ABC Wednesday - L is for Lilith

There are lots of Goddesses and Gods starting with "L", but nothing better than Lilith, the independent deity!

This dark Sumerian Goddess is often misinterpreted, but I do like Her. I found an excellent site that summed up pretty well her lore:

"Lilith first appeared in Sumerian mythology about 5,000 years ago. As "handmaid" to the Goddess Inanna, Queen of Heaven, she would gather men in from the fields for the sacred rites. In another Sumerian story, Lilith lives in the sacred huluppu tree that Inanna has planted in her holy garden, accompanied by the snake who cannot be charmed and the wild Anzu-bird and her young. These creatures are part of Lilith's untamed nature and have knowledge to give Inanna, who is not yet ready to accept it. So Inanna calls in her brother, Gilgamesh, to cut down the tree. The serpent is killed, the Anzu-bird and its family fly off to the mountains, and Lilith departs for the wilderness.

This story may be the foundation of the most well-known Hebrew myth of Lilith as the first wife of Adam. According to one version of the story, Yahweh creates both Adam and Lilith from earth, but with one important difference: he uses impure sediments to create Lilith, whereas Adam has been fashioned from pure dust. Because of this, Adam expects Lilith to be submissive to him, but, claiming equality, she will not be put beneath him and flies away to lifelong exile near the Red Sea, where she mates with evil spirits and bears scores of demonic children. Meanwhile, Yahweh again tries to create a partner for Adam, this time taking one of his ribs and turning it into Eve - now she is a creation from Adam and not one in her own right, like Lilith. Myth has it that the jealousy and rage generated by Adam's rejection motivate Lilith to come in the night for her revenge, strangling babies and giving men wet dreams to sap their strength. Amulets were worn to ward her off."

How awesome is that?! Except for the 'strangling babies' part, I love how she dealt with the men who crossed her will (some men deserve this... Maybe not all men, but some do deserve it, lol!).

For more L posts, visit the ABC page, created by Denise Nesbitt, and join the fun!