neptunesdolphins | Entries tagged with myths

When people picture a witch, they often imagine an old woman stirring potions at a cauldron. Shakespeare’s Three Witches of “MacBeth” comes to mind. MacBeth goes to see these witches in a clearing in order to secure his kingdom. He hears them chanting their spell, “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.” (Note 1.) The witches are using the cauldron as a magical tool to brew their potions and cast spells.

As a tool of magic, the cauldron has many mythological qualities. As one of the Four Treasures of the Tuatha de Danann, the Cauldron of the Dagda (the Good God) (Note 2.) provided eternal abundance through food. The Lord of Abundance, the Dagda allowed no one to leave his hall hungry. One of the Thirteen Treasures of Britain, the Cauldron of Dyrnwch the Giant would not boil meat for cowards. This Cauldron (Pair Dyrnwch Gawr) separated the heroic person from the others. The Cauldron of the Head of Annwfyn also would not cook food for a coward. Moreover, this cauldron was the holder of mysteries. In the Mabinogion, the Cauldron of Rebirth (Pair Dadeni) would return the Dead to life, although they could not speak. Other cultures such as the Greeks have their myths about cauldrons as well.

In magical practice, the cauldron has many uses. Representing the Divine Feminine, the cauldron is the Womb of the Goddess, which makes it a tool for transformation. As Ceridwen, a Welsh Goddess, makes magical potions in her cauldron, so can the modern wizard. A cauldron full of water can be used for scrying. On an altar, it can represent the Four Elements, according to Doreen Valiente, the mother of modern Wicca. (Note 3.) The cauldron is a tool of creation, abundance, and transformation.

In “The Witch’s Cauldron,” Laura Tempest Zakroff lists items that could be considered a cauldron. Since the utensil itself has undergone many changes through time, modern things can substitute for the traditional cauldron. She writes, “the cauldron is first and foremost a container. It is shaped to hold things and is designed to conduct and retain heat.” Zakroff compiles nine uses for a cauldron – container, maker (cooking), transformer, purifier, gateway (connection between realms), marker (guide), drum, divination, and rebirth (renewing life). Things such as the bathtub, washing machine, and tea kettle fulfill many of the uses that Zakroff lists. A stockpot, Dutch oven or crockpot could also be considered a suitable substitute.

Pondering Zakroff’s list of uses, I decided that a tea kettle is a worthy substitute. After all “cauldron” also means “kettle.” To me, the brewing and consumption of tea is sacred and transformative. In Japanese Tea Ceremony, the selection of the kettle is as important as the selection of the tea cups. Since the kettle brews the magic potion known as tea, I chose mine with great care. It does hold all the elements as Valiente detailed in “Witchcraft for Tomorrow.”

To consecrate my tea kettle, I first clean it with hot water, and let it air dry. Then I ask the Roman Gods to bless it – Vesta of the Hearth for the kettle. Fons for the water, and Libera and Liber for the tea. Then I make an offering of tea to the Gods by spilling the liquid on the earth. Then the kettle is ready for magical use.

Notes:

Note 1. The full chant is:

“Round about the cauldron go;

In the poisoned entrails throw.

Toad, that under cold stone

Days and nights has thirty-one

Sweltered venom sleeping got,

Boil thou first i’ th’ charmed pot.

Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake,

In the cauldron boil and bake;

Eye of newt and toe of frog,

Wool of bat and tongue of dog,

Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting,

Lizard’s leg and owlet’s wing,

For a charm of powerful trouble,

Like a hell-broth boil, and bubble.”

(“MacBeth,” Act IV, Scene 1.)

Note 2. The Cauldron of Plenty is also known as the Undry.

Note 3. Valiente in “Witchcraft for Tomorrow,” writes “need water to fill it, fire to heat it, the green herbs or other productions of the earth to cook in it, while the steam arises from it and spreads it aroma into the air.”

Works Used.

Ellis, Peter Berresford, “The Mammoth Book of Celtic Myths and Legends.” Constable & Robinson Ltd: London. 2002.

Greer, John Michael, “The New Encyclopedia of the Occult.” Woodbury (MN): Llewellyn. 2003.

Michelle, Heron, “Elemental Witchcraft.” Woodbury (MN): Llewellyn. 2021.

