Ancient Psychedelia: Alien Gods & Mushroom Goddesses
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| Lilith, the First Wife of Adam Daughter of An, and also a demoness, was the goddess Lamashtu (Akkad) or Dimme (Sumerian) (14c). She was responsible for miscarriages or stealing babies before birth, and she brought nightmares, disease and sickness. She was portrayed as having either a bird or a lion’s head, kneeling on an ass, and holding a double-headed serpent in each hand while a dog or pig suckled at her breast. (64) It’s possible that Lamashtu was the same as Lilith, however I’m not completely sure. It’s possible that similar traits can be carried over and transferred to another deity without the deity having any real substantial relation to each other. It certainly appears that she was one of the Lillu (65) and her appearance on artifacts is related to both Abraxas and Scylla, who is further likened to Medusa, a gorgon, as well as Melusine.   (14c) Lamashtu Plaque c. 700 BC The name “Lillith” means “screech owl.” In Isaiah we read: “The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.” (Isaiah 34:14, KJV) The creature’s Hebrew name is (Liyliyth) or “Lilith.” The KJV translators most likely followed Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra (1089--1164) who interpreted this word as meaning “the screech owl.” (66) If this is the correct interpretation then she falls into synch with the vulture goddess and the Greek moirai (fates) or the Keres. (67) Some of the earliest ideas and tradition regarding incubi and succubi appear in the Sumerian King List where it is mentioned that Gilgamesh’s father was one of the Lillu. The lillu were regarded to be the erotic class of dark entities that would seduce people in their sleep and often times impregnate them if it was an incubus. If it was a succubus, she was there to steal the male’s seed and virility. (68) In modern times, we tend to term these encounters “wet dreams” when it happens to men and we don’t really think much of entities causing them. Many times, we may remember a person from the dream that turned us on and stimulated our sexual awareness or energy. An adolescent experiencing this for the first time might find it disturbing if it was not understood or explained to them. In modern times, some adults even claim this is being done to them by supernatural forces. If we speculate on magic and history, it might do good to consider that both situations may have contributed to this belief and/or superstition. (69) |
The most well-known succubus female was Lilith, who rose in prominence during the Talmudic period of the 2nd to 5th century AD, eventually reaching the status of God’s consort or wife. This is also the same time period that Mary was elevated within the Catholic Church to the status of Mother of God. According to Bruno Meissner, these were originally storm-demons which became night demons through etymological error. (70) Lilith’s first mention was in Sumer in the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Huluppu Tree (2000 BC). Let’s revisit parts of the text to find out more about Lilith, and who she was in her original role. This excerpt is from the Story of Gilgamesh: “When the Sky God, An, had carried off the heavens, And the Air God, Enlil, had carried off the earth, When the Queen of the Great Below, Ereshkigal, was given the underworld for her domain,….. Enki, the God of Wisdom, set sail for the underworld…. At that time, a tree, a single tree, a huluppu-tree [1] Was planted by the banks of the Euphrates. The tree was nurtured by the waters of the Euphrates. The whirling South Wind arose, pulling at its roots And, ripping at its branches Until the waters of the Euphrates carried it away…. Inanna cared for the tree with her hand. She settled the earth around the tree with her foot…. The years passed; five years, and then ten years. The tree grew thick, But, its bark did not split. Then the serpent who could not be charmed made its nest in the roots of the huluppu-tree. The Anzu-bird [2] set its young in the branches of the tree. And the dark maid Lilith built her home in the trunk….” At this point Gilgamesh respond’s to Inanna’s call for help. “…He entered Inanna's holy garden. Gilgamesh struck the serpent who could not be charmed. The Anzu-bird flew with his young to the mountains; And Lilith smashed her home and fled to the wild, uninhabited places….” (71) (64) https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lamashtu (65) Wake of the Goddess, p. 78 (66) Rabbi A. J. Rosenberg, Isaiah: A New English Translation, Vol. 2, (The Judaica Press Inc.: New York, 1989), p. 281). (http://www.kjvtoday.com/home/is-the-creature-in-isaiah-3414-a-screech-owl (67) Language of the Goddess, p. 194 (68) Thorkild Jacobsen, The Sumerian King List, Chicago, 1939, p. 18, n. 37, and p. 90, n. 131 (69) Hebrew Goddess, p. 221-22 (70) Bruno Meissner, Babylonien und Assyrien, Heidelberg, 1925, ii. 201 (71)http://jewishchristianlit.com/Texts/ ANEmyths/gilgamesh12.html |
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