Lilith: A Great Feminist Icon

I've been reading different stuff on this mythical woman Lilith and I find her really interesting, so I thought it would be a good idea to start a discussion board on her.

She's said to be the first wife of Adam, taken out of dust along with Adam but Adam found her too independent so he asked God to make him a more subservient mate...then came along Eve....

Anyway whether real or not I think Lilith makes a good Feminist Icon for the fact that she refused to be dominated by a man. Of course because of this patriarchal societies of the past have tried to portray her as evil. However I don't see her as evil. I think she's just really independent with a mind of her own

I've heard of this before as well. It sounds like a pure fantasy, I don't think theres anything in the Bible that supports this notion. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Lilith is not in the bible. She comes from jewish folklore and religious texts. Basically, she's a demon, who devours babies in their cribs, and gives spawn to generations of other demons.

A feminist could say 'ah, look at how they vilify this independant woman'.

Thing is, thats b/s. Lilith was created by god to serve adam, she didn't do it well, so she was punished. Lilith is not a feminist hero who was punished, she's a tool used to keep women in their place.

That Lilith story reminds me of the story of Fred's Ark. How Fred felt the design of the Ark given to him by God was all wrong. He felt it was too small and had no windows. He told God, "What are we, a bunch of animals?....You expect us to live under these conditions?" Of course God said, "Well yes, except for you and your family, you are a bunch of animals."

So, God went in search of someone who didn't mind the design of the Ark and the rest is history of course, being that it was Noah.

Then there's the story of Jimmy and Goliath. Poor Jimmy tried to kill that giant, but Goliath bit off his head. Then there was Tommy and Goliath and Goliath picked him up and threw him about 100 yards into the side of a mountain and he exploded. Then of course there was Freddy and Goliath and Freddy was a homosexual and he and Goliath had a nice realtionship for a while and Freddy just couldn't take it upon himself to kill that beautiful giant.

Finally, God found David....and he lucked out with that sling shot.....

I still like Lilith and don't think of her as evil.

I think "Lilith" was some story made up to show an example of an
"evil woman"
Unfortunately Eve messed up too (the forbidden fruit) and then
went on to bear an evil child (Cain).

It seems that women get the short end of the stick when it comes
to Biblical morality...

I believe in God but I think that some religions and some religious texts
have information that is "not quite true" or has been rewritten or changed
from what it orginally was.

She was also supposed to be responsible for the noctornal emissions (wet dreams) of young men. She would seduce them while they were sleeping.

If Adam created two women, then he must have used two ribs. So, how did he survive with no ribs? He certainly couldn't have been a Southerner because they can't survive with ribs!!

Originally posted by ufo_believer
the first wife of Adam, taken out of dust along with Adam

As you can see, as the story goes she wasn't created from Adam.

I believe in God but I think that some religions and some religious texts

The Bible was written by men to make men out to be better than women....and make women feel they are supposed to be submissive. It's ridiculous!!

Originally posted by Zabilgy

I believe in God but I think that some religions and some religious texts

The Bible was written by men to make men out to be better than women....and make women feel they are supposed to be submissive. It's ridiculous!!

Yea, I heard this before. And I do think it is true. I hope I don't derail this thread too much. But, I keep hearing the the bible contains many things that are basically outdated. For example, sex before marriage. (Now someone please correct me, I think I may be a little off.) Back in those days a woman was considered dirty or a tramp if she didn't save herself for her husband and when she got married she was, basically, her husbands property.

Lilith is a character who appears in passing in the Talmud and in rabbinical folklore. She is a figure of evil, a female demon who seduces men and threatens babies and women in childbirth. She is described as having long hair and wings (Erub. 100b; Nid. 24b). It is said that she seizes men who sleep in a house alone, like a succubus (Shab. 151b).

She is also mentioned in midrashim and kabbalistic works, in which she is considered to be the mother of demons (she alledgedly spawned 100 demon children each day). Her name probably comes from the Hebrew word for night (laila). She is similar to and probably based on a pagan demon named Lulu or Lilu that appears in Gilgamesh and other Sumerian and Babylonian folklore.

In recent years, some women have tried to reinvent Lilith, turning her into a role model for women who do not accept male domination or a rival goddess to the traditions that they think are too male-biased. For example, a number of female musical artists participated a concert tour called "Lilith Fair" a few years ago, and the name "Lilith" was clearly chosen to represent female empowerment.


This revisionist view of Lilith is based primarily on a medieval work called the Alphabet of Ben Sira, the significance of which has been widely misinterpreted and overrated.
The story of Lilith in Ben Sira claims that Lilith was the first wife of Adam. Lilith insisted on being on top when they were having sexual intercourse, claiming that she was Adam's equal. For this reason, Adam rejected the uppity Lilith, and Lilith was replaced with the more submissive second spouse, Eve. The complete story is presented at: ccat.sas.upenn.edu...





[edit on 24-3-2005 by Bowyer]