5. Lilith became the mother of demons after leaving Adam in the Garden of Eden.
Lilith probably has her origins in another Mesopotamian entity, Lilitu, an Assyrian storm demon. Both demons began to appear in their respective Sumerian and Jewish texts at around the same time. Both of their names have their root in the Semitic root word for night, the time of Lilith’s most significant activity when she was an especial threat to children and women in childbirth.
Lilith however, started out very differently. According to rabbinic myth, she was the first wife of Adam. Like Adam, Lilith was created from the earth, making her equal to her husband. Adam however, expected Lilith to submit to him, something Lilith refused to do. The story goes that Lilith refused to lie beneath Adam during sex and eventually tired of him. So she decided to leave him and Eden behind and headed for independence in the wilderness. Three angels tried to persuade her to stay. However, Lilith refused.
In the wilderness, Lilith became the mother of demons, either as a legacy of her time with Adam or through her union with Samael, a fallen angel. These demons, who counted the incubi and succubae amongst their number were then sent out to plague humanity As for Lilith, she haunted people in storms or during the night, earning herself the name “screech owl’ or “night monster.”
Lilith was not the only female demon.