Depictions of Lilith

This. Is. Driving. Me. Crazy.

I can't find anything that actually visually translates what Lilith is. All I see is a bunch of poorly made images, or a bunch of pictures that look like just any other naked chick from classical art.

Where is the aggression and the "demonic" factor? We need to put the rapist back in the "**** you Adam!" crazy-ancient-demon-woman-spirit-goddess that we all [read: I] know and love.

The only "good" picture I found makes her look way too young and had of all things purple hair... I would imagine Lilith as appearing in her 30's, no younger, no older, and have BLACK hair.

Lilith isn't some nice-fuzzy-warm-embrace-your-inner-sexuality. She's a flat out rapist and baby killer who said "**** this ****" to Adam, made a back-alley deal with some angels, then went off to create an entire species of demons and demonesses, many of whom ain't that nice and are very vamperic, and not always in a consensual way.

She is extremely dangerous and very deadly, and I wouldn't be caught dead crossing her or going against her wishes. :help: She is isn't so-much sex as she is power through lust and control. So where is that? Where is the display of power? Of Ancientness? Of Defiance? Of Aggression? Of everything I admire and venerate about her?

Gjallarhorn said:

Spoiler: Naughty words

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Well I wouldn't say she is like that... It's one thing to be a rapist...this is another.


EDIT: sorry for making this topic, I was just rage at the moment...

Anyway, I dug up an old photo of a random Succubus that I thought might due, cropped it, and did some color stuff to it:



Meh, seems good enough for now. Sorry for the rage-rant about Lilith...

And inccase anyone is wondering, yes, I worship Lilith as I have written poetry about her and say her name in the opening of every ritual as well I have written invocations to her and used them in rituals, and have a relatively prolific history with Succubi and Incubi.

Nice cartoon mate. But I was looking for a good depiction too.

Interesting how the original poster interpreted the image of Lilith as a feminist icon.

Going back to Qabbala (where the story of Lilith reportedly originated), Lilith was depicted as a killer of infants. She was something that mothers, and arguably most women, feared. Yet she has been transformed in modernity into a countercultural hero. Anyone else find that ironic?

UTK007 said:

Interesting how the original poster interpreted the image of Lilith as a feminist icon.

Going back to Qabbala (where the story of Lilith reportedly originated), Lilith was depicted as a killer of infants. She was something that mothers, and arguably most women, feared. Yet she has been transformed in modernity into a countercultural hero. Anyone else find that ironic?

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It's ironic, but not as surprising as you'd think it is. According to the story Lilith was the first wife of Adam, but refused to be subordinate to him. She showed her power and independence by calling upon magical words (God's name, if I'm not mistaken) and went away to pick her own mate. It's a story that resonates with modern women and it's easy to say Lilith was demonized because of her individualism. Having looked into the history of Lilith I know she was a demon long before she turned into Adam's wife. However, myths change and pick up new meanings in new ages. The "modern Lilith" is something like the fifth incarnation I'm aware of.

Indeed. I think of her as the 'mother of spirits' and that her essence lies in her position as the queen mother of 'non-dualistic' propagation of spirit entities. She holds the secrets to the nature of the consciousness of her children and its relation to our own.

Sylvan said:

Indeed. I think of her as the 'mother of spirits' and that her essence lies in her position as the queen mother of 'non-dualistic' propagation of spirit entities. She holds the secrets to the nature of the consciousness of her children and its relation to our own.

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That interpretation has completely escaped me. Quite a fascinating one, actually. Mind if I try borrowing it?

These interpretations are fantastic. Infinitum, can you tell me what folklore or incarnations of Lilith depict her as being a demon before she became Adam's wife? I've never heard this version, but I'm woefully lacking when it comes to Jewish legends.

As a Celestial Torah Christian ,a modern Gnostic form of Christianity that is free of Bible only nonsense in finding out spiritual information as well as escaping the End Times fate of Pauline Christianity which is doomed (see The Bible Unearthed video) as are all Abrahamic religions based on the Bible, let me be the first here to recommend discovering Lilith Zariel, the Good Lilith we Gnostics knew of while everyone else was convinced she could only be a demon.

Infinitum said:

That interpretation has completely escaped me. Quite a fascinating one, actually. Mind if I try borrowing it?

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You are welcome, as it is not mine. They say that much like within some rogue Titan wombs flirt so did Lilith (whatever the back story) leave Eden and go to the wastelands and liminal places of creation to mate (with what I can only understand to be the personifications of elemental forces) and become the mother of 'demons'. I highly recommend acquiring, printing, and studying pdfs (hardcopies are far too expensive) of Cultus Sabbati material such as Ars Philitron and Vividium Umbris. It is also worth stating that hints of her mystery can be found in contemplation of modern studies of the decent of mitrochondrial DNA such as Before the Dawn.

UTK007 said:

These interpretations are fantastic. Infinitum, can you tell me what folklore or incarnations of Lilith depict her as being a demon before she became Adam's wife? I've never heard this version, but I'm woefully lacking when it comes to Jewish legends.

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I'm still in the process of tracking down her entire history. As Wikipedia will tell you, the name means "night" or "night spirit" and is found in sources going as far as to Sumerian mythology. However the name doesn't always refer to a night demon or a female figure, but has been also used to refer to storm spirits. In demonology Lilith is often the consort of Samael or one of the other archdemons. Traditionally Lilith or Lilitu has been feared as an enemy of women and children. Her role in Jewish culture has been varied: there's stories about her possessing young women with the help of a mirror while she's more commonly known to try to harm newborns. There are lots of various magical amulets to keep her at bay.

The Jewish Encyclopaedia has a very good synopsis on her. Link: LILITH - JewishEncyclopedia.com

skinker,

That is certainly an interesting depiction of Lilith, but the (blog?) that you linked to left me wanting. Do you have any historical or academic sources that you could share with a novice like me to your religious tradition? Something that could better explain in a social scientific way who founded your tradition, when, and for what reason. It would be easier for me to better understand your depiction of Lilith if I knew I had the proper context to work within.

Thomas Karlsson gives a detailed description and account of Lilith in his book Qabalah, Qliphoth, and Goetic Magic.