Who or what was Lilith – לִילִית lîylîyth?
Listen to the audio as I go through the text of Isaiah 30-39 here.
Lilith is the most popular demon in Jewish tradition. In some sources, she is conceived of as the original woman, created even before Eve, and she is often manifested as a thief of newborns. Lilith means “of the night,” and she exhibits the emotive and intangible aspects of darkness: terror, sensuality, and lack of restraint.
Extrabiblical and Talmudic Tales of Lilith
The story of Lilith originated in the ancient Near East, where Ereshkigal, the queen of the underworld appears in the Sumerian myth “The descent of Inanna” (1900-1600 BCE). Another reference appears in a tablet from the seventh century BCE found at Arslan Tash, Syria which contains the inscription: “O flyer in a dark chamber, go away at once, O Lili!”
Lilith later made her way into Israelite tradition, possibly even into the Bible. She appears once in the Tanakh, in Isaiah 34.14, where the author says: “The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet, with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; לִילִית lîylîyth- (the screech owl – KJV translation) also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.” Some scholars think this word “lilith” is a reference to a night owl, and others say it is indeed a reference to the demon Lilith.
In the Talmud, Lilith becomes not only a spirit of darkness, but also a figure of uncontrolled sensuality. The Babylonian Talmud (Shabbat151a) says: “It is forbidden for a man to sleep alone in a house, lest Lilith get hold of him.” Lilith is said to tempt men in their sleep.
Lilith as a Rebellious Wife of Adam
In Genesis Rabbah, we encounter a midrash that claims that Adam had a first wife before Eve. 1 This interpretation arises from the two creation stories of Genesis: In Genesis 1, man and woman are created simultaneously, while in the second chapter, Adam is created, then Eve is created from the rib of Adam after the Gods put Adam to sleep. The rabbinic tale suggests that the first creation story is a different creation, in which Adam has a wife made, like him, from the earth. For some reason this marriage (to Lilith) doesn’t work out, so God makes Adam a second wife, Eve.
Sometime between 700-1000 AD, an anonymous collection of legends titled the Alphabet of Ben Sirach were constructed, and some of this text deals with the subject of Lilith. It purports the idea that Lilith was Adam’s first wife:
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… 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: The Bible of Ben-Sira)
Some believe that this story is a serious attempt to explain the death of infants, while others are convinced it is a humorous tale of quarrels and angels. The Lilith of this story confronts both Adam and God: she rebels against both Adam’s and God’s authority, as well as marriage and family life, preferring to become a demon rather than living with Adam. An interesting detail in the story is the notion of chaos: careful readers will notice that Lilith flees to the Sea of Reeds, or the Yam Suf (translated Red Sea in the KJV), the place where the Hebrews escape the tyranny of their Egyptian overlords.
In folk Judaism the main stories about Lilith continue to identify her as one who kills infants in their sleep. Many talismans for pregnant women and babies from medieval through modern times use the three names of the angels mentioned in the Alphabet of Ben Sira (Sanvi, Sansanvi, and Samangelaf) to ward away Lilith. Such amulets may also contain a circle with the names of Adam and Eve on the inside of the circle, and the name of Lilith on the outside: a clear warning to Lilith to stay outside the family realm. A red ribbon is also sometimes placed on a crib to ward off Lilith.
Notes
- You can access Genesis Rabbah here. Glimpses of Lilith’s eventual association with the “First Eve” can be seen in Genesis Rabbah 18:4, a collection of midrashim about the book of Genesis. Here the rabbis describe the “First Eve” as a “golden bell” that troubles them in the night. “’A golden bell’… it is she who troubled me all night…Why do not all other dreams exhaust a man, yet this [a dream of intimacy takes place] does exhaust a man. Because from the very beginning of her creation she was but in a dream.”
Further Reading
Schwartz, Howard. Lilith’s Cave: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural. Oxford University Press USA, 1991.
Stern/Mirsky, editor(s). Rabbinic Fantasies: Imaginative Narratives From Classical Hebrew Literature. Jewish Publication Society, 1990.
Trachtenburg, Joshua. Jewish Magic and Superstition. Atheneum, 1987.