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Lilith- Goddess? |
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| By FireShine | 2011-04-30 02:59:48 |
| Lilith is an ancient Goddess figure who can be found in the writings of ancient Sumeria and Babylon. Her influence was as far-reaching as the holy texts of the Judaism to modern neo-paganism and as a feminism role model. She has been demonized as a vampiric succubus, stealing the lives of children and seducing men in the night; and, she has been praised as a champion of women's independence. "According to Hebrew legend, the first woman God created as a companion for the first man Adam was a strong-willed lady named Lilith. 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) Another source provides some more information: "Early theologians had a real problem with the status of women in regard to Genesis. Here is this supposedly weak creature twisting Man around her finger and bringing death on the entire race. A 'logical' answer presented itself in splitting woman into the Madonna/whore dichotomy. There was even a Biblical basis for Lilith. Genesis 1:27 reads, 'So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.' Set opposite Genesis 2, in which Adam is created first and Eve is an afterthought to appease his loneliness, many see this as evidence that Adam had two wives. "Lilith is this first wife. Since she was made of the earth, like Adam, she became proud and refused to lie beneath him during intercourse. This violated the command to be fruitful and multiply, since she was not being impregnated. Some traditions hold that she was impregnated and bore demons from him. The evidence for this is the statement in Genesis 5:3 'Adam begat a son in his image,' implying there had been sons not in his image. He pushed the issue of her submission, and she uttered the Holy Name of God and flew away. "Adam complained to God and he sent three angels to reason with her. They found her coupling with fallen angels near the Red Sea and bearing more demonic children. She refused to return but promised to spare Adam's children if the names of the angels: Sanvi, Sansanvi and Semangelaf were written near them. Even today, some parents will charcoal a magic circle with the words 'Adam and Eve barring Lilith' on the wall near their baby, and write the names of the angels on the door. "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." |
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