How I Stumbled Into This Rabbit Hole
Started off simple, really. Bored one evening scrolling through old mythological stuff online – you know, the usual Wikipedia hole. Saw Lilith mentioned as Adam’s “first wife” somewhere. My first thought? “Huh, thought Eve was the first.” That got me curious. Like, why didn’t church ever mention this chick? Grabbed my laptop and just started searching everywhere.
Digging Up the Dirt
Tore into all sorts of sources:
- Texts like the Alphabet of Ben Sira: Felt like deciphering an old diary. Learned Lilith supposedly bolted ’cause she didn’t wanna be “under” Adam. Literally.
- Reading Genesis again: Gen 1 says both genders created at once, Gen 2 has Eve made from Adam’s rib. Classic contradiction alert. So obvious once you look.
- Rabbinic stuff and folklore: Found wild stories painting Lilith as a demon baby-snatcher. Hardcore villain origin story right there.
Took notes like crazy. Ended up with scribbles all over a legal pad. Messy, but it worked.
The Lightbulb Moment
While comparing notes, two totally different vibes jumped out:
- Lilith was all “nope”: Equal? Hell yes. Obey? Hell no. Fought, peaced out, got demonized. Basically the OG feminist icon.
- Eve played the “oops”: Came second, made for companionship. Ate the fruit (blamed forever), bore kids, became the “good” wife mold.
Slammed my coffee mug down. It hit me: This ain’t history, it’s patriarchy’s fan fiction. Lilith’s the inconvenient truth. Eve’s the approved narrative. Society buried Lilith because a woman demanding equality scared ’em. Eve? Easier to control. Kinda blew my mind. Told my dog about it. He seemed less impressed.
What This Meant for Me
Finished this deep dive feeling super charged. Shared these points on my blog page:
- Power matters: Lilith expected equal standing from day one. Eve’s whole existence depended on Adam.
- Blame game: Lilith’s demonized for leaving. Eve’s vilified for “original sin.” Both punished for not fitting the box.
- Why it faded: Lilith didn’t play nice. No surprise she got erased from Sunday School lessons.
This wasn’t just dusty theology. Felt like uncovering why modern ideas about “difficult” or “bossy” women even exist. Lilith’s story whispers that rebellion against unfair roles isn’t new – it’s ancient. And they’ve been trying to shut it down forever.
