Lilith

In the Abrahamic religious/mythologic tradition, Lilith was the first lover of Adam, the first man. She was ejected from Eden for refusing to obey Adam, after which she was replaced with Eve.

In Judaic, Christian, and Islamic traditions, post-Eden Lilith is said to have given birth to various spirits, evil or malicious -- demons in the Christian tradition, djinn in the Arabic-Islamic tradition.

The idea of Lilith fed the medieval European folktales of the succubus, a female demon who seduced men in their sleep, sapping them of their vital energies (nocturnal emissions).

In Jewish folklore, Lilith has been identified with the Sumerian and Babylonian wind demons and child-slaying demons.

Lilith is associated with wolves and owls.

References & Portrayals

Lilith in SF Texts

The myth has been evoked repeatedly in SF. Among the most notable examples are Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis trilogy, which was reissued as Lilith's Brood.

Among the oldest fantastic text references to Lilith are the standard Christian Bible in Isaiah 34:14 (circa 900 BCE):

• KJV:

The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.

• 1901 American Standard Version:

And the wild beasts of the desert shall meet with the wolves, 
and the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; 
yea, the night-monster shall settle there, 
and shall find her a place of rest.

• Raphael Patai's translation:

The wild-cat shall meet with the jackals
And the satyr shall cry to his fellow,
Yea, Lilith shall repose there
And find her a place of rest. 

Lilith in Paintings

Lilith has also been repeatedly portrayed in artistic images. Among the most famous are fantastic painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti's "Lady Lilith" (also titled "Body's Beauty") (1869). One version is available in the Delaware Art Museum.

In modern times, H.R. Giger's Lilith is similarly well-known.

See also:

• http://www.lilithgallery.com/ The Lilith Gallery, various artists portraying women and Lilith figures.
• http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/humm/Topics/Lilith/pics.html Lilith Pictures

Bibliography

• Isaiah 34:14 (circa 900 BCE)
• Octavia Butler, Xenogenesis trilogy ("Lilith's Brood"): Dawn, Adulthood Rites, Imago
• http://feminism.eserver.org/theory/papers/lilith/isaiah.html
• http://www.art.net/~schong/lilithmyth.html The Myth of Lilith