Sjoestedt, Marie-Louise, “Celtic Gods and Heroes.” Dover: New York, 2000.

Zakroff, Laura Tempest, “The Witch’s Cauldron.” Woodbury (MN): Llewellyn. 2021.

Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon, “Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard.” Franklin Lakes (NJ): New Page Books. 2004.

The Irish have many and conflicting myths about the Fomorians, who are not mentioned in the “Book of Invasions.” What has been inferred about the Fomorians is that they were in Ireland before the other races, but were driven off, only to return. They either came from under the sea or under the earth. After being defeated a second time (Note 1) by the Tuatha De Danann, the Fomorians left in ships to the ends of the earth and to the deep places of the ocean. However, they were always ready to invade Ireland again.

After being driven off from Ireland, the Fomorians would still harass humans. They would come back from time to time to collect tribute from humans. If a human refuse to pay tribute or ransom, the Fomorians would cut their nose off. One myth tells of Cu Chulainn (son of Lugh, and part Fomorian, himself) killing the Fomorians who were collecting the royal women as a tribute.

The myths describing warfare with the Tuatha De Danann depicted the Fomorians as wild, destructive and monstrous. Their king, Balor, had one eye, which when he opened it, would kill whoever he saw. Other Fomorians were said to be ugly and preferred that to beauty. However, some were “darkly beautiful” and intermarried with the Tuatha De Danann.

I wonder if the reputed ugliness of the Fomorians has more to do with their actions than their physical being. What has been consistent in the myths is that they know the “old magic.” They sent the plague to decimate whole populations. Controlling the winter wind, Fomorians would destroy crops and kill livestock. To learn the past and future, they would summon chthonic beings. Fomorians seemed to be hostile to order, using their powers of chaos to deter others from completely civilizing Ireland.

Notes:

Note 1. The Second Battle of Mag Tured.

Works Used:

MacLeod, Sharon, “Celtic Cosmology and the Otherworld.” McFarland and Company: Jefferson (NC), 2018.

Sjoestedt, Marie-Louise, “Celtic Gods and Heroes.” Dover: New York, 2000.

Although I disagree with Janet Rudolph’s view of the “unity of religions,” (Note 1.) I agree with her points on how to examine various myths. “Each person is also human, each editor, writer and reader have the potential to filter the knowledge through one’s own ego, triggering biases and distortions. When accessing divine knowledge, divine truths can easily be changed into subjective opinion.” This I cannot stress enough; I have my own biases. Like Rudolph, I try to be straight forward as to what they are. The readers then can decide how to interpret what I or Rudolph writes.

Points made by Janet Rudolph in looking at myths:

What has been removed from the telling?

In various versions of the same myth, certain things may be left out to emphasize other aspects. In the Neo-Pagan retelling of the “Descent of Inanna,” (Note 2.) the focus is on Inanna descending into and rising from the Underworld. Left out is Inanna’s indirect killing of Ereshkigal’s husband, the Bull of Heaven. (Note 3.) Leaving that out neglects Ereshkigal’s anger towards Inanna. That does change how the myth is read.

What is hidden only for initiates to know?

The “Descent of Inanna” can be read in many ways. The Neo-Pagan version emphasizes the initiations into the mysteries of the Underworld. How Inanna leaves her godly possessions behind is how the initiates need to prepare to enter into the mysteries.

What has been changed to further a political agenda?

“The Enuma Elish,” the Babylonian creation story, adds onto the original Sumerian myth. The exploits of the God Marduk of the Fifty Names is depicted as He defeats the Elder Goddess Tiamat, and recreates the world. Marduk of Babylon now rules the Pantheon. This epic omits Enlil, the Holder of the Tablets of Destinies who was the Head of Pantheon after Anu, the Father of All.

What if the actual messages are different from what the commentaries suggest.

Herodotus (484 – 425 BCE) wrote in his “Histories” that the Babylonians practiced sacred prostitution. (Note 4.) This became the basis of several factoids that got repeated and expanded over time. What was overlooked was that Herodotus, a Greek, was writing at a time when Persia was expanding into the West. The actual Babylonian culture presents a different reality from what he wrote.

Rudolph details how she approaches myths, which I find useful.

Layering.

“Layering recognizes that differing interpretations can all be true.” This is looking at myths with a Polytheistic lens.

