Lilith: Yahudi Mitolojisinde Ana Tanrıça'nın Düşüş ve Şeytana Dönüşüm Serüveni
LILITH: ADVENTURE OF MOTHER GODDESS’ FALL AND TRANSFORMATION INTO A DEMON IN JEWISH MYTHOLOGY
Yazar: Çınar, Aynur
Dergi: Bilimname, Vol. 2018 No. 35, 2018
Anahtar kelimeler: Mother Goddess,Demon,Snake,Evil,Sexuality,Infanticide,Adam’s first wife ; Ana Tanrıça,Şeytan,Yılan,Kötülük,Cinsellik,Bebek katili,Âdem’in İlk Karısı,Dinler Tarihi

Lilithkelimesinin, Sümer kökenli olan ve “hava, rüzgâr” anlamına gelen líl’dentürediği, bu dilden de Akkadçaya lilītu olarak geçtiği kabul edilir. Lilithmiti, lilitu, Lamaştu ve lilith olarak Mezopotamya’dan Suriye-Filistinbölgesine kadar tüm Levant’a yayılmıştır. Babil’de rüzgârın yıkıcılığına veşehvete hükmeden dişil bir ruh hatta Fırtına Tanrıçası olan lilītu; ataerkilzihniyetin gittikçe yerleşmesiyle, cazibesiyle geceleri erkekleri tuzağadüşüren ve bebekleri öldüren şeytani bir karaktere dönüşmüştür. Buözellikleriyle Lilith Yahudi mitolojisine geçmiş ve kısır ve seksualiteye sahipen büyük dişi şeytan olarak kötülüğün zirvesine oturmuştur. Ayrıca Lilith’eYeşaya 34:14’deki atıf sebebiyle o, Yahudi şeytan araştırmalarında kilit isimolmuştur. Bu sebeple Yahudi tarih ve literatüründe başta Âdem’in Havva’danönceki ilk eşi olmak üzere İsmâil’in torunu Naama ve Saba Melikesi gibi pek çokkötü kadınla özdeşleştirilmiş ve Eril Tek Tanrı karşısındaki en büyük dişidüşman olarak kabul edilmiştir. Bu çalışmada Lilith’in etimolojisinden vemitolojideki özelliklerinden yola çıkarak, Yahudi mitolojisi ve mistisizminde şeytaniLilith’in genel nitelikleri ortaya konulmuş ve Yahudiliğin “kötülük” profiliyakalanmaya çalışılmıştır.

It has been considered that Lilith derived fromSumerian language origin ‘líl’ means “air, wind”, and was transferred toAkkadian language as lilītu. Lilith name is firstly encountered in Epic ofGılgamesh as a wrapped snake around Huluppu Tree of The Great Mother GoddessInanna. As is seen in this epic, in early ancient times, Lilith is a femaledemon in snake form. Therefore, she has been identified with Lamashtu and Lamiawhich are snake forms in most cultures of Mesopotamia and Levant. It has beenknown that both are infanticides. Because of this identification Lilith hasbeen described as “infanticide” until today. On the other hand, in the ancient times, Lilith hasnot accepted only as a demon. Her position in the eye of community alwaysstraddled the line between godlikeness and wickedness. Because in the period ofSumerian-Babylonian, in which Inanna (Ishtar) is glorified by name “Queen ofHeavens and Earth”, the belief predominated that the Goddess is a resource ofall kinds of beauties and abundance as well as warfare and destruction. Bymeans of this high prestige of the Goddess, it has been known that the religionof the Goddess had emancipated to women especially in her capital Uruk and inmost city-states. More particularly the women who are called Kadishtu, means “sinless, stainless andlily”, had monopolized agricultural economics, services of the temple of theGoddess and scholarly traditions. This position exhibits the superior socialstatus which could be bestowed on a woman in those times. In this period,Lilith has continued her demonic character. On the other side, she has beenidentified with Inanna (Ishtar) and she has symbolized the harlotry of thetemple. On that secondary sense Lilith has become to represent the negativesides of the Goddess with her characteristics such as sexuality, aggression andmisandry. The fact that Lilith has begun to represent the negative sides of theGoddess has enabled the belief that the Goddess is baleful. Thus, the Goddesshad become the focus of vulgarity, combativeness, immorality and all evils. Forthis reason, Inanna/Ishtar had been narrated as an aggressive goddess in mythsmore often.When Jahwism-Judaism began to settle in Levant regionin terms of politics and religion, Lilith who had identified the religion ofGoddess and demonic characters, has become the villain in the battle of Judaismagainst the religion of Goddess. She crossed into Jewish mythology with all hercharacteristics and here she has reached the peak of evil as the most dangerousfeminine demon with her infertile and salacious character. First and onlyreference to Lilith in Hebrew Bible is in Isaiah 34:14. Her adventure in Jewishmythology has started with this reference. In this pasuk, Lilith has beenmentioned as a metaphor of God’s wrath to people of Edom which is the greatestenemy of Israel. Accordingly, Lilith, the Virgin of ruins and wild lands, hasbeen described as an enormous pain which would take Edom to the age of chaosbefore genesis. In this passage, she is a symbol of terror which the Holy OneYHWH spreads to the polytheist people. In a sense, non-believers suffered thewrath of God through her. In the Rabbinic period, the scholars accepted the mythof Lilith as it was in the ancient period and adopted it to the Jewish culture.They portrayed Lilith as a dangerous feminine devil who seduces men and causeswomen to suffer a miscarriage. In the Midrashic literature she has beenreferred as the reason of all evil factors in the history of humanity andJudaism. In accordance with this belief, in the stories of people of Edom inHebrew Bible where they suffer fatalities, Lilith has been adapted to Esau andhis devil Samael. In this new picture, she is the harlot wife of Samael and thefeminine devil of Esau’s lineage and people of Edom which stands againstChildren of Israel.In the late Midrashic period, the origin of Lilith hasbeen traced all the way back to genesis. This once, Lilith is described as thefirst wife of Adam, who dissuaded Eve and caused to be expelled from the gardenof Eden. By this interpretation, Jewish scholars not only have tried to clarifythe paradoxical and ambiguous pasuks in Genesis, but also they have reshapedthe fall of humanity. Also, they have strengthened the religious basis ofpatriarchal Jewish mentality.Today, the character of Lilith is influential onfeminist Jewish women. Jewish women, who are alienated from the religious andsocial arena because of patriarchal religious Jewish idea, leap in action bymeans of feminist ideas. While some of them deny the religion and Holy Bible,others try to reconcile between feminist ideas and Holy Bible and pave the wayfor reinterpreting the religion. Particularly, for the latter, Lilith is animportant symbol. She is the voice of challenging the male-dominated life styleand the pioneer of the philosophical questioning.