This week, I want to discuss one of my favorite women in mythology. Her name is Lilith. She makes appearances in Mesopotamian mythology, but is best known for her role in Jewish mythology. I do not claim to be any kind of master when it comes to my knowledge of Jewish mythology, but I really enjoy learning about it. Aside from Greek mythology, it is my favorite religion-related topic.

Some of you may have heard a little bit about Lilith in passing, but don’t know a lot about her. That is mostly because there is not a lot about her written down. Despite being associated with the Bible, she is explicitly in it. There is one section that might mention her. That is Isaiah 34:14 where the word Lilit (a Romanized spelling) is used. Most translations say this means “the screeching owl,’ but in some versions it translates to “The night monster.”

So, if she isn’t explicitly talked about in the Hebrew Bible, how do we know she was part of Jewish mythology? There is something called the Midrash, which is a group of texts from around the 2nd century paired with biblical texts. It offers commentary about the scriptures. This is where Lilith is mentioned.

Lilith is generally seen as Adam’s first wife in the genesis myth. You might think, but what about Eve? Isn’t she Adam’s one and only wife? Well, if you have ever read Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 you might notice there is a bit of a difference between the stories. Genesis 1 says that man and woman were created at the same time, both in his own image. Genesis 2 says that God created man first and when he couldn’t find companionship with the other animals, God created Eve from Adam’s rib. 

     Instead of seeing these as two contradictory stories of the creation of women, Jewish mythology says that these are two different women. The first was Lilith, created as Adam’s equal. One version of the story goes that she was independent and didn’t want to be treated as subordinate to Adam, so she left the Garden of Eden. The second was Eve, whose story we are all more familiar with. 

What happened to Lilith after she left is not agreed upon. Many say she became the mother of demons, specifically from being impregnated by Adam before leaving the garden. Some say she became a succubus, which is a sort of demon that attacks men in their dreams. That would explain the reference in the Bible of a “night monster” by the same name. 

The concept of Lilith becoming a demon is associated with Mesopotamian mythology. A bird-demon is referenced in the Epic of Gilgamesh. This demon/race of demons was called Lilu. Since they are both bird-related women, a connection was made.