Examination of the form of Hebrew letters.

The alphabet of a culture offers spiritual clues in a myth. Examining the mysteries of the alphabet is an exploration into a culture’s thoughts and language.

Spiritual forensics.

This is pondering the meanings of the concepts and symbols of a myth. It also entails comparing the translations with the original language of the myth.

Notes:

Note 1. Rudolph wrote a trilogy of books – “One Gods,” “When Eve was a Goddess,” and “When Moses was a Shaman” to explore the myths of the Bible.

Note 2. Inanna, Goddess of the Morning and Evening Stars, decides to pay her respects to Ereshkigal, the Queen of the Underworld. This starts her journey into the Underworld.

Note 3. Gilgamesh had rejected her advances, and She wanted to punish him. Inanna asked that the Bull of Heaven kill him. Instead, Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven and Husband of Ereshkigal.

Note 4. Herodotus is called the Father of History and the Father of Lies.

Blogging at “Feminism and Religion,” Janet Maika’i Rudolph presents her ideas of the “magic and spirit behind the Bible.” Both a Shaman practitioner of Divine Humanity and a Hawai’ian Alaka’i with Aloha International, Rudolph calls herself a “Mystic Pagan.” (Note 1.) In her writing, she endeavors to “strip away the layer of Patriarchy with its attempts to hide and change original teachings.” Rudolph aims to reach into ancient Pagan knowledge in order to reclaim “universal, earth-based mystical lessons.” She embraces in her writing, “the inter-arching oneness” of all. To do this, Rudolph examines myths across cultures to find the common elements.

Rudolph states her personal belief that “each person as a divine human has direct access to god (creation) and the mysteries without going through an intermediary.” She continues, “in the beginning all the threads, both the warp and weft, were spun from the wellspring of First Knowledge. First Knowledge is ancient knowledge of the stars, life, the veils between the worlds, and inter-arching all, the Great Mysteries.” (Note 2.)

“One Gods” is a part of a trilogy of books on the “shamanic lessons underpinning Biblical wisdom.” The other two are “When Eve was a Goddess” and “When Moses was a Shaman.” (Note 3.) Rudolph believes that the Bible is filled with ancient shamanic knowledge. For example, according to her, Moses did not only bring “the belief of Monotheism. He brought to the world, the understanding of nothing less than the Oneness of all Creation.”

When writing “One Gods,” Janet Rudolph had not been initiated by Serge Kahili King of Hawaiian Huna Shamanism. The focus of “One Gods” is from Rev. Jim Husfelt of the Divine Humanity Church, which believes in the Oneness of All. In her other books, Rudolph adopts King’s point of view as the “shaman is a healer of relationships.” Rudolph herself seeks to remember the original knowledge of humankind to guide others.

Rudolph writes that her cultural and ancestral Jewish heritage is important to her. She examines the myths of the Bible through a Monotheistic lens. Therefore, according to her biases, she sees these and other myths as converging onto a single religion and God. Also, Rudolph is a follower of the Goddess religions, and views through that lens as well. However, her writings do inspire a Polytheist as myself to regard Biblical myths in a new light.

Notes:

Note 1. Divine Humanity and Aloha International (Huna) are New Age religions. Founded by Rev. Dr. JC Husfelt, Divine Humanity believes that all things of creation hold within them a divine being. All are “non-dual and interpentrate.” Huna (Aloha International) was founded by Max Freedom Long and is now run by Serge Kahili King. Huna is New Age philosophy mixed with Hawaiian ideas.

Note 2. These are fundamental beliefs of many New Age religions.

Note 3. “When Eve was a Goddess” and “When Moses was a Shaman” repeats much of the materials in “One Gods.” Rudolph did include more myths in those books to compare and contrast with the Biblical myths.

Rudolph’s books can be purchased at her website: https://themysticpagan.com/books/

The most popular posts, at my blog, are my monthly calendar listings for Roman and Babylonian Gods and their festivals. In following these calendars, a person can learn about the God that each festival honors. By focusing on celebrating the festival, people will come into the liminal spaces between humans and the Gods.

As “vertical time,” (Note 1.) festivals provide a gateway into the eternity that is the Gods (and the Ancestors). “Horizontal time” (Note 1.) is the daily life that is lived. Since vertical time pierces horizonal time, it acts as the axis mundus between the Worlds. Where vertical time touches horizontal time, liminal spaces are formed for the Holy Powers and the humans to meet. These are the thresholds that the festivals provide.

