Lilith
I can?t really back it up, but I believe the first true Vampire with a
name, was Lilith. The reason I say I can?t back it up is because I?m
sure there are ancient references to ?named vampires? which I?m not
aware of. But so far, I have not come across one older in origin than
Lilith.
In some renditions of her history, she was the first wife of Adam, and
after a heated fight, left Adam, and Eden, never to return. She found
on the shores of the Dead sea, in a cave there, demons, who tried to
kill her for food. She won that battle, used one of the demons for
food and the rest as subjects.
Adam pleaded to God to bring her back, and it is said, in some
renditions of her tale, that three angels were sent after her. The
found her, and after trying to talk her into returning, decided to use
force. She won that battle as well, killing one of the Angels,
seducing the other, and the third getting away to tell the tale to God
on his return. God decided to let her be.
Lilith, was made from the mud, like Adam was. God this time corrected
his ?mistake? and made Eve from his rib. A being to walk beside her
man. Lilith remained outside of paradise, until she happened to spot,
one day, Eve fawning over Adam, and became disgusted with Eve?s
demeanor. She tempted Eve with the apple, and knew that such a fawning
creature would easily have Adam eating that apple as well. Her work
done, she returned to the sea side caves.
Renditions at this point are a bit complex and fuzzy. The most
dominate theory is that Angels were once again sent after Lilith,
because of her treachery with Eve and the apple, seducing the fall of
man. These Angels were not coming to talk first, they were coming to
kill. They killed all of Lilith?s children, the ones she had been
having with the demons and the seduced Angel. Enraged Lilith
slaughtered the offending Angels. More were sent after her and more
died. Gabriel was then sent.
Though Gabriel was not a Seraphim , merely an Archangels, but there
were few in Heaven or Hell or any other part of the known existence
who would willingly go against him in one on one combat. He was not
truly as strong as Michael , but he was more skilled and more cunning.
The trouble with matching against Gabriel was; advantages you were
sure you had, were often your own demise. Lilith was aware of this,
and when Gabriel landed on the planes outside her caves, she remained
inside. It was not cowardess which held her wrath, it was simple
wisdom. If Gabriel landed out there, and remained standing as he was,
it was because he had picked that spot. Allowing Gabriel to pick the
spot of a battle, was simple suicide, so she remained in her darkness.
Three months passed. Gabriel did not move, nor did Lilith. On the
morning of the beginning of the forth month, Gabriel unfolded his
wings and revealed a starving child lying against his legs. It was a
child of Lilith, her last. She knew she was out maneuvered. Gabriel
had shown her the child on the morning it would die if she did not act
to save it, and now, Gabriel had now managed chose the place and the
time of their battle. She cursed him, but knew her death was assured.
Powerful, beautiful, and proud, she resigned herself to her fate and
walked from the cave, determined to save the child. She would die in
the action, but that was an acceptable cost. Gabriel watched her
approach. His sapphire eyes seeing everything, things no one else
would be able to see. She knew this as well. He would have already
spotted and exploited the weakness that would kill her by the time she
reached him. She knew this as well, yet she still continued forward.
What she was not prepared for was Gabriel knowing this about her
himself.
When she reached the battle area, he calmly lifted his hand in the
gesturer of parlay. She nodded her acceptance of this state, but did
not drop her guard or take her eyes from the child at his feet.
?You are truly a mother? Gabriel said. ?I will not kill your child, or
you, because of this. Had you remained in your darkness, and let the
child die, I would have come after you on the instance of his last
breath. But you have come, on the instance of his revelation. With out
hesitation, and knowing you were out matched. Only those of honor and
in possession of true love could do such a thing. I will give you this
child and let you return to your darkness, but only on the condition
that you never come forth into this world ever again. I condemn you to
the darkness and the depths. Do you accept this??
She accepted the banishment and his terms, and picked up her child
with out a word and walked back to her darkness.
Apparently it is not certain which Angel committed the murder of her
child as she stepped into the first shadows of her cave. Many suggest
that it was the Morning Star, Lucifer, who was now known as Satan. He
had often tried to woe Lilith, but was always refused in his advances,
because they always came with the condition of his domination over
her. But Angel it was, or at least, angelic weapon. The child died in
her arms as she stepped into the darkness, and became trapped inside
the shadows. Those tales which tell of some other Archangel or
Seraphim doing the deed, tell of Gabriel?s wrath quickly following.
