According to Jewish mythology, Lillith was the first wife of Adam. She was also one of the wives of Sammael , the angel of death.In the Old Testament, there is no mention to Lilith as a demon.

The Book of Isaiah (34:14-15), describing the desolation of Edom, is the only occurrence of Lilith in the Hebrew Bible, and even there she appears as a screech owl:

“וּפָגְשׁוּ צִיִּים אֶת-אִיִּים, וְשָׂעִיר עַל-רֵעֵהוּ יִקְרָא; אַךְ-שָׁם הִרְגִּיעָה לִּילִית, וּמָצְאָה לָהּ מָנוֹחַ. 

שָׁמָּה קִנְּנָה קִפּוֹז וַתְּמַלֵּט, וּבָקְעָה וְדָגְרָה בְצִלָּהּ; אַךְ-שָׁם נִקְבְּצוּ דַיּוֹת, אִשָּׁה רְעוּתָהּ” 

^“The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.”

The Origin of Lilith

The first reference to Lilith can be found in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Huluppu Tree (circa 2000 BCE).   In Gilgamesh Lilith and a snake haunt a great tree situated in a holy garden of the gods.

The most famous reference to Lilith can be found in The Alphabet of Ben-Sira. Lilith is described as the first woman created by God, and Adam’s first wife. However Lilith refused to assume a subservient role to Adam, instead seeing herself as his equal. In response Lilith invoked the name of God and took off into the air, leaving the Garden of Eden and deserting Adam. She settled near the Red Sea, where she mated with demons and gave birth to countless Lilim .Adam asked God to return Lilith to him, and three Angels, Semangelaf, Sanvi, and Sansanvi,were sent to retrieve her. The Angels threatened to kill one hundred of Lilith’s demonic children each day that she did not return, however she would still not return to Adam.

According to the Kablistic legends, Lilith later returned to the garden as the Serpent whom tempted Eve.

In the Zohar , we can find the first identification of Lilith as the Serpent of the garden of Eden.  She is described as innately animated and possessed by the spirit of Lucifer, and she is held responsible for the fall of Eve.  There is a version of the Lilith myth in every religion known to mankind. Many of them have different names, such as Marilith or Lilitu, but all of them connect with the common theme: A demon woman, often with wings, who kills men and babies.

Lilith and babies

According to legend Lilith’s attraction for children comes from the belief that God took her demon children from her when she did not return to Adam. It was believed that she launched a reign of terror against women in childbirth and newborn infants, especially boys. However, it also was believed that the three angels Semangelaf, Sanvi, and Sansanvi,forced her to swear that whenever she saw their names or images on amulets that she would spare the babies life.

main phrases of the post + transcription + translation

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