Thursday, June 19, 2008

Adam's Three Wives

Based off the Biblical account of Adam and Eve, the tale of “Adam’s Three Wives” is an old aggadahic story designed to expand upon and explain the myths and stories of scripture. In this case, the legend of “Adam's Three Wives” arose as an attempt to explain why we read in Genesis 1:27 about Yahweh (יהוה) creating “Adam in His image…male and female He created them” and then later in Genesis 2 find a second account concerning the creation of a (apparently) second woman called Eve.

The explanation eventually reached was that Adam had had more than one wife. The woman from Genesis 1 would come to be identified as Adam’s first wife Lilith; formally a Canaanite demoness who managed to make a cameo in the book of Isaiah 34:14. Later the Midrash would add a third wife to the mix in an attempt to explain why Adam needed to be put to sleep before Yahweh could create Eve.

The best known version of the tale of Adam and Lilith comes from the 7th to 10th-Century text called the Alphabet of Ben Sira, though there are several variants. The tale of Adam’s third wife comes from the Midrash. The best known version of the story of Adam and Eve comes from, of course, the Bible’s book of Genesis, though those interested in variants should consult the 2nd-Century B.C. apocryphal Life of Adam and Eve. The following version is my own retelling…

“Adam’s Three Wives”

In the beginning, Yahweh created Adam. The first Adam was a hermaphrodite, an androgynous giant, simultaneously male and female. Equipped with four arms, four legs, two heads, two sets of sexual organs, and two bodies joined back to back. But this arrangement made conversation awkward and locomotion next to impossible. So Yahweh decided to separate Adam into two beings. One male, one female. Adam and Lilith.

Lilith was Adam's first wife. She was not only beautiful, with long black hair, but also powerful and intelligent. She was, after all, Adam’s equal. A mirror image of what he was. All was fine between Adam and Lilith until the issue of sex came about. Lilith insisted on being on top, a position of equality, or perhaps even superiority. When Adam refused this arrangement, not wishing to be ‘below’ to his wife, Lilith left.

She headed west towards the Red Sea, and when she got there…the devil was waiting for her. He made her an offer to become his queen and she accepted, becoming the mother of the lilim, the incubi and succubi who have haunted the nights of the sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve ever since.

Meanwhile, Adam found himself alone. He complained to Yahweh who sent three angels – Senoy, Sansenoy and Semangelof – to retrieve Lilith. But when the three angels found her, and all her demon spawned children, and demanded that she return to Adam, Lilith simply laughed at them. Humiliated and thus powerless the three angels failed to convince Lilith to return to her former husband but as consolation promised Adam that should anyone pray to them or hang their amulet above the bed of a mother in labor that they would shield that person from the lilim.

It was then that Yahweh decided to create a second wife for Adam. This wife was made from Adam’s own body. Yahweh pulled a rib from Adam’s chest and formed it into a woman from the ground up; bones, muscle, sinew, blood, mucus, organs, skin, eyes, cartilage, hair, etc… all right in front of Adam. Now, having witnessing this process Adam was so terrified that he refused to go near his new wife, much less name her. Yahweh then saw the error made in creating the wife in front of Adam and did what He could for the woman and destroyed her, though there are those who claimed that she, like Lilith, was permitted to leave the garden though what became of her is a matter of speculation.

Finally Yahweh put Adam to sleep, took a rib from his side, and from it created Eve. Only when she was complete did Yahweh wake Adam and present his new bride to him. Adam saw her finished and perfect and submissive, and took her as his third and final wife. Adam and Eve then lived in the garden until the day that a serpent persuaded them to eat the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, an act which endowed them with the wisdom of the gods. Yahweh was then forced to banish Adam and Eve from Eden out of fear that they would next eat of the Tree of Life, and obtain immortality thus becoming truly divine.

So Adam and Eve left Eden and took refuge in a cave beneath the garden where they carved out a new life for themselves and the rest of humanity.

If you would like to know more about this story and others like it I recommend three excellent books by Jewish folklorist Howard Schwartz: Lilith's Cave: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural (1991), Reimagining the Bible: The Storytelling of the Rabbis (1998) and Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism (2004). Also for those interested in a graphic adaptation of this myth see Neil Gaiman's terrific The Sandman issue #40, also collected in The Sandman volume 6.

At Top: Adam, Lilith (in the tree), and Eve from the Notre Dame in Paris, c. 1210 C.E.
Center: The infamous Babylonian “Burney Relief”, ca. 1950 B.C., often identified as Lilith.

16 comments:

Mezcladora said...

Yes. You have the picture but do not mention in the story that Lilith herself comes back to the garden as the serpent, persuading Eve to eat from the tree.

Justin M... said...

Your right, in some versions of this story Lilith is the serpent who gets Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Knoweldge. However, I left this aspect out of my retelling of the story since it is not a uniform part of the myth. In some versions the serpent as the devil, in others as some kind of animal trickster figure like the serpent in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Scholar Reuven Kimelman in his excellent essay The Seduction of Eve and Feminist Readings of the Garden of Eden has also made the brilliant argument that a close reading of the original Hebrew could give one the impression that Eve is talking to no one other than herself!

