For those who don't know the mythological tale, here is a pretty short summary:
Lilith and Eve
My question is: what do Eve and Lilith really symbolize? What did the author of this myth mean to convey?
Thank you in advance
Lilith and Eve
Legend has it that Lilith was Adam's first wife, created together with him on the Sixth Day and from the same materials. Some say Lilith was created a little later, after Adam complained to God that he alone of the creatures of the earth had no partner. Either way, Lilith was created independently from and equal to Adam, and this led to problems.
Not least of them arose because Adam always liked to be on top when making love. No doubt this was merely a symptom of deeper differences, but it was the issue that caused the rift in the end. After a particularly fierce argument which Adam attempted to win by force, Lilith in fury uttered the mystical, ineffable Name of the Almighty, clapped her hands and flew away.
Adam complained to Jehovah that he had been abandoned, so God sent three angels to persuade Lilith to return home. They found her on the shores of the Red sea in a place populated by a particularly lascivious breed of demon, from whose attentions she had been giving birth to a hundred more little demons every day. At least, that is how the angels reported it in Adam's version of events.
The three angels tried to coax Lilith to return to Adam but she only laughed: 'How could I go back to Adam after the entertainment I have enjoyed here?' The angels threatened to kill her but she only dared them to try. Which they did, and failed because she had learned some magical tricks in her exile. But after a great battle they managed to bundle her into the Outer Darkness and slaughter her offspring.
Adam meanwhile had been provided with a new mate in the form of Eve, who was fashioned from his rib in the hope that this would bind her more dutifully to him. And the rest of their tale is famous enough not to need repeating here.
Not least of them arose because Adam always liked to be on top when making love. No doubt this was merely a symptom of deeper differences, but it was the issue that caused the rift in the end. After a particularly fierce argument which Adam attempted to win by force, Lilith in fury uttered the mystical, ineffable Name of the Almighty, clapped her hands and flew away.
Adam complained to Jehovah that he had been abandoned, so God sent three angels to persuade Lilith to return home. They found her on the shores of the Red sea in a place populated by a particularly lascivious breed of demon, from whose attentions she had been giving birth to a hundred more little demons every day. At least, that is how the angels reported it in Adam's version of events.
The three angels tried to coax Lilith to return to Adam but she only laughed: 'How could I go back to Adam after the entertainment I have enjoyed here?' The angels threatened to kill her but she only dared them to try. Which they did, and failed because she had learned some magical tricks in her exile. But after a great battle they managed to bundle her into the Outer Darkness and slaughter her offspring.
Adam meanwhile had been provided with a new mate in the form of Eve, who was fashioned from his rib in the hope that this would bind her more dutifully to him. And the rest of their tale is famous enough not to need repeating here.
My question is: what do Eve and Lilith really symbolize? What did the author of this myth mean to convey?
Thank you in advance
