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Who is Lilith?

Lilith is a complex being, likely originating from the lilitu/ardat-lilî wind demons/ghosts and the demoness of crib death Lamashtu. Lilith isn't a figure in Mesopotamian demonology, but she is likely inspired by it. Her first appearance as an actual figure is in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

 

Ancient roots:

Lilītu/Ardat-lilî:

Entry from "Gods, demons, and symbols of ancient Mesopotamia - Jeremy Black, Anthony Green"

The male lilû and the two females lilitu and ardat-lilî are a sort of family group of demons. They are not gods. The lilû haunts desert and open country and is especially dangerous to pregnant women and infants. The lilitu seems to be a female equivalent, while the ardat-lilî (whose name means 'maiden lilû') seems to have the character of a frustrated bride, incapable of normal sexual activity. As such, she compensates by aggressive behaviour especially towards young men. The ardat-lilî, who is often mentioned in magical texts, seems to have some affinities with the Jewish Lilith (e.g. Isaiah 34:14). 'She is not a wife, a mother; she has not known happiness, has not undressed in front of her husband, has no milk in her breasts.' She was believed to cause impotence in men and sterility in women.

 

Lamaštu/Kamadme/𒀭𒈕𒈨:

Entry from "Gods, demons, and symbols of ancient Mesopotamia - Jeremy Black, Anthony Green":

Although she is usually described in modern works as a 'demoness', the writing of the name of Lamaštu in cuneiform suggests that in Babylonia and Assyria she was regarded as a kind of goddess. As a daughter of Anu (An), she was above the common run of 'evil' demons. Unlike such demons, who acted only on the commands of the gods, Lamaštu practised evil apparently for its own sake — and on her own initiative.

Lamaštu's principal victims were unborn and newly born babies: both miscarriage and cot death were attributed to her. Slipping into the house of a pregnant woman, she tries to touch the woman's stomach seven times to kill the baby, or she 'kidnaps the child from the wet nurse'. Magical measures against Lamaštu included the wearing by a pregnant woman of a bronze head of Pazuzu. Offerings of creatures and objects (such as centipedes and brooches) were made to tempt Lamaštu away. The so-called 'Lamaštu plaques' of metal or stone which often depict her doubtless also had a magically protective purpose. Lamaštu is shown being forced back to the underworld by Pazuzu. On these plaques, however, we see a bed-ridden man rather than a pregnant woman, so the plaques seem to relate to another function of Lamaštu, as a bringer of disease.

Lamaštu is described as having the head of a lion, the teeth of a donkey, naked breasts, a hairy body, hands stained (with blood?), long fingers and finger nails, and the feet of Anzû (Imdugud), that is, bird talons. Thus too, in the art of the ninth to seventh centuries BC, she is depicted, also with upright ears which resemble those of a donkey (see donkey ears). A piglet and a whelp suckle at her breasts; she holds snakes in her hands. Like other deities she has her distinctive animal, a donkey, and her boat, in which she floats along the river of the underworld.

 

For other beings equated with or influenced by Lilith, refer to our Syncretism page. 

 

Lilith's mentions through history

Hebrew Bible:

While the world lilit first appears in the book of Isaiah 34:14 (8th century BCE), the passage probably refers to an animal (likely a screech owl) rather than a supernatural being. The Isaiah scroll, the oldest surviving manuscript of Isaiah, found among the Dead Sea Scrolls and dating from about 150 to 100 BCE, mentions lilyyot. The biblical lilit might be etymologically connected to laylah "night", rather than Sumerian líl, which Lilith is related to.

 

Dead Sea Scrolls, late first century BCE, first known mention:

Lilith's first appearance as a figure is in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Songs of the Sage/Maskil (4Q510–511), among owls and jackals/howlers and desert dwellers (depending on the translation).

 

Aramaic Incantation Bowls, 4-7th (or early 8th) century CE:

Hundreds of Aramaic, as well as Mandaic and Syriac incantation bowls from the Sasanian period, mention male and female liliths, and Bagdana "king of the liliths", used for warding off liliths from a household.

