The Lilith myth is a story that originated in ancient Mesopotamia and has been reinterpreted in various ways over time by different cultures and religions. In Jewish folklore, Lilith is depicted as the first wife of Adam in the Garden of Eden who refused to submit to his authority and left him to consort with demons.
According to the story, Lilith was created from the same dust as Adam but was not made from his rib like Eve. She was seen as an independent and equal partner to Adam, rather than a subordinate. However, when Adam demanded that she lie beneath him during sex, Lilith refused, stating that they were both created equal and should lie side by side. Adam insisted on his dominance, and Lilith fled the Garden of Eden.
After leaving the Garden, Lilith became a symbol of disobedience and sexual temptation and was often blamed for male nocturnal emissions and infant deaths. In some traditions, she was also said to be the mother of all demons and was associated with witchcraft and the occult.
The name Lilit(h) is very popular in Armenia for daughters, and I was curious about why parents named their kids with a name that has such negative connotations in mainstream history. Were there any feminists reclaiming the name or wishing to raise empowered and independent kids? To explore this, in 2018, I interviewed over 30 Lilits to hear their name stories.
I never thought of that issue, but I think the intention of making or describing women as weak persons, showing them not like a separate creature but a part of a man, came after Christianity because before Christianity there were war goddesses in different mythologies.
I am the third child in my family, the third girl, I would say the last chance and disappointment in teasing my father because everyone expected a baby boy after 2 girls. The prerogative of naming my 2 sisters was given to my grandpa and dad, luckily their enthusiasm for naming girls ended with me and the chance to choose a name was given to my mom. Maybe in your research, you would like to collect more interesting and maybe some romantic stories, but the fact is that my mom named me Lilit just because at the time she was reading a story by an Armenian writer that is based on the Jewish myth about Lilit and she liked the name.
Lilit S.
Every name has its faith. The faith and the power are connected with the name. When I change my name, my faith has changed.
Lilit M.
Installation view @Kunstraum Berlin
Taken by Felicitas Schwägerl AKA Fee
Installation view @Kunstraum Berlin
Taken by Felicitas Schwägerl AKA Fee