Lilith

Home > ... > Philosophy and Religion > Judaism > Judaism > ...

Essential reading Compare
side-by-side The Oxford Dictionary of ... The Concise Oxford Dictionary ... The Columbia Encyclopedia, ...

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.

Bibliography: See L. Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews, vol. V (repr. 1956).

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1E1-Lilith" title="Facts and information about Lilith">Lilith</a>

Give this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"Lilith." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 24 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Lilith." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (December 24, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Lilith.html

"Lilith." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved December 24, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Lilith.html

Learn more about citation styles

Lilith

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions 1997, originally published by Oxford University Press 1997. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Lilith. A female demon in Jewish mythology. Isaiah lists Lilith among the beasts of prey which will devastate the land (34. 14). According to a midrash, Lilith was the first Eve who disputed with Adam because she was unwilling to forgo her equality.

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O101-Lilith" title="Facts and information about Lilith">Lilith</a>

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

JOHN BOWKER. "Lilith." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 24 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Lilith." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (December 24, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Lilith.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Lilith." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved December 24, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Lilith.html

Learn more about citation styles

Lilith

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Â© The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable 2006, originally published by Oxford University Press 2006. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

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.

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O214-Lilith" title="Facts and information about Lilith">Lilith</a>

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Lilith." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 24 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Lilith." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (December 24, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Lilith.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Lilith." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Retrieved December 24, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Lilith.html

Learn more about citation styles

Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries and thesauruses

A Dictionary of the Bible entry for Lilith

Rate these entries|See all related entries

Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Lilith Fair and Ticketmaster to Provide Advance Concert Tickets to Fans Who Purchase Tour's Live Compilation Albums Via Internet & Charge-By-Phone. Business Wire; 5/3/1999
	Fair Lilith.(Lilith Fair music festival) Magazine article from: National Review; 9/14/1998
	Lilith Fair and TheDJ.com Team Up to Offer Music from the Year's Hottest Tour to Internet Consumers. Business Wire; 6/16/1998

Facts and information from other sites

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

	Lilith's Dark Song: Composer Deborah Drattell's new vocal work fuses Newspaper article from: The Jewish Week; 5/30/1997; 700+ words ; The Jewish Week 05-30-1997 Lilith's Dark Song: Composer Deborah Drattell...wife who preceded her. This wife, named Lilith, fell from grace in the Garden of Eden...Premiering at the Dicapo Theatre on Monday, "Lilith" will attempt to shed light on two biblical...
	Lilith Fair and Ticketmaster to Provide Advance Concert Tickets to Fans Who Purchase Tour's Live Compilation Albums Via Internet & Charge-By-Phone. Business Wire; 5/3/1999; 700+ words ; ...3, 1999-- Fans Get First Grabs For Lilith Fair's Farewell Tour & CDs Beginning Mon., May 10, Lilith Fair and Ticketmaster will treat fans...Charge-By-Phone Network to select Lilith Fair tour dates when they pre-order...
	Lilith in a New Light: Essays on the George Macdonald Fantasy Novel.(Book review) Magazine article from: Mythlore; 3/22/2009; ; 700+ words ; LILITH IN A NEW LIGHT: ESSAYS ON THE GEORGE MACDONALD...and the subject of the present review: Lilith in a New Light: Essays on the George MacDonald...remarkable how many of the contributors to Lilith in a New Light [LNL] are familiar voices...
	Lilith Name `Dangerous,' Falwell Newspaper Says; Editor Cites Tour Title's Demonic Links Newspaper article from: The Washington Post; 6/20/1999; ; 700+ words ; ...Jerry Falwell publishes is taking on the Lilith Fair female concert tour, saying its...Va., warns parents that the name "Lilith" has alarming associations with a pagan...place for children, the piece implies. Lilith Fair, created in 1997 by singer-songwriter...
	Lilith is not another Teletubby: Jerry Falwell; once again battles culture and loses Newspaper article from: Charleston Daily Mail; 6/26/1999; ; 700+ words ; LET me put it this way: Compared to Lilith, Eve was just another trophy wife. I...but that's a story for another day. Lilith on the other hand - now there's a woman...above you, You will lie beneath me" - Lilith didn't go for it. His Eden wasn't...
	Lilith started it! Catherine as Lilith in 'The Garden of Eden.' Magazine article from: The Hemingway Review; 3/22/1996; ; 700+ words ; ...the archetypal woman-as-destroyer Lilith--may also have served as a model for...In discussing the mythical character of Lilith as the model for Catherine in Eden, it...husband. In Jewish tradition, however, Lilith is created at the same time as Adam...
	Lilith Fair 1999 Selects XOOM.com to Host Event's Official Web Site. PR Newswire; 4/27/1999; 700+ words ; ...today announced that it has teamed with Lilith Fair 1999, a celebration of women in...com the exclusive host of the official Lilith Fair 1999 Web site (www.lilithfair...rankings of Media Metrix. Additionally, Lilith Fair 1999 has selected XOOM.com to facilitate...
	Learn About Lilith, Truly a Date From Hell Newspaper article from: Chicago Sun-Times; 2/11/1995; ; 700+ words ; ...Just in time for Valentine's Day comes Lilith - her hair as black as night, her body...drive, insatiable. A few problems with Lilith though. Her relationships tend to be...Growing out of a single line in the Bible, Lilith is a character who has evolved over the...
	FALWELL'S LILITH FAIR BLUES.(MAIN) Newspaper article from: Albany Times Union (Albany, NY); 6/24/1999; 700+ words ; ...Let me put it this way: Compared to Lilith, Eve was just another trophy wife. I...but that's a story for another day. Lilith on the other hand -- now there's a...you, You will lie beneath me'' -- Lilith didn't go for it. His Eden wasn't...
	COLUMN: Lilith Fair not just about pagans and lesbians News Wire article from: University Wire; 7/15/1999; ; 700+ words ; ...time his panties are in a wad over the Lilith Fair, a celebration of women in music...whole Tinky Winky fiasco, condemned the Lilith Fair as nothing more than a promotion...accusations on hearsay. I attended one of the Lilith Fair stops in the summer of 1997, Lilith...