A particular festival holds communion with the Gods when They are the most active. For example, March and October are the traditional beginning and ending of the season of war. In the Roman calendar, festivals for Mars are held during these months. March is when Mars is at his most energetic. In October, the weapons are purified and soldiers return to being civilians. At this time, Mars is preparing to rest. During the various festivals for Mars, different aspects of His Being are experienced.

Neo-Pagans developed their festival calendar to mark the Turning of the Year in six-week intervals – the solstices, the equinoxes, and the cross-quarter days. Each festival marks a particular season. Unfortunately, the calendar is dependent on the climate of the Northern Temperate Zone. This presents problems for Neo-Pagans living elsewhere such as Australia, seasons and climates differ.

The various calendars of Polytheists do follow the seasons of the region of the original pantheons. However, the festivals focus on the Gods and their times of activity. For example, I follow the Babylonian Calendar although I do not live in Mesopotamia. I have noticed that although I am in a different climate, these Gods are stronger during the times delineated in the original calendar.

By celebrating festivals, people can experience the mysteries of the Gods (and Ancestors) in their spiritual realities. The festival recreates a myth of each God. Within each myth, the textures of time are experienced. The divine unfolding of things, and then the closing of these same mysteries are parts of the dance of living in the myth. These mysteries will be reexperienced again, at a different moment, in a different manner at another festival. To understand each myth is to become a witness to the creation when the threads of time are woven.

Each festival re-enacts a myth allowing all to enter with the God. For example, the Atiku of the Babylonians recreates Marduk’s battle with Tiamat, and his recreation of the world with her body. Therefore, a calendar becomes a catechism since it invites people into the myths of the Gods.

Notes:

Note 1. Horizontal time is experienced linearly in increments. People move from the past to the present to the future. In contrast, vertical time is mystical time. In vertical time, only the present moment exists, and everything occurs at once.

Further reading:

John Michael Greer, “The UFO Chronicles.”

Diana Walsh Pasulka, “American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology.”

Paul Wallis, “Escaping from Eden.” And “The Scars of Eden.”

Current Mood: amused
Current Location: outside watching squirrels

I n “Maps of Meanings (1999),” Peterson misreads the Enuma Elish. This particular myth describes how Marduk, the principal God of Babylon, becomes the head of the Gods of Mesopotamia. Peterson regards it as the creation myth for Mesopotamia. It is not since the Sumerians had their own creation stories. The Babylonians took all these older myths, combined them, and added their Gods to rule the rest. In the Enuma Elish, Marduk of Fifty Names slays Tiamat, the Mother of All Life. He does so after gaining the leadership of the other Gods of the region.

On the surface, the Enuma Elish fits Peterson’s perceptions of how to overcome chaos, which he regards as feminine. Marduk (male) restores order by defeating Tiamat (female) who created chaos in trying to defeat Him. Tiamat is the Great Mother (unexplored territory), while her Consort Apsu is the Great Father (explored territory). (Note 1) In the myth, the noise from the humans keeps Apsu from sleeping, so He decided to be rid of them. However, Enki, who created the humans, kills Apsu, thereby enraging Tiamat, who seeks revenge. With her many monsters, She defeats the various Gods until Marduk comes up with a plan. Marduk, the Divine Son (the Knower) is the Hero who creates order out of chaos. (Note 2.)

Peterson interpreted this Babylonian creation myth to support his ideas about Darwinism – the survival of the fittest. He claimed that the myth sanctioned his ideas of men (Note 3.) overcoming their instincts. Furthermore, the myth proved that his view of “consciousness” being male, while the “irrational” is female is the correct one. Peterson shoehorned the Enuma Elish into his narrow perspective that archetypes are the “eternal categories” of imagination. Like many people, he takes things out of context, and cherry picks the rest. In his mind, this myth presents cosmic truths that lines up with his politics.

Notes:

Note 1. The Great Mother is also, chaos, which is feminine, the Great Father is order and masculine. The Divine Son replaces the Great Mother’s discord with clarity. These are Peterson’s own concepts in reading myths. He bases his ideas on Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell. He agrees with their theory of the monomyth -All myths are variations of a single story.

