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HelpRe: WDYTO Lilith
in reply to a message by Amy
I was raised without religion entirely but I still knew that Lilith / Lilit is a demon before I read about the Jewish myth.
It seems to me like that myth is just some crap that some smug medieval patriarch invented and inserted into lore at some point to intimidate women. It used a pre-existing name, or a name very similar to the name, of a thing that was never a woman, but was an evil spirit, in demonology prior to the Jewish myth. A name chosen to sound negative and make people unsympathetic to the character.
So I think it's kinda iffy to use it as a feminist statement, because of this confusing etymology - it seems to have been a demon for a long time before anyone named a woman character it. I'm not a big believer in demons, but I've never proven they don't exist, and I don't think it's something I'd want to mess with, so I wouldn't name a daughter Lilit any sooner than I'd name a son Pazuzu.
I wouldn't use Delilah just because I don't like it very much. I have never seen an etymology for it that suggested it came before the Bible story. It seems to have been created to sound negative. But I don't think Delilah is a bad name, the way I do Lilith. Delilah is just a Bible name. Not sure, but I think people use Bible names to remind of meaningful stories, not so much to show honor or admiration of the characters or their actions. (Another reason I wouldn't invoke the Lilith myth for feminist reasons)
I agree with you that Jezebel would be more problematic as a first name, because it has a pretty well-known meaning in sorta-contemporary slang. I'm kinda skeptical that it's actually a different etymology from Isabel. I don't think anyone knows for sure. I like the name, and personally I wouldn't be as squicked by it as I would by Lilith (I'm probably in a small minority). But I wouldn't use it.
- mirfak
It seems to me like that myth is just some crap that some smug medieval patriarch invented and inserted into lore at some point to intimidate women. It used a pre-existing name, or a name very similar to the name, of a thing that was never a woman, but was an evil spirit, in demonology prior to the Jewish myth. A name chosen to sound negative and make people unsympathetic to the character.
So I think it's kinda iffy to use it as a feminist statement, because of this confusing etymology - it seems to have been a demon for a long time before anyone named a woman character it. I'm not a big believer in demons, but I've never proven they don't exist, and I don't think it's something I'd want to mess with, so I wouldn't name a daughter Lilit any sooner than I'd name a son Pazuzu.
I wouldn't use Delilah just because I don't like it very much. I have never seen an etymology for it that suggested it came before the Bible story. It seems to have been created to sound negative. But I don't think Delilah is a bad name, the way I do Lilith. Delilah is just a Bible name. Not sure, but I think people use Bible names to remind of meaningful stories, not so much to show honor or admiration of the characters or their actions. (Another reason I wouldn't invoke the Lilith myth for feminist reasons)
I agree with you that Jezebel would be more problematic as a first name, because it has a pretty well-known meaning in sorta-contemporary slang. I'm kinda skeptical that it's actually a different etymology from Isabel. I don't think anyone knows for sure. I like the name, and personally I wouldn't be as squicked by it as I would by Lilith (I'm probably in a small minority). But I wouldn't use it.
- mirfak
This message was edited 3/13/2021, 9:20 PM
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