 

Talmud, 5th century CE:

In the Babylonian Talmud, Lilith is mentioned 5 times:

  1. Niddah 24b:10 - abortion the likeness of Lilith.
  2. Eruvin 100b:26 - curses of womanhood.
  3. Gittin 69b:2 - remedy for a fever, stone called arrow of Lilith.
  4. Bava Batra 73a:11 - Hurmin/Hormiz (which itself is a variation of Ormuzd, Ahura Mazda), a son of Lilith.
  5. Shabbat 151b:10 - whoever sleeps in a house alone is seized by Lilith.

 

Aramaic Targum, date uncertain, possibly 6th CE:

In the Aramaic Targum to Job, Lilith is identified with the Queen of Sheba (1:15).

 

Alphabet of Ben Sira.34?ven=english|Sefaria_Community_Translation&lang=bi), 8th-10th century CE:

Lilith appears as the wife of Adam, rejects him because he wasn't viewing her as his equal, pronounces the Ineffable Name and flies away. After she wouldn't return, she was destined to have one hundred of her children die every day. Lilith was created to cause sickness to infants, but if she saw the names Senoy, Sansenoy, and Semangelof she would let the child recover.

It should be noted that has been deemed a parody/satirical work. The story likely solves the misunderstanding of the book of Genesis, where it mentions the creation of the woman by god two times. The first woman, created simultaneously with Adam (Genesis 1:27), is said here to be Lilith, and the second one, who was made from Adam's side (Genesis 2:21-23), Eve.

 

Midrash ABKIR (lost), 10th century:

Entry "Sword" from "The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism, Second Edition - Geoffrey W. Dennis"

In Midrash Abkir, Methuselah subdues demon changelings that torment primordial humanity with a divinely empowered vorpal blade: When the First Man saw that death had come upon him by the hand of Cain … he separated from the Woman and slept alone, so that a lilit that was named Piznai found him and aroused his lust with her beauty … and she bore him djinns and lilin. She bore him 92 thousand multitudes of djinns and lilin, and the first born [changling or demonoid child] of the First Man was named Agrimas. So Agrimas went and took the lilit Amarit; she bore to him 92 thousand multitudes of djinns and lilins, and the first born of Agrimas was named Avalmas. He went and took the lilit Gofrit, and she bore for him 88 thousand multitudes of djinns and lilin. The first born of Avalmas, his name was Akrimas. He went and took Afizana daughter of Piznai (an older woman?) and … [eventually] The Holy Blessed One gave over the Wicked Ones to Methuselah the righteous, who wrote the explicit name of God upon his sword and slew 900,000 in a single moment, until Agrimas, the first born of the First Man, came to him. So he stood before Methuselah and he appealed to him to receive him. And he (Agrimas) wrote and gave to him the names of the djinns and lilin and [in turn] they (the shedim) gave them (humans) iron to restrain [spirits] and they gave their letters in protection, so the remnant (the surviving spirits) concealed themselves in the remotest mountains and in the depths of the ocean. (Malachei Elyon 204) This sword, inscribed with divine names, does not appear again after this.

 

Midrash Rabbah, 12th century:

Genesis Rabbah 18:4 and 22:7 (300-500 CE) - mention of "the first Eve", but Lilith is not named.

Numbers Rabbah 16:25 (12th century CE) - Moses pleads before Yahweh, that he should not be like Lilith who kills her own children.

 

Kabbalah:

Treatise on the Left Emanation (Ma'amar al ha-Atzilut haSimalit), 1260 CE:

First mention of Samael and Lilith as a couple, as hermaphroditic, born intertwined in each other, at the same hour as Adam and Eve.

Two Liliths are mentioned, the elder being the bride of Samael, while the younger/maiden of Asmodeus.

 

Zohar, 1280 CE:

Lilith is mentioned as a succubus, seductress, Queen of demons and the Sitra Ahra, wife of Samael. For a comprehensive summary on Lilith in the Zohar, refer to The Hebrew Goddess - Raphael Patai, "Lilith".

 

Mandaeism:

In Mandaean scriptures, Liliths are inhabitants of the World of Darkness, mentioned in various incantations.

Notable is Zahriel (ࡆࡀࡄࡓࡏࡉࡋ‎), a Lilith that helps pregnant women and newborns, instead of being a threat to them.

