You know, I'd much rather have come from an Elm tree than some bloke's rib. Who wants to be spare parts?

(Reply) (Thread)

Particularly when a (possibly 12thC) story has the first wife being equal, but Eve being made from a rib so as to be lesser than Adam and subservient.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Yeah, nothing like being an afterthought and created *FOR* Adam and being ranked down there with the animals.

Still, at least we're officially allowed souls, so it's not *all* bad ;p

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Well, yeah. But that had to have a big meeting about it to decide whether you did. And it wasn't unanimous.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Well, considering all the evils in the world are mostly our fault you can hardly blame them! We should be grateful they condescended to allow us that much...

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

I feel vaguely obligated to point out that the Alphabet of Ben-Sirah was a satirical text, rather than a mythological one. Some have argued that it draws on pre-existing folk myth, though, and that's certainly possible.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

It's one of the things I've been meaning to investigate further, because I've come across a lot of people claiming the basic story is older, but never seen any evidence.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

You talking about Lilith?

Because she has been linked with ki-sikil-lil-la-ke - who was in Gilgamesh and so pre-dates the whole Adam and Eve nonsense by quite a long time.

And the first Judaic litearture mention of her was in about the 6th century BCE.



So - a long time ago

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

The character is certainly older, whatever she originally was (night spirit, storm spirit, whatever). It's her place as Adam's first wife that's a later story, not her name. (Although some pretty reliable sources keep saying that this tale is older than currently thought).

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Adam and Eve and Pinch-Me went down the river to bathe... a tale older than time.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Ah, that would be the story of Lillith, who is still maintained in the Hebrew tradition and occasionally in Catholic demonologist texts as the "Night Hag", a vile creature much like a succubus who causes men to go sterile and has been known to carry away male infants.

As the story goes, she "flew away into the night" after she refused to lie beneath Adam, later becoming a demon, and in some accounts the consort of Satan and mother of demons. Personally, I think that's a harsh historical treatment when the gal just didn't want to get down in boring old missionary position. I'm waiting for the modern rewrite wherein Lillith gets to be portrayed as the first feminist and Adam gets written up as the world's first chauvanist/lousy lay.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Tree or a monkey - still better then some blokes rib :s

Plus you can't go wrong with giant cows!

(Reply) (Thread)

Well, it's obvious, innit?

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Now you've pointed it out I don't see how I ever thought otherwise - now if only I can explain the giant tortoise...

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

I know that I'm decended from a tree... I've got a nasty case of Dutch Elm Disease at the moment!

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Ohh you'll want to get some cream on that - clotted is always good...

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

Now THAT is brilliant. I should print it and tape it to my office door.

(Reply) (Thread)

I am so linking this. And you're a genius for posting this.

(Reply) (Thread)

Well, ian_wyrdness found it. But I guessed there were people on my flist who'd appreciate it :) I think it's so good, I'll be linking it for future reference...

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)