"Adam did not eat the apple because he desired it. He ate it because it was forbidden. Now the apple has been set before all of you. Eat well. For just as your friends who became demons by reading books discovered, you will find no love from God..."
Lilith was known as a storm demon by the name of "Lilitu" in ancient Mesopotamian mythology, dating back to around 3000 BC. She was thought to be the creator of disease and death.
Lilith was later integrated into Abrahamic religions as the first wife of Adam before Eve, and she was cast out of the garden of Eden for her obstinate and sinful ways. Adam longed for her company and begged God to forgive Lilith and allow her back into Eden. God granted his request by allowing her to return, with the punishment of killing 100 of her children every day if she refused. She exerted her free will, refusing to return, and was turned into a demon. From that day on, she warred with the sons and daughters of Adam.
Many versions of the tale exist. In one version, she was the first to eat the fruit of knowledge out of a desire to gain power over Adam. After being cast out of Eden, she attempted to create her own garden and became the consort of many different demons, one of which being the fallen angel, Samael. Her children were demons as well, one of which being the succubus, Lilim. Unlike the Garden of Eden, Lilith's garden was known to reside in the southernmost lands of Edom, and was considered a wild, feral and unclean place, aspects within classical Christian theology is symbolic of the abandonment of God, and hence the absence of his grace and blessing.
In another version (from the "Midrash Abkier"), Adam separates from Eve and fasts for 130 years after the death of the world brought on by Cain's mortal sin of homicide. When Lilith (also known as Pizna) saw Adam's beauty, she instantly desired him and took him by force, using his sins against him. She bore him many demonic spirits, now known to be a plague to mankind.
In yet another version, she is the mastermind behind the snake that coerces Eve into straying from God's will; because of this, she is usually depicted holding snakes. For rebelling against God, Lilith was cursed to have her legs turned into the tail of a snake; from this, Lilith tends to be further associated with pestilence, feral barbarity and depraved sexuality, sometimes referred to as "the spirit of all that crawls," and is believed to be the origins of the similar Grecian demons known as Lamia.
In some iterations, she takes on demonic consorts after leaving Adam. European medieval scripture tends to depict her as the wife of Asmodeus, the king of demons and embodiment of the deadly sin of lust. In others, she is even the wife of the devil himself, who births and rears him demonic children in preparation of his war against God.
Her hatred of human offspring and hence being the eternal enemy of humanity also stems from different interpretations; one belief it is out of jealousy for having her children taken from her by God, another belief saying it being out of her overtly covetous and sinful nature that did not make her motherly and caring, another is said to have been because of her own dark karma, in which her response to God's demands was "I was made to kill children and men," forever cursing her to her fate, to where it is said that she kills her own children if she cannot find others to sate her wrath. Regardless, Lilith as such is believed to be the cause of stillbirths and infant deaths, where she focuses her malice on small children by preying on them in their sleep, suffocating newborn babies and feasting on their bones, or in archaic beliefs, goads similarly behaved of her disposition or troubled mothers-to-be to commit infanticide. To this day, many orthodox Jewish households hang charms to cast Lilith out of their homes.
Kaneko's design for Lilith is a composite of various elements from the 1990 film Night Angel's Lilith: three fingers, stripes of scaly skin, makeup, rings and jewelry, long dark hair, and the snake.
Shin Megami Tensei (PSX)[]
Shin Megami Tensei (PSX) shares the same inspiration for Lilith's design as Shin Megami Tensei, minus the inclusion of some makeup, rings and jewelry.
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers[]
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers shares the same inspiration for Lilith's design as Shin Megami Tensei, minus the inclusion of some makeup.
Profile[]
Shin Megami Tensei[]
"Origin: Israel. The first woman, made alongside Adam. She is a mother of many demons, including Lilim. She has sex with sleeping men and sucks their blood. It is also said that she chokes newborn babies to death and feasts on their bones. One famous theory names her as the wife of Lucifer."
—Shin Megami Tensei A-Mode DDS dictionary
Lilith is the true form of the young woman named Yuriko. Defeating her allows the protagonist to retrieve the Belial Pot she took previously in the game, which can then be fused with a Spirit Sword to create the Karyuken, the heroine's strongest sword.
In the GBA and iOS versions, the protagonist will receive a Visionary Item for defeating her, the Black Moon if the protagonist is Neutral-aligned, and the Lily Bouquet if Law aligned.
"She is said to have been Adam's first wife. Refusing to obey Adam, she left Eden and became a demon of the night. There are several theories of her leaving and fall and they all depict her as unfaithful."
—Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne profile
Lilith is the strongest member of the Night race and can be obtained through the evolution of Lilim or recruited in the Tower of Kagutsuchi. Her skillset will be different based on whether she was recruited through negotiation or evolved from Lilim once the Demi-fiend is at a high enough level and Lilim has learned all of her skills. A Lilith evolved from Lilim will learn two higher tier skills, Life Drain and Megidolaon, but will take longer to level up to learn them and will not possess the Hell Gaze skill naturally.