Those that suggest Lucifer, tell of Gabriel?s mournful cry, which
shook the lands for days. But neither effort or outpouring of emotion
from this noble creature influenced Lilith?s mind from madness.
Lilith swore then, that since they had taken her last by deceit, she
would take their first, from that day forward. Any first born not
protected by the Angels themselves, would die. They would have to
ensure the life of any they wanted to live. They couldn?t protect them
all, so they would have to choose, and be burdened with the knowledge
that they were responsible for the deaths of those they didn?t choose.
A logic of madness, for certain, but her logic just the same. She
could not leave the darkness, but she could walk in it. Shadows became
her roads and night became her realm. If Satan had thought that
setting her wrath against the Angel?s would endear her to him, he was
wrong; just as wrong as he had been about so many things before. Her
wrath extended to all, equally. All were responsible and all would
suffer. Her first physical act was to slaughter the demon, and Angel
lovers waiting for her return to the caves. After she devoured them,
she disappeared into the netherdark, and began her hunt in the night
and in the dreams of mortal men.
Lilith is really the first Vampire. Though some mythology deem her
Succubi, but she is not a real demon as Succubi are. She was, and
still is, human in original species. And her stance between both
heaven and hell, as well as life and death, put her at the point of
Vampire. That she lives on the blood of those she seduces, and the
children she kills, adds further to this theory. Personally I believe
she was not called Vampire by the Middle Eastern tribes who tell her
tale, simply because at the time they didn?t have the word in their
vocabulary. Hence, she was called something they did know about.
Lilth?s mythology is scattered all over the European countries, and
made a large resurfacing during the Renaissance period. Michelle
Angelo depicts Lilith as the creature offering Eve the apple in his
painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Base relief on the door frames
of gates leading into the Vatican also show her.
The birth of her mythology is given to the ancient original tribes of
the Jewish nation. Though her story is shunned now, and not talked
about, it still remains in their text and lore. It is her absence and
removal which show her more vividly. For example, after the meeting
with Gabriel, Lilith begins a new tribe of children by seducing angels
in the form of dream. Basically raping them. In the book of Genesis,
Cain leaves and goes over the mountains and finds a wife. There are no
humans for him to run into, according to Genesis, except his own
family.
Where did she come from? It is in these large holes that we find
Lilith still living in her darkness.
Lilith has continued to seduce human males, and feed of them, and give
birth to human children. This amuses her greatly, because it puts the
protectorate Angels in the position of having ot guard one of her
decedents.
*Note: Serious Theological study rarely accepts the existence of
Lilith, or the mythology of Adam having Eve as his second wife. There
are references to her in various texts, but these texts are ... well?
questionable at best, as a true form of historic or theological
reference. I don?t mean, nor do I intend to try to make a play for the
verification of Lilith. This question I am answering here is dealing
with the nature and origins of Vampires in Europe. Not a theological
question. If anyone finds offence in the bringing up of her tale, I do
apologize and assure you it is not my intention to demean or insult
your beliefs or theological tomes. But such a question being answered
without the tale of Lilith, could not hope to be a complete answer. As
often happens in the research of a question, the researcher must
choose between completeness and what he or she believes. I, as many
other researcher do, try to keep my own opinions and beliefs away from
what the research I have found reveals. With that, I will continue,
with my ?fiction?.
Also, the rendition I have portrayed here in this answer is of my own
interpretation, from what I?ve been able to find out about Lilith over
the years. It is a mosaic of several versions of her story and created
by myself in the spirit of entertainment, rather than (as so many seem
to want to do), historic accuracy. Apparently Lilith and Gabriel were
alone on that plane so I?m not sure where the ?historic accuracy?
would be coming from. Hence I choose entertainment value. Below I have
enough links, which give different viewpoints on Lilith?s story, which
should round out this section of the answer.
