Claim: Lilith translates to "screech owl."

Lilith -LRB- -LSB- ˈlɪlɪθ -RSB- לִילִית Lîlîṯ -RRB- is a figure in Jewish mythology , developed earliest in the Babylonian Talmud -LRB- 3rd to 5th centuries -RRB- . The character is generally thought to derive in part from a historically far earlier class of female demons -LRB- lilītu -RRB- in ancient Mesopotamian religion , found in cuneiform texts of Sumer , the Akkadian Empire , Assyria , and Babylonia .   Evidence in later Jewish materials is plentiful , but little information has survived relating to the original Sumerian , Akkadian , Assyrian and Babylonian view of these demons . While the connection is almost universally agreed upon , recent scholarship has disputed the relevance of two sources previously used to connect the Jewish lilith to an Akkadian lilītu -- the Gilgamesh appendix and the Arslan Tash amulets . -LRB- See below for discussion of the two problematic sources . -RRB-   In Hebrew-language texts , the term lilith or lilit -LRB- translated as `` night creatures '' , `` night monster '' , `` night hag '' , or `` screech owl '' -RRB- first occurs in a list of animals in Isaiah 34:14 , either in singular or plural form according to variations in the earliest manuscripts . In the Dead Sea Scrolls 4Q510-511 , the term first occurs in a list of monsters . In Jewish magical inscriptions on bowls and amulets from the 6th century CE onwards , Lilith is identified as a female demon and the first visual depictions appear .   In Jewish folklore , from the satirical book Alphabet of Sirach -LRB- ca. 700 -- 1000 -RRB- onwards , Lilith appears as Adam 's first wife , who was created at the same time -LRB- Rosh Hashanah -RRB- and from the same dirt as Adam -- compare Genesis 1:27 . -LRB- This contrasts with Eve , who was created from one of Adam 's ribs : Genesis 2:22 -RRB- The legend developed extensively during the Middle Ages , in the tradition of Aggadah , the Zohar , and Jewish mysticism . For example , in the 13th-century writings of Isaac ben Jacob ha-Cohen , Lilith left Adam after she refused to become subservient to him and then would not return to the Garden of Eden after she had coupled with the archangel Samael .   The resulting Lilith legend continues to serve as source material in modern Western culture , literature , occultism , fantasy , and horror .