith emanated together from beneath the Throne of Glory as a result of the sin of the first humans in the Garden of Eden. Their mythological characteristics were further developed in the Zohar (Tishby; Scholem 1974). There, Lilith and Samael emanated together from one of the divine powers, the sefirah of Gevurah (Strength). On the side of evil, the Sitra Ahra (the “Other Side”), they correspond to the holy divine female and male: “Just as on the side of holiness so on ‘the other side’ there are male and female, included one with the other” (Tishby, II: 461). Lilith attempted intercourse with Adam before the creation of Eve, and after the creation of Eve she fled and ever after has plotted to kill newborn children. She dwells in the “cities of the sea” and at the end of days God will make her dwell in the ruins of Rome (Tishby).
In the Zohar Lilith’s demonic sexuality comes especially to the fore. She attempts to seduce men and use their seed to create bodies for her demonic children. The Zohar recommends the performance of a special ritual before sexual intercourse between husband and wife, in which the husband should turn his mind to God and say, “Veiled in velvet, are you here?/Loosened, loosened (be your spell)!/Go not in and go not out!/Let there be none of you and nothing of your part!” (Scholem 1965: 157). She is the seductive harlot who leads men astray, but when they turn to her, she transforms into the angel of death and kills them (Tishby).
The traditional depiction of Lilith from ancient Mesopotamia through medieval Kabbalah presents an antitype of desired human sexuality and family life. Lilith not only embodies people’s fears of how attraction to others can ruin their marriages, or of how risky childbearing and raising children are, but also represents a woman whom society cannot control—a woman who determines her own sexual partners, who is wild and unkempt, and who does not have the natural consequences of sexual activity, children.
The contemporary feminist movement found an inspiration in this image of Lilith as the uncontrollable woman and decisively changed the image of Lilith from demon to powerful woman. In 1972 Lilly Rivlin published an article on Lilith for the feminist magazine Ms., with the aim of recovering her for contemporary women. The Jewish feminist magazine Lilith, founded in the fall of 1976, took her name because the editors were inspired by Lilith’s fight for equality with Adam. An article in the introductory issue spelled out Lilith’s appeal and rejected the understanding of her as a demon. Since then, interest in Lilith has only grown among Jewish feminists, neo-pagans, listeners to contemporary music by women (highlighted in the Lilith Fair), poets and other writers. A useful recent book collecting many articles and poems on Lilith, with specific focus on her importance for Jewish women, is Whose Lilith?(1998). As Lilly Rivlin writes in her “Afterword,” “In the late twentieth century, self-sufficient women, inspired by the women’s movement, have adopted the Lilith myth as their own. They have transformed her into a female symbol for autonomy, sexual choice, and control of one’s own destiny.”
The Bible mentions the lilith only once, as a dweller in waste places (Isaiah 34:14), but the characterization of the lilith or the lili (in the singular or plural) as a seducer or slayer of children has a long pre-history in ancient Babylonian religion. J. A. Scurlock writes, “The lilû-demons and their female counterparts the lilitu or ardat lilî-demons were hungry for victims because they had once been human; they were the spirits of young men and women who had themselves died young.” These demons “slipped through windows into people’s houses looking for victims to take the place of husbands and wives whom they themselves never had.” Another, related demoness was Lamashtu, who threatened new-born babies and “had a disagreeable taste for human flesh and blood.” The figures of Lamashtu and the lilû and lilitu demons eventually converged to form one type of evil figure that seduced men and women and attacked children (Hutter).
The liliths are known particularly from the Aramaic incantation bowls from Sassanian and early Islamic Iraq and Iran (roughly 400–800 C.E.). These are ordinary earthenware bowls that ritual specialists or laypeople from the Jewish, Mandaean, Christian and pagan communities, who lived in close proximity in the cities of Babylonia, inscribed with incantations in their own dialects of Aramaic. A drawing of a bound lilith or other demon often appears in the center of the bowl. The bowls’ purpose was usually to exorcise demons from the house or from the body of the clients named on the bowls, or to turn back malevolent magic that others had practiced against the clients.
