Ever heard of Lilith, Adam's first Wife?

[JanieDough]

That's right - I said first wife!

My photography teacher was showing us some slides of a modern photography whose photos were based off of myths, legends and biblical stories.

One was of Lilith - Adam's first wife.

Supposedly, in the Hebrew version of the Old Testament, Adam and Lilith were created at the same time as equals in the Garden of Eden.

Lilith demanded to be on top when they had sex, so Adam and God kicked her out. Typical right?

And then Adam was alone, so God took one of Adam's ribs and made Eve that dumb bitch


I've looked it up in several places on the internet, and they all seem to try to discredit this. However, none of them (except a radical christian few) seem to outright deny the presence of Lilith as Adam's first wife.

I am trying to look up a Jewish bible myself to read it, but can't seem to find a good version.

Anyone have something to add? I think it's fascinating!


EDIT: Also, she carries over into the story of Gilgamesh. She is rumored to also be the devil, or the start of vampires, feeding off of men's blood to live...yeah that sounds about right - a women wants equal rights and they turn her out to be the devil or a vampire!

 

[AnitaBeer]

I read this and thought you posted it to the wrong subforum lol. I really thought it was supposed to be in the humor section...

 

[Dana]

i think someones pulling your leg...

 

[JanieDough]

"According to Hebrew legend, the first woman God created
as a companion for the first man Adam was a strong-willed lady
named Lilith. (See Graves and Patai's Hebrew Myths and Reuther's
Womanguides.) As both had been created from dust, Lilith considered
herself equal to Adam. (They differed anatomically, of course,
with the Bible referring to a male as one who 'pisseth against
the wall' [1 Sam. 25:34; 1 Kings 14:10; 21:21].) Lilith objected
to having to lie beneath Adam during sexual intercourse, but Adam
would have it no other way. Lilith up and left him, winding up
in rabbinic tradition as a baby-killing demoness who seduces sleeping
men. Lilith is mentioned in Isa. 34:14, though the KJV renders
lilith as 'screech owl.' This first wife of Adam may safely be
called the world's first uppity woman.

"With Lilith departed, Adam was back where he started,
being without a fit helper. According to a Hebrew tradition cited
in Graves and Patai, God let Adam watch while he put a second
woman together. The process of anatomical assemblage was so disgusting
that Adam found the woman repulsive even though she was beautiful
when finished. God sent this first Eve away and tried again: while
Adam slept, Yahweh created the Eve found in Genesis 2 from Adam's
rib. God presented her to Adam, who said happily, 'This is now
bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman,




because she was taken out of Man' (Gen. 2:23)." (from http://www.hobrad.com/andg.htm#GENDER)
"Eve was created out of Adam as her replacement. Some
say God let Adam try making the next one, but the creation was
so horrible God destroyed it before even giving it life. An amusing
Victorian story claims a dog ran off with Adam's rib and devoured
it before God found him, so Eve was made using one of the dog's
ribs.

"Lilith did not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good
and Evil, and hence is immortal. She was rewarded for service
by Asmodeus, the demon of lechery, luxuriousness and evil revenge.
She now rules one of the levels of Hell in the company of Namah,
Machlath, and Hurmizah. Her power is over newborn children and
women in childbirth. She may take boys up to the eighth day and
girls up to the twentieth. She is also the mother of the Lilim
or Lilot, the Djinn, and the succubui and incubi. Other Biblical
references: Isaiah 34:14 'night hag' (NIV translates it as 'Desert
creatures' and 'night creatures.' and Psalm 91 'terror by night'."
(from http://www.vampyres.com/faqs/faq13.html)

For more in information on Lilith, "Adam's first wife,"
see the following references (particularly the first in the list).

She is identified with demons, vampires, and other Satanic things:

interesting!

 

[JanieDough]

When God created Adam, he was lonely, so God created Lilith from the same dust from which Adam was molded. But they quarrelled; Adam [the proverbial domineering male] wished to rule over Lilith. But Lilith [a militant feminist] was also proud and willful, claiming equality with Adam because she was created from the same dust. She left Adam and fled the Garden. God sent three angels in pursuit of Lilith. They caught her and ordered her to return to Adam. She refused, and said that she would henceforth weaken and kill little children, infants and babes. The angels overpowered her, and she promised that if the mother hung an amulet over the baby bearing the names of the three angels, she would stay away from that home. So they let her go, and God created Eve to be Adam's mate [created from Adam's rib, so that she couldn't claim equality]. And ever since, Lilith flies around the world, howling her hatred of mankind through the night, and vowing vengeance because of the shabby treatment she had received from Adam. She is also called "The Howling One."
You can see how this legend could lead to various interpretations, depending on whether you think she is noble (in rebelling against male domination) or evil (in vowing vengeance against innocent babies.)
But where does this legend come from? The author of Ben Sirah basically wove together three separate threads from centuries earlier works, because Lilith is a very ancient legend.
Let's start with the Bible as primary source material. Genesis of course mentions Adam and Eve, but -- please note -- doesn't mention Lilith. The idea of Lilith as a "prior first woman" before Eve arises much later. The only reference to Lilith in the Bible (Old or New Testaments) is Isaiah 34:14, probably written around 540 BC; it's a description of desolation, jackals and ravens among nettles and briers, etc.: "Goat demons shall greet each other; there too the lilith will repose." Most of the other creatures referenced in this poetry cannot be positively identified. The KJV, following the Vulgate, translates "the lilith" as "the night demon," confusing the lili- with the Hebrew word for night. But presumably Isaiah meant some sort of demon.

