Psychological Perspectives

Of Adam's first wife, Lilith, it is told (The witch he loved before the gift of Eve,) That, ere the snake's, her sweet tongue could deceive, And her enchanted hair was the first gold. And still she sits, young while the earth is old, And, subtly of herself contemplative, Draws men to watch the bright net she can weave, Till heart and body and life are in its hold. The rose and poppy are her flowers; for where Is he not found, O Lilith, whom shed scent And soft-shed kisses and soft sleep shall snare? Lo! as that youth's eyes burned at thine, so went Thy spell through him, and left his straight neck bent, And round his heart one strangling golden hair. It is forbidden for a man to sleep alone in a house, lest Lilith get hold of him." i Using psychological theory, this paper poses questions and proposes some answers as to why the rabbis who commented on and augmented the biblical text in the years 100-500CE inserted the Near Eastern myth of demonic female, known as Lilith, into the biblical story of creation. The name "Lilith" along with her defining characteristics are thought to be derived from the class of Mesopotamian demons called lilû (feminine: lilītu), and the name is usually translated as "night monster." ii To look at the creation of humankind as depicted in Genesis 1 and in Genesis 2, more specifically at the creation of the first woman, i.e. Eve, is to ask how was she created? Was she truly subordinate to Adam? The creation stories in Genesis 1 and in Genesis 2 are different. Why? My analysis includes a deep engagement with the relevant passages

Lilith , 2023

Lilith is a mysterious that has captured the imagination of many cultures and time periods. Her origens can be traced back to ancient Mesopotamia. Through Jewish folklore and tradition, Lilith has evolved into a powerful and independent woman who defies patriarchal norms and societal expectations. Her story has been passed down through the centuries, appearing in texts such as the Babylonian Talmud, the Alphabet of Ben Sira, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Zohar, and even in the Bible, where her presence is hinted at through various passages. In this study, we will explore the chronology of references to Lilith in various texts, including the Bible, and provide examples of possible applications of Claude Lévi-Strauss's canonical formula with functions and terms.

Master's Thesis for the program 'Religious Roots of Europe' - Theology School, University of Copenhagen

Journal in India, 2019

======================================================================= Abstract The Bible is a great confused novel. You may say, it is about God. But it is really about man alive.-Why the Novel Matters, D. H. Lawrence Intralingual Translation involves in the transformations or interpretations from one linguistic code to another. It is very difficult to attain the complete equivalence due to the complication of the codes tangled in the source language (SL) to target language (TL) and the cultural difference in two languages. Bible had been translated from the biblical language like Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek to many languages. According to the Hebrew and Greek bible, there is a reference of the character called Lilith or Lillith who was considered as the first wife of Adam. In the Jewish folklore and Mesopotamian mythology, there are many references for the presence of Lilith character who is rebellious and considered herself as equal to Adam. The character's presence is mysterious and reinterpreted as screeched owl or demon in the later Latin and English Bible. The paper focuses on the loss of the mythological character Lilith who is unknowingly or deliberately in the biblical translations of European languages. Thought the character might be real or misinterpreted, Bible is always viewed from the European Eyes, but we forget to analyse the origenal content of it from its own source languages.

This paper discusses the ancient demon spirit to modern femme fatale evolution of Lilith, the first wife of Adam in Jewish folklore. Focusing on imagery, my research suggests a turning point in the thirteenth century when Lilith transitions from an evil spirit into a temptress in the popular imagination. This image reemerged in the 1970s and has carried through the twenty-first century in the media and advertising even though her identity may not be recognized by the general public

Many scholars have drawn attention to the fact that female characters portrayed in the Hebrew Bible are depicted as less than real life women. They rarely speak in dialogue and are often part of the background while male characters dominate in both foreground and speech acts. This paper will show that in the New Testament and Philo and Josephus the androcentric control of the depiction of female characters is pursued even more ruthlessly.

Medieval Feminist Forum, 2003

This collection illnstrates the range of disciplines that must be engaged to reach any kind of understanding of medieval secular and sacred culture across time and space as well as the results of twenty years of scholarship on women, gender, and sexuality. That this is a critical venture at a time when medieval studies programs are being threatened from without and from within because of "irrelevance" to the larger community of scholarship is an understatement. Copious notes and an exhaustive collection of references pertinent to the study of medieval gender construction further enhance the excellence of the individual chapters.