Lilith can also be encountered as a random enemy in the Fifth Kalpa of the Labyrinth of Amala. As no enemies in the labyrinth can be talked to, Lilith cannot be recruited there.
In the original version's debug mode, there is a cutscene involving Lilith opening an optional dungeon near the Mantra HQ. This dungeon was dropped in favor of the Labyrinth of Amala.
Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE[]
The NPC known as the Shadow Chaser is strongly hinted to be Lilith helping the player to unleash Beelzebub's full potential in the Lord of the Flies quest chain. After completing this quest, players gain the ability to fuse her as a special triple fusion of Vetala, Succubus and Lilim.
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey[]
"Adam's first wife in apocryphal Biblical scripture. She became a demon after leaving Eden. There are several theories as to the reasons for her fall, but all note her unfaithfulness."
—Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey compendium
Lilith appears as a random encounter enemy on Sector Horologium B4F and onwards.
Shin Megami Tensei IV[]
"Adam's first wife in apocryphal Biblical scripture. She became a demon after leaving Eden. Adam's wife Eve, according to popular belief, is born in Genesis 2:22. However, in Genesis 1:22, because it says God created woman there, it is believed this is Lilith. Although she is often depicted as a symbol of infidelity, she originally was a Babylonian goddess. According to one legend, she is Samael's wife and was the one who sent the snake at Eve, and is usually depicted with snakes."
—Shin Megami Tensei IV compendium
Lilith turns out to be the true identity of the Black Samurai, also known as Lady Yuriko. If Flynn sides with Walter, Lilith becomes an ally and is unlocked for fusion. If Flynn sides with Jonathan, however, she must be fought as a boss (and is not unlocked for fusion). On the Chaos route, when Flynn regains access to the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado, she will appear briefly at the Monastery before disappearing.
Shin Megami Tensei V[]
"She is said to have been Adam's first wife. Refusing to obey Adam, she left Eden and became a demon of the night. Though there are several theories regarding her disobedience, she is often regarded as a symbol of infidelity."
—Shin Megami Tensei V lore
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance[]
Lilith is the leader of a quartet of entities called the Qadištu along with fellow demons Naamah, Eisheth Zenunim, and Agrat bat Mahlat. She appears with a new design in the remake. She stands in the way of the protagonist in order to accomplish a certain purpose.
Majin Tensei II: Spiral Nemesis[]
Lilith appears as soldiers alongside the Divine in the battle against Satan in Amnesia's Eden, as well as aiding Beelzebub in Paranoia's Ahrqa.
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers[]
"Welcome to my boudoir, Mr. Cursed Summoner. I could have a use for you... But if you're hanging around with that girl, then you must still be a little boy. Now, come... I'll show you what a real woman can do."
—Lilith, Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
Lilith appears in the third Room of Trials at the Corridor of Time. Defeating her is necessary to obtain the Copper Manji.
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army[]
"Adam's first wife in apocryphal Biblical scripture. She became a demon after she left Eden. There are several theories as to the reasons for her fall, but all note her unfaithfulness."
—Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army devil chart
Persona 3[]
Lilith appears as the Persona of the Devil Arcana. Her fusion prerequisite requires the protagonist to complete Elizabeth's 48th request, which grants the protagonist a key item to fuse Lilith. Lilith's fusion prerequisite requires the protagonist to perform a cross spread fusion in the Velvet Room using Lilim, Vetala, Incubus and Succubus.
FES[]
One of Elizabeth's Requests involves fusing a Lilith with the Mabufudyne skill, which usually involves fusing a Succubus with Mabufudyne. One method is to fuse Scathach with Byakko to receive a Hariti with the Mabufudyne skill, followed by fusing the resulting Hariti with Zouchouten to receive a Succubus with Mabufudyne. From there, the cross-spread fusion of Lilim, Vetala, Incubus and Succubus may be performed to receive a Lilith with the Mabufudyne skill. An alternate way without using max S.Links Personas is to fuse lv.64 Gabriel (learns Mabufudyne at that level) with Samael for Succubus with the required skill.
Persona 4[]
"Said to have been Adam's first wife. She refused to obey him, leaving Eden to become a demon of the night. All theories of her fall depict her as unfaithful."
"Said to have been Adam's first wife, she desired to be his equal and refused to obey him. She was cast out of Eden and became a demon of the night. She is the mother of the demoness, Lilim."
—Persona 5 background
Lilith is the eighth Persona of the Moon Arcana and can be found as a Shadow in the Depths of Mementos, with the title "Harlot of Desire." She is the first Persona that the protagonist can use in battle to learn Mabufudyne, and one of four Personas to learn Makara Break. When itemized through Electric Chair execution in the Velvet Room, Lilith yields a Mabufudyne skill card. Lilith is required to summon Sraosha through advanced fusion.
Royal[]
Lilith can now repel Nuclear skills and all of her skills except Mabufudyne and Spirit Drain have been replaced. When itemized through Electric Chair execution, Lilith will now yield a Null Nuke Skill Card. During a fusion alarm, Lilith will yield a Repel Nuke Skill Card instead.
