The Archetype of Lilith
Nick Concklin
November 29, 2007
ENGS 25: World Literature
Research Paper
The Archetype of Lilith
The question “Who is Lilith?” has no one answer. Lilith is a demon temptress of the night . Lilith is the first wife of Adam, the first man according to Abrahamic tradition. Lilith is an archetype for independent, obstinate women . She is present in the mythological folklore of almost every Middle-Eastern and European culture to have developed since she first appeared in Sumerian mythology. Some scholars have placed her origin within a set of Sumerian wind and storm demons called Lilitu around 3000 B.C. Some scholars such as Samuel Kramer have (controversially) identified Lilith with the character Ki-sikil-lil-la-ke (“maiden [of Gilgamesh’s father Lila/Lillu ] who screeches constantly; gladdener of all hearts”) as well as Ki-sikil-ud-da-ka-ra (“maiden who has stolen/seized the light”) from the prologue to the Sumerian epic Gilgamesh . Nonetheless it is Jewish folklore that truly developed the character of Lilith and it is this version that is most commonly meant when one refers to Lilith.
What we see within these early versions of Lilith are really characters that share certain associated traits with the Jewish character of Lilith. For example the Lilitu demons evolved from storm and wind demons into demons of the night. They invaded the dreams of sleeping men to seduce him, much like the succubae of medieval Western folklore (whom Lilith is sometimes identified as the queen or mother of). Lilitu demons were also said to prey upon women and children and were associated with predatory animals such as lions, snakes, and birds of prey. Furthermore they became associated with deserts and wastelands. That which was threatening to civilization or represented savagery and ‘natural evil’ was thought to be caused or exacerbated by demons. Many of these associations were adopted by Semitic culture and as a result we come to know Lilith as a demon queen that preys
November 29, 2007
ENGS 25: World Literature
Research Paper
The Archetype of Lilith
The question “Who is Lilith?” has no one answer. Lilith is a demon temptress of the night . Lilith is the first wife of Adam, the first man according to Abrahamic tradition. Lilith is an archetype for independent, obstinate women . She is present in the mythological folklore of almost every Middle-Eastern and European culture to have developed since she first appeared in Sumerian mythology. Some scholars have placed her origin within a set of Sumerian wind and storm demons called Lilitu around 3000 B.C. Some scholars such as Samuel Kramer have (controversially) identified Lilith with the character Ki-sikil-lil-la-ke (“maiden [of Gilgamesh’s father Lila/Lillu ] who screeches constantly; gladdener of all hearts”) as well as Ki-sikil-ud-da-ka-ra (“maiden who has stolen/seized the light”) from the prologue to the Sumerian epic Gilgamesh . Nonetheless it is Jewish folklore that truly developed the character of Lilith and it is this version that is most commonly meant when one refers to Lilith.
What we see within these early versions of Lilith are really characters that share certain associated traits with the Jewish character of Lilith. For example the Lilitu demons evolved from storm and wind demons into demons of the night. They invaded the dreams of sleeping men to seduce him, much like the succubae of medieval Western folklore (whom Lilith is sometimes identified as the queen or mother of). Lilitu demons were also said to prey upon women and children and were associated with predatory animals such as lions, snakes, and birds of prey. Furthermore they became associated with deserts and wastelands. That which was threatening to civilization or represented savagery and ‘natural evil’ was thought to be caused or exacerbated by demons. Many of these associations were adopted by Semitic culture and as a result we come to know Lilith as a demon queen that preys
Bibliography: • Dame, Rivlin, and Wenkart. Which Lilith? (Feminist Writers Re-Create The World’s First Woman). Jason Aronson Inc. 1998. Features: o Milgrom, Jo. Strange Bedfellows: Holy Words and Demonic Images. Excerpted from “Some Second Thoughts About Adam’s First Wife” which appeared in Genesis I – III in the history of Exegesis. Edwin Mellen Press. 1988. o Burton, Sue D. Lilith at the Red Sea. • Ha-Kohen, Isaac & Jacob. Lilith in Jewish Mysticism: Treatise on the Left Emanation. http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~humm/Topics/Lilith/jacob_ha_kohen.html. • Hurwitz, Sigmund. Lilith, the First Eve: Historical and Psychological Aspects of the Dark Feminine. 1980 (English Translation 1992). • Kramer, Samuel Noah. Gilgamesh and the Huluppu-Tree: A Reconstructed Sumerian Text. Assyriological Studies of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. 1938. http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~humm/Topics/Lilith/gilgamesh.html • Patai, Raphael. The Hebrew Goddess. Discus Books. 1978. 3rd Edition. • Schwartz, Howard. Lilith’s Cave: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural. Harper & Row Publishers, Inc. 1988. • Talmud. http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/talmud.htm.