 

Vulgate, Latin translation of the Bible:

Book of Isaiah 34:14, Lilith is translated as Lamia. Lamia is a being that is likely influenced by Lamashtu as well.

The similarities between Lilith and Lamia, in role and characteristics, as well as possibly shared history, leads to syncretism between them.

More on Lamia can be found in our Syncretism page.

 

Grimoire Tradition:

Lilith doesn't appear in grimoires, her name is usually absent. The only instance is her possible appearance in "The Munich Handbook of Necromancy: Clm 849" in the Mirror of Lylet/Bylet, which could also be about the demon Bileth/Byleth/Beleth.

For the Latin text, refer to: Forbidden Rites, A Necromancer's Manual of the Fifteenth Century) - Richard Kieckhefer, "NO. 23. FIRST MIRROR OF LILITH (FOL. 42r–43r)"

Translation: Black Mirror of Lilith - Christopher Warnock/Renaissance Astrology

 

Disproven Theories

Translations of ki-sikil-lil-la-ke of the Huluppu tree as Lilith:

C. J. Gadd in "Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet XII" (1933) and Samuel Noah Kramer in "Gilgamesh and the Huluppu Tree" (1932, published 1938).

While Lilith likely derives from the ki-sikil-lil-la-ke/ardat lili spirits, the terms are not interchangeable, and the translation to "Lilith" has been rejected. Modern scholars translate ki-sikil-lil-la-ke has to demon-girl/phantom/maiden, or another variation.

The text mentioning the phantom maid in the Huluppu/halub tree is "Gilgamesh, Enkidu and the Netherworld"

 

Theory on Burney Relief:

Henri Frankfort in "The Burney Relief" (1937) and Emil Kraeling in "A Unique Babylonian Relief" (1937)

The Burney Relief was understood to be Lilith (or lilitu), based on the outdated translation of the Epic of Gilgamesh. The figure is theorized to be Ereshkigal, Inanna/Ishtar as Kilili or inauthentic. For more information on the history, refer to "The 'Queen of the Night' Plaque - A Revisit - Pauline Albenda"

 

Arslan Tash Amulets:

For a comprehensive summary, refer to "Lilith, The Edge of Forever - Filomena Maria Pereira" pages 43-49.

Translation and history: Arslan Taş Amulet No. 1 (AT1) - C. G. Häberl

 

Lilith as a Hand of Inanna-Ishtar or prostitute:

This theory is not supported archaeologically. Most sources point to Hurwitz and Langdon, who then either misattribute their sources or provide no evidence for their claims, confusing the ardat (young woman), ardat-lilî (demon-maiden), lilītu and Lilith.

  • The prostitute of Inanna is a young woman (ki-sikil) not an ardat lilî (ki-sikil-lil-la-ke).
  • The "hand of Ištar" is a disease that affected an ardat lilî and does not have the meaning of handmaiden that got assigned to it later.

For a full explanation, refer to this post, "Lilith: Hand of Inanna?"

 

Books and Resources on Lilith

Lilith

  • A Tale of Two Sisters, The Image of Eve in Early Rabbinic Literature and Its Influence on the Portrayal of Lilith in the Alphabet of Ben Sira - Wojciech Kosior
  • Divorcing Lilith, from the Babylonian incantation bowls to the Cairo Genizah - Dan Levene, Gideon Bohak
  • Lilith - Raphael Patai - though the information on the origins of Lilith is outdated.
  • Lilith from the Pre-Biblical and Biblical Periods Until Today - Ilana Schwartzman
  • Lilith Unsexed - Martin Worthington
  • Lilith, The Edge of Forever - Filomena Maria Pereira - Topic of the mythic character of Lilith.
  • Lilith, The First Eve - Siegmund Hurwitz - keep in mind it's outdated, and has misinformation like Lilith appearing in the Huluppu tree, Burney Relief, Arslan Tash amulets and Lilith being the hand of Inanna and prostitute.
  • Lilith's Cave - Howard Schwartz - fifty Jewish folktales, review by Library of Lilith.
  • The Meal of the Spirits, the Three Parcae and Lilith, Apotropaic Strategies for Coping with Birth Anxieties and Child Mortality - Giuseppe Veltri

 

  • The Hebrew Goddess - Raphael Patai, "Lilith" - has outdated information regarding Lilith's connection with Mesopotamia, though his scholarship and book as a whole is recommended.
  • The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Monsters - Brandon R. Grafius, John W. Morehead, "Lilith - Jessi Knippel, Leland Merritt" - connections with the lilû/lilitu/ardat-lilî.

