No wonder the preeminent Jewish feminist magazine is called Lilith! That’s the name of the she-demon from Jewish folklore who is believed to have asserted her right to equality. Although not described in detail in the Torah, the tradition seems to stem from two seemingly contradictory passages in Genesis: one suggests that man and woman were created one after the other; the other implies that the two appeared at the same time. The rabbis subsequently assuaged confusion with a simple explanation: Adam had two completely different wives.
The name itself appears in Isaiah 34:14: “Yea, Lilith shall repose there.” The line, scholars believe, refers to a Babylonian demon. Both the Talmud and the non-canonical Testament of Solomon came to describe Lilith as a demoness with long black hair. But it wasn’t till the 11th century that a clearer portrait emerged. In a text known as The Alphabet of Ben Sira, Lilith is portrayed as the first companion God created for Adam. The two fought constantly, however, apparently because he insisted she be subordinate to him in all things. When the aggravated Lilith could take no more and left the Garden of Eden, she is said to have taken up residence in a cave, where she invited numerous demons to be her lovers, and gave birth to many more. In fact, she is widely thought to be the spiritual, if not literal, mother of all instances of Jewish demonology, including Medieval, kabbalistic, and Hasidic sources.
The story still lives. To this day, some Orthodox families give babies amulets containing the names of angels, which are supposed to prevent the demoness from stealing their souls. Everything that is transgressive, assertive and lustful in a woman’s nature is understood to be a reflection of Lilith—variously known in folk narrative as the Queen of Sheba, Obizuth or Agrat bat Mahalath—while the meek, modest and subordinate are disciples of Eve.
The following is a summary of a Lilith tale that appears in Lilith’s Cave: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural, retold by Howard Schwartz, which he attributes to the oral tradition of Tunis. In a note, Schwartz explains why the curse in the story might have come true. He states that, in one tradition, whatever blessings or curses are spoken when the Gates of Heaven swing open become reality. As to whether or not the daughter resumes human form on her father’s death—nobody knows for sure.
Everyone in Tunis had heard of the old haunted house at the edge of town. It was said that a family of demons once planned to hold a wedding there, and when the owners forbade it, they were never heard from again. The house sat abandoned for many years. But the land was valuable, so when buyers finally agreed to take over the property for a pittance, they planned to raze the structure and rebuild.
Upon acquiring the deed, the buyers went into the house—against the better judgment of the neighbors—to ascertain whether any valuables remained to be recovered. While the furnishings on the main floor were too ragged and rotten to be of use, the basement contained many beautiful pieces in pristine condition. These included a handsome mirror, which they gave to their beautiful, dark-haired daughter, who soon spent many hours a day admiring herself in it. This was unfortunate, because a daughter of the demon Lilith had made her home in that mirror. It is said that a mirror is a portal to the Other World—and a pathway to Lilith’s cave.
Less than a year later, the girl’s mother was dead. Remembering the curse of the haunted house, the father sold off everything the couple had taken, all except the mirror, which the daughter refused to give up. At first she gazed at herself all day, refusing to do anything else. But soon Lilith’s daughter possessed the girl who possessed the mirror. And from that day on, she ruined the girl’s reputation, causing her to run around with men at all hours of the day and night, till no one of good family would be seen with her. Had the demon allowed the girl actually to love someone, the spell would have been broken. But alas, she did not, and the poor thing was cursed to rove from one man to another.
At last the father was so ashamed that he cursed his own daughter. He called upon God to turn her into a bat, never alighting in any one space, or with any one person, for very long. And indeed, in the instant he uttered the words aloud, the girl, who was as usual in the arms of a young man across town, called out in horror and disappeared. The next thing the man knew, a bat escaped through the open window, screaming as it disappeared into the night.
Caren Schnur Neile, PhD., MFA, taught storytelling studies at Florida Atlantic University for twenty years. A graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary, she has published seven books, and her work appears in The Encyclopedia of Jewish-American Literature, Elie Wiesel and the Art of Storytelling, The Oxford Handbook of American Folklore & Folklife Studies, and other publications.
Photo: AI-generated illustration.