The liliths appear in lists of evil spirits that often refer to the “male and female liliths,” reflecting the ancient conception that these evil demons could appear in either male or female form. The bowl-texts accuse the liliths of haunting people in dreams at night or visions of the day. One text describes the liliths “who appear to human beings, to men in the likeness of women and to women in the likeness of men, and they lie with all human beings at night and during the day” (Montgomery 117). Thus one prominent characteristic of the liliths is that they attack people in the sexual and reproductive realm of life. It is no wonder, therefore, that some of the writers of the bowl-incantations employed the language of divorce to rid people of the liliths. The liliths also attack children. One of the bowls accuses “Hablas the lilith, granddaughter of Zarni the lilith” of “striking boys and girls” (Montgomery, 168). Another text says that this lilith “destroys and kills and tears and strangles and eats boys and girls” (Montgomery, 193).
The few references to Lilith in rabbinic literature point to a figure very much like the female lilith of the incantation bowls. Rabbi Óanina (b. Shab. 151b) refers to the sexual danger that the lilith constitutes for men: “It is forbidden to sleep in a house alone, and whoever sleeps in a house alone, a lilith seizes him.” Two other references to the lilith point to her physical appearance: she has wings and long hair. Drawings of the liliths or demons on the incantation bowls bear out these details of physical appearance. “Rav Judah said in the name of Samuel: An abortion with the likeness of a lilith, its mother is impure because of the birth, for it is a child, but it has wings” (BT Niddah 24b).
Lilith’s image as a dangerous demon persists in the Alphabet of Ben Sira, where she becomes the first wife of Adam (Stern; Yassif 1984). As Scholem (1974) remarks, this tale “sets out to explain the already widespread custom of writing amulets against Lilith.” God created Lilith from the earth after the creation of Adam. They immediately began to fight over who would be on top during sexual intercourse. Lilith said, “We are equal to each other inasmuch as we were both created from the earth.” Lilith then pronounced God’s name and flew away into the air. At Adam’s request, God sent three angels to bring Lilith back, but she refused. According to one version of the tale, she told them that she could not return to her first husband because she had already slept with the “Great Demon.” She told the angels that she was created only to sicken newborn babies and that she had dominion over males until the eighth day (when the boy is circumcised) and over females until the twelfth day after birth. The angels then told her that they would not force her to go back to Adam as long as she agreed to leave the child alone when she saw an amulet inscribed with the angels’ names and forms. Many amulets have been made against Lilith that refer to this tale. For example, Sefer Raziel (Amsterdam, 1701) contains instructions, with drawings, of how to make an amulet against Lilith. Even today, it is possible to purchase amulets made according to this model in Jerusalem shops that sell religious articles.
Lilith became a figure of cosmic evil in medieval Kabbalah. In the thirteenth-century “Treatise on the Left Emanation,” she became the female consort of Samael (Scholem, 1927; Dan). The “Great Demon” of the Alphabet of Ben Sira was given the name of Samael. According to earlier midrashim he had seduced the serpent to evil in the Garden of Eden and he was long identified as the angel of death and the guardian angel of Rome. In the “Treatise on the Left Emanation,” Samael and Lilith emanated together from beneath the Throne of Glory as a result of the sin of the first humans in the Garden of Eden. Their mythological characteristics were further developed in the Zohar (Tishby; Scholem 1974). There, Lilith and Samael emanated together from one of the divine powers, the sefirah of Gevurah (Strength). On the side of evil, the Sitra Ahra (the “Other Side”), they correspond to the holy divine female and male: “Just as on the side of holiness so on ‘the other side’ there are male and female, included one with the other” (Tishby, II: 461). Lilith attempted intercourse with Adam before the creation of Eve, and after the creation of Eve she fled and ever after has plotted to kill newborn children. She dwells in the “cities of the sea” and at the end of days God will make her dwell in the ruins of Rome (Tishby).
