Hurmin, Alefpaneash, others (sons); Agrat, Helvira, Irit, Mara, Nega, Queen of Sheba, Vandella, others (daughters); Djinn, the Lilin (Bad Timing, Bloodthirst, Creed, Dark Legion, Doc, Fang, Girth, Infinks, Meatmarket, Nakota, Outcast, Parasite, Pilgrim, Pixil, Scatter, Sister Nil, Skinner, Skitter, Spitfire, others) (all children),
Short Circuit (grandson), Lilidtha (granddaughter), Blackout (descendant),
Mazikim, Nephilim (offspring races),
unidentified child(ren) (fathered by Zarathos);
unidentified nieces and nephews; Valkyrior (alleged kinswomen)
Pazuzu (possible cousin)
Aliases: Lilitu (Babylonian Name), Kiskillilla (Sumerian name), the Vampire
Goddess, Mother of Demons, Mother of the Lilin;
uses over 20,000 names, including Abizu, Agrat bat Mahlat, Bat Zuge, Fury, Hakash, Izorpo, Katah, Lamashtu, Nightrider, Northerner, Paritasha, Screech Owl, Talto
Base of Operations: Hell;
formerly the Shadowside Dimension;
formerly within the Leviathan (Tiamat);
formerly pre-Cataclysmic Atlantis
First Appearance: (Mythologial version) Vampire Tales#4 (April, 1974); (Marvel version) Ghost Rider III#28 (August,
1992)
Powers/Abilities: Lilith possesses the conventional powers of the Mesopotamian Gods plus several occult powers derived from her degeneration into a demon. She has superhuman strength (potentially Class 25), stamina and resistance to injury. She has vast knowledge of magical lore and the ability to tap into and manipulate the dark forces of the universe. She can also summon her children from other dimensions by giving birth to their energies in new bodies in the Earth's dimension. Moreover, the more children she "births," the stronger and more powerful she becomes.
Height: 6' 0"
Weight: 140 lbs.
Hair: Black
Eyes: Greenish-yellow
History:
(Mesopotamian Myth/Jewish Legend) -
Very little is actually known about Lilith and what few facts that have been
passed down about her are actually speculatory and often contradictory.
She has often been referred to as the daughter of darkness, suggesting she
may be the daughter of Aehr (Aer), the ancient god of darkness.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Horror 2005) - Some trace Lilith to the Heavenly Hosts, where she shared affections with her sister Na'ameh for Samael. She joined Samael's rebellion against Heaven and led 480 legions into battle. When the rebellion failed Lilith, Samael and their followers were cast from Heaven and sent to Hell.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Horror 2005/Spirits of Ghost Rider: Mother of Demons#1) - Still in her first body Lilith left Hell and went to Eden on Earth where she became the lover of Adam and conceived the Mazikim by him. She ultimately refused to be subservient and left him. According to Lilith it was God, who sent angels to Eden to slay her children because he feared the competition they represented for humanity. Following this Lilith fled to demon cities beneath the Red Sea and vowed her line would dominate humanity.
(Spirits of Ghost Rider: Mother of Demons#1) - According to Lilith God banished her back to Hell where she became partners with Satan. She was present as a goat when the snake tempted Eve to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and witnessed God banish Adam and Eve from Eden.
(Jewish Legend/Vampire Tales#4/6) - Other sources say she only attempted to tempt Adam, the first man in Judeo-Christian theology. In fact, it was claimed she was created with Adam to be his wife, but she refused to be subservient to him. This contradiction may be an invention or mistranslation of Jewish tales repeated over thousands of years as a parable against wives. Or as it was described somewhere else Lilith was the first wife of Adam, but she ultimately left him, refusing to accept his sexism, despite the pleas of the three angels, Sanvi, Sansanvi, and Semangeleaf. The angels slaughtered the children she had with Adam. As a result, Lilith changed, became vampiric, and tried to kill Adam's children by Eve. The angels banished her, and afterwards, people used their names on amulets against Lilith.
(Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance#1 - BTS) - She lived in Atlantis and survived its destruction, in the Great Cataclysm, @ 18, 500 BC.
(Myth/Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Horror 2005) - She eventually withdrew as a storm demon to the desert beyond the Euphrates, abducting unbaptized children and visiting men in their dreams. Ruling mortal kingdoms, she conceived powerful children, including the demonic Lilin; her lovers included the angel Shemhazai, the fertility god Attis, and even, some say, the Judeo-Christian God. The vast majority of her children were slain, possibly by the Judeo-Christian God.
In later Hebrew Legend, Lilith was subsequently destroyed by
Senoy, Sansenoy and Semangol, three servants of God, who scattered her remains
across Earth to never come together
again.
(Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance#1 - BTS) - However, at some point, Atlantean sorcerers imprisoned her within the belly of Leviathan (Tiamat). Therefore some of her activities since the Great Cataclysm were in spirit form.
(Marvel Zombies: The Book of Angels, Demons & Various Monstrosities - Asmodeus) - Asmodeus mated with fellow Heaven cast-out Lilith, parenting many demonic offspring though most were slain by agents of Heaven.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Horror 2005: Lilith) - Stories say Lilith fought Gilgamesh circa 3000 B.C. and over two millennia later she challenged Solomon, supposedly as the Queen of Sheba, Lilith had conceived by Solomon. (see comments)
Decades later, Lilith bedeviled the prophet Elijah.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Hardcover#6: Lilith) - Lilith was allegedly sent by Satan to slaughter the children of Job.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Horror 2005: Lilith) - When Rome fell over a millennium later, she allegedly ruled the ruins. In 12th century Asia, Lilith was trapped in a bottle by a midwife. A century later, Joseph della Reina thought to summon the Messiah by confronting Lilith and her latest demon consort, Ashmodei (Asmodeus); no match for Lilith, Reina was transformed into a dog. In the 18th century, Lilith was challenged by Rabbi Elimelekh, who escaped unscathed.
(Monsters Unleashed#1/7 - BTS) - Lilith was invoked by Makkador to bring the human Brian Morgan into his dimension to serve him against the Overseers.(Ghost Rider III#28) - Possibly only as part of a vision of the future, the disembodied spirit of Dan Ketch encountered and is assaulted by Lilith.
(Ghost Rider: Return of Vengeance#1 (fb) - BTS) - Lilith used a ritual to escape Hell through the Leviathan she was trapped in.
(Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance#1) - In Northern Greenland, Lilith emerged from the belly of the ancient Leviathan in which she had dwelled for an unknown period of time. She killed the two scientist explorers who had witnessed her rebirth. She then used the entrails of her former prison as a medium to view the future and saw her children, the Lilin, defeated at the hands of Ghost Rider and Blaze. Lilith summoned Pilgrim to her aside and followed him through a portal in space to regather her remaining children to her side. They enlisted Creed, as well as Blackout, who is a more distant descendent, and Lilith sent them to attack GR and Blaze. Blaze killed Creed, and the other two fled back to Lilith, to gather more to their side before again challenging the Midnight Sons.
(Morbius: The Living Vampire I#1) - Lilith, Pilgrim, and Blackout recruited Fang and Nakota at a Manhattan Gothic Club, in which she found an interest in Speed Metal music. She sent Fang to kill Morbius, which he attempted to do by adding his own poison blood to an elixir being used in an attempt to cure Morbius. The mixture did not kill Morbius, but instead mutated him into a more supernatural being.
(Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance#2) - Via Nakota, Lilith observed from a distance the battle between Steel Wind and Ghost Rider and Blaze. From this, she first learned of the existence of Centurious.
(Ghost Rider III#30 - BTS) - Apparently after an alliance with Lilith, Nightmare assaulted Dan Ketch/Ghost Rider. Lilith and the Lilin appeared in Nightmare's illusions.
(Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins#1) - DeGuzman was contacted by the demonqueen Lilith. He contracted with a ninja assassin named Li and his agents to assassinate Victoria Montesi to prevent her from interfering with his plans for the Darkhold. Li's assassins failed to kill Montesi, but instead crippled her best friends and lover, Nash Salvato. After this first failure, the Lilin Doc reshaped the assassins, increasing their strength and speed. The enhanced assassins were fought off and destroyed with the aid of Ghost Rider and John Blaze. Lilith observed this battle, but fled after being shot in the arm by Blaze. Nakota was left behind.
(Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance#3) - Lilith re-recruited Skinner and sent him after Ghost Rider and Blaze.
