The Origins of Lilith | Adam's First Wife?
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Published 2023-10-12
Thumbnail art by @hotcyder
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According to medieval Jewish folklore, Lilith is a demon who was Adam's first wife before Eve. But where did this idea come from? Dive into the 4,000-year-long history of Lilith, the terrifying demoness.
00:00 Intro
1:00 Mesopotamian Origins: lilu-demons
4:15 Named Mesopotamian demonesses
6:04 Lilith in the Hebrew Bible
8:24 Lilith in 2nd Temple and Rabbinic Judaism
12:12 Adam's First Wife?
14:51 Lilith in Kabbalah
15:22 The Lilith 'rebrand'
Select images courtesy of Getty
All Comments (21)
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Imagine a kid making these bowls for a class project in Mesopotamia and we’re just overthinking it.
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I find the idea that Lilith became a demon because my boy Adam wouldn't allow her to be on top for a while so she just flat-out left him, particularly hilarious.
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"She is fierce, fearsome, divine..." ok slayyyy hunty 💅
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Thank God I found a scholarly treatment of the subject rather than hype and misinformation. I appreciate your seriousness.
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Last time I was this early, Adam still had all of his ribs
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Even before the 1970s the name Lilith, or rather Lilit, experienced a surge in popularity among Armenians that seems to have continued to this day. Apparently it was kickstarted by the writer Avetik Isahakyan, who wrote a short story based on the legend of Lilith as Adam's first wife back in the 1920s.
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Once I learned of Lilith in jewish mythology, i truly appreciated the fact that Frasier Crane's ex-wife was named Lilith but it always felt a little odd that Maris was canonically the she-witch in Frasier.
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The funny thing about ancient characters everyone knows and loves is they are often adopted over time to fit a narrative people at the time are trying to push regardless of how they act in the story
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I love that the ancient mesopotamian way to solve the ardat-lili hauntings is to play otherworldly matchmaker.
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A thought just hit me... I wonder how many of the bowls originated because someone was caught cheating on their spouse and blamed a "demon" for putting the idea in their head.
Tracing the origins of ideas and practices is invaluable for helping modern audiences. -
I love the idea that some children are named after a baby killing demon
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Ah, the thing about Lilith becoming a figure in Kabbalah is interesting. Because the other way that I've seen Kabbalists resolve the plot hole of the two creation myths in Genesis is to declare that Adam was created androgyne/intersex (hence "man and woman"), and creating Eve was a metaphor for the androgyne Adam splitting into two separate male and female beings.
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My first encounter with the name "Lilith" or the concept that Adam had a wife before Eve came from Neon Genesis Evangelion 😂
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"Demonic personifications of sexual envy"
That's definitely the name of my death metal band's first album, when we finally make one...after I start a band...after I learn to play an instrument. -
I think one could make the argument that the name "Lilith" became more popular due to pop culture. With more shows concerning witches, angels, demons, etc., Lilith was a name used quite a bit in these shows - Supernatural, Sabrina, and/or Lucifer (I'm sure others as well, too).
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This script was flawless. The return to the bowls halfway through there, flawless. Good voice too. Well done!
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Frasier's first wife may have also boosted the popularity of Lilith as a name.
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It is always fascinating to get a glimpse into the beliefs and superstitions of earlier periods, beyond what the ancient texts say they SHOULD believe, rather than what they actually did believe.
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"..there's not much daylight between exorcism and magickal practice" is an amazing quote. You said that perfectly, and I appreciate the depth you went into! This is the most informative video about Lilith I've come across. I love it.
