lilith is most well-known as the demoness/goddess who was the first woman, created by god at the same time as adam, unlike eve who was created from adam's rib. lilith refused to submit to adam's will and left the garden of eden and was subsequently cursed by god. according to popular opinion, this tale is "evidence" that she was originally a goddess or at the very least an aspect of the great goddess and was demonized for being an independant female.
unfortunately, what many people forget is that the "first eve" story of lilith first appeared in medieval times, in the controversial work known as the alphabet of ben sirah. although lilith herself existed before the middle ages, all earlier descriptions of her were demonic. lilith's true origins are obscure, but both her sumerian and babylonian predecessors were also all demonic. lilith may be many things today, including but not limited to a goddess, a role model, and a demoness, but originally she was purely a demoness.
the following links, both to articles on my shrine and elsewhere, all describe some aspect of the historal view of lilith including both modern articles on lilith and of primary sources. some of the articles do touch on modern interpretations as well, but their primary focus is on discussing historical views of her and how they have changed throughout time.
disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in the links below are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily my own.
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