The origin of the Lilith story comes from the Talmudic
commentary on the verse in Genesis 1:27 ...male and female
he created
them... Various explanations of this are put forth in
different midrashim. One was that until Eve was created,
Adam was a
hermaphrodite. (which is why the Hebrew word for face,
panim, is plural in form). The relevant story, however, is
that of
Lilith, Adamís first wife. She refused to have sex with
Adam because he insisted on being on top, and finally used
the power of
the Tetragrammaton [1] (the proper pronunciation of the
Lordís holy name) to fly out of the Garden of Eden.
Meanwhile, Eve
was created from Adamís rib as a more submissive wife who
would stay on the bottom during sex.
When Lilith landed, it was on the shores of the Red Sea. It
was here that she met with the demons' beings who were
souls left over from creation. They were also all male and
perfectly willing to be on the bottom, so they made Lilith
their queen.
Her husband is named Asmodeus in some folk tales. There are
other folk tales which name her son as well.
According to legend Lilith haunts the wilds and deserted
cities. She is mentioned somewhere in the Wisdom books, I
forget where. Proverbs, I think [2]. Traditionally she'ís
associated with dangers to pregnant women and small
children and their
are traditions associated with specially inscribed coins
which are meant to protect against her.
This is all from memory, so Iím sure there are a few
omissions and/or inaccuracies in it. The Readerís
Encyclopedia has
a short article giving some of the details above. Also
worth checking out are Howard Schwartzís collections of
Jewish folktales,
particularly "Lilithís Cave".