Lilitu

Lilitu is a demon from ancient Mesopotamian literature, appearing in Akkadian and Assyrian-Babylonian texts as a female night spirit associated with wind and storms. In various incantations and myths from the second millennium BCE, Lilitu is described as a nocturnal tormentor who afflicts people in their sleep, can cause illness, and endangers infants. She is sometimes depicted as a winged figure with talons, and is often mentioned in connection with a class of demons known as lilû or lilu, which includes male and female night-demons.

Etymology and origins of the name point to Lilitu as the feminine form of lilû, a broader category of wind-associated demons. The precise meaning of the word is debated, but it is generally linked to night, air, and harmful nocturnal influence. As a concept, Lilitu can refer to a single demon or to a recurring type within Mesopotamian demonology.

Role and beliefs: Lilitu figures prominently in Mesopotamian protective rituals and exorcistic texts. Households used incense, amulets, and prescribed rites to ward off Lilitu and other night-demons, especially to safeguard infants and pregnant or nursing women. The demon is part of a broader tradition of nocturnal spirits that were believed to disrupt sleep, cause disease, or steal vitality.

Legacy and influence: In later Jewish and Christian demonology, Lilitu is often linked with Lilith, a nocturnal figure that preys on men and infants. Many scholars view Lilith as a later cultural transformation or synthesis of the Mesopotamian Lilitu with folklore, contributing to the development of the Lilith legend in Western traditions.