The Lilith Legend

Only thirty more pages to edit, as of 1:00pm today. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Editing is actually moving at a fairly quick pace, which is a great sign. It means that I'm not finding anything blatant that I think I need to change. We'll see. the true test is a week from tomorrow when I meet with my critique group (¡Hi Barb, Holly & Tracy!).

Anyhow, my brother, Carlos, was talking about Killing Lilith yesterday, and he referenced some of the legends of the mythological Lilith. So I decided to post this small excerpt for him. Don't forget to check out the Killing Lilith Facebook Page and click "like" for news, updates & more excerpts!

Artwork by Kara T. Wells

 My father considered himself the consummate bible scholar and student. “You learn until you die,” he would say, “What you learn is up to you.” Obsessed with origin myths, he would use my misbehavior as an opportunity to expound on the legend of Lilith. “There are those who study the secrets of the scriptures that believe, before Eve, God made another woman for Adam.”

These same secrets are now sold with a red bracelet and a bottle of blessed water to any celebrity looking to ride a new wave to enlightenment.

“Certain students of Kabala believe that lost versions of the B’reshit (or bear shit as I would joke about the first book of the Torah behind his back; ‘bear shit, smut bear shit and smut,’ I would mock once he left the room after one of his lectures) tell her story—Lilith’s. She came not from Adam’s rib, but from the same earth from which Adam was formed. Some even say she came from Adam’s filth. Like you, she went against the word of her father. She rebelled against her husband and was banished as a demon. Do not follow her path child; it will prove a difficult one.”

The more he called me by that name, which he did more often as I got older and wilder, the more I identified with her. Why couldn’t we be equal? What made him better? His knowledge? His wisdom? His rib? The power of his voice? Men and women swooned, even shuddered, as his vibrato tenor resonated throughout the temple, the words of the scriptures pouring over them as if from the mouth of God himself. All I ever heard were his admonishments.