The Legend of Lilith is very famous in the Jewish Culture and mythology. She is believed to be the wife of Adam, the first on earth. Over time, she has also become famous by the name of Succubus Demon, as she was known for strangling the new-born babies.
The Legend of Lilith has gained fame in a positive way as many feminist scholars have tried to uplift her image from a demon to a more sophisticated person in the mythology. Her image has changed a lot from the medieval period to modern times.
The Alphabet of Ben Sira
The oldest known text that has explicitly mentioned Lilith the first wife of Adam is the alphabet of Ben Sira. It is considered to be an anonymous collection of the midrashim from the time of the medieval period.
In this particular collection, the author has recounted a dispute which arose between Adam and Lilith.
He wanted to be on the top when they were having sex but at the same time, Lilith also wanted to be on the top. Both of them argued that they were created at the same time and hence should get equal respect and status as a partner.
When Adam refuses to compromise with Lilith, she left him by uttering the name of the god and flew away to the Red Sea. God then sent several Angels after her but these Angels were unable to make a return to her husband and forget him.
The following lines depict the Legend of Lilith:
“The three angels caught up with her in the [Red] Sea…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 the 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.” (Alphabet of Ben Sira, from “Eve & Adam: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Readings on Genesis and Gender” pg. 204.)
Not only do these particular lines mentioned above identify the legend of Lilith as the first Eve of the Adam but it also draws upon the myths about the Lillu demon.
This particular demon was the one who preyed upon the women and children. By the time of the 7th century the women reciting the incarnations against the Lilith for protecting themselves and also their babies during the time of the childbirth.
It also became a very common practice among the people to inscribe the incantations on the bowls and then bury them upside down inside the house.
People who believe in such kind of superstitions have a feeling that this particular vessel would be able to capture Lilith if she attempts to enter their house.
Because of her association with the demonic nature, ancient and medieval texts have identified the legend of Lilith as the Serpent who tempted Eve in the garden of Eden.
By the early years of the twelfth century, many art and literature work begin to portray this particular Serpent in the form of a snake or a reptile which was having a torso of women.
The best-known example of this particular scenario is portrayed in the painting of Michelangelo (Legend of Lilith), where she can be seen on the ceiling of the Sistine chapel.
The name of this particular painting is the Temptation of Adam and Eve. In this particular painting, a female Serpent is shown wrapped around the tree of knowledge which has been interpreted as the representation of Lilith tempting Adam and Eve.
Feminist Reclaiming from the Legend of Lilith
Talking about the modern times, many research Scholars have claimed that the character from the Legend of Lilith is not of the demonic female form.
But it has to be seen as a strong woman who is not only able to see herself as equivalent to the man but also refuses the fact to accept anything other than the equality.
In the Legend of Lilith question, the writer Aviva Cantor has written the following lines about the legend of Lilith:
“Her strength of character and commitment of self is inspiring. For independence and freedom from tyranny, she is prepared to forsake the economic security of the Garden of Eden and to accept loneliness and exclusion from society.
Lilith is a powerful female. She radiates strength, assertiveness; she refuses to cooperate in her victimization.”
According to various feminist readers and the Legend of Lilith, she is a role model for sexual and personal independence.
They have also pointed out the fact that she alone is the one who knows the correct name of the god which she used for escaping from the garden and also from her uncompromising husband.
And if she was the snake or the Serpent which was present in the garden of Eden then she intended to free Eve with her power of knowledge and wisdom and also the strength of the will.
Lilith has become such a potent feminist symbol that the magazine Lilith was named after her.
Lilith as Adam’s First Wife
Various scholars are very certain about the fact that the character of Lilith was inspired by the Sumerian myths about the female vampires which were called Lillu or the Mesopotamian myths about the female night demons.
Legend of Lilith is also mentioned four times in the Babylonian Talmud, but it is not present until the alphabet of Ben. Her character is associated with the first version of the creation.
It is also mentioned in the medieval text that surname who was famous as the first wife of Adam and was present in the form of a full account telling her story.
According to the alphabet of Ben Sira, Lilith was given the name of the first wife of Adam but the couple used to fight a lot.
They did not agree with each other on the matter of sex because he always wants to remain on the top while on the other hand she also wanted to be dominant in the sexual position.
When they both were not able to agree to each other she decided to leave Adam and left while entering the name of the god. It is believed that she flew into the air and left Adam alone in the garden of the Eden.
God then sent three angels after her and also commended them for bringing her back to her husband even by the application of force, if she was not willing to come back.
But when the angels finally found her by the Red Sea, they were unable to convince sir for returning to her husband and also could not able to force her to obey them.
As a result, a strange deal was struck and Lilith promised that she will not harm the new-born children if they were protected by an amulet with the names of the three Angels written on it.
The following lines from the Legend of Lilith describe the same:
“The three angels caught up with her in the [Red] Sea…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 the 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.” (Alphabet of Ben Sira, from “Eve & Adam: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Readings on Genesis and Gender” pg. 204.
Legend of Lilith and the Biblical Story of Creation
The biblical book of Genesis contains 2 of the contradictory accounts related to the creation of humanity.
The first account is famous by the name of the priestly version and has appeared in Genesis 1:26-27. In this particular Genesis the God has fashioned men and women simultaneously while reading the texts:
“God created mankind in the divine image male and female God created them.”
The second account present in this particular book of creation is famous by the name of the Yahwistic version. It is found in the second part of the Genesis and focuses on the version of the creation that most people are familiar with.
God had created Adam and then place them in the garden of Eden. Not after a long time, God then finally decided to make a companion for Adam and then created the animals of the land and the sky for testing that if any of them are suitable partners for the men.
God finally brought all the animals to Adam, named each one of them before him, ultimately deciding that it is not a suitable helper.
What then causes a very deep sleep to fall upon Adam and during this time God made Eve from his side. When Adam finally woke up, he recognized Eve as a part of himself and accepted her as his companion.
The ancient Scholars noticed that two of the contradictory versions of the creation have appeared in the book of Genesis which is also famous by the name of Bereisheet in Hebrew.
They were able to solve the discrepancies in two ways in the legend of Lilith:
- The first version of Creation referred to Adam’s first wife, a ‘first Eve.’ But Adam was displeased with her, so God replaced her with a ‘second Eve’ that met Adam’s needs.
- The Priestly account describes the creation of an androgyne – a creature that was both male and female (Genesis Rabbah 8:1, Leviticus Rabbah 14:1). This creature was then split into a man and a woman in the Yahwistic account.
In the early versions, the tradition of the two wives and two Eves was depicted but this particular interpretation of the creation timeline has not been associated with the Legend of Lilith, until the time of the medieval period.
Conclusion
The Legend of Lilith is famous and has been described in many sacred books and scriptures. Lilith is believed to be the first wife of Adam and also the serpent who is mentioned in the famous Garden of Eden scene.
She was portrayed as the demon who was believed to be the one who killed and strangled the new-born babies but in the later books and verses, she is depicted as the one who traded with the angels and never killed any baby or infant.
People Also Ask (FAQs)
Who is believed to be the husband of Lilith?
Adam, the first man to step on the earth is believed to be the husband of Lilith.
Why is Lilith considered to be a demon in Jewish mythology?
As per the Legend of Lilith, it is considered to be a demon in the Jewish mythology because it is believed that she was the one who lured Eve in the garden of Eden and also the one who used to strangle kids at the time of their birth.