Lilith (LIL-ith)

Mother of the Zurrinaih

Written by J. L. Gryphon

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Click Here for Audio Version

Ambient sounds courtesy of tosha73 and EminYILDIRIM

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Greetings to those below. I am Death, though I would ask you call me Azrael. Since we have been on such a theme with the Zurrinaih, I think we have gone long enough without mentioning their most important myth. Lilith is a mysterious speck on an already spotty history.

The Middle Sphere, which is when our myth first began, is filled with gaps and . . . claw marks . . . through most of its historical texts. This means, then, that Lilith could actually be real. But you’d be hard-pressed to have anyone believe you. Her story is rather . . . unpopular.

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Summary

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by J. L. Gryphon via Artbreeder

As I said, much of the Middle Sphere is fragmented, which means the Lilith myth is equally so. But you have me as your narrator, and, fortune has it that I know the most complete version of the tale. I must omit certain things—for your safety, you understand—or else those claw marks might be left in you rather than in old papyrus sheets. But what I can tell you is:
Once there was a young Sithuwaye elf named Lilith. Unfortunately for Lilith, she was not like other Sithuwaye thanks to her grandmother’s heritage. You see, Lilith’s grandmother was not just a Sithuwaye. She was half . . . something else. I’m sorry, but the record detailing what else she was has been destroyed. But whatever she was people feared. A great calamity only increased people’s fear, and Lilith’s grandmother was murdered in the chaos. Lilith grew up hearing stories of her grandmother’s murder. Both her parents, her father especially, were bitter and resented those who had taken part in the butchery. Lilith inherited this bitterness, and she expressed increasing anger against the rulers of her day, feeling trapped and forced to hide her heritage for fear the killings would begin again. Not that this heritage manifested within Lilith. By the time Lilith was born, that “something else” was long gone, and Lilith was as much a Sithuwaye as anyone else. But, being related to someone who wasn’t, no matter how far back that relation might be, was enough to stir whispers of panic. And so Lilith was different without actually being different, a state that only increased her bitterness.
Maybe that’s why she was fooled that day. Maybe that’s why she was targeted to begin with. Because after her parents were killed when she was seven years old, Lilith grew up alone, and anyone will tell you it is a dangerous thing for a Sithuwaye to be alone. They are not built for it.
So it was that one night, Lilith . . . disappeared. The myth branches into different versions at this point, but the most common version states she wandered out into the darkness as if summoned. By what remains unclear. Some versions say it was a stranger or perhaps a friend who tempted her. Some say it was an animal filled with magic. One version suggests it may have been a unicorn, or, even more strange, a shadow come to life. But the myths all agree that, whatever tempted her, caused her to change.
The myth tells that, after vanishing for three days and three nights, she stumbled back into the sunlight, but she no longer resembled herself. It was as if all color had been stripped from her. Her vibrant red hair had faded and turned brittle. Her blood that once flamed with white sithu fire had turned dull and black. And her once sunny skin had turned gray and corpselike. Just her eyes remained alive, perhaps even more so than before her transformation. They gleamed with inhuman purpose, glowing in the dark like a cat, as if the darkness and she had made a pact to work together.

by J. L. Gryphon via Artbreeder

Here, then, we arrive at the most important aspect of the Lilith myth. Lilith, as her transformed appearance might have told you, is said to have been the first Zurrinaih elf. Naturally, then, it is said all other Zurrinaih come from her. Lilith, the mythical Mother of the Zurrinaih. That is what most people know her as, and it is indeed where most versions of the myth end, especially today.
But where there is a mother, there is a father. Most versions of the myth do not mention him, but according to the most complete version I know, it is said after Lilith reappeared drained of color, she stumbled to the home of a close friend and transformed him through unknown means, making him the second shade-elf to have ever lived. Then she attacked him, took from him what she needed . . . if you catch my meaning . . . and killed him.
Another aspect that is not often mentioned today, mainly because it sheds a rather . . . harmful light on the Zurrinaih people, is that Lilith’s transformation was no accident. According to the most complete version of the myth, her bitterness did not leave her after her transformation. Rather, it was enhanced. Endowed with her new self, she finally had the power to avenge her grandmother. In short, the most complete version of the myth theorizes that perhaps the reason she was transformed in the first place was so she could be the mother of the Zurrinaih. So she could breed an army she would later use to retaliate against everyone she hated, most notably the Sithuwaye elves.

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Historical Basis

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by Colleen ODell from Pixabay

