Few things in the world are creepier than an evil child, especially when it’s portrayed correctly. I’m thinking of Satanic little Damien in the original version of The Omen, or maybe those twin girls in The Shining who have given me nightmares since I was about 12-years-old. While it’s a bit too early to tell if we can add Lilith, the demon leader revealed on last night’s episode of Supernatural, to that elite list, chances are she’s going to be one scary girl. There are over 100 variations of Lilith in various mythologies and religions. She shows up in everything from The Bible to Ancient Sumerian texts to Mesopotamian legends. After last night’s fantastic episode, I thought it’d be a good idea to take a look at some of these myths and see if we can figure out where the Supernatural crew are finding their inspiration for this new character.
First of all, let me just say how happy I was when Lilith was revealed to be a young girl. When they first mentioned her name I expected yet another sexy seductress along the lines of Ruby (Katie Cassidy) or the Crossroads demon. While I certainly don’t mind the demon babes, I was happy to see Supernatural tackle something different. How will Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) react to the possibility of having to slaughter a child? Will they follow the laws of war (aka “jus in bello”) that Ruby laid out at the end of the episode?
The one thing that most mythologies have in common regarding Lilith is that she is one mean, legendary demon. According to Judaic mythology, Lilith was a female demon of the night who flew around searching for newborn children to either kidnap or strangle. She was also known for seducing men and tricking them into knocking her up with demon children. It’s all fairly disturbing, which makes it perfect territory for Supernatural to explore.
Lilith isn’t a child in any of the various mythologies, but some cultures believed that she had evil daughters known as the lilim. The lilim were known for seducing and destroying men, usually in their sleep.
Supernatural creator Eric Kripke often likes to base his monsters and demons on real mythology, so I don’t think he’d bring out a legend like Lilith if he wasn’t going to use some of these actual myths. My guess is that the girl we saw may be a child kidnapped and possessed by the spirit of Lilith. Either that or she’s an actual daughter of the demon, which would probably make her a lot more dangerous.
Unfortunately we won’t find out if any of these theories are correct until later in the season. Supernatural will return with four brand new episodes beginning on Thursday, April 24.
– Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of Supernatural.tv)
Supernatural doesn’t return until April 24, but in the meantime, BuddyTV offers many ways to quench your Winchester appetite with a number of Supernatural-related personality quizzes. Try to be the Yellow-Eyed Demon in Which TV Villain Are You?, see if Dean is Your Ideal TV Boyfriend, and in our newest quiz, find out: Are You Compatible with the Supernatural Boys?
In addition, we’re launching our new Team Trivia contest with a number of great prizes. The grand prize? An official Supernatural script of the second season premiere, “In My Time of Dying,” signed by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki.. Check the Weekly Prize Giveaway section of the Forum for more details.
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