Lilith by George MacDonald
Lilith is a character rooted in various mythologies and traditions, often depicted as a figure of both creation and rebellion. In George MacDonald's novel "Lilith: A Romance," published in 1895, she is portrayed as the first wife of Adam, who becomes a complex symbol of duality, embodying both evil and the potential for redemption. The story follows Mr. Vane, a man who, after inheriting an estate, enters a parallel world guided by a ghostly librarian named Mr. Raven. Vane encounters a range of characters, including the guileless "Little Ones" and the vampiric Evil Princess, who represents Lilith's darker aspects. The narrative explores themes of bondage, sacrifice, and the struggle against malevolence, ultimately revealing that Lilith is bound by her choices and is linked to Mr. Vane’s journey of self-discovery. The tale culminates in a transformative quest for redemption, where Vane learns profound truths about life and bliss. Lilith’s character, while traditionally viewed as a figure of defiance, is also portrayed in a way that reflects her complex relationship with creation and sin, inviting readers to ponder the nature of good and evil.
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Subject Terms
Lilith
First published: 1895
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—mythological
Time of work: Undefined, in another world
Locale: The city of Bulika and the surrounding territory
The Plot
The final version of Lilith: A Romance, published in 1895, was the result of George MacDonald’s extensive revision of a draft written in 1890 that was one-third as long and less elaborate in symbolism. The novel concerns the adventures of Mr. Vane, who has returned home from studying the physical sciences at Oxford to manage the family estate he has inherited. One day he follows a ghost-librarian, named Mr. Raven (who at times actually takes on the form of a raven), into a parallel world where he must wander, after having rejected Mr. and Mrs. Raven’s invitation to join the countless people sleeping off the effects of earthly suffering in their vault. Mr. Vane is soon forced into bondage by some loutish Bad Giants but is kept company by the guileless Little Ones, who have never grown up because in this desiccated world there is no water for them to cry tears. Lona, the oldest of the Little Ones, informs him that they turn into Bad Giants if they become greedy.
Mr. Vane escapes so that he can travel to Bulika, where he hopes to find out how to be of service to the Little Ones. On his way he meets the compassionate Mara, whose face is muffled and whom the Little Ones call the “cat-woman” because of her all-white leopard companion (who seems to have been responsible for retrieving the infant Little Ones from the corrupt city of Bulika). He subsequently saves the life of a vampirish woman with his own blood. After she proudly scorns his love, he reaches Bulika, where he discovers that she is the Evil Princess (attended by a spotted leopard) who taught the inhabitants to dig for jewels instead of to till the land, and who carried away half of their water while the rest sank below ground. Mr. Raven appears and saves Mr. Vane from her spell by revealing that he is Adam and she was his first wife, Lilith, who became the slave of the Great Shadow. Lona is their daughter.
Mr. Vane disobeys Mr. Raven, who has instructed him to go to his mausoleum to sleep and become strong, and returns to the Little Ones. He leads them in a successful attack on the Bad Giants and then upon Bulika. Upon encountering her mother, Lona dies. The captured Lilith is first taken to Mara’s House of Bitterness, where she surrenders her will. She and Lona are taken to Adam and Eve’s vault, where Lilith will need to sleep for a long time to be freed of her sins. At Lilith’s own bidding, Adam severs her clenched hand, which is still gripping evil. He then directs Mr. Vane to bury it in the desert, whereupon the sunken waters rise and the land is restored. Mr. Vane is then ready to sleep in Adam and Eve’s vault.
While dreaming he learns that “life mere and pure is in itself bliss, that where being is not bliss, it is not life, but life-in-death.” Upon waking, he sets out with Lona and the Little Ones to climb to the dazzling city that has appeared on a mountaintop, but as he is about to reach it, a hand pushes him through a door back into his library, where he wonders if he is still in Adam’s house dreaming and looks forward to being reunited with Lona.