 

[JanieDough]

I read this and thought you posted it to the wrong subforum lol. I really thought it was supposed to be in the humor section...

I know right? I can't believe I've NEVER heard of this!


many websites are saying the hebrew torah and the christian bible are the same - NOT SO.

That's like saying King james and New Age bible are the same - the differences may be slight, but seriously - have you ever read the bible?

The Old Testament is FULL of slight differences that have created all our different religions.

 

[freakofnature]

That is really quite fascinating.

 

[JanieDough]

I took a class on the bible as literature, and I can't believe I never heard of her - I wonder if that's why it's called Lilith Fair?

 

[porterjack]

from my limited knowledge the chuch has oppressed women through the ages based on it's fear of the power of lillith, the notion of the witch etc etc all stems from the male dominance of christianity

 

[Sneakiecat]

I took a class on the bible as literature, and I can't believe I never heard of her - I wonder if that's why it's called Lilith Fair?

I'm pretty sure it is.



My obsessive watch of the History Channel has finally paid off. They've covered her during several of their shows.

 

[porterjack]

sarah mclachlan started Lillth fair because she was pissed off at the music industry not giving female artists equality she is quotied as saying

"In the radio world—you know, [I was told] you can't play two women artists back to back, you can't put two women on the same bill, people won't come,"

best thing she ever did IMHO, i respect her as an artist even through her music puts me to sleep

 

[AnitaBeer]

sarah mclachlan started Lillth fair because she was pissed off at the music industry not giving female artists equality she is quotied as saying

"In the radio world—you know, [I was told] you can't play two women artists back to back, you can't put two women on the same bill, people won't come,"

best thing she ever did IMHO, i respect her as an artist even through her music puts me to sleep

Yes but the idea it says did come from what Janie is talking about.
History

In 1996, Canadian Sarah McLachlan became frustrated with concert promoters and radio stations that refused to feature two female musicians in a row.[1] Bucking conventional industry wisdom, she booked a successful tour for herself and Paula Cole. At least one of their appearances together — in McLachlan's home town, on September 14, 1996 — went by the name "Lilith Fair" and included performances by McLachlan, Cole, Lisa Loeb and Michelle McAdorey, formerly of Crash Vegas.

The next year, McLachlan founded the Lilith Fair tour, taking Lilith from the medieval Jewish legend that Lilith was Adam's first wife.

In 1997, Lilith Fair garnered a $16 million gross, making it the top-grossing of any touring festival.[1] Among all concert tours for that year, it was the 16th highest grossing.[1]

Because of its all-female line up, the festival received several pejorative nicknames, including "Breast-fest" and "Girlapalooza".[2][3]

Now, Lilith Fair is gearing up to tour again in 2010, back with many of the artists that have previously played, along with some newcomers.

 

[porterjack]

Yes but the idea it says did come from what Janie is talking about.
History

we are on the same page there

 

[Abcinthia]

Yes I have heard about her. I even posted about her in a thread in debate about a week ago. After being kicked out of the garden of Eden she went on to mate with a fallen angell which is why she can't come back into the Garden of eden ever. And in Jewish tradition amulets are tied around boys necks before they are circumsized so Lilith won't steal them away.

We studied her in Religious Education at school. And I mentioned her in my coursework for my end of school exams which was on feminist characters in Religion.

 

[BornReady]

i think someones pulling your leg...

If by that you mean Lilith is a fictional character... well, yeah. So are Adam and Eve. But according to Jewish legend she was Adam's first wife.

 

[itsmeJonB]

Adam was a player

 

[BornReady]

I don't know. His first wife rejected him and his second led him astray. Doesn't seem like he had much luck with women.

 

[JanieDough]

Yes I have heard about her. I even posted about her in a thread in debate about a week ago. After being kicked out of the garden of Eden she went on to mate with a fallen angell which is why she can't come back into the Garden of eden ever. And in Jewish tradition amulets are tied around boys necks before they are circumsized so Lilith won't steal them away.

We studied her in Religious Education at school. And I mentioned her in my coursework for my end of school exams which was on feminist characters in Religion.

I have been spending WAY too much time on facebook - I just looked for a button so I could "like" your post!

Adam was a player

lol fo sho

I don't know. His first wife rejected him and his second led him astray. Doesn't seem like he had much luck with women.

second wife made of his rib...i think it's all his fault!!!

 

[Abcinthia]

Hahahaha. The forum should so have a like button.

 

[porterjack]

Hahahaha. The forum should so have a like button.

you young people like totally over use the word like, like, totally