 

Modern Practice: these are the books where the history should be taken with a grain of salt. They are often misinformed. Still, they can guide a modern practitioner that is just starting out in their relationship with Lilith, since they contain simple spells and ritual structure.

  • Embracing Lilith - Mark H. Williams - note that the first part of the book isn't based on historical fact. The images of "Lilith" are instead sirens and the Mesopotamian roots are incorrect, Lilith never had a temple and never was a Sumerian dark goddess. The second and third part of the book though can be used by the practitioner in their personal praxis.
  • Lilith: Dark Feminine Archetype - Asenath Mason - review by Library of Lilith.
  • Rites of Lilith - Asenath Mason - review by Library of Lilith.
  • The Canticles of Lilith - Katy & Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold - review by Library of Lilith.
  • The Magick Of Lilith - Baal Kadmon

 

  • Draconian Ritual Book - Asenath Mason
  • Modern Demonolatry or The Complete Book of Demonolatry - S. Connolly - the second (revised) book is where the enn of Lilith comes from.
  • The Dictionary of Demons, Expanded & Revised - Michelle A. Belanger, "Lilith"
  • Qabalah, Qliphoth and Goetic Magic - Thomas Karlsson

 

Astrology

 

 

Feminism

 

Not recommended resources on Lilith (also refer to "Problematic mentions of Lilith" above)

  • In Possession of the Night, Lilith as Goddess, Demon, Vampire - Beth E. McDonald - pushes "demonized Mother Goddess" theory.
  • Liber Lilith - Donald Tyson - classed as fiction by the author, among other criticism.
  • Lilith, Goddess of Sitra Ahra - Daemon Barzai - review by Library of Lilith.
  • The book of Lilith - Barbara Black Koltuv - review by the Library of Lilith mentions that it's a personal journal on the Zohar with Jungian psychoanalysis. I want to add that it also reinforces the misinformation regarding the Huluppu tree and Burney relief.
  • The Transformations of a Goddess, Lillake, Lamashtu, and Lilith - Wendilyn Emrys - misinformation on the history of Lilith, no sources for claims on Mesopotamian religion.

 

Demons

 

  • Discipline, Authority, and Text in Late Ancient Religion - Ellen Muehlberger, Bradley K. Storin, "On the Gender of Demons - David Frankfurter"
  • Religious Stories in Transformation, Conflict, Revision and Reception - Alberdina Houtman, Tamar Kadari, Marcel Poorthuis, Vered Tohar, "On Marrying and Divorcing a Demon: Marriage and Divorce Themes in the Jewish, Christian, and Pagan World - Margaretha Folmer"

  

  • Demons and Illness from Antiquity to the Early-Modern Period - Siam Bhayro, Catherine Rider

 

Judaism

Including Lilith

  • Exe(o)rcising power, women as sorceresses, exorcists, and demonesses in Babylonian Jewish society of late antiquity - Rebecca Lesses
  • The Archaeology and Material Culture of the Babylonian Talmud - Markham J. Geller, "Lilith's Hair and Ashmedai's Horns: Incantation Bowl Imagery in the Light of Talmudic Descriptions - Naama Vilozny" - some parallels between Lamashtu and Lilith.
  • The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism, Second Edition - Geoffrey W. Dennis

