You always hear of "Adam and Eve" together in one breath. Always as a pair. But have you ever heard of Lilet?Ancient Israelite scriptures describe God's creation of "man and woman", as in together. Later on it talks about the creation of Eve from Adam's ribs, as in after Adam was created. You then have to wonder, was there a woman before Eve, at the original moment of creation?
The ancient Israelites believed so. They called her Lilet. Here is how the story goes:
Lilet was Adam's first wife. Unlike Eve, she was defiant, inobedient. She argued with Adam and refused to comply to his will. Eventually she left him, ascended the sky out of the Garden of Eden, and joined the realm of demons.
Lilet became a horrible demoness. She descends in the still of the night, and steals babies in their sleep. The ancients believed that's why babies sometimes die suddenly in their sleep. They made amulets to protect their children, that read "Lilet abii" which is Hebrew for "Lilet be gone". They'd also sing to their children "Lilet abii" as they fell asleep.
In the context of singing children to sleep, doesn't "Lilet abii" sound very familiar? You guessed it! That's where the word "lullaby" comes from.
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