Lilith, a character suggested to be Adam's first wife and a significant female figure from Jewish mythology, has been developed over time into distinct characters in popular culture.Josef Steiff, Tristan D. Tamplin Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy 2008 But popular culture has given Lilith and, by extension, Eve, the opportunity to recast those aspects of their characters that have been vilified and associated with their gender.Jim Leach – Claude Jutra: Filmmaker – Page 267 1999 "Although part of a popular and not necessarily Jewish belief, Lilith became a very important component of Lurianic kabalah, being part of the powers of evil that hamper the struggle to purify and redeem the universe. Thus popular culture ..." One writer on witches, Judika Illes, wrote, "No spirit exerts more fascination over media and popular culture than Lilith. Her appearances are genuinely too numerous to count."Judika Illes The Weiser Field Guide to Witches: From Hexes to Hermione Granger Page 153 2010 "Some legends depict her as a powerful guardian spirit. No spirit exerts more fascination over media and popular culture than Lilith. Her appearances are genuinely too numerous to count. Lilith herself, or characters named in her honor ..."Alejandra Elenes Transforming Borders: Chicana/O Popular Culture and Pedagogy Page 77 – 2010 "Chicana/O Popular Culture and Pedagogy Alejandra Elenes. European Syncretism Some of the Western figures that are believed to be related to La Llorona include Medea, Lilith, Lamia, and the White Lady. The distinct relationship between ..."Mary Lynn Kittelson The soul of popular culture: looking at contemporary heroes Page 109 1998 "Indeed, one of the most popular American cinemyths is the demonization of the Other Woman. This is not a new story, for its roots go back to Biblical mythology and the legend of Lilith, first wife of Adam. Lilith was Adam's equal and therefore ..." Lilith is one of several figures with biblical or related origins integrated into popular culture who have been titled demon.Philip Leroy Culbertson, Elaine Mary Wainwright The Bible in Popular Culture Page 52 – 2010 "Trouble ensues when the head vampire, lilith (yes, that lilith), sends her best assassin, Sistine centuria, to new Vatican city (nVc) to deal with Jesus."Marcel Danesi X-rated!: the power of mythic symbolism in popular culture 2009 "This book delves into the reasons why pop culture, and all of its "X-Rated" features, are so appealing to masses of people, even though they may hate to love it."
Books Lilith (1895), novel by George MacDonald. MacDonald's Christian allegory was an influence on both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. MacDonald takes an ultimately positive view of Lilith. Lilith: A Dramatic Poem (1919) was an acclaimed fantasy verse drama by George Sterling. The March 1973 issue of the Warren magazine, Eerie, contains a story written by Nick Cuti titled "Lilith", illustrated by Jaime Brocal. The story is based on the medieval stories of Lilith being Adam's first wife. This story has several interesting turns, such as the Archangel Gabriel being substituted for Samael.Eerie, No.47, Warren Publishing, New York, March 1973, "Lilith" story by Nick Cuti, artwork by Jamie Brocal, p. 18-36 Lilith is a principal character in Stephen Brust's To Reign in Hell (1984), where she is the love interest of both Satan and Lucifer at varying points. In The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, the White Witch (the main antagonist of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) is said to be a descendant of Lilith, referred to as Adam's first wife. In Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series of fantasy novels, a demoness named Lilith appears in For Love of Evil (1988) and Under a Velvet Cloak (2007). C. L. Moore's 1940 story "Fruit of Knowledge" is written from Lilith's point of view. It is a re-telling of the Fall of Man as a love triangle between Lilith, Adam and Eve – with Eve's eating the forbidden fruit being in this version the result of misguided manipulations by the jealous Lilith, who had hoped to get her rival discredited and destroyed by God and thus regain Adam's love. In Cassandra Clare's young-adult fantasy series The Mortal Instruments (2007–2014), Lilith is depicted as the mother of demons and said to be the first wife of Adam in the garden of Eden. In Jaye Wells' urban paranormal Sabina Kane novels, Lilith is the Queen of Hell and wife of Asmodeus, and the mother of the vampire and mage races. While Lilith makes only brief cameos in the first four books, the prophecy of her return drives the central plot of the series, and she is a major character in the fifth novel. Lilith is resurrected in Kevin R. Given's Last Rites: The Return of Sebastian Vasilis, which is book one in the Karl Vincent: Vampire Hunter series. She, along with the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet and Hindu goddess Kali, form a female trinity bent on destroying mankind and taking over the earth. Lilith appears in the 40th issue of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman series from DC Comics' Vertigo imprint. She is later present in several issues of the Lucifer comic book series, where she is found to be the mother of Mazikeen. She was the first wife of Adam, who, when rejected by Adam and God for being a person in her own right, slept with many (if not all) of the angels to give birth to the first demons, who she organized into building the Silver City. In Simon R. Green's Nightside series, Lilith is the main hero's mother. One of the two characters named Lilith in the Marvel Universe was an ancient demon goddess and the mother of the Lilin. In José Saramago's 2009 novel Cain – the writer's highly irreverent reworking of the Bible – Lilith is a human being, the wanton Queen of an early Mesopotamian city-state. Cain comes there during his wanderings after killing his brother Abel, becomes Lilith's lover, survives an assassination attempt by Lilith's ineffective husband Noah, and begets Enoch with Lilith. In Qui Nguyen's 2011 play, She Kills Monsters, Lilith is the name of the demon queen character representing Tilly's girlfriend in her Dungeons & Dragons campaign. In Larissa Ione's book series The Lords of Deliverance, Lilith is the mother of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In the Stargate Atlantis spin-off novel Blood Ties, Lilith is an ancient researcher from Atlantis who became obsessed with defeating the Ori, to the point of insanity. She created the creatures of mythology, most of whom died out in the Great Flood. However, her incubi, succubi, and cambions survived and are the main enemies of the novel. One of the factions of these creatures is called the Lilith after her. In the Andrzej Sapkowski's book series The Witcher, Lilith appears as a powerful demon associated with the end of the world. She is also mentioned in the TV adaptation In Vipin Das's Malayalam novel 'Anahi', Lilith is mentioned as a fallen angel who revolted against God and was banished from Heaven to be imprisoned for eternity. Lilith appears in Barry Reese's universe of works as Adam's first wife and "Mother of Monsters" who is immortal and leads a group called The Crimson Ladies helping women and fighting evil. She first appears in The Adventures of Lazarus Gray, v11 (2022) then gets her own novel, The Chronicles of Lilith (2022). Lilith appears in H. P. Lovecraft's 1925 short story "The Horror at Red Hook".
