Shades: Lilith in Greek Mythology, Part 1 (Revised, 11/25)

Traces of Lilith occur in Greek Mythology.  To be fair, "traces" is putting it lightly.  Lilith is evident in at least three races of humanoid women, the Lamiai, the Empusae and the Mormo.  She is also similar to the Libyan Queen Lamia and the sorceress Medea. Parallels abound in the the heritage of these creatures, their legacies and physical depictions.  It's very likely they represent a phase in Lilith's evolution from ancient Sumer to the spirit we know today.  Therefore they can be coined "transitional Liliths."

     In this entry, which is part of a series on Lilith's connection to Greek Mythology, we'll explore the parallels between Lamia, her demonic contemporaries and the Semetic Lilim.

Images of Lilith are regularly conjured in the Greek world's "demon" element the Lamiai, Empusae and Mormo.  Each of these classes are known for their seductive demeanor and strong associations with vampires and succubi.  In the case of the Lamiai and the Mormo they were believed to abduct or devour children. The also have strong associations with night time, shapes shifting, magic and snake lore.  Let's examine each species below:

The Lamiai are believed to take their name from a plural-form of Lamia, the Libyan queen who was cursed by Hera, the Queen of Heaven.  Lamia slept with Zeus and boasted of her accomplishment, making her a prime target for his famous wife.  Hera, being the goddess of childbirth, cursed Lamia with continuous still-borns.  This added to her poor reputation and Lamia eventually went mad.  To replace her own children she would steal others in the night and gradually turned into a snake hybrid.  It was said she could resemble either form and tempt men to devour or covet their seed.  Lamia is a truly fearsome, much storied creature worthy of Medusa.

The Empusae were believed to serve Greece's witch queen Hecate.  They are most famous for opposing travelers, perhaps in connection to their mistress who guarded the crossroads.  Their epithet, "Daughters of Hecate" may imply a form of devotion or an actual lineage as the witch's offspring.  They were said to transform like the Lamiai but are generally depicted with ass or goat features and one leg made out of brass.  Their primary function in Greek Mythology was to scare or haunt people.

Less famous is the Mormo or Mormo' Lyceion, a sort of Greek bogey-woman.  Nurses and mothers would tell their children to behave so the Mormo wouldn't get them.  They were believed to bite said children and travel with Hecate.  They also appear in the service of Queen Laestrygonian to steal children.

It's interesting to note the Lamiai, the Empusae and the Mormo share Lilith's association with child theft.  Lilith was threatened by God in the Genesis story to have her children killed if she did not return to Adam.  To compensate, she decided to abduct human children and produce hybrids of her own.  In Greek Myths Lamia is cursed with still-births by Hera, another sky god, and compensates by stealing, devouring and spawning human babies.  The Empusae and the Mormo were believed to share similar succubus rites.  The are each linked to sexuality and procreation. Each of these breeds, in fact, have a recurrence in the film version of Neil Gaiman's Stardust linking them with Lilith. Here the Witch Queens (also called Lilim in the book, a popular name for Lilith's daughters) are named Lamia, Empusa and Mormo.  Their leader Lamia is played by Michelle Pfeiffer.

Doctor Lilith Sternin

No blog about Lilith is ever complete without mentioning the character played by Bebe Neuwirth on Cheers and Frasier.  A Jewish research scientist and Jungian psychiatrist, Lilith Sternin was married and subsequently divorced to Kelsey Grammar's Frasier Crane.  She is often characterized by her "corpse-like" complexion and constant allusions to vampires, demons and witches.  At one point she is directly linked to her namesake, the "demon goddess," by a potential boyfriend.  Lilith, in her uniquely sharp monotones replies, "I make her look like a vacillating cream puff."  This is a typical example of Lilith's dry, wordy, and emasculating sense of humor.

   Lilith has strange effects on the world around her.   According to self-proclaimed psychic Daphne Moon, she creates disturbances in the space-time continuum and represents a supernaturally malign force.  Frasier once portends her arrival by dreaming of an "ice volcano."  Contrary to Dr. Crane's over zealous, scientific nature, the writers go out of their to demonstrate the fact that there is something cosmically twisted about Lilith.

   Concerning her relationship with the famous spin-off's title character, Lilith meets Fraiser early on as a guest star on Cheers.  They quickly become rivals and Fraiser dubs her the "ice cube in heels."  Under the surface she represents the sum of his desires.  Diane Chambers, Fraiser's ex-fiance and Cheers barmaid helps Lilith play on this by unbinding her seductive long hair.  Freed from constraints she becomes an unparalleled sex symbol, a theme revisited for the rest of the character's long life on NBC.  While she often strives to become Fraiser's equal they are written as combustible opposites.  Lilith, interestingly enough, is Jungian, while Fraiser is Freudian.  There's a subtle theme in this affiliation that ties Lilith to her namesake, especially when coupled with her Jewish faith.  This difference also supplies them with a great deal of sexual electricity, as noted by Fraiser several times.  The two of them become married after a forced engagement and finally divorce between the Cheers finale and Frasier premier episodes.  According to Lilith, she felt there was more to her identity as a woman than powerful sex.

   In each of her appearances on Frasier Lilith corresponds with change, regret, sex and fate.  She often inspires her ex-husband with brushes of sexual-relapse and bitter-sweet visions of the past.  She appears randomly to tempt him with forbidden fruit.  Sometimes this occurs subconsciously or accidentally.  Once she even sleeps with his divorced brother Niles.  However well or ill-meaning she brings Fraiser to a place of solid content or finalized realization.  "How will I ever move forward if I don't put you behind me!" ; "You can't use the past to fill what's missing in the present...it's gone."

   A strange brew of repression and sexual energy Lilith Sternin could be described as someone who plays both sides of her female identity.  Bebe Neuwirth describes her as shy, she relates Lilith as, "very innocent, very sweet, very naïve. She's socially inept. She has no idea how to react with other people. She's shy and uncomfortable with people. She's a scientist, she's very analytical, she's very honest."  But she can also be seen in your Netflix Queue dancing provocatively for Sam Malone.  For my money, Lilith Sternin is someone who truly enjoys being a woman.  And she's damn good at it.