Customer Reviews

The Book of Lilith

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although I do credit this book with whetting my appetite to research further into Lilith and I did enjoy reading it when I first started it, after I did more research myself, I realized how flawed Koltuv's research is. She makes assertions while giving no evidence (such as stating that Lilith appears in Germanic mythology, which she doesn't), and she throws a lot of non-Lilith myths, stories, etc., that are similar to Lilith but treats them as if they are actually directly connected instead of just being "archetypally" connected. She also makes the usual claim that Lilith was originally a goddess, and, per usual, gives no evidence for this assertion. This is an OK intro to Lilith book and is a fun read, but do your serious research into Lilith elsewhere.

When I picked up this book I was hoping for a summary of research about Lilith or at least a good starting place for such. I would have accepted a book that was based on psycholoigal archetypes, or on myths and folklore, or one on historical Jewish Mysticism, or even one on modern ideas in a magico-religious community about the subject. What I read was a sloppy mixture of all of the above which was in my opinion poorly written.

The mishmosh of "factoids" about Lilith were almost always presented without context. Which ever of the above categories a "fact" or offered perspective was presented- its category was not exposed (if at all) until after the annecdote was narrated, which of course interfered with the way the reader understands or digests the information. Sometimes facts of one type were in a chapter that led the reader to believe it was another type.

For instance, many of theses anecdotes which seemed to be folklore, were actually dream sequences from the psychologist author's analysands. Therefore they were dreams that people had that were Lilith-like, and not details about a real figure of myth, or a historically researchable topic of any kind. Many times the story presented was a folklore-like sequence from a play or story. Usually there was no contextual information about the author or dreamer and what exposure to the myth that person may have had.

These factoids, annecdotes, fictional snippets, and dreams (which the author may have labled Lilith archetypes but it is unclear if the dreamer/analysands would have done so...)are presented without any clearly articulated argument, so the book proceeds without a point, and with incredibly sloppy "evidense".

I wouldn't reccomend this book to anyone, and I don't want to give it even one star.

The only vaulable points of interest that I found in the book were the photos of amulets against Lilith or Lillith like "night hags" and the names of the books used to research her topic. ( I don't believe that a bibliography was used either.)

This is an interesting little book on the subject of Adam's first wife. There were a lot of references in it but unfortunately I couldn't always distinguish between what was historical fact and which was just contemporary Jungian analysis.
What I liked about the book was it's treatment of Lilith as a sub-archetype to be explored. I found both the dream sequences of Dr. Koltuv's analysands and the folktales to be interesting in the sense of demonstrating practical views and applications of this sub-archetype.
What I didn't like was the tangled web of information which makes anyone who isn't a Jungian analyst confused as to what is objective and what is dreamed/interpreted. This book would have been better off putting the Jungian applications and illustrations into a certain section and the actual historical and mythological information into another.
Overall, I recommend this book to anyone interested in either Jungian psychology or Lilith, but with a forewarning that the information is not complete and further research will be necessary before really coming to a more academic understanding of what and who Lilith is.

When I bought this book I was hoping for some information in the diffrent myths and beliefs about Lilith. Instead I found a phycological book about the view of women and how that was seen in the stories of Lilith. A great read and one I would suggest you invest in. But remember this is a book about all of women and not just Lilith.

This book teaches us much about Lilith, the first wife of Adam, and Queen of Demons. But it also paints a different picture of her. A picture of feminine streangth and dominance. This book is a wonderful way to introduce yourself to Lilith, and to help you learn the importance of getting in touch with the Lilith in yourself. I highly recomend this book.

Before I purchased this book I already had an intellectual understanding of Lilith through research into the ancient Sumerian and Babylonian concepts of lilitu / ardat-lili and also the Kabbalistic version of Lilith found in the Zohar as the counterpart to Samael.

I picked up The Book of Lilith on a whim and it was far more than what I was expecting. It definitely gave me a much more rounded out idea of Lilith and very deep insight into the archetype. Dr. Kultov delved into ideas and connections that I never would have imagined otherwise. She has definitely "conjured" the spirit of Lilith for this work.

Whereas I previously had an intellectual understanding of Lilith I now have a feeling and intuition of Lilith on a much larger scale. This book has also helped me gain a deeper appreciation of the Dark Goddess archetype and a unique perspective on the shadowy side of the female psyche in general.

Highly recommended.

To be honest, this book got me started in my research of Lilith back when I was still in grad school ... eventually leading me to write The Rape of Lilith. It offers much in the way of understanding Lilith as both a mythical/religious figure as well as an archetype of the psyche. However, there are times when she does not cite sources, and other times it seems that the author attempts to draw direct parallels between Lilith and other literary figures without enough linking evidence/support. Also, I had some difficulty locating a few of her sources. I am not trying to say that the sources do not exist ... just that they were either improperly cited or have become outdated and/or gone out of print. Happens to the best of us.

All in all ... I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a place to start on the journey to understanding the Dark Mother. I would be lying if I said this book was not crucial in leading me to many source texts during my early years of researching Lilith.

Read the book with the title in mind, "The Book of Lilith." While the book touches on history, mythology and psychology, the book is more of a primer for a modern religion. In this respect, it could be a five-star book. However, this book presents itself as a book of the history of the Lilith figure, and in that respect there are much better works.

When I obtained this book from amazon.com, I didn't know it would help me to understand and appreciate and respect the many "moods and attitudes" of women a little bit more.

The prerequisite to reading this book is an open mind. It contains various historical, mythological, and psychological analyses of Lilith, that can be overwhelming. But there is an advantage to this; it motivates and pushes the mind to think and encourages more and more exploration of the subject-concecpts.

Recommended for the open minded and all males.

This is a pretty good book - I agree with the previous reviewer who said the author makes too many assertations that have no apparent root in fact - this is true. The writing itself can get confusing and doubles back on itself, but that is to be expected. I think it centers a little too much on psychology rather than the myth itself. Still, I did enjoy reading it (and LOVED the illustrations) and I am interested in reading more about Lilith.