Unknown said...

A good recognition of material. I am graduate student myself in religious studies. The story on Lilith varies from region to region and even text to text, depending on Sumerian, Kabbalah or Babylonian. It's a fascinating tale of demons and angels cavorting and the creation of the demons which plague man kind as well as explanations to the rituals used prior to the bris milah ceremony. Don't worry about whats-his-face, I agree the midrash is not a vague source, as you as an RS academic know it is highly reputable source for jewish belief and myth, and that is where one would go to recount the tale of Lilith as far as Judiasm goes. Good retelling and keep up the religious investigations.

Grailchaser said...

Its funny. I always figured that the accounts of Adam's other wives had more basis in antiquity. But they're invented by theologians between the 6th and 10th centuries AD, simply to solve a puzzling and inconvenient reference in Genesis. Just a little bit after the fact. Even the references in the Dead Sea Scrolls is too recent for my liking.

Unknown said...

What if someone lived that same story life like. Indeed the only person that would agree to the life like story onto a tell of comic would be that person. In my perception, Lilith was a homewrecker, and I agree that Adam and eve was put to sleep as if they were carving each other, but with there knowing of each other. Hello Lilith leaves then return when Adam has a mate and she wrecks it, homewrecker. I believe that Adam and eve knew of each other having some sort of divine communication with one another, and having that same communication as individual entities. Only the resurrection of Adam and eve would know that their Adam and eve, only they would claim who they are, and only their spiritual selves will direct them accordingly, hence why some are compelled to write these life like stories all in different part of our universe with one not knowing of the other and be very similar, whether its the bible, folklore, or any other type of text at least in this topic, like some sort divine map or awakening for those who are truly the ones are involved. Maybe I'm in deep thought, but those same stories are hitting to close to home... And for me the truth stays the same...

StevoR said...

Whoah! That's certainly a fascinating and wonderfully strange article here. Thanks. Something new I've learnt today.

Lilith comes across here as a real hero when you think about it with Adam and God pretty dumb and villanous.

Unknown said...

This is so awesome.
Im doing so much research. I know I felt and beleaved in The He She,and Now This Has Clerified Many Things To Mt.
I Know

Anonymous said...

I HAVE ALWAYS SAID THE BIBLE IS INCOMPLETE AND WHY HAVE THEY REMOVED SO MANY BOOKS FROM THE BIBLE AS WELL
THE BOOK OF ENOCH JASHA ETC ETC WILL FILL IN NEARLY ALL THE MISSING INFORMATION

pdug said...

well, this isn't you're retelling. its from Neil Gaimans Sandman.

Unknown said...

I’m looking for a book that I read back in school that had the main character being possessed by the soul of the unknown second wife. The book claimed that this legend actually had eve being the second wife and Adam asking God to show him how he made both him and Lilith, this happened while Eve was away. So God shows Adam and the third wife looks upon Adam seeking love and instead she is looked upon with disgust and is chased out of Eden and dies in the wilderness. Since then she has looked for women whom are much loved by their husband and tricks them into letting her have her way with them while in dreams, by doing so they allowed her to take control of them and she has them cheat on their husband to the point of where no man will ever love the woman the way that her husband once did. After ruining the woman’s life the third wife exits the woman, leaving her to find out that where once her husband loved for her heart and mind, she now has a reputation of a loose woman whom is for her body. The unknown wife’s soul, now having ruined the woman’s life, is in for another happily married woman to ruin what she never had. The end of the book says the name of Adam’s third wife but I can’t remember what it is, could someone please find out and tell me? I would greatly appreciate it.

saleemlone said...

If we are descendents of One Adam, then how come we have jet black , snow white, red and yellow complexions.

Unknown said...

Because Adam was made from clay of the earth. Take a pottery class and you will see that earth clay is the same colors and from different regions.

Anonymous said...

@saleemlone see this youtube video, this is quite interesting since there are truly only pigments...shades of brown that is to quote this youtube video here: https://youtu.be/_KM1ANWbrIY

Markoteiro said...

SandMan#40 Convergence, the Parliament of Rooks taught this story beautifully.
Eternal thanks Neil Godman.
Take that you Skolars Clergy closet Gaymen.

Markoteiro said...

That s an excellent explaining for the origin of 2 tales:
First & foremost,
The popular saying: third time is a charm!
Na terceira vez sempre funciona!
The 2nd is the original tale of the "3 Marys" way before Jesus came along.
Like in Orions belt stars.
Used to exhaustion in Jap Animes.

Anonymous said...

Also God banished them after they ate because sin is death of the spirit. Had they ate and gained immortality they would've never became perfect again in the spirit because the flesh is constantly working against it, if the flesh is immortal, the spirit decays, if the spirit is immortal, the flesh decays. They sinned by disobeying Gods word which is nothing but truth, it was out of mercy, not fear.