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(Nightstalkers#1) - Meatmarket made Lilith a "quilt" from the skin of his victims, showing the faces of the nine who would be her foes (Blade, John Blaze, Sam Buchanan, Frank Drake, Ghost Rider/Ketch, Louise Hastings, Hannibal King, Victoria Montesi, Morbius). Lilith posed as a client for Borderline investigations and duped the Nightstalkers into attacking Ghost Rider and Blaze. Lilith attempted to bait Dr. Strange into pitting his sorcery against hers, but he refused, knowing that such a conflict would weaken the dimensional walls and allow more of her Lilin to return to Earth. Lilith left after Blade decapitated Meatmarket, taking him away to repair him. (Ghost Rider III#31) - Lilith used the carcass of the Leviathan in which she had been buried to restore Meatmarket, with the aid of Doc. Lilith then had Pilgrim open a portal through her own body, through which she planned to return the rest of the Lilin to Earth. The "nine" arrived to stop her. Lilith pulled the then-disembodied spirit of Dan Ketch (go read the issues!) through the portal, making it reborn as one of her Lilin. As the Ketch/Lilin battled them, Lilith attempted to transform the rest of the "nine" into Lilin as well. As they fought back against her, she was forced to resorb power from her other Lilin. Ghost Rider managed to grab her and force her own head into the portal in her chest, causing a massive explosion that seemingly destroyed her and the Lilin. However, after the "nine" left, Lilith revived and drained the life of Nakota, the last surviving Lilin to replenish herself. (Ghost Rider III#32 - BTS) - Dr. Strange removed the Lilin-taint from Ketch and restored him to true-life, remerging him with Ghost Rider in the process. |
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(Marvel Encyclopedia Vol.5: Marvel Knights - Shelob entry) - Shelob was woken up by Lilith and the Lilin.
(Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance#13) - Due to the events of the "Midnight Massacre", the "nine" have fallen somewhat and have succumbed to varying degrees of corruption. A fat and happy Lilith spoke with her children from across the dimensional gulf, deciding that it is time for a gathering.
(Ghost Rider III#41)
- Lilith is prepared to give birth to her brood once again, but is unable
to birth the children without assistance. She called out to any of the Lilin
remaining on Earth. Outcast answered Lilith's call and tore her belly asunder,
allowing the Lilin to be reborn anew. Blackout, in particular, is dramatically
increased in power by being reborn through Lilith. Lilith sends Blackout,
aided by Pilgrim, to wipe out the "nine" while they were weakened from recent
events.
Lilith's call was heard by Centurious who thought she might aid him in his
quest for the Medallion of Power, and he traveled to Greenland to meet with
her and propose an alliance. The Ghost Rider overpowered Blackout and Pilgrim,
but Centurious then appeared and abducted Dan Ketch's mother, Francis.
(Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance#14) - Lilith sent the Lilin, alongside Steel Wind, to attack the Quentin Carnival--allies of John Blaze. She watched as Centurious had Carver torture Francis Ketch for information, and watched again as Centurious captured John Blaze.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#143/3 (fb)) - Lilith sent her son Pixil into the cyber realm to infect the planets electronic arteries with the Dark Mist.
(Morbius: The Living Vampire I#13, [14], 15) - Through Nakota's eyes, Lilith observed Morbius utilize the Darkhold's Page of Resurrection in an effort to revive his dead lover, Martine Bancroft. The spell allowed the Lilin Parasite to reanimate Martine's form. By this means, as well as Morbius' possession by Bloodthirst, Lilith hoped to turn Morbius to her side. Lilith allowed Morbius to remain part of the "nine", so that he could weaken their number from within.
(Ghost Rider III#42) - Lilith observed as Carver went to work on John Blaze in an effort to obtain his portion of the Medallion. After Ghost Rider arrived and rescued Blaze, she traveled with Centurious and his agents to Cypress Hills Cemetery where they planned to take the Medallions form both Ghost Rider and Blaze.
(Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance#15) - Lilith observed as Centurious tapped into the power of Ghost Rider's chain.
(Ghost Rider III#43) - Lilith, alongside Centurious, Blackout, and Outcast, confronted Blaze, Ghost Rider, Caretaker, and Vengeance in the catacombs beneath Cypress Hills Cemetery. In the course of the battle, Zarathos was released from Centurious' form.
(Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance#16) - The heroes fled from Zarathos, and Lilith abandoned Centurious in favor of Zarathos. Lilith summoned Pilgrim and Nakota to her side, and she took advantage of Zarathos' temporary partial memory loss to pose as a mother figure to him. Centurious attacked Lilith, hoping to punish her for her betrayal, but Zarathos banished him from their sight. The heroes returned to the fight, and by accessing the energies of the Medallion(s) of Power, succeed in driving back Zarathos, Lilith, and the Lilin. A portal opened up, and the demons were pulled into the Shadowside dimension, although the heroes believed them to have been killed.
(Nightstalkers#14) - The Lilin burst forth from the now open portal to the Shadowside, attacking the now fully gathered "nine." Frank Drake, Blade, Louise Hastings, Jinx, and Modred investigated the fog issuing forth from the portal and were confronted by Lilith.
(Ghost Rider III#44) - Alongside Zarathos and a large number of Lilin, Lilith
returned through the portal back into Cypress Hills Cemetery. She sent the
Lilin to spread the mist across Earth, and its magical energies would enable
her to rule Earth more easily, with Zarathos at her side. The assault of
the Lilin and Zarathos on the "nine" was temporarily halted by Dr. Strange,
who formed a mystic shield between them and then teleported them to
safety.