Note 2. This is Peterson’s reading of the Enuma Elish.

Note 3. Peterson’s focus is on immature males, and turning them into mature men.

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Current Location: laying bricks

One example of how modern people misunderstand myths is Dr. Jordan Peterson, psychologist and lifestyle guru. Unconsciously, he sees myths in terms of Western industrial culture, which is awash in monotheistic thought. That is myths are universal in themes or archetypes. (Note 1.) For Peterson, that means every culture has “The Great Mother (the unknown),” “The Great Father (the known),” and “The Divine Son (the knower).” (Note 2.)

Peterson, in his book, “Maps of Meaning (1999),” lays out this metaphysics. To Peterson, every myth is a map of meaning which guides people on how to act. Each story builds on what has been learned before. Therefore, religious beliefs are codified and refined over time.

According to Peterson, myths are the intermediaries between what and knowing how. They help people to move from unconscious actions to conscious understanding. The mythic imagination asks three questions: “what is,” “what should be,” and “how should we therefore act.” Answers to these questions form the basis of morality as well as philosophy.

However, the universality of myths is based on longstanding Christian thought. (Note 3.) Immersed in monotheistic cultures, many people assume that everyone shares the same beliefs such as one Supreme God. (All other Gods are really aspects of this One God.) Also, in every culture, the Mythic Redeemer saves his people from sin.

However, the Chinese do not have a tradition of the Heroic Son. Meanwhile, Roman mythology differs from the Greek, although people are taught that Roman Gods are Greek Gods with Latin names. The Romans have the two-headed God Janus, who guards thresholds. Instead of creation myths, they speak of the founding of the City of Rome.

As do other Christians, Peterson believes that myths (i.e. religion) are the source of morality. This is not the case. The Roman based their Public and Private Virtues on promoting good relations between the community, the Gods, and the family. Confucius stressed family and social harmony. The Greek Sallustius in his treatise (“On the Gods and the World”) said that virtue and vice depend on the Soul. He explained “When we are good, we are joined to the Gods by our likeness to Them, and when bad, we are separated from them by our unlikeness.”

Peterson does realize that modern people have no use for mythology, which is why he wrote “Maps of Meaning.” He laments “We have lost the mythic universe of the pre-experimental mind or have at least ceased to further its development. That loss has left our increased technological power more dangerously at the mercy of our still unconscious systems of valuation.”

Notes:

Note 1. Peterson relies on Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell for his concepts about myths. Campbell built on Jung’s archetypes and the Great Unconscious. He believed that myths tell of “the oneness of all things and that all things are truly one.” Both promoted the idea of the Monomyth – there is one great story with cultural variations.

Note 2. These terms are from Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey.” The Hero receives the call to leave the Known and travels through the Unknown. He returns as the Knower.

Note 3. I know several Evangelical Christians who are trying to map Norse myths with the Bible. Other Christians are claiming that the myths of Mesopotamia and the Bible are exactly the same, instead of simply overlapping.

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Current Location: watching the rain

I am planning to write a series of posts over the year on myths and how modern people regard them.

In the 4th Century, Sallustius wrote one of the oldest known treatises on the Gods – called “On the Gods and the World.” According to Sallustius, myths were divine since they represent the Gods (Themselves) and their activities. He wrote “That myths are divine can be seen from those who have used them… But Why the myths are divine is the duty of philosophy to inquire.”

Sallustius asserts that the meaning of myths may not be apparent to everyone. Although the Gods do give commonsense to everyone, not all use it. “To teach the whole truth about the Gods to all produces contempt in the foolish and the lack of zeal in the good.” He explains that hiding the truth compels people to ponder it. Therefore, myths have revealed (clear) and unrevealed (hidden) aspects of the Gods. Sallustius does assure everyone that “the soul may immediately feel that words are veils to the truth which is a mystery.”

In his treatise, Sallustius divided myths into five categories. Theological myths speculate on the essences of the Gods. (These myths interest only philosophers.) Psychic ones discuss the Soul, while physical myths tell of the activities of the Gods in the world. (Both psychic and physical myths are for poets.) Material myths concern the archetypes of the Gods such as Apollo as the Sun (however the Gods are never archetypes). Mixed myths, the most common, aim at unifying the humans with the Cosmos and the Gods.

