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Lilith
LilithDemonic figure in Jewish folklore. She seems to have originally been a storm demon and was later associated with the night. At a very early period, she was seen as one of several vampire demons in ancient Sumer. In the Gilgamesh Epic (approximately 2000 B.C.E.), she is pictured as a vampire harlot; though a beautiful young woman, she is unable to bear children, her breasts are dry, and she has the feet of the nocturnal owl. In the Talmud, Lilith is given a new mythological life as the supposed first wife of Adam. Following an argument over who should have the dominant position during sexual intercourse, Lilith left and became a promiscuous wanderer. She mothered many children, called the lilim. She also encountered three angels sent by God, with whom she negotiated an agreement. She became a vampiric demon attacking children but would stay away from any child wearing an amulet with the name of three angels—Senoy, Sensenoy, and Semangelof. Over the centuries Lilith was gradually transformed into a whole legion of beings who functioned as incubi and succubi, attacking men and women who were engaged in normal sexual activity. They gathered the men's sperm to father more demonic offspring. They inflicted women with barrenness and miscarriages and sucked the blood of children. A special anti-Lilith ritual was developed to banish them from homes and force them to go naked into the night. The myth was active in the Jewish community through the centuries and flourished during the Middle Ages. It survived into the nineteenth century among conservative Jewish communities. A remnant of the story remains in the amulets with the name of the three angels, sometimes used by people who know little of the Lilith story. In the early 1990s the Lilith myth was adopted as part of the Midnight Sons, the supernatural stories of the Marvel Comics universe. Sources:Graves, Robert, and Raphael Patai. Hebrew Myths: The Book of Genesis. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1964. Patai, Raphael. The Hebrew Goddess. New York: Ktav Publishing House, n.d. |
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"Lilith." Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Lilith." Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3403802788.html "Lilith." Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 2001. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3403802788.html |
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Lilith
LilithIn Jewish mythology, Lilith was a female demon who killed newborn children in the night. She was associated with an ancient Babylonian demon called Lilitu, whose name often appeared in magical spells and incantations. According to Jewish legend, Lilith was the original wife of Adam, the first man created by God. She often quarreled with Adam and eventually left him. God sent three angels—Senoy, Sansenoy, and Semangelof—to find Lilith and bring her back. They found her at the Red Sea, where she was giving birth daily to numerous demons. When Lilith refused to return to Adam, God punished her by causing 100 of her children to die each day. He then created Eve to be Adam's companion. incantation chant, often part of a magical formula or spell annulet small object thought to have supernatural or magical powers medieval relating to the Middle Ages in Europe, a period from about a.d. 500 to 1500 Furious at her punishment, Lilith began to kill the newborn babies of others. Parents could protect their children from her attacks by placing near the child an amulet bearing the names of the three angels sent to find her. Up to medieval times, Jewish people often kept amulets to ward off Lilith and her demon children, the lilim. See also Adam and Eve; Angels; Devils and Demons; Semitic Mythology. |
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"Lilith." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Lilith." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3490900302.html "Lilith." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3490900302.html |
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Lilith
Lilith , female demon of Jewish mythology, originally probably the Assyrian storm demon Lilitu. In Talmudic tradition many evil attributes were given to this supposedly nocturnal creature. In Jewish folklore she is a vampirelike child-killer and the symbol of sensual lust. Of the various legends connected with her, the one making her Adam's first wife is the strongest. Lilith appears in the Walpurgis Night section of Goethe's Faust and is discussed in Bernard Shaw's Back to Methuselah.
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"Lilith." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Lilith." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Lilith.html "Lilith." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Lilith.html |
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Lilith
Lilith ♀ The name borne, according to medieval tradition, by a wife of Adam prior to Eve. She is said to have been turned into an ugly demon for refusing to obey him. Lilith occurs in the Bible as a vocabulary word meaning ‘night monster’ or ‘screech owl’ (Isaiah 34:14), and in Jewish folklore is the name of an ugly demon. In spite of its unpleasant connotations, it has occasionally been used in modern times, perhaps in part being taken as an elaborated form of Lily.
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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Lilith." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Lilith." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Lilith.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Lilith." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Lilith.html |
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Lilith
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JOHN BOWKER. "Lilith." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Lilith." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Lilith.html JOHN BOWKER. "Lilith." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Lilith.html |
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Lilith
Lilith A female demon (Isa. 34: 14) borrowed from babylonian speculation. There was a late tradition, mentioned in the early medieval work Alphabet of Ben Sira, that she was the first wife of Adam and far more assertive than the domesticated Eve.
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Lilith." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "Lilith." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Lilith.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "Lilith." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Lilith.html |
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Lilith
Lilith a female demon of Jewish folklore, who tries to kill newborn children. In the Talmud she is the first wife of Adam, dispossessed by Eve.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Lilith." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Lilith." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Lilith.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Lilith." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Lilith.html |
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Lilith
Lilith •myth, outwith, pith, smith
•twentieth • seventieth • eightieth
•fiftieth • sixtieth • ninetieth
•fortieth • thirtieth • Edith • Judith
•Meredith • Griffith • Hesketh
•tallith • Delyth • Lilith • megalith
•monolith • blacksmith • Nasmyth
•tinsmith • Ladysmith • locksmith
•songsmith • goldsmith • gunsmith
•coppersmith • silversmith
•wordsmith
•Kenneth, zenith
•Gwyneth • Lapith • Hollerith
•Asquith • Sopwith
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"Lilith." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Lilith." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Lilith.html "Lilith." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Lilith.html |
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