In the Zohar Lilith’s demonic sexuality comes especially to the fore. She attempts to seduce men and use their seed to create bodies for her demonic children. The Zohar recommends the performance of a special ritual before sexual intercourse between husband and wife, in which the husband should turn his mind to God and say, “Veiled in velvet, are you here?/Loosened, loosened (be your spell)!/Go not in and go not out!/Let there be none of you and nothing of your part!” (Scholem 1965: 157). She is the seductive harlot who leads men astray, but when they turn to her, she transforms into the angel of death and kills them (Tishby).
The traditional depiction of Lilith from ancient Mesopotamia through medieval Kabbalah presents an antitype of desired human sexuality and family life. Lilith not only embodies people’s fears of how attraction to others can ruin their marriages, or of how risky childbearing and raising children are, but also represents a woman whom society cannot control—a woman who determines her own sexual partners, who is wild and unkempt, and who does not have the natural consequences of sexual activity, children.
The contemporary feminist movement found an inspiration in this image of Lilith as the uncontrollable woman and decisively changed the image of Lilith from demon to powerful woman. In 1972 Lilly Rivlin published an article on Lilith for the feminist magazine Ms., with the aim of recovering her for contemporary women. The Jewish feminist magazine Lilith, founded in the fall of 1976, took her name because the editors were inspired by Lilith’s fight for equality with Adam. An article in the introductory issue spelled out Lilith’s appeal and rejected the understanding of her as a demon. Since then, interest in Lilith has only grown among Jewish feminists, neo-pagans, listeners to contemporary music by women (highlighted in the Lilith Fair), poets and other writers. A useful recent book collecting many articles and poems on Lilith, with specific focus on her importance for Jewish women, is Whose Lilith?(1998). As Lilly Rivlin writes in her “Afterword,” “In the late twentieth century, self-sufficient women, inspired by the women’s movement, have adopted the Lilith myth as their own. They have transformed her into a female symbol for autonomy, sexual choice, and control of one’s own destiny.”
Recommended reading - 'Lilith: Queen of the Desert' by Anya Kless
This book provides an introduction to forming a personal and working relationship with Lilith as a living and vibrant entity, including correspondences, lessons, offerings, and a basic ritual. Most importantly, it serves as the first collection of devotional writing for and about Lilith. Contributed by writers around the globe, these poems, prayers, and essays give insights into the mysteries of this elusive and often misunderstood figure by those who already know and love Her.
This book provides an introduction to forming a personal and working relationship with Lilith as a living and vibrant entity, including correspondences, lessons, offerings, and a basic ritual. Most importantly, it serves as the first collection of devotional writing for and about Lilith. Contributed by writers around the globe, these poems, prayers, and essays give insights into the mysteries of this elusive and often misunderstood figure by those who already know and love Her.
http://www.lilith.org/
http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/surrealism/Frida-Kahlo.html
http://northstargallery.com/mermaids/mermaidhistory2.htm
http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/surrealism/Frida-Kahlo.html
http://northstargallery.com/mermaids/mermaidhistory2.htm
Samael & Lilith
Rabbi Isaac ben Jacob ha-Kohen wrote in the second half of the 13th century in Spain. His treatise on evil was entitled 'A Treatise on the Left Emanation'. This work introduces Samael and Lilith as husband and wife, a concept which was then incorporated into later Kabbalistic demonology.
Rabbi Isaac states:
'Truly I shall give you a hint, that the reason for all the jealousies which exist between the princes mentioned above, and the [other, good] princes which belong to the seven classes, the classes of the holy angels which are called 'the guardians of the walls,' the reason which evokes hatred and jealousy between the heavenly powers and the powers of the supreme host, is one form which is destined for Samael, and it is Lilith, and it has the image of a feminine form, and Samael is in the form of Adam and Lilith in the form of Eve. Both of them were born in a spiritual birth as one, similar to the form of Adam and Eve, like two pairs of twins, one above and one below. Samael and the Eve the Elder, which is called the Northern one, they are emanated from below the Throne of Glory, and this was caused by the Sin.' - from Chap 6
Rabbi Isaac then explains that when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, it caused two sexual awakening among the two pairs of 'twins'. This was the awakening in which the snake, either called Nahasiel or Gamliel, took part - the event that caused evil to become its own entity capable of expression.
