Lilith - and the myth of god-given patriarchyI first heard of Lilith while watching a TV documentary about New York. A Jewish man interviewed mentioned that Lilith was Adam's first wife, who he divorced for (putting it euphemistically) "not taking it like a man". Naturally I was intrigued! Further investigation revealed references to demons and godesses, evil spirits, killers and protectors - all referring to Lilith. Obviously this was an interesting topic to look into. My principal reference - The King James Version of the Bible - made no reference to her that I could see (3), and the only evil spirits mentioned were god's own. All the references seemed to be to a mythological evil female (1), killer of children and seducer of men. All the stories have some common threads, so I'll briefly outline the general consensus, and amplify disagreements later :-
God created man and womanIt is generally agreed (2) that god created Adam and Lilith in the same way - Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.Some say that they were created at the same time, as in Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. [Some say that this refers to the creation of a hermaphrodite - male and female in one creature as is god - which would be more credible if "them" was a singular, gender-neutral pronoun] Others point to Genesis 2:20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. 21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and suggest that it was between verses 20 and 21 that the Lilith saga occurs, that Lilith was created as was Adam from dust when Adam found that he was not satisfied by coupling with the female animals. I know that many bible scholars like to read between the lines, but I prefer the first interpretation, that Adam and Lilith were created at about the same time. So were they created equal, from the same dust, or was Lilith created from "filth and sediment" as some claim? If the latter, it is easier to explain her supposed evil nature in later life. But then, this presupposes an evil nature which god would not have introduced when trying for perfection (it seems illogical that in a new made world he would run out of clean dust so quickly). We are left with the conclusion that they were created equal at about the same time, for mutual companionship and fornication (so that Adam would have no sexual use for the legendary sheep). Adam and Lilith in EdenHere we have to leave the bible and base our account on the more reliable myth and folklore. There is consensus that the happy couple lived in Eden long enough to become an unhappy couple. The reason for their unhappiness is variable, but has a common thread -
EscapeLilith fled the garden. Some accounts leave it at that, but others give details of how she went over the wall. She used the inf...able name of god (a name of great power, of which Jewish tradition forbids the utterance) which she had obtained from Yaweh, himself, by seduction (we are not told if she submitted to be on the bottom this time). With this power she was able to fly to a cave by the Red Sea. Here she shacked up with Asmodeus, the king of demons, who was happy to be on the bottom, and bore him a hundred demon children daily (out of the frying pan, into the fire - !?). God's angels threatened her with the death of her children if she didn't return, she countered with a threat to Adam's children. Hence her reputation as a baby killer.Adam and Eden after LilithAdam went to Yaweh after Lilith's flight and complained that he had no-one to bring him figs, the garden was messy and the sheep kept running away. When his angels couldn't coerce Lilith to return, Yaweh became tired of Adam's constant whining and made Steve as a submissive housekeeper and bottom for Adam. After endless complaints about his appearance, Steve went on a course of hormone therapy, had a sex change and took the name Eve.Lilith in the Modern WorldAs she left Eden before the fall of Adam, she escaped the curse of death and is immortal. Some say that she was Margaret Thatcher, some that her current incarnation is Pauline Hanson. All we know for sure is that she is still around, un-tainted by original sin (hey wasn't that Mary?).From this evidence it is clear that Man and Woman were created equal. Man turned out to be a lazy, whiner who thought he could dominate his partner as he did with sheep. No wonder the patriarchy has tried to suppress this truth. Footnotes(1)"Faust" by Johann Wolfgan Goetheor from the Infopedia® Encyclopedia and Dictionary : LILITH, in Jewish folklore, demon that is an enemy of newborn children. She is referred to as a "night hag" in Isa. 34:14. Lilith was known in Babylonian myth, but she also appears in later, postbiblical Jewish literature. There she is described as Adam's first wife, who left him after a quarrel. Lil·ith n [LHeb lilith, fr. Heb, a female demon]
(2) At least by all but Aleister Crowley (De Arte Magica part XIII) who believes that Lilith was created by the power of Adam's semen during a wet dream. (3) Isaiah 34:14 The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest. didn't really seem relevant, and although "Strong's Concordance" gives Lexicon Hebrew 3917there is no other reference in the bible (alhough some say that Lilith was the hairy-legged Queen of Sheba). There is no reason to explain why a demon should be understood in this passage rather than a wild bird. (4) For an extensive internet discussion of Lilith see The Lilith Shrine (5) Hebrew Myths by Robert Graves |