(Marvel Comic Presents I#143) - Strange's teleportation spell was disrupted by Pilgrim, and Ghost Rider, Blaze, and Zarathos were teleported to Girth and Skitter, who attacked them. Pilgrim then brought himself, Lilith, and Zarathos to the battle, but the heroes escaped into another of Strange's dimensional portals, and Blaze blasted Pilgrim to prevent a similar occurrence.
(Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins#15) - Lilith, her Lilin, and Zarathos ambush the Darkhold Redeemers in their New Hope mansion. By combining their powers via a spell of magnification, Modred and Jinx dispelled the Lilin. Zarathos threw up a shield that defended them for the moment, but Jinx heard misinformation from Frank Drake that Modred had killed Louise Hastings, and turned against him, neutralizing both of them. Drake prepared to face off against the two arch-demons, but was then ambushed from behind by Morbius, still under control of Bloodthirst--the real killer of Louise.
(Morbius: The Living Vampire I#16) - Morbius returned to Dr. Strange's Sanctum, and his Lilin possessed presence allowed the rest of the Lilin to break through Strange's barriers and assault those present. Lilith arrived via Pilgrim, and attempted to convince the heroes to surrender the Amulet of Power, and she would leave them with their lives. Again, Strange refused to battle Lilith directly for fear of the damage that could be done to the dimensional walls. Strange helped Morbius bring Bloodthirst back under his control, but the rest of the "nine" still distrusted and attacked him.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#144/2) - Lilith convinced Zarathos to conserve his strength and leave with her while the Lilin finished off the nine. Pilgrim teleported the three of them away.
(Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#60) - Strange reformed the shields around his sanctum and forced the Lilin out. However, in an effort to purge the demon taint from his sanctum, he was forced to destroy it. Lilith and a number of her Lilin were waiting on the outside to start the battle anew.
(Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance#17) - Lilith left her Lilin to continue the fight, while
she and Zarathos consummated their relationship in a mausoleum within Cypress
Hills Cemetery. Afterwards, Ghost Rider, Vengeance, and Blaze arrived to
confront them, and Lilith told Zarathos "Fight with the knowledge that, no
matter what the outcome, your lien will be continued. This I promise."
Zarathos was temporarily defeated by the heroes, and Lilith and her Lilin
were re-banished back to the Shadowside dimension.
(Midnight Sons Unlimited#4) - After Zarathos was defeated/banished/turned to stone by the nine (now known as the Midnight Sons), Lilith appeared in the cemetery by the abandoned statue. She vowed to leave behind her old children, the Lilin, in order to be a devoted mother to the new offspring she and Zarathos had fashioned. She predicted that it would grow swift and strong and steeped in tales of its father's greatness.
(Witches#1) - Lilith was one of the many magic users on Earth assaulted by the Hellphyr.
(Witches#2) - Lilith observed as Dr. Strange attempted to prepare Jennifer Kale, Satana, and Topaz to confront the Hellphyr. She then birthed another Lilin and sent it to "welcome those tramps to the neighborhood." Dr. Strange confronted Lilith in her realm, and Lilith mocked him, showing the Lilin about to assault the trio.
(Witches#3) - Sensing Strange's weakness from the presence of the Hellphyr, Lilith challenged him with a wall of flame, which he easily passed through. Jennifer Kale destroyed the Lilin.
(Witches#4) - As Strange headed to assist the young witches against the Hellphyr, Lilith appeared, attacking the weakened mage. Lilith had nearly killed him and prepared to bite his neck, but when the Hellphyr was destroyed, he regained his full power, blasting her away. He intended to punish her for her actions, but she teleported away.
(Captain Britain and MI13#3) - When Peter Wisdom opened a mystic vault to free Merlyn, he also freed Cyttorak and several other malevolent demonic creatures.
(Captain Britain and MI13#4) - Seeking to conquer the British Isles, Lilith joined Satannish and some of the other recently freed demons in slaughtering the invading Skrulls.
(Captain Britain and MI13#12 (fb) - BTS) - Dracula forged an alliance with Lilith, who used her magic to create a shield that kept out solar radiation from Dracula's fortress on Earth's Moon. She also used her mystic powers to enlarge Captain Fate's flagship so it could hold more of Dracula's troops.
(Captain Britain and MI13#12) - Lilith attended a meeting with Dracula, Captain Fate, Baron Blood (Crichton) and Spitfire. She got in Spitfire's face calling her meat, but Dracula immediately told her to quit her attitude and show some respect for other nobles. She then accompanied Dracula and the others to Fate's flagship.