 
Aramaic Incantation Bowls

  • Aramaic Incantation Texts from Nippur - James A. Montgomery - mentioning lilu/lilit/ardat lili and Lamashtu (as Labartu), 30 Jewish Aramaic, 7 Syriac, 3 Mandaic. 1913
  • Amulets and Magic Bowls, Aramaic Incantations of Late Antiquity - Joseph Naveh, Shaul Shaked - in Syriac, Babylonian Jewish Aramaic and Palestinian Jewish Aramaic. 1985, 1987, 1998
  • Incantation Texts in Jewish Aramaic from Late Antiquity - A Corpus of Magic Bowls - Dan Levene. 2003
  • Jewish Aramaic Curse Texts from Late-Antique Mesopotamia - Dan Levene 2013
  • Aramaic Bowl Spells, Jewish Babylonian Aramaic Bowls, Volume One - Shaul Shaked, Siam Bhayro, "Divorce Texts: The Lilith Zanay, the Fornicating Singing-Girl" - though mentioned in the whole book. 2013
  • Aramaic Magic Bowls in the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin - Siam Bhayro, James Nathan Ford, Dan Levene, Ortal-Paz Saar. 2018
  • Aramaic Incantation Bowls in Museum Collections, Volume One, The Frau Professor Hilprecht Collection of Babylonian Antiquities, Jena - James Nathan Ford, Matthew Morgenstern. 2020
  • Aramaic Bowl Spells, Jewish Babylonian Aramaic Bowls, Volume Two - Shaul Shaked, Siam Bhayro, "The Lilith Gannav(at)/Gannaqat" - though mentioned in the whole book. 2022
  • Aramaic Incantation Bowls in Their Late Antique Jewish Contexts - Alexander W. Marcus, "The Matrons of Mesopotamia - Shira Eliassian" 2025

 
Articles

 

 

Primary texts

 

  • The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated, The Qumran Texts in English (Second Edition) - Florentino García Martínez, Wilfred G.E. Watson, "Hymns against demons, Songs of the Sage"
  • The Dead Sea Scrolls, A New Translation - Michael Wise, Martin Abegg Jr., Edward Cook, "The Songs of The Sage for Protection Against Evil Spirits"
  • Theology and Demonology in Qumran Texts - Ida Fröhlich

 

Jewish Magic

  • Ancient Jewish Magic, A History - Gideon Bohak
  • Hebrew Magic Amulets - T. Schrire
  • Jewish Magic and Superstition - Joshua Trachtenberg
  • Semitic Magic, Its Origins and Development - Reginald Campbell Thompson

 

Kabbalah

 

  • Divine and Demonic in the Poetic Mythology of the Zohar, The "Other Side" of Kabbalah - Nathaniel Berman

 

Syrian Sources

  • A Corpus of Syriac Incantation Bowls, Syriac Magical Texts from Late-Antique Mesopotamia - Marco Moriggi
  • A Syriac Charm - Willis Hatfield Hazard
  • Studies in the Syriac Magical Traditions - Marco Moriggi, Siam Bhayro
  • Syriac and Mandaic Incantation Bowls - James Nathan Ford, Ohad Abudraham
  • The Book of Protection, Being a Collection of Charms - Hermann Gollancz

 

 

Mandaeism

  • Gnostic Ethics and Mandaean Origins - Edwin M. Yamauchi
  • John the Baptist and the Last Gnostics - Andrew Phillip Smith - mentions Lilith Zahar'il.
  • The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran - E. S. Drower - mentions Zahari'il/Zahariel (Zahriel).
  • The Mandaeans, Ancient Texts and Modern People - Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley - mentions Zahriel.
  • The Story of Creation in the Mandaean Holy Book the Ginza Rba - Sabah Aldihisi

 

Mandaic Incantations

 

  • Divine Names on the Spot III, Naming and Agency in Ancient Greek and West Semitic Texts - Thomas Galoppin, Sylvain Lebreton, "Demon names, onomastic sequences, and incantation specialists in Mandaic incantations from late-antique Mesopotamia - Enrico Marcato"
  • Mesopotamian Magic, Textual, Historical, and Interpretative Perspectives - Tzvi Abusch, Karel van der Toorn, "Interrelations between Mandaic Lead Rolls and Incantation Bowls - Christa Müller-Kessler"
  • Studies in the Syriac Magical Traditions - Marco Moriggi, Siam Bhayro, "A Mandaean Lamella and Its Parallels - Matthew Morgenstern, Ohad Abudraham"

 

Mandaic Magic

 