In contrast, people raised in industrial societies of the modern age have different ideas. They have many problematic assumptions of myths in general. For example, traditional myths today are regarded as stories to entertain. In contrast, history, which supposes what did happen, is the truth. Actually, history is selective in remembering certain events and deliberately forgetting others. In the minds of modern people, myths and histories have become fused to create a particular vision of reality. One example of this is the myth of progress, which is regarded by many people to be fact.

Moreover, time and memory are regarded differently. The Ancient Greeks viewed time as a block – past is future and future is past. Therefore, divination is prescience since it dips into the time stream. Modern people, in contrast, see time as an upward arrow – past is past, and future is future. Oral tradition is faulty, whereas the written word is true. The Greeks believed that the written word was suspect since the writer could change the myth. For them, oral tradition what was faithful to the truth.

—

Read a version here: https://hermetic.com/texts/on_the_gods-1

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The Astrologist Tom Jacobs in his book, “Lilith: Healing the Wild” explores how a modern person can respond to the Lilith myth. (Note 1.) The title of book implies that Lilith represents that part of modern people which needs to be healed. By accepting Lilith back into their lives, they can experience their wildness more fully. Jacob’s goal in writing his book is to “transmute anger into proactive, constructive, activity to become willing to introduce the natural, wild, feminine into our daily lives.”

The story of Lilith is briefly as follows. God creates Adam and Lilith to keep each other company. Later Adam decides that Lilith should be subordinate to him. She refuses, and tells him that they are equals. However, neither of the two will relent in their stated positions. Frustrated, Lilith pronounces the Name of God, and flies off to the Red Sea beyond God’s domain. (Note 2.)

Enraged Adam tells God that Lilith has run off. God sends three angels to bring her back to Eden. When they find her, the angels tell Lilith that she must return or else. If she does not, each day, one hundred of her children will die. (Note 3.)

Shocked, Lilith tells the angels that God has appointed her to watch over children. Neither God nor Lilith will budge in their demands. Seeking revenge, Lilith tells the angels that she will kill Adam’s children and exploit men. Finally, the angels agree that any child who is wearing a talisman will not be killed by Lilith. Meanwhile, she becomes a demon who kills babies.

Jacobs breaks the myth into points to ponder for a modern person:

1. Asserting equality. Lilith tells Adam that they are equal, since she has the right to exist just as she is.

2. Meeting attempts to dominate. Lilith remains steadfast against Adam. She acknowledges the reality that she faces with Adam’s attempts to change her.

3. Flight. Lilith uses her power to leave by pronouncing God’s Name. She goes beyond God’s jurisdiction into the unknown. For Lilith, leaving is an act of health.

4. Separation. By leaving the only the home that she has ever known, Lilith becomes traumatized. (Jacobs says that this part of the myth is rarely explained.)

5. Rage. Lilith feels betrayed by God for forcing her to choose between returning or having her children be killed. She meets God’s violence with her own.

Jacobs decided resolve Lilith’s rage and restore her to wholeness. He continues the original myth from the “rage” point. By rewriting the original myth, Jacobs encourages modern people to accept their “natural wildness.”

6. Grieving and mourning. The loss of her home and her children bring unimaginable grief to Lilith. Coupled with the pain of God’s betrayal, her process of mourning is overwhelming.

7. Accepting responsibility. Lilith has to take responsibility for her part of what occurred. She chose to kill children. If Lilith does not accept responsibility, she will remain disempowered.

8. Recommitting to what is important. Lilith needs to be clear to what is truly important to her.

Using compassion, she allows her wildness to flourish constructively.

I present Jacobs’ ideas as how modern people approach a difficult myth. Rewriting is one way of delving into the myth. It does allow the person into the mythic landscape. However, myths in general tend to be rewritten to reflect modern sensibilities. This is why Jacobs felt the need to continue the Lilith myth to a satisfying end for his readers.

Notes:

Note 1. Jacobs believes that he channeled a being who is said to be a child of Lilith.

Note 2. A version can be found here. Lilith - History, Stories & Interpretations of The First Woman | Mythology.net https://mythology.net/demons/lilith/

Note 3. These are the children that she had with the beings who lived around the Red Sea.

Resources:

Lady Haight Ashton, “Pagan Portals: The First Sisters: Lilith and Eve.”