Dracula later showed Lilith and Fate how he found the location of Quincy Harker's skull when Blade, who was under surveillance by Dracula's agents, had led them to the skull, which prevented, due to a magic spell, vampires from entering Great Britain. Dracula asked Lilith to join him in the observatory where she used focused her spells through Dracula's brain altered stealth squad on Earth. Her spells finally allowed Dracula to use his astral form on Earth to destroy Quincy's skull (later on it was revealed that the skull was actually not the real skull....and therefore the spell was not broken by destroying it...see issue #15)
(Captain Britain and MI13#13) - Lilith joined Dracula, Fate and an army of vampires on their flagship on its way to Earth. Lilith created a mystic shield around Great Britain, enhanced by Dracula's machines, to cut off all support from other countries.
(Captain Britain and MI13#14) - Lilith saw Dracula return from his cabin two days later when their flagship had nearly entered Earth's atmosphere. Lilith kept her force field powered with Dracula's machines when she was assaulted by Captain Britain (Braddock) on the flagship. Due to her ongoing mystic blasts Captain Britain fled and told all units to fall back. Meanwhile Captain Fate's curse was broken when Black Knight (Whitman) cut him off from his sword. The flagship started to break apart, but Lilith used her magic to keep it together.
(Captain Britain and MI13#15) - Lilith blasted a returning Captain Britain, who was trying to save his wife Meggan, but this time Captain Britain proved too strong for her. When the flagship and his vampires started burning up upon entering Great Britain's airspace Dracula finally realized that the skull he had destroyed was not the real skull of Quincy Harker. Dracula ordered Lilith to stop fighting, not risk losing her magical shield around Britain and transport his troops back to the Moon. Captain Britain and Meggan followed Lilith and Dracula's troops to the Moon when Lilith didn't close the portal behind her. Captain Britain kept pounding on her with his fists and Meggan with magic until Lilith was defeated and seemingly destroyed, sending her back to Hell (or wherever she would be sent after death)
(Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural#5) - When Nightmare took over most of Earth, Lilith was one of his pawns used against Doctor Doom and Doctor Voodoo.
(Deadpool vs. Thanos#3 (fb) - BTS) - Lilith served as Mephisto's right hand during a war between the Hell-realms.
(Deadpool vs. Thanos#3) - Lilith reported to Mephisto that the war wasn't going well for his troops because even though Lilith's Lilin were successful against Satannish's Lethal Legion, Mephisto's tormented generals were unseasoned and cowardly and were regularly defeated. Mephisto wanted to know where his son Blackheart was, but according to Lilith he had not been seen since Mephisto had cast him out of Hell. Lilith was then surprised that Mephisto allowed Thanos and Deadpool get close to his realm's border.
SECRET WARS III HAPPENED
(Spirits of Ghost Rider: Mother of Demons#1 (fb)) - Lilith was in Hell when Mephisto got captured and trapped in Las Vegas.
Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze) became the new King of Hell a title Lilith believed should be hers. She attempted to trick him to leave Hell so she could take the throne by whispering lies in his ear that the demons of Hell would never respect him as long as Mephisto was still alive, but Blaze had none of it and punished her by breathing Hellfire on her. Lilith cowered before him apologetically and slithered away.
Lilith travelled to Limbo to ally with Belasco with the promise to rule all Hells as king and queen with him.
Back in Hell Lilith made a deal with Jack O'Lantern to eventually send him back to Earth if he kept fighting Ghost Rider (Blaze) for her.
(Spirits of Ghost Rider: Mother of Demons#1 (fb) - BTS) - She made the same deal with many others to amass an army loyal to her.
(Spirits of Ghost Rider: Mother of Demons#1 (fb)) - Lilith's body broke down, but before she died she gave birth to a new body.
(Ghost Rider IX#1) - After Ghost Rider left Hell to capture escaped demons on Earth, Lilith and her daughters approached D'Kay, who was guarding the portal to Earth, and Lilith ripped out his heart because he was serving the wrong king.
(Ghost Rider IX#2) - In Hell Lilith and her daughters saved a demon loyal to her from being tortured by demons loyal to Ghost Rider (Blaze). The demon had just been sent back to Hell by Ghost Rider and as planned by Lilith had told him where to find the other demons because she was sure Ghost Rider would die there.
(Ghost Rider IX#3) - In Hell Lilith gathered the demons loyal to her and sent them through the portal to Earth to kill Ghost Rider (Blaze) and Mephisto so that Lilith could take control over Hell.
(Ghost Rider IX#4 - BTS) - As part of his plans with Lilith, Belasco turned Danny Ketch, who had his Spirit of Vengeance removed by Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze), into the new Spirit of Corruption, a being that could kill Spirits of Vengeance.
