LILITH: A NIGHTMARE-WOMAN IN THE PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY AND ITS ORBITING SYMBOLISMS.
Lilith; nightmare-woman; archetype; symbolism; mythology.
The myth, as a mechanism for a people's self-image, reveals their desires and fears by structuring desired behavioral patterns and taboos. Consequently, within patriarchal society, myths establish a series of paradigms that must be strictly followed, especially concerning women. Among them, those who reject these impositions are vilified and become nightmare women. Lilith is an example of a nightmare woman. She emerged before patriarchy fully established itself on Earth and continues to haunt the world to the extent that some today dare not utter her name. Therefore, the objective of this work is to analyse the myths in which Lilith is mentioned, as well as the entire system of symbols surrounding the nightmare woman. The chosen works are: The Alphabet of Ben Sira; Zohar: The Book of Splendor; Tanakh and Talmud. The analytical method of this investigation is qualitative and bibliographic, primarily relying on three pillars: myth criticism, the study of symbols, and feminist theory. The theoretical framework guiding the research includes Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers (1990), Robert Graves and Raphael Patai (2018), etc., regarding the study of myth. Aligned with myth theory, the perspective on archetype and symbol uses Mircea Eliade (1972/1979/1999), Carl Gustav Jung (1964/1970/1996/2016), Gaston Bachelard (1989), Chevalier and Gheerbrant (2001), among others. Concerning feminist criticism, it draws on Gerda Lerner (2019), Martha Robles (2019), Barbara Black Koltuv (2017), and Jean Delumeau (2001). Through the investigations conducted so far, it is understood that the fear and horror that Lilith evokes are untimely for a society that rejects women who are in control of themselves.