a lot of people think that lilith is a demon, but that’s not how i heard the story. the way i heard it told, it all went down a little somethin’ like this:
after god had created adam and set him down upon the earth, he began to create his surroundings. with adam’s input, he made many strange and wondrous creations.
there were “plants’ – creatures rooted in one place who provided food, medicine, shade, oxygen and a touch of whimsy, “rocks” – creatures especially useful for building things, like shelter and tools, and “animals” of all kinds – some that could fly, some that could swim, and some that mimicked man’s behavior so that adam could play his games with them.
god created one of everything and let adam call each one whatever he wanted to. so now adam has this perfect life. he has all these plants and rocks and animals to talk to and play with and use to fulfill his needs. paradise, right? not quite.
one day, adam goes to god and says, “god, i am really grateful for all that you have given me but would it be possible for me to have just one more thing?”
god’s like, “well, what do you need, my son?”
and adam’s like, “could you make me someone to help me care for the garden and tend to the animals and gather the food and water, and well, could it be someone like me? someone i can think with and share my innermost thoughts with? could you do that for me, god?”
god thought for a moment and said, “i’ll see what can do.”
and so god made lilith. so much like adam but just a little different, too, based on adam’s request. she had compassion, she was hard-working, she was smart, and she would bring fresh new ideas and experiences to adam to help alleviate his boredom. at first, adam was thrilled. she loved the creatures, and she did everything with a smile on her face.
but, then, adam began to feel differently. a little envy started to creep in. he noticed that the animals were going to her more often than to him and that she was working harder, gathering more food than he was. and she loved to explore the garden, always finding something she hadn’t seen before. but he’d already seen everything. hell, he’d had a say in creating everything. he just wanted her to sit down and talk to him but no matter how many times he asked her, the answer was always the same:
“oh, adam, how can you just sit around when there’s so much to see? come explore with me – we’ll talk about all we find.”
but adam didn’t want to explore, and he certainly didn’t want to talk about the other creatures, so alone he would sit.
finally, one day, he’d had enough and he told lilith that she had to stay home with him. “god made you for me so you have to do what i say.”
lilith just laughed and said, “oh, adam! god made us all equal. no creature can tell another what it must do.” and off she went on another adventure.
well, adam was beside himself. “who does she think she is?” he thought. “every creature on earth belongs to me. god made them for me, to amuse me. she is nothing more than a rock, something put here for me to use as i see fit.”
he was in a true tizzy now. and there was only one thing to do. he marched to the clearing by the tree of life and called god. “god, my father, i need your help, please.”
“what troubles you, my son?” came the reply.
“god, i am grateful to you for all you have given me but lilith will not obey. she will not serve the purpose she was created for.”
”i see,” replied god. “well, let us just determine the problem.”
with a gentle breath, he whispered lilith’s name on the wind. within moments, she appeared in the clearing. “oh, hello my father!” she cried delightedly. “what a great pleasure it is to see you again!”
“and i you, lilith,” said god gently, “but i’m afraid this isn’t a social call. we seem to have a problem between you and adam.”
“oh, god, it’s such silliness – i’m surprised he called you over it. adam seems to think that he has the right to tell every other creature of the garden what they can and cannot do. isn’t that just silly?” she finished with a big grin. however, her grin faded quickly at god’s next words.
“dearest lilith, it is true that everything in the garden was created for adam’s delight. food, drink, companionship, all of his needs are to be fulfilled by the creatures of the garden. do you understand?”
silence hung heavy over the clearing, and then lilith replied quietly, “that i have not the right to fulfill my own needs? oh, yes, i understand now.”
adam smiled smugly as god reiterated. “so you will obey adam’s requests?”
this time, it was adam’s smile that faded as lilith drew herself up to her full height, stuck out her chin defiantly, shook her head slowly, and said,
“if that is the truth, then i don’t think i want to be a person any longer.”
even god was stunned by this. “well, lilith, what do you think you’d rather be? remember, adam commands all the creatures of the garden.”
lilith thought long and hard before answering.
“well, then, i think a tree is what i’d like to be, for adam pays little attention to the tree, other than to collect its’ fruit. but all of the other creatures love to play in tree’s branches, and the wind gives her motion, even though she’s rooted to the earth. so, yes, a tree will do nicely.”
and so god granted lilith’s wish and she became the tree of knowledge, rooted at the opposite end of eden from the tree of life, which bore all fruits. adam was instructed to leave lilith be, lest he be reminded of what happens when one creature selfishly forces his will on another.
and then god made adam a new mate. but this one was not formed completely of independent clay. no, she was formed from a part of adam, his rib, they say, so that she would be bound to him forever, always putting his needs before all others, including her own.
did lilith use that snake to entice eve to eat of the fruit of knowledge in order to free her from a life of servitude? no one knows for sure.
however it came to be, eve was innocent, knowing nothing of the story of lilith. and the things that snake said kind of did make sense….
but adam, well, adam knew the truth. he knew who lilith was, and he knew why he wasn’t to eat of her fruit. he was aware of the consequences. perhaps he had put the entire unpleasant episode out of his mind and forgotten god’s warning, who knows?
whatever the case may be, adam ate of that tree of his own free will. eve, on the other hand, made an uninformed choice.
and it wasn’t the knowledge of good and evil that separated adam from god…..
it was when adam remembered god’s warning and realized what he had done….. in his selfishness, he had ‘forced his will’ on god by disobeying his one simple request. that is why he hid…. shame finally kicked in.
and that is also why god took away adam’s right to do as he pleased. no more would the animals bow to adam, nor the plants wave to him. no more would the sun and rain and wind obey his requests. no more would god come to see him in the garden. adam was exiled.
eve was devastated. had she known what would happen if she ate of that tree, she never would have done so. all of the other creatures were also saddened, as they truly did care for adam and eve. even lilith bowed her branches in mourning.
then god created mates for all the other creatures and sent them forth to multiply. they were all given their own free will to go wherever they wanted and to do whatever they chose, forever freed from obeying adam’s whims.
but eve, still bound to adam by a rib, had no choice but to follow him. for, you see, while the knowledge of free will was now within her, so too was the physical anchor to adam….
… which may explain why it is that women still feel compelled to “stand by their man”, even when it harms their children, their family, or even themselves, even as the knowledge of free will urges them to explore, to create, to build, to express themselves fully.
as for men, well, they still believe that everything and everyone on earth was put here to serve their needs, and they expect everyone to obey them – including each other, which may explain why they continue to constantly fight amongst themselves for a top position that no longer exists, unaware that lilith’s belief has become reality….
“god made us all equal. no creature can tell another what it must do.”
peacewillow's perspective 