The question is then how did Samael and Lilith become paired together? Samael was an archangel of Rome & originally one of the fallen angels in the Book of Enoch. Lilith, on the other hand, was an ancient Near Eastern deity, who was mentioned in Isaiah 34:14, and is known as a danger to infants.
The Alpha Betha of Ben Sira (Pseudo-Ben Sira) states that Lilith was Adam's first wife before Eve. Eli Yassif studied this text in detail and concluded that two versions existed: one similar to the original and one that was edited and enlarged by a later compiler. Examining the differences between the two versions helps to explain how Lilith may have become Samael's spouse.
'When God created His world and created Adam, He saw that Adam was alone, and He immediately created a woman from earth, like him, for him, and named her Lilith. He brought her to Adam, and they immediately began to fight: Adam said, 'You shall lie below' and Lilith said, 'You shall lie below for we are equal and both of us were [created] from earth.' They did not listen to each other. When Lilith saw the state of things, she uttered the Holy Name and flew into the air and fled. Adam immediately stood in prayer before God and said: 'Master of the universe, see that the woman you gave me has already fled away.' God immediately sent three angels and told them: 'Go and fetch Lilith if she agrees to come, bring her, and if she does not, bring her by force.' The three angels went immediately and caught up with her in the [Red] Sea, in the place that the Egyptians were destined to die. They seized her and told her: 'If you agree to come with us, come, and if not, we shall drown you in the sea.' She answered: 'Darlings, I know myself that God created me only to afflict babies with fatal disease when they are eight days old I shall have permission to harm them from their birth to the eighth day and no longer when it is a male baby but when it is a female baby, I shall have permission for twelve days.' The angels would not leave her alone, until she swore by God's name that wherever she would see them or their names in an amulet, she would not possess the baby [bearing it]. They then left her immediately. This is [the story of] Lilith who afflicts babies with disease.' - from the early version of Pseudo-Ben Sira
The main question with this text is: Why would the angels leave Lilith alone after they were ordered by God to bring her back? One conclusion is that Lilith bribed the angels with the promise that she wouldn't harm babies protected by them or their amulets. In the later versions of the text, the author changed part of the account between Lilith and the angels as follows:
'They tried to take her back, but she refused. They asked her: 'Why don't you want to go back? She told them: 'I know that I was created for the sole purpose of making babies ill from their day of birth until the eighth day, when I have permission, and after eight days I have no permission. And if it is a female, [this is so] for twelve days!' They said to her' 'If you do not come back we shall drown you in the sea.' She answered: 'I cannot return because of what is said in the Torah - 'Her former husband who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled, that is, when he was the last to sleep with her. And the Great Demon has already slept with me.'
Samael very quickly came to be the 'Great Demon' of this version - the ha-Shed ha-Gadol who defiled Lilith so she could not return to Adam.
Lilith is the most important of a small collection of named female demons in Jewish legend. Historically, she is actually older than Judaism (at least Judaism as defined as a post-restoration phenomenon). Her earliest appearance is probably in ancient Sumer. Although it is far from certain, she may be a minor character in a prologue to the Epic of Gilgamesh. In the ancient world she also sometimes appears in magical texts, amulets, etc., intended to thwart her activities. She appears once in the Bible (Isaiah), in a context that associates her with demons of the desert, and again in some Dead Sea Scroll passages clearly based on the Isaiah reference.
We see somewhat more of her in late Roman/early medieval Judaism. She appears frequently on prophylactic magical bowls. In this context, she is clearly associated with childbirth (e.g. as a threat), and perhaps also as a succubus against which men need protection. In these bowls she is often countered by invoking the powers of her nemesis angels: Snvi, Snsvi, and Smnglof (we don't know what vowels to use with these names, but presumably they were intended to be pronounceable). She also shows up in the Talmud, and is clearly linked with the demonic world. Here also, her role as succubus begins to take clear shape.