Tom Jacobs, “Lilith: Healing the Wild.”

Lilith is a difficult Goddess to understand. What is known about Her comes from dubious Jewish lore. She emerged fully formed as the Mother of Demons in Medieval Times, and then She received a makeover in modern times. The Goddess Religions want to see Lilith in a positive light as the first proto-feminist. Now this Goddess has bizarrely contradictory attributes, which confuses me.

“The Alpha-Beta of Ben Sira” (Pseudo-Ben Sira, 9th Century) is the problematic source for Lilith. According to it, Lilith was Adam’s first wife. In the first creation (Note 1), Yahweh created male and female, at the same time, from the earth. As the equal of Adam, Lilith refused to be dominated by him. Fleeing her husband, she “pronounced the Ineffable Name (of Yahweh) and flew away into the air.” Lilith went to the Red Sea, the dwelling place of demons.

Adam complained to Yahweh about Lilith abandoning him. The God sent three angels to convince her to come back. Since Lilith knew the hidden name of Yahweh, He could not compel her to return. When the three angels threatened to kill her demon children, Lilith countered with preying on newborns. After that, Yahweh, the angels and Lilith came to an odd pact. She could continue to kill babies unless they wore an amulet with the names of the three angels. However, Lilith had to endure with death of a hundred of her own children each day. (This was to explain why newborns die unexpectedly.)

“The Zohar,” compiled by Moses de Leon (1250-1305) (Note 2), called Lilith “a temptress of innocent men, breeder of evil spirits and carrier of disease.” As the Queen of the Demons, She was the succubus who attacked men in their sleep. Because Lilith drove men’s lust, the Shekhinah (the Female Part of Yahweh) went into exile.

In “A Treatise on the Left Emanation” by Rabbi Isaac ben Jacob ha-Kohen (the 13th century), Lilith is paired with Samael (Satan). Writing about evil, Rabbi Isaac said that Samael and Lilith were twins, created by Yahweh. Samael, regarded as The Angel of Death, became the “Great Demon,” and Lilith his partner in evil.

The Goddess Religions have reclaimed Lilith as the first pro-feminist. The Dark Goddess Lilith is their Patroness of Witches. She teaches women to embrace their sexuality and live according to their own rules. Some see Lilith representing “the power, politics and psychology of sex.” To stand up to the patriarchy, She sacrifices her children daily.

Polytheist theologians discuss whether the Gods can be differentiated or do their aspects refer to one being? For example, Anubis of Egypt, in the early dynasties, can be regarded to be a different God than Anubis of Cleopatra’s time. However, Anubis could also be the same God with more attributes.

According to Raven Kaldera, a shaman of Northern-Tradition Paganism, Gods have “horizontal” and “vertical” aspects. (Note 3) “Vertical” aspects range from a personal experience to a diffuse unknowable presence. “Horizontal” aspects entail the attributes of the Gods such as Jupiter being both the God of Thunder and the God of Government.

I have unanswered questions about Lilith. Are there more than one Goddess? Is Lilith of the Middle Ages the same Goddess of the Goddess Religions? Could She be considered a “pop culture” God because the Goddess Religions rewrote the lore?

From what I can discern, Lilith is the Dark Aspect of the Divine Feminine in Jewish Monotheism. She is a counterpart to the Shekhinah. My theory is that once Monotheism defined that the Divine be only a single male Deity, the feminine aspects went underground. They have come out sideways as Lilith and the Shekhinah. (Note 4). The Goddess Religions which worship only the Divine Feminine has elevated Lilith to be an aspect of the Goddess.

Notes:

1. Genesis details two creations. It is believed that the lore tries to reconcile the two, with Eve being Adam’s second wife. Made from his rib, she is subordinate to him.

2. “The Zohar” is a fundamental work of Kabbalism (Jewish mysticism).

3. Kaldera, Raven, “Dealing with Deities.” Hubbardston (MA): Asphodel Press. 2012.

4. The Dark Aspect of the Divine Masculine came out as Samael (Satan).

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Current Location: on earth

Many ancient myths are viewed through the lens of modern sensibilities. Because most people regard myths as a tool of social instruction, they consider the old myths to be outdated. Greek myths are deconstructed to show how Hera was deposed by Zeus or Proserpina by Hades. Then, these myths are rewritten with the female Gods restored to their “rightful places.” (The underlying religious philosophy of an old myth is usually ignored or misinterpreted.)

