The Myths of Lilith
She of the Night
A female demon of the night who supposedly flies around searching for newborns to either strangle or kidnap. Also, she sleeps with men to seduce them into propagating demon sons.
Legends about Lilith are ancient. The rabbinical myths of her being Adam's first wife seem to relate to the Sumero-Babylonian goddess Belit-ili, or Belili. To the Canaanites Lilith was Baalat ~ the 'Divine Lady'. On a tablet from Ur, circa 2000BC, she was addressed as Lillake.
It is from the Hebraic rabbinical tradition that the first substantial myths of Lilith come. One story is that God created Adam and Lilith as twins joined together at the back.
She demanded equality with Adam and, failing to get it, she left him in anger. This is sometimes accompanied by the Muslem legend that after leaving Adam, Lilith slept with Satan, thus creating the demonic Djinn.
In another version of the myth she was Adam's first wife, before Eve. Adam married her because he became tired of coupling with animals, a common Middle-Eastern practice, although the Old Testament declared this a sin ~ Deuteronomy 27:21. Adam tried to make her lie beneath him during congress, and refusing to meet this demand for male dominance, Lilith cursed Adam and hurried to her home by the Red Sea.
Adam complained to God, who sent three Angels, Sanvi, Sansanvi and Semangelaf, to bring her back to Eden. Lilith cursed and rebufed the Angels. Whilst by the Red Sea, Lilith became a lover to demons and produced 100 babies a day.
The Angels said that God would take those demon children away from her unless she returned to Adam. When she did not return she was punished accordinly. God then gave Adam the docile Eve.
According to some, Lilith's fecundity and sexual preferances showed she was the Great Mother of settled agricultural tribes who resisted the invasion of the nomadic herdsmen represented by Adam.
It is felt that the early Hebrews disliked the Great Mother who drank the blood of Abel, the herdsman, after being slain by the elder god of agriculture and smithcraft, Cain ~ Genesis 4:11.
Lilith's Red Sea is but another version of Kali Ma's Ocean of Blood which gave birth to all things but needed periodic sacrificial replenishment.
Perhaps there was a connection between Lilith and the Etruscan divinity Lenith, who possessed no face and waited at the gate of the underworld with Eita and Persipnei (Hecate and Persephone) to receive the souls of the dead.
The underworld gate was a yoni, also a lily, which had "no face". Admission to the underworld was often mythologized as a sexual union ~ also found in Tantrism. The lily or lili (lotus) was the Great Mother's flower-yoni, who's title formed Lilith's name.
Even though the story of Lilith disappeared from the canonical Bible, her daughters ~ the Lilim ~ have haunted men for over a thousand years. Well into the Middle Ages Jews were still making amulets to keep away the Lilim. Supposedly, they were lusty she demons who copulated with men in their dreams.
The Greeks adopted the belief of the Lilim, calling them Lamiae, Empusae(Forces-in), or daughters of Hecate.
Likewise, the Christians adopted the belief, calling them Harlots of Hell, or succbi, the counterparts of the incubi. Celebrant monks, attempting to fend them off, would sleep with their hands over their genitals, cluching a crucifix.
Even though most of the Lilith legend is derived from Jewish folklaw, discriptions of the Lilith demon appear in Iranian, Babylonian, Mexican, Greek, Arab, English, German, Orietial and Native American legends. Also, she has sometimes been associated with legendary and mythological characters such as the Queen of Sheba and Helen of Troy. In medieval Europe she was said to be the wife, concubine or grandmother of Satan.
It was believed that Lilith was assisted in her bloodthirsty nocturnal quests by succbi, who gathered near the "mountains of darkness" to frolic with her demon lover, Samael, who's name means left or sinister. The Zohar, the principal work of the Kabbalah, discribes Lilith's powers to be at their height during the waning of the moon.
Legend says that Liliths attraction to children comes from the belief that God took her demon children when she would not return to Adam, and that she launched a reign of terror against women in childbirth and newborn babies, especially boys.
However, it is also believed that the three Angels who were sent to fetch her from her Red Sea home forced her to swear that whenever she saw their names or images on amulets she would leave the mothers and infants alone.
These beliefs continued for centuries. As late as the 18th. century it was a common practice in many cultures to protect new mothers and infants with amulets against Lilith.
Males were most vulnerable during their first week of life, and girls during their first three weeks.
Sometimes a magic circle was drawn around the lying-in bed, with a charm inscribed with the names of the three Angels, Adam and Eve, and the words "barring Lilith",or "protect this child from all harm".
Frequently amulets were placed in the four corners and throughout the bedchamber. If a child laughed while sleeping, lilith was said to be present. Tapping the child on the nose was believed to make her go away.
Other Legends About Lilith
From Deliriums RealmLilith is thought be the demon of waste places who originally lived in the garden of the Sumerian goddess, Innana, queen of heaven. She is mentioned briefly in the Sumerian story Gilgamesh and the Huluppu-Tree" (2000 BCE) although it is now being questioned whether the name actually translates as "Lilith".
