Hailed as:  “Queen of The Night”, “The Night”

Pray to her for:  Dark powers, control, vengeance, victory, magic, protection from dark magic and the evil eye, protection for small children.

Invoke her with:  A piece of iron wrapped in a swatch of black satin or black velvet. 

( Hand crafted by Deepta. Inspired by the Burney Relief at the British Museum, London)

The origins of Lilith’s name seem to lie in the Sumerian word ‘lilitu’ meaning a wind spirit or female demon, but Lilith means “The Night” and she has always been associated with darkness. With that has come control over dark powers, the workings of dark magic, sensuality and the fearsome aspects of the unknown. She is the goddess most closely aligned with the other side, and the supernatural. In old texts, she has been associated with Sumerian witchcraft and magic. She is said to cast spells and wreak havoc if displeased. Lilith would also be invoked for undoing the workings of dark magic. If evil forces were at work on one- she was the demon-goddess who could fight it off with an equally dark power.

The beginnings of Lilith lie in dark magic of the first civilization, but she was also described in the Bible and the Talmud.

In the Jewish tradition, she is the most notorious demon, but in some other sources she appears as the first woman created on Earth.

Lilith appears in the Bible, in the Book of Isaiah 34:14, which talks of Eden. From the beginning, she is considered a demoness-- unclean and dangerous. The Genesis Rabbah describes her as the first wife of Adam. According to the book, God created her and Adam at the same time. Lilith was very strong, and independent, and wanted to be equal with Adam. She did not accept being any less and refused to lie beneath Adam. God then created Eve for Adam.

Lilith was always a demon-goddess--wild, free and powerful. She made her own way.

Lilith possessed a strange duality. When men came before her, She would be seen as a seductive immortal. When a woman came before her, she would be seen as a terrible mother who could kill children and devour them, sucking their blood and drawing the marrow from their bones.

Such was the fear inspired by her.

Lilith and Lamashtu were closely identified and often called the same.

Lamashtu

 She was a fearsome demon-goddess, she could wreak havoc unless pacified.

The Labartu text says:

Her abode is on the mountains or in the reed-beds. Dreadful is her appearance. Her head and her face are those of a fearsome lion, white as clay is her countenance, she has the form of an ass, from her lips pour spittle, she roars like a lion and howls like a jackal.  A whore is she. Fearsome and savage is her nature. Raging, furious, fearsome, terrifying, violent, rapacious, rampaging, evil, malicious, she overthrows all that she approaches. Terrible are her deeds. Wherever she comes, wherever she appears, she brings evil and destruction. Men, beasts, trees, rivers, roads, she brings harm to them all. A flesh-eating, bloodsucking monster is she.

Other texts say how she watches the pregnant woman very carefully and snatches newborn children from them, tormenting the child with fire and heat, and then with shivering.

Amulets and rituals

Lilith and Lamashtu are both believed to be appeased by amulets and offerings made to them.

To protect newborn children from the wrath of Lamashtu or Lilith, it was be believed that they must be marked in such a way that the goddess would know them and not cause them any harm.

For this purpose, the most commonly used were amulets to Lamashtu, which bore pictorial representations of the goddess and sometimes, incantations. Clay figures of the goddess were also popular to dispel any evil influence from a child. Before these figures, offerings of food would be kept. It was important to keep twelve pieces of a staple, such as bread. A little model or an etching of a black or white dog would also be kept before the figure of the goddess. She was said to be very fond of black and white dogs and having them before her would appease her anger. Then after a period of three days, the clay statue would be smashed and its pieces buried in a corner of the plot after purifying the area with a mixture of water and flour. A pair of new slippers were also to be provided for the goddess so that she may travel across the waters, pleased with the offerings and prayers and with her wrath pacified.

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