Links on Lilith,
Lilith
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~humm/Topics/Lilith/
Another version of the Story of Llilith
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~humm/Topics/Lilith/alphabet.html
The Lilith Shrine
http://www.lilitu.com/lilith/
Looking for Lilith
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/Shokel/950206_Lilith.html
The Lilith Myth ? Gnostic Archive
http://www.webcom.com/~gnosis/lillith.html
Choirs of Angels
http://www.catholic.org/saints/anglchoi.shtml |
Clarification of Answer by
webadept-ga
on
05 May 2004 09:59 PDT
Vampires in Ancient Greece
Lilith?s tale trickles down the passage to time, through Ancient
Sumeria, Turkey and the Middle East, and shows up again in Ancient
Greece in the form of Lamiai, Empousai, and Mormolykea. Daughters
perhaps, but the Greeks see these beings as much more monster than
human. Where they come from is not certain. Demonic for sure, but of
unknown origin. The Gods didn?t make them, or claim them, even the
ones that would have wanted too.
They are referred to as the companions of Hekate, the goddess of
ghosts and witchraft, but she did not create them either, and didn?t
seem to know where they were from, or if she did, she never mentioned
it. Hekate was the only child of the
Titans Perses and Asteria. From her parents she inherited powers over
the earth, sea and heavens. She created very little.
These three types of beings, in their true forms, which they kept
hidden behind deceiving illusion, were truly demonic: Lamia had a
serpentine tail in place of legs; Empousa was crowned with flaming
hair and for legs: one of brass and the other of a donkey. They
devoured young and beautiful men and women, and are often referred to
as the Vampires of Greece, but this is a stretch. If anything they
were forms of Succubi. Later though, we hear of the true Vampires
known to the Greeks, what they called Phasma.
The Phasma were everything we think of as Vampire, beautiful,
alluring and deadly, and with some of the modern thinking, most of
them were also dead. The only true difference between a European
Vampire and a Phasma, would be that often a Phasma wasn?t reliant on a
body. But they were not ghosts. The Greeks make that very clear. The
most heard about Phasma is Philinnion. A youn woman, who died in early
life, but could not stay dead with the hansom Makhates still living in
her parents home. So, she visits him during the night, quite often.
Since her story is no longer under any copyright protection, I will
tell it for you here. The beginning of the story is lost in time, and
hopfully there wasn?t some warning in it to those about to read the
tale.
?? The nurse went to the door of the guest room, and in the light
of the burning lamp she saw the girl ?.Philinnion who died and had
been entombed many months before ? sitting beside Makhates. Because of
the extraordinary nature of the sight, she did not wait there any
longer but ran to the girl?s mother screaming, ?Kharito! Demostratos!?
She said they should get up and come with her to their daughter, who
was alive and by some divine will was with the guest in the guest
room.
When Kharito heard this astonishing report, the immensity of the
message and the nurse?s excitement made her frightened and faint. But
after a short time the memory of her daughter came to her, and she
began to weep; in the end she accused the old woman of being
mad/insain and told her to leave her presence immediately. But the
nurse replied boldly and reproachfully that she herself was rational
and sound of mind, unlike her mistress, who was reluctant to see her
own daughter.
With some hesitation Kharito went to the door of the guest room,
partly coerced by the nurse and partly wanting to know what really had
happened. Since considerable time ? about two hours ? had now passed
since the nurse?s original message, it was somewhat late when Kharito
went to the door and the occupants were already asleep. She peered in
and though she recognized her daughter?s clothes and features, but
inasmuch as she could not determine the truth of the matter she
decided to do nothing further that night. She planned to get up in the
morning and confront the girl, or if she should be too late for that
she intended to question Makhates thoroughly about everything. He
would not, she thought; lie if asked about so important a matter. And
so she said nothing and left.
At dawn, however, it turned out that by divine will or chance the girl
had left unnoticed. When Kharito came to the room she was upset with
the young man because of the girl?s departure. She asked him to relate
everything to her from the beginning, telling the truth and concealing
nothing.
The youth was anxious and confused at first, but hesitantly revealed
the girl?s name was Philinnion. He told how her visits began, how
great her desire for him was, and that she said she came to him
without her parents? knowledge. Wishing to make the matter credible he
opened his coffer and took out the items the girl had left behind ?
the golden ring he had obtained from her and the breast-band she had
left the night before.
