LILITH: ADVENTURE OF MOTHER GODDESS’ FALL AND TRANSFORMATION INTO A DEMON IN JEWISH MYTHOLOGY

Yıl 2018, Cilt: 2018 Sayı: 35, 363 - 395, 30.04.2018

Aynur Çınar

https://doi.org/10.28949/bilimname.381879

Cited By: 8

Öz

It has been considered that Lilith derived from
Sumerian language origin ‘líl’ means “air, wind”, and was transferred to
Akkadian language as lilītu. Lilith name is firstly encountered in Epic of
Gılgamesh as a wrapped snake around Huluppu Tree of The Great Mother Goddess
Inanna. As is seen in this epic, in early ancient times, Lilith is a female
demon in snake form. Therefore, she has been identified with Lamashtu and Lamia
which are snake forms in most cultures of Mesopotamia and Levant. It has been
known that both are infanticides. Because of this identification Lilith has
been described as “infanticide” until today.

On the other hand, in the ancient times, Lilith has
not accepted only as a demon. Her position in the eye of community always
straddled the line between godlikeness and wickedness. Because in the period of
Sumerian-Babylonian, in which Inanna (Ishtar) is glorified by name “Queen of
Heavens and Earth”, the belief predominated that the Goddess is a resource of
all kinds of beauties and abundance as well as warfare and destruction. By
means of this high prestige of the Goddess, it has been known that the religion
of the Goddess had emancipated to women especially in her capital Uruk and in
most city-states. More particularly the women who are called Kadishtu, means “sinless, stainless and
lily”, had monopolized agricultural economics, services of the temple of the
Goddess and scholarly traditions. This position exhibits the superior social
status which could be bestowed on a woman in those times. In this period,
Lilith has continued her demonic character. On the other side, she has been
identified with Inanna (Ishtar) and she has symbolized the harlotry of the
temple. On that secondary sense Lilith has become to represent the negative
sides of the Goddess with her characteristics such as sexuality, aggression and
misandry. The fact that Lilith has begun to represent the negative sides of the
Goddess has enabled the belief that the Goddess is baleful. Thus, the Goddess
had become the focus of vulgarity, combativeness, immorality and all evils. For
this reason, Inanna/Ishtar had been narrated as an aggressive goddess in myths
more often.

When Jahwism-Judaism began to settle in Levant region
in terms of politics and religion, Lilith who had identified the religion of
Goddess and demonic characters, has become the villain in the battle of Judaism
against the religion of Goddess. She crossed into Jewish mythology with all her
characteristics and here she has reached the peak of evil as the most dangerous
feminine demon with her infertile and salacious character. First and only
reference to Lilith in Hebrew Bible is in Isaiah 34:14. Her adventure in Jewish
mythology has started with this reference. In this pasuk, Lilith has been
mentioned as a metaphor of God’s wrath to people of Edom which is the greatest
enemy of Israel. Accordingly, Lilith, the Virgin of ruins and wild lands, has
been described as an enormous pain which would take Edom to the age of chaos
before genesis. In this passage, she is a symbol of terror which the Holy One
YHWH spreads to the polytheist people. In a sense, non-believers suffered the
wrath of God through her.

In the Rabbinic period, the scholars accepted the myth
of Lilith as it was in the ancient period and adopted it to the Jewish culture.
They portrayed Lilith as a dangerous feminine devil who seduces men and causes
women to suffer a miscarriage. In the Midrashic literature she has been
referred as the reason of all evil factors in the history of humanity and
Judaism. In accordance with this belief, in the stories of people of Edom in
Hebrew Bible where they suffer fatalities, Lilith has been adapted to Esau and
his devil Samael. In this new picture, she is the harlot wife of Samael and the
feminine devil of Esau’s lineage and people of Edom which stands against
Children of Israel.

In the late Midrashic period, the origin of Lilith has
been traced all the way back to genesis. This once, Lilith is described as the
first wife of Adam, who dissuaded Eve and caused to be expelled from the garden
of Eden. By this interpretation, Jewish scholars not only have tried to clarify
the paradoxical and ambiguous pasuks in Genesis, but also they have reshaped
the fall of humanity. Also, they have strengthened the religious basis of
patriarchal Jewish mentality.

Today, the character of Lilith is influential on
feminist Jewish women. Jewish women, who are alienated from the religious and
social arena because of patriarchal religious Jewish idea, leap in action by
means of feminist ideas. While some of them deny the religion and Holy Bible,
others try to reconcile between feminist ideas and Holy Bible and pave the way
for reinterpreting the religion. Particularly, for the latter, Lilith is an
important symbol. She is the voice of challenging the male-dominated life style
and the pioneer of the philosophical questioning.  

Anahtar Kelimeler

Mother Goddess, Demon, Snake, Evil, Sexuality, Infanticide, Adam’s first wife

Lilith: Yahudi Mitolojisinde Ana Tanrıça'nın Düşüş ve Şeytana Dönüşüm Serüveni

Öz

Lilith
kelimesinin, Sümer kökenli olan ve “hava, rüzgâr” anlamına gelen líl’den
türediği, bu dilden de Akkadçaya lilītu olarak geçtiği kabul edilir. Lilith
miti, lilitu, Lamaştu ve lilith olarak Mezopotamya’dan Suriye-Filistin
bölgesine kadar tüm Levant’a yayılmıştır. Babil’de rüzgârın yıkıcılığına ve
şehvete hükmeden dişil bir ruh hatta Fırtına Tanrıçası olan lilītu; ataerkil
zihniyetin gittikçe yerleşmesiyle, cazibesiyle geceleri erkekleri tuzağa
düşüren ve bebekleri öldüren şeytani bir karaktere dönüşmüştür. Bu
özellikleriyle Lilith Yahudi mitolojisine geçmiş ve kısır ve seksualiteye sahip
en büyük dişi şeytan olarak kötülüğün zirvesine oturmuştur. Ayrıca Lilith’e
Yeşaya 34:14’deki atıf sebebiyle o, Yahudi şeytan araştırmalarında kilit isim
olmuştur. Bu sebeple Yahudi tarih ve literatüründe başta Âdem’in Havva’dan
önceki ilk eşi olmak üzere İsmâil’in torunu Naama ve Saba Melikesi gibi pek çok
kötü kadınla özdeşleştirilmiş ve Eril Tek Tanrı karşısındaki en büyük dişi
düşman olarak kabul edilmiştir. Bu çalışmada Lilith’in etimolojisinden ve
mitolojideki özelliklerinden yola çıkarak, Yahudi mitolojisi ve mistisizminde şeytani
Lilith’in genel nitelikleri ortaya konulmuş ve Yahudiliğin “kötülük” profili
yakalanmaya çalışılmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Ana Tanrıça, Şeytan, Yılan, Kötülük, Cinsellik, Bebek katili, Âdem’in İlk Karısı, Dinler Tarihi

Kaynakça

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