I think it goes without saying why these last two aspects of the myth are either not talked about or swept under the rug. Myths are often born from truth, and it is true when the Zurrinaih elves first began appearing in Orosta with zero explanation, they were met with fear. At least initially. This is why it is theorized now that, especially the most complete version of the Lilith myth, may have been conceived as a way to confirm this fear. Because of course it is easier to justify killing someone you don’t like if you believe they are a literal monster purposely bred to destroy you. Such a convenient narrative. It would be correct, then, to understand the Lilith myth as one of the more famous theories as to how and why the Zurrinaih people first appeared.
And, regarding the whole “breeding an army” element, the most likely reason for this is due to the time period during the Middle Sphere known as The Split. The Split was, as far as historical texts tell, a 5,000-year period of general unrest between the Sithuwaye and the Zurrinaih. Most records of this time have been lost, but there are a few obscure texts that speak of a vicious leader among the Zurrinaih people during those wars. Naturally the Lilith myth has been attached to this supposed leader, but nothing conclusive has ever been found.
It is interesting to note that, according to the account of this leader, she was never found and died of old age. They never got her. This, then, is where the estimated average lifespan for Zurrinaih elves comes from since this figure, whoever she was, lived to be at least 5,000 years old. But it is unknown if this is true or even if Zurrinaih do live that long because—and I do acknowledge this next point is strange—since this supposed figure’s death, no Zurrinaih has ever lived long enough to die of old age. They are always killed relatively early in their lives, which has led some to say the Zurrinaih have been forever cursed with bad luck. Again, all this is complete conjecture, but it is an odd fact I will confirm is true. I am Death. I would know.

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Variations & Impact

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Spread

by J. L. Gryphon via Inkarnate

The Lilith myth is known on both Rhye and Altyma, but it is more readily dismissed on Rhye. Since most versions of the myth are either lost or fragmented, most don’t pay it much attention, at all. In fact, when it is mentioned, most respond with derision or even boredom because, unlike the more fun myths about the vati and shades, the Lilith myth does not lend itself to much variation. Not to mention it ends up being somewhat uncomfortable to discuss if any actual Zurrinaih elves happen to be nearby. It is a good idea not to anger or insult a Zurrinaih elf. The ones trained to be assassins are . . . fast.

Versions

by Yuha park from Pixabay

That said, there are some lost scribblings that deepen the mystery and do lend themselves to further speculation. One poem written by an unknown poet from the Middle Sphere reads:

What is it there that whispers in the night?

What is it there They buried beyond sight?

What is it there cursed by the unicorn toward thee?

This thing called forbidden, this thing called a tree.

By now you may have guessed this is from the same version that theorized what tempted Lilith was actually a unicorn. But, to confuse matters, in this same version there is another partial verse that reads:

Beautiful one, beautiful one,

come to me.

Listen now to the chime, bell, and ring.

Lovely one, lovely one,

come to me.

Do for me this favor, task, and thing.

Senseless one, senseless one,

you came to me.

Listen now to Death's chime, bell, and ring.

I do take issue with this one since it seems to implicate me as Lilith’s mysterious tempter, but I can assure you now, I had nothing to do with it. Then again, people are often afraid of me and paint me in unflattering lights, as well, so I suppose I can relate to the Zurrinaih people in that way.

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Cultural Reception

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Symett Veth

Eris Sulissurn

This does lead me to the political aspects of this myth, because of course there always are with something like this. As mentioned, the aspects of the myth regarding “breeding an army” and the supposed father of the Zurrinaih are both quietly swept aside. This is because the Zurrinaih as a whole particularly take issue with the idea Lilith attacked their supposed father. Zurrinaih place great cultural value on what they call the “game of seduction,” and so are naturally horrified by the notion their people began as a result of such flagrant disregard for said “game.”
Specifically in Rhye, the myth has seen a resurgence due to recent times and the genocidal Sithuwaye Wars led by Vānima the Veldriss. Main opponents of the Sithuwaye Wars, namely the criminal Fisherhook Gang, have cited the legend as “history repeating itself” with Lilith being presented as the Zurrinaih leader during the time of The Split.
Perhaps this resurgence is what inspired Symett Veth, the mother of Eris Sulissurn. She is a recent example of the myth’s influence. To Symett, it didn’t matter whether Lilith was real or not. The idea of her was enough, and she imposed Lilith’s role as a mother onto her daughter, believing with increasing passion and dedication that her daughter would be the new mother to the Zurrinaih people. Eris, thankfully, was saved from her mother’s mad ravings, but not in time for her to forever fear becoming what her mother had so longed for her to be. She still lives with that fear, even now.
Ah, perhaps it is best everyone just forgot this myth. It has caused more trouble than most. Then again, it is never a good idea to forget what came before because if the lessons learned are forgotten, then history very well might repeat itself. And since when has history repeating itself ever been a good thing?

Signed your historic narrator,
Azrael the Star of Death

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Book Information

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To learn more, hop on over to the books page OR hop on over to the teaser and get a sneak peek of Chapter 1! For more articles like this one, have a peek at my Worldbuilding Journal and explore Orosta.

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Related Articles

Mental characteristics

Gender Identity

Female

Image by J. L. Gryphon via Artbreeder

Date of First Recording
1793 MS
Date of Setting
1769 MS - 7000 MS
Related Ethnicities
Sithuwaye
Zurrinaih
Related Species
Elf
Related Locations
Altyma
Rhye
Related People
Vesyr
Venah
Related Conflicts
The Split

Species

Elf

Ethnicity

Zurrinaih

Other Ethnicities/Cultures

• Rhyonian

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Mother of the Zurrinaih

Date of Birth

The Month of Chal, Day 16, 1769 MS

Date of Death

The Month of Gabral, Day 15, 7000 MS

Life

1769 7000 5231 years old

Related Myths

• Shades
• Vati

Known Languages

• Sithuli (1st - fluent)
• Orostian (2nd - fluent)
• Zishlyn (3rd - fluent)
• Lingua (4th - passing)