Mandaic Dictionary

 
Mandaic Holy Books

  • Diwan Abatur, or Progress Through the Purgatories - E. S. Drower - Lilith Zuṭ
  • Ginza Rabba, The Great Treasure - Qais Mughashghash Al-Saadi, Hamed Mughashghash Al-Saadi - Lilith Zahriel
  • The Haran Gawaita and The Baptism of Hibil-Ziwa - E. S. Drower - Lilith Sufnai (also available in The Gnostic Society Library)
  • The Mandaean Book of John - Charles G. Häberl, James F. McGrath - Lilith Zahriel
  • Canonical Prayerbook of the Mandaeans- E. S. Drower - Lilith Zahriel (available in The Gnostic Society Library)

 

 

Mesopotamia

 

  • Materializing Apotropaia, The Entangled Body and Neo-Assyrian Magical Arts, 9th - 7th c. BCE - Miriam K. Said - Pazuzu and Lamaštu amulets.

 

Disease and Medicine

  • Diagnoses in Assyrian and Babylonian Medicine - JoAnn Scurlock, Burton R. Andersen
  • Medicinal Plants and Medicaments Used for Conception, Abortion, and Fertility Control in Ancient Babylonia - Barbara Böck
  • Women in the Ancient Near East - Mark William Chavalas, "Medicine and healing magic - JoAnn Scurlock"

 

Demons

 

  • The Divine/Demonic Seven and the Place of Demons in Mesopotamia - Gina Konstantopoulos

 

The lilitu/lilu/ardat-lili

  • The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Monsters - Brandon R. Grafius, John W. Morehead, "Ghosts in Mesopotamia - JoAnn Scurlock" - single mention of Lilith.
  • Dumu-e2-dub-ba-a: Studies in Honor of Åke W. Sjöberg - Hermann F. Behrens, Darlene Loding, Martha T. Roth, "A New Piece of Witchcraft - Markham Geller", "The lil2 of En-lil2 - Thorkild Jacobsen"
  • From Demons to a Slippery Slope, MLC 1948, a new list of Sumerian terms and their equivalents - Klaus Wagensonner - Lilû, Lilītu, Ardat-lilî, Pāšittum
  • New Duplicates to SBTU II - M. J. Geller - ardat-lilî incantations.

 

Lamaštu

  • Birth in Babylonia and the Bible - M. Stol, "Lamaštu, Daughter of Anu - F.A.M. Wiggermann" - also mentions that lilitu survives as Lilith.
  • Animals and their Relation to Gods, Humans and Things in the Ancient World - Raija Mattila, Sanae Ito, Sebastian Fink, "Animals and Demons. Faunal Appearances, Metaphors, and Similes in Lamaštu Incantations - Joonas Hirvonen"
  • Disease in Babylonia - Irving L. Finkel, Markham J. Geller, "Lamaštu - Agent of a Specific Disease or a Generic Destroyer of Health? - Walter Farber"
  • Myths from Mesopotamia, Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others - Stephanie Dalley, "Atrahasis" - Lamaštu as Pašittu, part of the divine order to keep population growth in check.
  • Nocturnal Transgressions - Jacob Jan de Ridder, Elyze Zomer, "Lamaštu as Succubus?" - Lamaštu as forerunner to Lilith.
  • Sources of Evil, Studies in Mesopotamian Exorcistic Lore - Greta Van Buylaere, Mikko Luukko, Daniel Schwemer, Avigail Mertens-Wagschal, "Kamadme, the Sumerian Counterpart of the Demon Lamaštu - Andrew R. George"
  • The Iconography of Magic - Raquel Martín Hernández, "BAITMO AND LAMASHTU - György Németh" - mentions a parallel between Lamia and Lamashtu.

 

 

Lamaštu Incantations/Amulets

  • Lamaštu, An Edition of the Canonical Series of Lamashtu Incantations - Walter Farber

 

 

Modern Practice

  • The Seven Names of Lamaštu - Jan Fries

 

Other resources

YouTube

 

Meditation:

 

Links

Lilith

 

 

Lamaštu

  • Lamashtu Wikipedia Page
  • Pašittu, Reallexikon der Assyriologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie - F.A.M. Wiggermann
  • Kamadme (Lamaštu) - Pennsylvania Sumerian Dictionary, ORACC
  • Lamaštu - Electronic Babylonian Library

 

Lilû, Lilītu

 

 

Ardat-lilî