The Legend of Lilith: The Night Demoness

The story of Lilith, especially as told in the medieval text the Alphabet of Ben Sira (circa 700-1000), shows a dark, rebellious female figure who becomes a menacing creature of the night, preying on the vulnerable.

In this version of the creation myth, before Eve was a thing, God made Lilith as Adam’s 1st wife. Lilith was NOT the same as Eve, she wasn’t made from any part of Adam’s body. Lilith was made from the same dust & earth that Adam was made from. Thus making Lilith Adam’s equal.

The conflict begins almost immediately in the legendary Garden of Eden. Adam insisted that Lilith should be the bottom during spicy adult time. Because Adam thought she should be submissive to him.

Lilith wasn’t having any of that. Not one bit. “Why should I lie beneath you? I also was made from dust. Therefore I’m your equal.” She insisted on being the top during spicy adult time.

When Adam tried to force her into submission, Lilith got super angry. She says the ineffable name of God (This is called the Shem-Ha-Meforash). After saying this, she grew wings & flew out of Eden & into the air.

This act of rebellion makes Lilith an outcast & a primal source of sin, not through temptation like Eve. But through defiance of patriarchal & divine order.

Lilith made her home by the Red Sea. This region is traditionally associated with evil spirits. When Adam complained to God about Lilith, God sent 3 angels, named Senoi, Sansenoi, & Sammangelof, to go bring Lilith back to Adam.

The angels found Lilith. They demanded she go back to Adam. The angels threatened to kill Lilith’s kids that would become demons, if she didn’t come back. And she would have 100 per day.

Lilith wasn’t hearing any of this. She refused to go back. Instead, she entered into a terrifying agreement. She accepted the curse of her kids being killed daily. In a devastating retaliation, she vowed to become a demon who would forever roam the world, seeking to harm the offspring of Adam & Eve.

Lilith’s main role in Jewish folklore became the quintessential night hag or succubus. She’s associated with some interesting themes:

• The Child-Snatcher: This is what she was most feared for. She stole & unalived newborn infants, especially boys during the first 8 days of life (before their circumcision) & girls during the first 20 days.
• The Seducer: Lilith was believed to visit sleeping men in the form of a beautiful demoness. She caused erotic dreams & involuntary emission of men’s love juice. With this “stolen seed,” she would procreate more demonic kids, the lilim.
• The Haunter of Solitude: Lilith is said to be particularly dangerous to men who sleep alone in a house, as she may seize them.

The only defense against Lilith’s power was to wear an amulet inscribed with the names of the 3 angels (Senoi, Sansenoi, & Sammangelof) on the arms of women in labor & around the cribs of newborns. This is an ancient tradition of protective magic against a deadly spirit that has clear echoes of the wards & superstitions associated with Halloween.

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