Persona 5 Strikers[]
Lilith returns as the ultimate Persona of the Moon Arcana. She can be found as a common enemy in the Jail of the Abyss. A particularly powerful Lilith can be found in Sapporo's Jail.
Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner 2[]
Lilith makes her appearance once the party reaches the 3rd Layer of the Sun.
Devil Survivor 2[]
"Adam's first wife in apocryphal Biblical scripture. She became a demon after leaving Eden. There are several theories as to the reasons for her fall, but all note her unfaithfulness."
—Devil Survivor 2 compendium
Lilith appears as a bonus boss on the 4th Day in the Original Wife event, starting from 14:00. She is seen at the Festival Gate in Osaka, having charmed several men controlling overleveled female demons and sending them to fight the party. Because the men are fighting under Lilith's mind control, the party has to defeat Lilith without defeating any of the charmed men.
Lilith possesses a unique racial ability limited to this fight only: Temptation. At the start of a skirmish, Temptation activates and attempts to charm the opposing team. It always works against male team leaders, unless they are protected by Null Curse, and has a moderate chance of success against anything else. Anything that does get charmed can and will be instantly killed with Death Call.
Fully utilizing Null Curse on the team(s) attacking Lilith can protect against this while netting Extra Turns, and the party's best bet of doing damage to her is through Pierce-enhanced physical attacks. Since the party can't defeat any of the other teams on the map, the easiest way to complete the battle is to deploy only the protagonist and move straight down the center towards Lilith with the aid of an Avian with Winged Flight. If getting a team that's completely immune to Curse proves difficult, Ban Curse can easily stop the Temptation ability.
Defeating Lilith earns the Spell Breaker title and the ability to fuse her in the Cathedral of Shadows.
Shin Megami Tensei Liberation Dx2[]
"Adam's first wife in the Old Testament. She became a demon after leaving Eden. There are various theories as to how she fell, but all agree she is an iconic adulteress. When she rebelled against God, she was cursed to have a snake's tail instead of legs, and often depicted as such."
+15% to Phys hit rate, -45% chance of receiving status ailments.
Innate
Forbidden Fruit
Auto
Gains Dark Pierce. +15% to Phys hit rate. +15% chance to inflict status ailments.
If there is a Charmed enemy at end of own turn: Uses Temptation
Innate
Temptation
6 MP
Inflicts Dark (Physical) damage (Power: 140) with 50% crit rate on a single enemy with 50% chance to inflict Charm on all enemies if the attack is successful. The damage inflicted by this skill is dependent on Mag ATK. Nullifies all death prevention skills. Enemies downed by this skill will not be able to revive.
Innate
Mamudodyne
7 MP
Inflicts Dark (Magic) damage with 120 power on All Enemies.
Aragami (Awaken)
Dark Enhancement
Auto
+15% to Dark damage. +10% damage when attacking the enemy's weak point
Aragami (Gacha)
Debilitate
8 MP
Reduces ATK, DEF, and EV/AC of All Enemies by 20% for 3 turns.
Protector (Awaken)
Epitome of Wisdom
Auto
+15% to Phys hit rate. +15% chance to inflict status ailments.
Protector (Gacha)
Dark Amp
Auto
+25% to Dark damage
Psychic (Awaken)
Savage Glee
Auto
+25% to Critical hit rate.
Psychic (Gacha)
Null Light
Auto
Adds Light Null.
Elementalist (Awaken)
Infernal Mask
Auto
-60% chance of receiving status ailments.
Elementalist (Gacha)
Gallery[]
General[]
Lilith as she appears in Shin Megami Tensei
Lilith as she appears in Shin Megami Tensei IV
Lilith as she appears in the Shin Megami Tensei: if... novel
Poster fanart in the Shin Megami Tensei Poster Book
Lilith as she appears in Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
Lilith as she appears in Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2
Lilith A as she appears in Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2
Lilith as she appears in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
Lilith as she appears in Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE
Lilith as she appears in Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army
Lilith as she appears in Persona 5 Royal
Lilith in Persona 3 Reload
Lilith as she appears in Persona O.A.
Lilith's sprite as it appears in Shin Megami Tensei (Sega CD)
Lilith as she appears in the Sega CD version of Shin Megami Tensei
Lilith as she is dying in the Sega CD version of Shin Megami Tensei
Lilith as she appears in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
The snake surrounding her body is a reference to Samael (the form some say he took in the book of Genesis), one of the consorts of Lilith.
It could also be a reference to the version where Lilith is the snake of Eden that tempted Eve into eating the fruit for the sake of petty revenge.
Lilith's artwork design for the Playstation version of Shin Megami Tensei bears a striking resemblance to Yuriko's design introduced from the same version. This is noticeable through their similar hairstyles, their earrings and an anklet-like accessory on their left leg.
Lilith's design from Shin Megami Tensei IV incorporates feathers and talons, alluding to the fact that her name can be translated as "night-owl" or "screech-owl."
Lilith's Shin Megami Tensei IV design is also very similar to that of the new designs for the four Archangels, thematically tying them together similarly to the creation myth. This is further emphasized by the fact that her appearance as Lady Yuriko is almost identical to that of Sister Gabby, Gabriel's human appearance.