(Spirits of Ghost Rider: Mother of Demons#1 - BTS) - Among them was Jack O'Lantern, but he got killed again by the Spirit of Corruption (Dan Ketch).
(Ghost Rider IX#4 - BTS) - Ghost Rider and Wong stopped Lilith's army before they could reach Mephisto, who was freed and abducted by Ghost Rider from Hotel Inferno.
(Ghost Rider IX#5 - BTS) - Mephisto was chained up in a hotel room by Blaze and revealed to him that Lilith was behind all the recent problems in Hell. She was not only after Blaze's throne, but also wanted to kill Mephisto for giving up the throne and expand Hell. Mephisto promised to tell Blaze where Lilith was if Blaze allowed him to leave, but Blaze didn't trust him. Mephisto revealed that Lilith had probably allied with Belasco because she always wanted to merge his realm with Hell, but there was no way to tell if she had not allied with others as well.
(Ghost Rider IX#5) - In Wilder, Kentucky at the Snarling Wolf Pub Lilith captured the Orb and had the demoness Vildra tap into his powers to use his all-seeing eye (the eye of Uatu). Vildra learned that Blaze had captured Mephisto, who had revealed Lilith's involvement to Blaze. Unfortunately Blaze had become more powerful by feeding on the sins of the demons Lilith had sent after him and Mephisto and had become too powerful to deal with for Lilith. She sent her daughter Mara to locate Blaze and buy her some time and her daughters Vandella and Helvira to go to New York City to find Ketch.
(Ghost Rider IX#7 - BTS) - Mara found Ghost Rider (Blaze) fighting Doctor Strange outside the Sanctum Sanctorum with Mephisto chained up behind them and allowed Vildra to watch the battle through her eyes by using Orb's powers.
(Ghost Rider IX#7) - Vildra reported to Lilith that Ghost Rider and Mephisto were together. Lilith gave out the call to every creature from Hell in New York and offered whoever brought her the heads of Johnny Blaze or Mephisto a place at her side in a Hell ruled by her.
(Ghost Rider IX#7 - BTS) - Ghost Rider felt that someone was watching them and Mephisto knew that it was Lilith and Vildra and were running out of time in their battle against Doctor Strange. Dan Ketch, Caretaker (Sara), Punisher and Wolverine arrived on the scene to stop the fight. The Spirit of Corruption (Dan Ketch) took on Ghost Rider while the others dealt with the demons that tried to cash in on Lilith's offer. The Spirit of Corruption stabbed Ghost Rider to cleanse him of the corruption he had accumulated from sending demons back to Hell.
(Ghost Rider IX#7) - Vildra still watched the fight through Orb, but to Lilith's disappointment Blaze was only close to death and not actually dead.
(Ghost Rider IX#7 - BTS) - Ghost Rider (Blaze) left New York with Mephisto still as his prisoner, but vowed to return soon against Lilith and her army from Hell.
(King in Black: Ghost Rider#1 (fb) - BTS) - Blackheart joined forces with Death Rider (Dan Ketch's new name) and Caretaker to prevent Lilith from taking the throne of Hell.
(King in Black: Ghost Rider#1 - BTS) - Death Rider explained the situation to Ghost Rider (Blaze) and in the end convinced Blaze to let Blackheart return Mephisto to Hell because Mephisto knew how to deal with Lilith and her army unlike Ghost Rider. Mephisto regained his throne.
(Midnight Sons: Blood Hunt#1) - Victoria Montesi used a pentagram drawn with her blood to summon Lilith to a cave in El Fasha, Iraq. Lilith then aided Montesi to exorcise a demon from a local man that was rather scared of Lilith.
Comments: Adapted by Howard Mackie and Andy Kubert.
Lilith's consort Samael also appeared in Hellstorm, but the different spelling makes it possible that it wasn't the same character although it likely was.
Lilith's encounters with Gilgamesh and Solomon are unconfirmed.
I would assume that the Leviathan from which Lilith was released would be the Leviathan of Hebrew legend, who was also known as Tiamat from Babylonian mythology. I'd like to see a story detailing how she got there. If this is indeed Tiamat, I believe it is her only appearance in the MU, although there have been numerous references.
She could have been imprisoned within Leviathan by the
Atlanteans themselves. As detailed from Thor I#401, Atlantean ruins existed
on the shores of the Viking's version of the "New World." Given its hospitable
clime, this New World may have been Iceland, placing it not too far
geographically from Greenland, the location of Lilith's imprisonment. With
this in mind, Atlanteans based on this outpost or other Atlanteans based
on nearby Greenland may have placed Lilith within the monster. On the other
hand, maybe the outpost was Lilith's in the first place. Any way you look
at it, this opens up a possible story involving Lilith and Atlanteans in
the "New World."