Television, film, and music Lilith appears in One Step Beyond, season 3, episode 16 "Midnight". In the Netflix series First Kill, Lilith was-according to vampires-voluntarily bitten by the snake in the garden of Eden. This turned her into a vampire whose descendants are born vampires, with extra-vampire powers compared to ex-human vampires. Eve did not allow herself to be bitten and was "punished" by God to live as, and bear mere human offspring. The character Leeloo in the movie The Fifth Element, a futuristic fantasy, turns the concept of Lilith on its head by saving humanity instead of devouring it. Leeloo is depicted as fair-skinned and with strawberry blonde hair, young and lithe, similar or identical to the romantic era paintings. Leeloo is represented as the original woman (first wife of Adam) and is born speaking the "Divine Language". In the 2019 film K-12, Lilith appears several times as almost a guardian angel to the main character Crybaby and her friends. Importantly she only helps them because they have magical powers similar to hers, her form of helping mainly consists of killing enemies of Crybaby's. The Lilith myth is the subject of the episode "Lilith: Queen of the Night" from the third season of the Canadian documentary series The Naked Archaeologist. Lilith appears in Hazbin Hotel. She is the ex-wife (first wife) of Adam, the first human, wife of Lucifer, queen of hell, and mother of Charlie. In the TV series Supernatural, a white-eyed and very powerful demon called Lilith appears in seasons 3 and 4, played by a variety of young girls she was possessing, and later Katherine Boecher and Katie Cassidy. She is said to be the first human ever tempted into Lucifer's service, thus becoming the first demon. In the season 4 finale, it is revealed that she is also the last of the 66 seals, and when she is killed by Sam Winchester, Lucifer is unleashed from his cage. The italian rapper Kid Yugi named track 6 of his sophomore album I Nomi Del Diavolo after the mythological figure. In the 2012 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated episode "Night on Haunted Mountain", the main villainess was a flying phantom which is named Dark Lilith and protects a mountain named Mount Diabla. Lilith is the subject of the 1990 horror film Night Angel. Originally titled Lilith in the spec screenplay by Joe Augustyn, it was the first feature film to incorporate the ancient legend of Lilith. imdb link The horror movie 30 Days of Night: Dark Days features a vampire called Lilith. In the 2009 film Evil Angel, the Lilith legend is examined while investigating murder sprees that may be related to demonic possession. In the 2009 comedy movie Year One, Lilith is represented as the daughter of Adam, sister of Abel and Cain, and a lesbian. Lilith features in the occult-themed lyrics of several metal bands. American industrial rock band Machines of Loving Grace's 1993 album Concentration contains the song "Lilith/Eve" that is based on the legend. Swedish black metal band Dissection's 2006 album Reinkaos has a song called "Dark Mother Divine" which refers to Lilith. British extreme metal band Cradle of Filth's 2010 concept album Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa focuses on Lilith. Deathcore band Chelsea Grin released a song called "Lilith" on their 2012 EP, Evolve. Therion's 2012 album Les Fleurs du Mal features the song "Lilith", and Lilith is referred to in "The Perennial Sophia" from their 2007 rock opera, Gothic Kabbalah. Lilith is also mentioned with respect to Eve in In This Moment's 2017 song "Oh Lord". Lilith Fair was a female centric music festival named after Lilith. Genesis's 1974 album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway features the song "Lilywhite Lilith". First Mother (Lilith) by Silent Planet from the album The Night God Slept uses the myth of Lilith as referred to in the Talmud to discuss feminism via a conversation between Lilith, Eve, and Adam. Purge of Lilith, a metal band originating from Virginia, makes use of the name. The electronic producer Varien released the song "Lilith", which is about this legend. In the 2015 film The Chosen, Lilith is a demon that possesses children and takes them to hell if six blood relatives are not sacrificed. The film also refers to Lilith as being the first wife of Adam. In the crowd-funded streaming series The Chosen, Lilith is the name of Mary Magdalene when she first appears in episode one. She is demon possessed and it is implied that she has adopted the name of the demon that possesses her.