When Kharito saw this evidence she uttered a cry, tore her clothes,
cast her headdress from her head and fell to the ground, throwing
herself upon the tokens and beginning her grief anew. As the guest
observed what was happening, how all were grieving and wailing as if
they were about to lay the girl into her grave, he became upset and
called upon them to stop, promising to show them the girl if she came
again. Kharito accepted this and bade him carefully keep his promise
to her.
Night came on and now it was the hour when Philinnion was accustomed
to come to him. The household kept watch wanting to know of her
arrival. She entered at the usual time and sat down on the bed.
Makhates pretended that nothing was wrong, since he wished to
investigate the whole incredible matter to find out if the girl he was
consorting with, who took care to come to him at the same hour, was
actually dead. As she ate and drank with him, he simply could not
believe what the others had told him, and he supposed that some
grave-robbers had dug into the tomb and sold the clothes and gold to
her father. But in his wish to learn exactly what the case was, he
secretly sent his slaves to summon Demostratos and Kharito.
They came quickly. When they first saw her they were speechless and
panic-stricken by the amazing sight, but after that they cried aloud
and embraced their daughter. Then Philinnion said to them: ?Mother and
father, how unfairly you have grudged my being with the guest for
three days in my father?s house, since I have caused no one any pain.
For this reason, on account of your meddling, you shall grieve all
over again, and I shall return to the place appointed for me. For it
was not without divine will that I came here.? Immediately upon
speaking these words she was dead, and her body lay stretched visibly
on the bed. Her father and mother threw themselves upon her, and there
was much confusion and wailing in the house because of the calamity.
The misfortune was unbearable and the sight incredible.
The event was quickly heard through the city and was reported to me.
Accordingly, during the night I kept in check the crowds that gathered
at the house, since, with news like this going from mouth to mouth, I
wanted to make sure there would be no trouble.
By early dawn the town assembly was full. After the particulars had
been explained, it was decided that we should first go to the tomb,
open it, and see whether the body lay on its bier or whether we would
find the place empty. A half-year had not yet passed since the death
of the girl. When we opened the chamber into which all deceased
members of the family were placed, we saw bodies lying on biers, or
bones in the case of those who had died long ago, but on the bier onto
which Philinnion had been placed we found only the iron ring that
belonged to the guest and the gilded wine cup, objects that she had
obtained from Makhates on the first day.
Astonished and frightened, we proceeded immediately to Demostratos?s
house to see if the corpse was truly to be seen in the guest room.
After we saw the dead girl lying there on the ground, we gathered at
the place of assembly, since the evens were serious and incredible.
There was considerable confusion in the assembly and almost no one was
able to form a judgment on the events. The first to stand up was
Hyllos, who is considered to be not only the best seer among us but
also a fine augur; in general, he has shown remarkable perception in
his craft. He said we should burn the girl outside the boundaries of
the city, since nothing would be gained by burying her in the ground
within its boundaries, and perform an apotropaic sacrifice to Hermes
Khthonios, and the Eumenides [Erinyes?]. Then he prescribed that
everyone purify himself completely, cleanse the temples and perform
all the customary rites to the Khthonion Gods [Underworld Gods]. He
spoke to me also in private about he king and the events, telling me
to sacrifice to Hermes, Zeus Xenios and Ares, and to perform these
rites with care. When he had made this known to us, we undertook to do
what he had prescribed.
Makhates, the guest whom the ghost had visited, became despondent and
killed himself.
If you decide to write about this to the king, send word to me also in
order that I may dispatch to you one of the persons who examined the
affair in detail. Farewell.?
?Phlegon of Tralles 2.1
Though in this letter of Phlegon the tale appears to be rather tame, a
young spirit still in love with the living, the reaction of the town
seems to suggest something much more dangerous was happening between
the lovers. It is shortly after this tale is told that we also begin
to hear of the Vrykolakas.
The word vrykolakas itself is a borrowing from Slavic and is derived
from root words meaning "wolf" and hair or pelt (Lawson, 377). It
originally appears to have meant "werewolf" or lycanthrope, and still
carries this meaning in isolated local regions of Greece. The Greeks
did not adopt the word "vampire" from the Slavs to indicate a
revenant, although oddly, vompiras is occasionally found as a term of
contempt.
The only reported method of rendering a Vrykolakas inert (I hesitate
to suggest dead, as apparently they are either beyond death or dead
already) is burning or being struck by lightening. I would venture
this last was just to assure everyone that Zeus could still take them
out if he wanted to.