I put “rightful places” in scare quotes since the people revising the Greek myths believe that the Patriarchy overthrew the Matriarchy. For example, the Jewish myth of Lilith, they say, is really about enforcing the Patriarchy at the expense of women. This myth supposedly shows the stages of the disempowerment of women by men. The Goddess was defeated when Lilith choose to become a demon instead of returning to Adam. The Goddess followers seek to redress those wrongs. In their retelling of this myth, Lilith reclaims her power. Now not only is the former Matriarchy reasserted, but the existing Patriarchy is overthrown.

Because Western culture is monophasic, the concept of a myth creating a new reality is alien to many. Monophasic perception regards reality to be only waking thought. Furthermore, rational thought demands that everything has to make sense. “Trust the science” is the motto of monophasic cultures.

Meanwhile in polyphasic cultures, people access new perceptions through dreams, imagination, meditation, and trance. Because these forms act as portals to other worlds and dimensions, they fill in the gaps of the waking experience. In polyphasic cultures, “Dreamtime” can be world building.

Myths can be considered world building as well, for they connect directly with the sacred. In a myth, the creation between the conscious and the unconscious takes on a new creative energy. This becomes a new cosmos. However, the temporal relationship between the mythic and human worlds is complex. Mythic time runs differently than does human time and can fracture human reality. In fact, a person can move in and out of various realities without knowing it.

Therefore, the modern revisions of myths do create new worlds. By doing so, they have changed the axis mundi of the original myths, and reordered previously held perceptions. The axes are flipped with the vertical now the human world and the horizontal the Goddess (or Gods). This reorientation of sacred space requires further consideration, since it changes the values attached to different spaces. (Such as what are mountains now in the mythic landscape?) Moreover, the relations between the macro and microcosmos has shifted.

Current Mood: restless
Current Location: dancing on the net of Indra

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MAGICAL CAULDRONS AND TEAKETTLES
THE OTHERS: FOMORIANS (FOMORI) OF IRELAND
EXAMINING MYTHS: JANET RUDOLPH, “ONE GODS”
ONE GODS: THE MYSTIC PAGAN’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE
THE CALENDAR AS A CATECHISM FOR POLYTHEISM
RETELLING OF THE MYTH OF ROMULUS AND REMUS FOR MODERN PEOPLE
MODERNS AND MYTHS: “GENESIS, ZEN AND QUANTUM PHYSICS”
MODERNS AND MYTHOLOGY: THE UFO GODS
MYTHOLOGY AND MODERNS: PAUL WALLIS AND “ESCAPING FROM EDEN”
MYTHS AND MODERNITY: JORDAN PETERSON AND THE ENUMA ELISH
MODERNITY AND MYTHS: JORDAN PETERSON AND “MAPS OF MEANING”
MODERNITY AND MYTHS: INTRODUCTION
A Modern Interpretation of the Lilith Myth
Lilith: The Goddess of Demons
REVISING MYTHS: BEGINNING THOUGHTS

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MAGICAL CAULDRONS AND TEAKETTLES

THE OTHERS: FOMORIANS (FOMORI) OF IRELAND

EXAMINING MYTHS: JANET RUDOLPH, “ONE GODS”

ONE GODS: THE MYSTIC PAGAN’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

THE CALENDAR AS A CATECHISM FOR POLYTHEISM

RETELLING OF THE MYTH OF ROMULUS AND REMUS FOR MODERN PEOPLE

MODERNS AND MYTHS: “GENESIS, ZEN AND QUANTUM PHYSICS”

MODERNS AND MYTHOLOGY: THE UFO GODS

MYTHOLOGY AND MODERNS: PAUL WALLIS AND “ESCAPING FROM EDEN”

MYTHS AND MODERNITY: JORDAN PETERSON AND THE ENUMA ELISH

MODERNITY AND MYTHS: JORDAN PETERSON AND “MAPS OF MEANING”

MODERNITY AND MYTHS: INTRODUCTION

A Modern Interpretation of the Lilith Myth

Lilith: The Goddess of Demons

REVISING MYTHS: BEGINNING THOUGHTS

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May 2025

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