- Kyle
Lilith's imprisonment by Atlantean sorcerers does not have to precede the Great Cataclysm. There are numerous instances where groups of Atlanteans survived and escaped to other parts of the world to continue their existence. Among these are the Antillans (Conan of the Isles GN), Netheranians (Kala), and the original inhabitants of Pangea and the Savage Land.
"According to Hebrew tradition Lilith
was the first wife of Adam. Where Adam was created from the dust of the earth,
Lilith was flawed from the moment of her creation because she was fashioned
from the filth and uncleanliness of the earth. However instead of leading
Adam into temptation as his second wife, Eve, did, Lilith was an unfaithful
adulteress who consorted with evil spirits, chief among them the demon of
the wilderness Asmodeus. From her couplings with Asmodeus a hundred demons
were born each day, but God commanded all but one be slain for every brood
born."
--off the top of the head of Greg
O (Sounds like as good an explanation for the
Lilin as any, to me--Snood)
The origin of the traditional version of Lilith was adapted in Vampire Tales#4/6.
In Babylonian lore, she was mother of the first
vampires. This
differs from the MU story, in which vampires were created by the original
Darkholders, who used the Darkhold (empowered by Chthon) to transform Varnae
and a few others into the first vampires, in the Pre-Cataclysmic Era.
Perhaps Lilith's power also entered into this spell in the MU.
Alternatively, it may be that there are different races of vampires
in the MU, as there are literally dozens in myth/legend:
Compiled from a list of undead creatures in Vampire Tales
(with a few additions based on the
MU):
- -Asasabonsam: iron teeth, hooks for feet, hides in trees
- -Bajang: form of polecat, male
- -Ch'ing Shih: demon that possesses corpses, prevent decay by feeding on other corpses or off the living. Chinese legend
- -Chupacabra: Mexican bat-like bloodsuckers...if I remember correctly, it actually translates as "goat-sucker." A variation on these showed up in one of the Spider-Man novels, I believe.
- -Ciuatetes-vampire witches
- -Ekkimmu: souls of the dead who can't rest, they were vampire-like creatures that hunted and devoured victims--frightening them to death. Assyrian legend.
- -Ghoul: female djinn, feed on corpses, kill and eat humans. Arab legend
- -Gynosii: Chinese undead, intermediate b/t vampire+zombie--Marvel Comics Presents#139/2
-
-Lamia: half-woman, half-snake, stalked children. Greek
legend
---Lamia was a Libyan Queen loved by Zeus. Hera cursed her and she retreated to the desert from which she stole infants from their cribs. She was a lot closer to Lilith than Hecate was. In later myth, lamia was used as another name for vampires, particularly in Greece. --Will - -Langsuir: form of owl, female
- -Muttaliku: evil ghosts wandering the Earth. Assyrian legend
- -Obayifo: human-like, suck blood of children, free astral self, destroy crops
- -Penanggalan: a head with a stomach attached, they fly and suck the blood of the young. Southeast Asia, Malay Peninsula
- -Rakshasa: spirits which animate corpses, they cause excruciating death with a touch. Hindu legend
-
-Uttuku: phantoms or ghosts, not evil
There were also strigo, empusa, vrylokas and other assorted nasties. Nosferatu, however, was invented by Bram Stoker; there are no words in any Balkan language which come closer. In Yugoslavia, there is a word: nysferatia. It means "tax man." A nasty creature which sneaks into your house and sticks its fangs in your wallet once every year! It knows no pity and shows no mercy. And then there is "paparazzi." Italian vampires.--Will U
- Adze
- Aqueos
- Ancient
- Charniputra
- Huskies (see Elliot Flanders)
- Jiangshi
- Jumlin
- Nosferatu (see Lord Nosferatu)
- Purebloods
- Tryks
- Vetala
- Yiki Onna
Peter David used the legendary Lilith in a story for DC's Super-Girl.
In addition, Marvel Graphic Novel#20:
Greenberg the
Vampire, @ 1986, featured Lilith in her "Night Rider"/Infant Stealer role.
This story contains no elements (short of the existence of vampires and Lilith
herself and her children) to otherwise connect it to the Marvel Universe.
In fact, as pointed out by John McDonagh, the letter page
of Dr. Strange: Master of the Mystic Arts (Dr. Strange II#66 states
that the story of Greenberg the Vampire did not take place in the Marvel
Universe. This was in answer to a question of whether he was destroyed by
the reading of the Montesi Formula in Dr. Strange II#62
There's nothing within the story to exclude it from Earth-616, but I'll have
to defer to the editorial comment. IF IT WERE IN EARTH-616, since Marvel's
time scale just keeps on a'slidin', I would place 1986 now in the pre-modern
era, which would explain why there weren't super-heroes, etc. Anyway, I still
think it's worthy of a summary.
