Babylonian Altar Cloth - Lilith Bride of Samael

This Altar Banner is printed on a 24” x 24” cloth and is ideal for altars, walls or "prayer cloths" for spiritual practices. Hebrew: לילית; Arabic: ليليث; Akkadian: Līlītu, are female or male nisba adjectives from the proto-Semitic root L-Y-L meaning "Night," literally translating to nocturnal "female night being/demon", although cuneiform inscriptions where Lilit and Lilitu refers to disease-bearing wind spirits exist. Babylonian texts depict Lilith as the prostitute of the goddess Ishtar. Similarly, older Sumerian accounts assert that Lilitu is called the handmaiden of Inanna or "hand of Inanna." The Sumerian texts state that "Inanna has sent the beautiful, unmarried, and seductive prostitute Lilitu out into the fields and streets in order to lead men astray." That is why Lilitu is called the "hand of Inanna." The Lilitu, the Akkadian Ardat-Lili and the Assyrian La-bar-tu like Lilith, were figures of disease and uncleanliness. Ardat is derived from "ardatu," a title of prostitutes and young unmarried women, meaning "maiden." One magical text tells of how Ardat Lili had come to "seize" a sick man.[1] Other texts mention Lamashtu as the hand of Inanna/Ishtar in place of Lilitu and Ardat lili. Lilith is further associated with the Anzu bird, lions, owls, and serpents, which are animals associated with the Lilitu. It is from this mythology that the later Kabbalah depictions of Lilith as a serpent in the Garden of Eden and her associations with serpents are probably drawn."

This altar cloth features a one sided print with hemmed edges. Care instructions: Cold water delicate cycle, hang to dry. No bleach.