Somewhere between the eighth and tenth centuries, CE, she makes an appearance in a satirical work entitled the Alphabet of Ben Sira. It is here that she is first given what has become her most famous persona: the first wife of Adam (before Eve). In this story, she is created at more or less the same time as Adam, and, as was Adam, out of the ground. Because of this she tries to assert her equality -- an assertion which Adam rejects. Refusing to conform to Adam's desires, she escapes from Eden, and is subsequently replaced by the more subservient Eve (who has less claim to equality, since she was made out of Adam's side). Having escaped Eden, Lilith takes on her renowned role as baby-stealer and mother of demons. She also promises to leave babies alone who are protected by amulets with the names of the three angels mentioned above.
While it is true that there was a rabbinic tradition that Adam briefly had another wife before the creation of Eve (Genesis Rabbah), there is a great deal of doubt as to whether Lilith had any connection at all to this first wife of Adam story prior the publication of the Alphabet. The satirical nature of the Alphabet casts further doubt on the authenticity of this Lilith connection. But whatever its origins, the connection between Lilith and the first Eve seems to have struck a chord with Jewish folk imagination and it is now an inexorable part of those traditions. It has been able to function both as a 'woman's story' (in which Lilith is a role model for uppity women), and as a patriarchal story (in which we see the dire consequences of being an uppity woman). As a midrash, it also helps to solve a problem that arises from the fact that Genesis 1 has mankind created "male and female," but when we get to Genesis 2, Adam seems to be alone and in need of a partner.
Kabbalistic literature is occasionally aware of the Alphabet story, but more frequently not. Here Lilith usually appears as a partner for Samael (=Satan), and as the chief feminine expression of the Left (evil) Emanation. In some passages, she participates in the temptation of Eve/Adam, and, after the expulsion, she serves as succubus to Adam, generating hoards of demons from his seed. She is also the personification of temptation, and is for all intents and purposes identified with the woman Folly from the early chapters of Proverbs. In one story, she actually serves as consort to the Holy One.
She also appears in Christian iconography. Most late medieval and renaissance paintings of the temptation of Adam and Eve have portrayed the serpent as having a woman's head and often torso as well. This is usually referred to by art historians as 'Lilith,' but there is no Jewish story which easily corresponds to the pictorial representations (the one exception is Bacharach, 'Emeq haMelekh 23c-d, but it is confusing, and problematic at best). I am led to presume that there were Christian versions of the Lilith myth in which the identification between her and the Serpent were made explicit. Unfortunately, none of these versions have survived in either text or known folklore.
Lilith enjoyed something of a revival in literature beginning in the mid 19th century. Usually she represents the feminine dark side (the part that men subliminally fear). Carl Jung made use of her as prime expression of the anima in men (the suppressed feme within), and the best monograph on her still belongs to one of Jung's disciples (Siegmund Hurwitz).
She has also been embraced by many modern, particularly Jewish, feminists. Based mainly, or entirely, on the Alphabet, she is presented as the proto-feminist, willing to sacrifice even the paradise of Eden as the necessary cost of freedom and equality. Of course, her role as baby-stealer is usually down-played (or assigned to a patriarchal layer of the tradition). Some neo-pagan groups have taken up her cause as well, either accepting her dark nature as part of larger sacred reality, or finding the erotic goddess within after removing the clutter of what they argue are patriarchal and monotheistic condemnations.
Finally, she has a place in vampire lore either as the first and most powerful of the vampires, or at least as their queen. She is sometimes presented as either the daughter or the consort of Dracula. In her role as succubus, she has, of course, particular control of nightmares and erotic dreams. She also rules a horde of other succuba and incubi.
http://www.bib-arch.org/e-features/lilith.asp
We see somewhat more of her in late Roman/early medieval Judaism. She appears frequently on prophylactic magical bowls. In this context, she is clearly associated with childbirth (e.g. as a threat), and perhaps also as a succubus against which men need protection. In these bowls she is often countered by invoking the powers of her nemesis angels: Snvi, Snsvi, and Smnglof (we don't know what vowels to use with these names, but presumably they were intended to be pronounceable). She also shows up in the Talmud, and is clearly linked with the demonic world. Here also, her role as succubus begins to take clear shape.