The Vrykolaks were not only Vampirc it seems but also something close
to the Irish or Celtic Banshee, as there are tales of the Vrykolakas
coming to the front doors of homes at night, to knock and call out the
name of someone inside. If that person answers the call the person
dies, and the Vrykolakas grows stronger.
It is in this time period to that the idea of ?Invitation? begins to
arise, the idea being that a Vampire can not enter the dwelling of
someone unless invited.
Reference Links for Greek Vampires
Greek Mythology
http://www.theoi.com/Khaos/Empousai.html
Tale of Lamia Korinthia the Vampire of Corinth
http://www.theoi.com/Phasma/KorinthiaLamia.html
Study of the Greek Vrykolakas
http://users.net1plus.com/vyrdolak/vrykolak.htm
Links on Ancient Vampires
THE VAMPIRE IN ASSYRIA, THE EAST, AND SOME ANCIENT COUNTRIES
http://www.sacred-texts.com/goth/vkk/vkk06.htm
Vampires: Fang and Horror: Early Types of Vampirism
http://wolfieluc.tripod.com/vvampearly.html
Vampires: Fang and Horror: Early Types of Vampirism
http://wolfieluc.tripod.com/vvampearly.html
The Vampire?s Kith and Kin
http://www.unicorngarden.com/vamp4.htm
Vampires Fang and Horror
http://gothlupin.tripod.com/vvampearly.html
History of the Vampire (Some interesting ties to Egypt in this one)
http://vampirejunky.8m.com/vamphistory.html
Other Links of Interest
Wikipedia ? Vampire
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire
Vampire Folklore resources
http://www.sanguinarius.org/~akrieytaz/folklore.html
Avia Australian Vampire Information Association
http://www.avia.darkrealm.net/
Vampire
http://members.aol.com/Daemonox/vampire.html
Horror Writers Association
http://www.horror.org/stokerballots.htm
Bite me Magazine
http://www.bitememagazine.com/
As we pass now out of the Ancient and into the European area of time,
we know now that the Vampire has a long history. There are
characteristics which we can see that separate him( or rather ?her?
really up to through these eons of history), from both human and
demon. She, is described as associated with death, or dead herself. An
animated corpse as it were, and equally associated with the night, or
dark places. But nothing ever suggested that the Vampire could not
walk in the sunlight, or eat and drink human like food, or completely
fool you as to their true nature. Or, that they even had to be dead.
As the timelines grow aspects and weaknesses are added to the Vampire.
What began as something even Angels has a tough time dealing with, a
glass of holy water and a good solid cross come banish from our homes.
As we walk along the timeline, we will see, Vampires are given their
abhorrence to sunlight. Even further down we find sunlight will harm
or kill them. We are in the late 1800?s when this aspect of the
Vampire is added. Brahm Stroker?s Vampire for instance walks around in
the daylight with no ill effects at all, except ?his powers are
diminished?. His Vampire however is strongly tied to the other church
created aspects.
Garlic is added much earlier, by the pagan believers, but it is not at
first only Garlic, it is any strong smelling herb or incense. The
Vampire is believed to have heightened senses, so much so that he is
uncomfortable, and even unwilling to remain in an enclosed area where
these strong smells are present. The belief in the Vampires heightened
senses and strength is a very old one, it might even be said to begin
with Lilith herself. Certainly the Vampire has always be thought of as
stronger than human.
These added aspects served two purposes however. They made the Vampire
even more of a monster than he already was, but also introduced many
convenient weaknesses to his persona. Most of these weaknesses
conveniently associated with the powers of the church, which created
them. The thought of some one presenting Lilith or any of the older
Vampires with a Cross, is absurd. On the same side of that token
however, when you are dealing with a fear based populace, facts rarely
need much depth if they keep to the theme already in progress.
It could then be said, with some authority that the Roman Church,
created the Vampire we know today, and certainly created the European
Vampire as he existed in the minds of those living then. His
conjuration and demeanor are completely authored by the same priests
attempting to remove him from the pagan mind. And, after his creation,
his fictitious being kills thousands of real people for centuries. Not
a bad body count for a myth.
webadept-ga
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