Story of Lilith, Eve and countless others
“So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.”
— Genesis 2:21–22
You would have read these lines, if not heard the story, in which Adam and Eve are first mentioned.
The first man and The first woman.
As is the case with most stories passed on through time, the story of Adam and Eve may not be completely accurate.
God had first created both man and woman from dust, naming them Adam and Lilith. There were to be the first man and the first woman, created as equals. However, their relationship and their stay together in the Garden of Eden was shortlived.
The story diversifies here, into two separate accounts:
Version 1: Adam, though equal in creation to Lilith, sought to dominate her. To make her do and think as he wants. It did not sit well with Lilith. She chose to leave the Garden of Eden and Adam, rather than bend to the will of her oppressor.
Version 2: Lilith, due to her nature, created difficulties, and could not be reasoned with and was troublesome. She could not co-exist with Adam, who then threw her out of the Garden of Eden.
The tale goes on to demonize Lilith for her independence. She is portrayed to be vengeful to men and children till this day.
God decided to try again. This time he created a woman from the rib of Adam. Her name was Eve. This version of a woman was created from a man. This narrative gave the man a higher position at the time of origin and by nature itself.
But wait, this version may not be accurate as well. Mineke Schipper, in her book, speaks of a different folklore.
In this version, archangel Gabriel is sent to retrieve the rib of Adam, from which a woman would be created. But on his way back, he meets the Devil. The sly Devil takes away the rib, and Gabriel is left only with the Devil’s tail. Not wanting to return empty-handed Gabriel takes the Devil’s tail to God. Out of this, God creates a woman.
Is it just me, or is a pattern starting to emerge?
One version is of Lilith, who is a demon because of her independent mind. Another version is of Eve, created from Adam’s rib and lesser than Adam in nature. Yet another version is of Eve created from the Devil’s tail.
The different versions would be of no consequence if these were just stories of the Old told to symbolize the process of creation, rather than the nature of creation itself. But, because of the latter, we live in a society today that still sees women to be lesser than men or to be evil or bad on being independent.
As for me, I am a Hindu. We have our own stories of creation. Our own demons and our own Gods. However, what doesn’t change is how women are portrayed. Women are still seen as lesser than men or to be evil or bad in being independent.
This point of view is not religion, race, or story-specific. It is a constant thread that runs through almost all societies. It is both surprising and sad that this is what unites us, this oppression.
Ask yourself,
Why would God create one gender to be higher or better than the other?
And if he did, If God created man to be better than a woman, then why would he give the gift, the miracle of giving birth to a woman?
Why was a man not worthy of the gift?
I am not saying a woman is better than a man. I am not saying a woman and a man are equal in all aspects. All I am saying is that woman is not lesser than a man either. They are more like apples and oranges, which do you think is higher or better.