Somewhere between the eighth and tenth centuries, CE, she makes an appearance in a satirical work entitled the Alphabet of Ben Sira. It is here that she is first given what has become her most famous persona: the first wife of Adam (before Eve). In this story, she is created at more or less the same time as Adam, and, as was Adam, out of the ground. Because of this she tries to assert her equality -- an assertion which Adam rejects. Refusing to conform to Adam's desires, she escapes from Eden, and is subsequently replaced by the more subservient Eve (who has less claim to equality, since she was made out of Adam's side). Having escaped Eden, Lilith takes on her renowned role as baby-stealer and mother of demons. She also promises to leave babies alone who are protected by amulets with the names of the three angels mentioned above.
While it is true that there was a rabbinic tradition that Adam briefly had another wife before the creation of Eve (Genesis Rabbah), there is a great deal of doubt as to whether Lilith had any connection at all to this first wife of Adam story prior the publication of the Alphabet. The satirical nature of the Alphabet casts further doubt on the authenticity of this Lilith connection. But whatever its origins, the connection between Lilith and the first Eve seems to have struck a chord with Jewish folk imagination and it is now an inexorable part of those traditions. It has been able to function both as a 'woman's story' (in which Lilith is a role model for uppity women), and as a patriarchal story (in which we see the dire consequences of being an uppity woman). As a midrash, it also helps to solve a problem that arises from the fact that Genesis 1 has mankind created "male and female," but when we get to Genesis 2, Adam seems to be alone and in need of a partner.
Kabbalistic literature is occasionally aware of the Alphabet story, but more frequently not. Here Lilith usually appears as a partner for Samael (=Satan), and as the chief feminine expression of the Left (evil) Emanation. In some passages, she participates in the temptation of Eve/Adam, and, after the expulsion, she serves as succubus to Adam, generating hoards of demons from his seed. She is also the personification of temptation, and is for all intents and purposes identified with the woman Folly from the early chapters of Proverbs. In one story, she actually serves as consort to the Holy One.
She also appears in Christian iconography. Most late medieval and renaissance paintings of the temptation of Adam and Eve have portrayed the serpent as having a woman's head and often torso as well. This is usually referred to by art historians as 'Lilith,' but there is no Jewish story which easily corresponds to the pictorial representations (the one exception is Bacharach, 'Emeq haMelekh 23c-d, but it is confusing, and problematic at best). I am led to presume that there were Christian versions of the Lilith myth in which the identification between her and the Serpent were made explicit. Unfortunately, none of these versions have survived in either text or known folklore.
Lilith enjoyed something of a revival in literature beginning in the mid 19th century. Usually she represents the feminine dark side (the part that men subliminally fear). Carl Jung made use of her as prime expression of the anima in men (the suppressed feme within), and the best monograph on her still belongs to one of Jung's disciples (Siegmund Hurwitz).
She has also been embraced by many modern, particularly Jewish, feminists. Based mainly, or entirely, on the Alphabet, she is presented as the proto-feminist, willing to sacrifice even the paradise of Eden as the necessary cost of freedom and equality. Of course, her role as baby-stealer is usually down-played (or assigned to a patriarchal layer of the tradition). Some neo-pagan groups have taken up her cause as well, either accepting her dark nature as part of larger sacred reality, or finding the erotic goddess within after removing the clutter of what they argue are patriarchal and monotheistic condemnations.
Finally, she has a place in vampire lore either as the first and most powerful of the vampires, or at least as their queen. She is sometimes presented as either the daughter or the consort of Dracula. In her role as succubus, she has, of course, particular control of nightmares and erotic dreams. She also rules a horde of other succuba and incubi.
http://www.bib-arch.org/e-features/lilith.asp