-
(Marvel Graphic Novel#20 (fb)) - Lilith visited the infant Oscar Greenberg,
attempting to claim him for herself. Oscar's mother, Henrietta, whose father
was a rabbi, called upon "Sanvi, Sansanvi, and Semangeleaf" for help, and
drove her
off.
- (Marvel Graphic Novel#20) <1954> - Lilith visited and seduced the young Oscar Greenberg was by as he prepared for his own Bar Mitzvah.
- (Marvel Graphic Novel#20) - Many years later, Oscar Greenburg had become a vampire, but still "lived" an otherwise normal existence, acting as a horror writer. Lilith appeared to him in the form of a young, vivacious actress and seduced him. She sought to use her work to seduce the rest of the world into the fiery lust of the world she had dwelled in before being brought to the Garden of Eden with Adam. Lilith fought off and overpowered Greenberg's family and friends, including a rabbi brought in against her. However, Greenberg drew on the love of his family and girlfriend and shot Lilith, banishing her from the Earthly plane.
-
So, I could see this Lilith as being a fragment, or perhaps
the weakened astral self of the true Lilith, who remained trapped within
the Leviathan in Greenland.
Even knocking the story out of Earth-616 continuity does not alter this hypothesis significantly. With her spirit barred from the Earth-616 universe, she could have sent her astral fragment to another reality, the journey across the dimensional planes of which affected her somewhat. This might explain her different powers and appearance. - Or...it's a different character altogether. Take your pick.
Lilith has the potential to be a really cool character, but
she didn't impress me a whole lot in her 1990s--the Age of Hype--appearances,
written mostly by Mackie. I'd love to see Warren Ellis, Garth Ennis, J. M.
DeMatteis, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Steve Gerber, or someone equally twisted
do a story involving the birth of her child of Zarathos.
She wasn't much different in the witches series, but at least
they didn't mess her up.
For much, much more on the Lilith(s) of myth/legend, check out the Lilith page. In one story, she was mad at Adam for insisting that she always be on bottom during sex. She left him and was turned into a demon. She is credited/blamed for Sudden Infant Death as well as nocturnal emissions in men (she even was listed as...the Night Rider. No connection to the Phantom Rider(s) or that talking car show with David Hasslehoff, which the Germans love)
Babylonian Gods rank right up there with Lovecraft's work as
one of the most common sources of demons in the MU: There's
Baal, Inanna, Lilith,
Marduk,
Ningal, Nergal, Ullikumis, that I can come up with off the top of my head.
I had mentioned previously that I thought these gods may have degenerated
into demons due to millennia without worship. To clarify: I didn't mean that
any god without worship would automatically become a demon after a given
period. It just seemed like one possible motivation/explanation. However,
the Mesopotamian Gods seem to have been particularly susceptible to this
phenomenon. They have had the longest time to...spoil.
Chronologies are NOT my strongsuit, but I think I did ok with this long one. I'm no quite sure where the Morbius stories fit in prior to the "Siege of Darkness", so I stuck them somewhere in the "Road to Vengeance", after she had returned to activity, but before she got too tied up with Centurious, b/c the battle with Ghost Rider and bunch led directly into the Siege.
The flashbacks in Spirits of Ghost Rider: Mother of Demons muddled up once the identity of Satan involved in Biblical times. It was problably a merged version of Lucifer, Marduk Kurios, Mephisto and whatever other devils were around back then. Later in the issue it was only Mephisto who Lilith was allied with.
--Markus Raymond
Lilith has a profile in the OHotMU Master Edition, from which the top image was scanned and the OHotMU Horror 2005. In All-New OHotMU Update#3 it was revealed that the Leviathan she was trapped in was Tiamat and that while she was trapped inside her spirit was apparently still free to wander, which explains some of her appearances.
Thanks to Will U, the Squid, and Greg O for passing on scads of mythological history.
Thanks to AJ Lewis and Will U for pointing out that
I had mistakenly listed Bebe Newmar as the actress who played Lilith from
Cheers.
You are obviously confusing her with Julie Newmar, who
played Catwoman in the old "Batman" TV series of the 60s.
Profile by Snood. Updates by Markus Raymond (Captain Britain to now).
CLARIFICATIONS:She should be differentiated from:
-
Lilith - daughter of Dracula--Giant-Size Chillers
I#1
SOMEONE told me that Dracula's daughter was renamed when she became a vampire, and was named after the original demonqueen.
