| “ | "The only thing I can tell you about Lilith is that according to Jewish folklore, she left her husband, Adam, after she refused to become subservient to him. Although... Dr. Holly Brown writes: 'The demonization of Lilith was designed to keep women alienated from their own power and spiritual authority.' Now that's what I call girl power." "She was a demon?" "She's Jewish?" |
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— Alexis, Tiffany and Violet MacReady, Femme Fatales: "Visions, Part 2"
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Lilith (Hebrew: לילית; lilit, or lilith) is a Hebrew name for a figure in Jewish mythology, developed earliest in the Babylonian Talmud, who is generally thought to be in part derived from a class of female demons Līlīṯu in Mesopotamian texts of Assyria and Babylonia.
Evidence in later Jewish materials is plentiful, but little information has been found relating to the original Akkadian and Babylonian view of the "Lilith" demons. The relevance of two sources previously used to connect the Jewish Lilith to an Akkadian Lilitu—the Gilgamesh appendix and the Arslan Tash amulets—are now both disputed by recent scholarship.
The Hebrew term Lilith or "Lilit" (translated as "night creatures", "night monster", "night hag", or "screech owl") first occurs in Isaiah 34:14, either singular or plural according to variations in the earliest manuscripts, though in a list of animals. In the Dead Sea Scrolls Songs of the Sage the term first occurs in a list of monsters. In Jewish magical inscriptions on bowls and amulets from the 6th century CE onwards, Lilith is identified as a female demon and the first visual depictions appear.
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 (Rosh Hashanah) 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 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.
Modern Depictions[]
In Television[]
- Lilith is depicted as the goddess of vampires in the HBO series True Blood. She appears as a naked woman drenched in blood, who only manifests when vampires hallucinate. She is worshipped by vampires.
- Lilith, known as Dark Lilith in the episode, appears in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, as the disguise of Marcie Fleach in the episode Night on Haunted Mountain. It appears as a winged woman with red eyes and horns. Marcie dressed as it so she could lure Mystery, Inc. to an abandoned ship and use them to get past the traps and retrieve a significant disk piece for her boss.
- In the TV series Femme Fatales, Lilith is the host who introduces each episode Rod Serling-style and occasionally appears within the narrative.
In Literature[]
- Lilith appears as an antagonist in the Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare. She is the mother of Sebastian Morgenstern, and resurrects him when he is killed by Jace Herondale.
In Video Games[]
- Lilith is the name of the coach that appears in Just Dance. She dances to Maneater on Just Dance 4 and DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love on Just Dance 2023 as Plus exclusive.
Trivia[]
- Lilith is called the "Dark Maid" in Sumerian mythology, and is mentioned in the Tale of Inanna (Ishtar).
- Lilith is a triple (sometimes quadruple or even quintuple) deity in astrology
- Lilith is a feminist symbol in some modern traditions and subcultures, since she wouldn't submit to Adam and wanted equality.