"Years passed, the tree matured and grew big. But Inanna found herself unable to cut down the tree. For at its base the snake 'who knows no charm' had built its nest. In its crown, the Zu-bird -- a mythological creature which at times wrought mischief -- had placed its young. In the middle Lilith, the maid of desolation, had built her house. And so poor Inanna, the light-hearted and ever-joyful maid, shed bitter tears. And as the dawn broke and her brother, the sun-god Utu, arose from his sleeping chamber, she repeated to him tearfully all that had befallen her huluppu-tree."
Persian Incantation Bowls were found with reference to Lilith. The incantation below is an exorcism against her. Other bowls refer to her divorce.
You are bound and sealed, all you demons and devils and liliths, by that hard and strong, mighty and powerful bond with which are tied Sison and Sisin.... The evil Lilith, who causes the hearts of men to go astray and appears in the dream of the night and in the vision of hte day, Who burns and casts down with nightmare, attacks and kills children, boys an girls. She is conquered and sealed away from the house and from the threshold of Bahram-Gushnasp son of Ishtar-Nahid by the talisman of Metatron, the great prince who is called the Great Healer of Mercy.... who vanquishes demons and devils, black arts and mighty spells and keeps them away from the house and threshold of Bahram-Gushnasp, son of Ishtar-Nahid. Amen, Amen, Selah.
There is only one verse in the Hebrew Bible, Isaiah 34:14, that may be a reference to Lilith.
"The desert creatures will meet with the wolves, The hairy goat also will cry to its kind; Yes, the night monster will settle there And will find herself a resting place." - from New American Bible with a footnote stating the Hebrew for "night monster" is "lilith"
The problem with this passage is that this is the only time the word "lilith" is used in the entire Bible, so it is difficult to speculate whether or not this is actually referring to the Sumerian Lilith or just another creature in the context.
A passage in the Songs of the Sage (4Q510-11) of the Dead Sea Scrolls also mentions Liith in a context similar to Isaiah 34.
"And I, the Master, proclaim the magesty of his beauty to frighten and ter[rify] all the spirits of the destroying angels and the spirits of hte bastards, the demons, Lilith, the howlers (?) and [the yelpers...] they who strike suddenly to lead astray the spirit of understanding and to appal their heart and their... in the age of domination of wickedness..." - from Geza Vermes' translation, in Martinez's translation "Lilith" is pluralized.
Another text, dating from the 13th century, the Treatise on the Left Emanation, speaks of multiple Liliths, one as the consort of Sammael and the other is the consort of Asmodeus.
"In answer to your question concerning Lilith, I shall explain to you the essence of the matter. Concerning this point there is a received tradition from the ancient Sages who made use of the Secret Knowledge of the Lesser Palaces, which is the manipulation of demons and a ladder by which one ascends to the prophetic levels."
In this tradition it is made clear that Samael and Lilith were born as one, similar to the form of Adam and Eve who were also born as one, reflecting what is above. This is the account of Lilith which was received by the Sages in the Secret Knowledge of the Palaces.
The Matron Lilith is the mate of Samael. Both of them were born at the same hour in the image of Adam and Eve, intertwined in each other. Asmodeus the great king of the demons has as a mate the Lesser (younger) Lilith, daughter of the king whose name is Qafsefoni. The name of his mate is Mehetabel daughter of Matred, and their daughter is Lilith.
This is the exact text of what is written in The Chapters of the Lesser Palaces as we have received it, word for word and letter for letter. And the scholars of this wisdom possess a very profound tradition from the ancients. They found it stated in those Chapters that Samael, the great prince of them all, grew exceedingly jealous of Asmodeus the king of the demons because of this Lilith who is called Lilith the Maiden (the young).
She is in the form of a beautiful woman from her head to her waist. But from the waist down she is burning fire--like mother like daughter. She is called Mehetabel daughter of Matred, and the meaning is something immersed (mabu tabal). The meaning here is that her intentions are never for the good. She only seeks to incite wars and various demons of war and the war between Daughter Lilith and Matron Lilith.
They say that from Asmodeus and his mate Lilith a great prince was born in heaven. He is the ruler of eighty thousand destructive demons and is called "the sword of king Asmodeus." His name is Alefpene'ash and His face burns like a raging fire.
He is also called Gurigur, for he antagonizes and struggles with the prince of Judah, who is called Gur Aryeh Yehudah (Lion-cub of Judah). From the same form that gave birth to this war-demon another prince, a prince whose root is in Kingdom, was born in heaven. He is called "the sword of the Messiah." He too has two names: Meshihi'el and Kokhvi'el. When the time comes and when God wishes, this sword will leave its sheath and verses of prophecy will come True:
"For My sword shall be drunk in the heavens; Lo, it shall come down upon Edom" (Isaiah 34:5). "A star rises from Jacob" (Numbers; 24:17).
Soon in our days may we merit to see the face of the Messiah our righteous one; we and all our people.... - Treatise on the Left Emanation no.19