Lilith by George MacDonald

Book Review #3

Lilith was written in the late 1890’s by George MacDonald and is considered one of his finest works. I have been greatly impressed by his writings, but I am not the only one to recognize his greatness. J.R.R Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and G.K. Chesterton, some of my other favorite authors, were all heavily influenced by MacDonald's work as well. Lilith, one of the main characters in this book, even has a cameo in Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia. According to the book series by C.S. Lewis, Lilith is the supposed first wife of Adam and the mother of Jadis, also known as the White Witch. This origin story is revealed through Mrs. Beaver’s conversation with the Pevensie children in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”. Mrs. Beaver explains that Jadis comes from Adam’s first wife, Lilith, who was “one of the Jinn”.

This lore about Lilith dates back to ancient Talmudic, Jewish, and Kabbalistic teaching which presents Lilith as the angelic first wife of Adam, quickly replaced by a human named Eve. In the Medieval worldview, Lilith is a demoness that prowls around seeking children to devour and men to seduce. In recent times, Lilith has been reinterpreted as a feminist icon, symbolizing female empowerment and defiance of patriarchal norms. Theistic Satanists also revere her as a sex goddess and mother figure, associating her with Satan. She is considered the “queen” of hell.

All of these interpretations of this Lilith figure are extrabiblical and cannot be fully trusted. However, Isaiah 34:14 clearly references Lilith referring to the judgement of Edom.

The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the jackals, And the wild goat shall bleat to its companion; Also the night creature (Literally “Lilit” or Lilith) shall rest there, And find for herself a place of rest.

Isaiah 34:14

Lilith’s appearance in the Old Testament insinuates that ancient Jews had a conception of a demonic female goddess who comes in the night to consume her victims. This is what we can know for certain based on ancient near eastern lore and the biblical account corroborating it. In his book, George MacDonald taps into all of this lore surrounding Lilith. He crafts the story around the main protagonist, Mr. Vane, and his encounters with Lilith in the land of the Fae. Mr. Vane could have avoided it all, but because he rejected the easy path presented by Adam (yes, the first man), he must be refined in the fire to become what God intended him to be.

Rating 5/5 *WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD*

Through the Mirror

Initially, Mr. Vane is led through a mirror after encountering an apparition. This being leads him into what is described as "the region of the seven dimensions". I believe that what was intended is fairyland, or the land of the Fae. George MacDonald wrote many faerie tales and enjoyed traveling to the land of the Fae in his stories, and Lilith is no exception. This is the land between this world and the next, a sort of middle-land. Boy, does one feel out of place coming here! MacDonald does a fantastic job making his readers feel uncomfortable in this new land. He operates under different rules, in order to lead to new knowledge. It is reminiscent of G.K. Chesterton’s chapter “The Ethics of Elfland” in Orthodoxy. There are completely different rules in Elfland and the reader will learn a few lessons in unexpected ways.

Shedding further light on this world through the mirror, another book of equal oddity to MacDonald’s Lilith is Robert Kirk’s 17th-century book “The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies”. The commonwealth refers to the collective life and society of supernatural creatures, including fairies and fawns. Kirk, a fellow Scottish clergyman and seer, describes this realm as having its own laws and governance.

From Kirk’s account, it appears that the commonwealth of fairies and fawns operates under a set of rules, which are not explicitly stated but can be inferred from his descriptions. Some key aspects of these laws include:

• Respect for human boundaries: Fairies and fawns are said to avoid direct interaction with humans, unless provoked or invited. They operate within their own realm, separate from human society.

• Social hierarchy: The commonwealth is structured with a hierarchy, with different types of fairies and fawns occupying distinct roles and positions.

• Justice and punishment: Kirk mentions instances of fairies and fawns meting out justice and punishment to one another, suggesting a system of accountability within their society.

• Connection to nature: The fairy realm is deeply connected to the natural world, with fairies and fawns inhabiting specific landscapes, forests, and bodies of water.

Many of these themes come out in Lilith in very unsettling ways. The book has an Edgar Allen Poe/H.P. Lovecraftian uneasiness during Mr. Vane’s journey. He encounters a life-sucking leach over 6-feet long, giants and children both inhabiting a forest, various skeletal creatures, supernatural leopards, and other monsters.

Where the Missing Children Go

What I was not expecting in this book was an unexpected connection to high strangeness. There has been much re-enchantment going in amongst the reformed folk of late. Starting with Michael Heiser’s work, many have been opened up to a more layered understanding of this world. I am not intending to go in depth discussing the elemental spirits, the fae, the various rankings of angels and many more of the supernatural elements of the scriptures. Hopefully the verse in Isaiah quoted above is enough to pique your interest if you have not looked into these matters yourself. With that in mind, the jump I am about to make is but a little one.

Haunted Cosmos and many other Christians in this movement have noticed a connection with what are called “Missing 411” reports. They connect these reports to a historic understanding of the dangers of Faeries. In The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies we see bountiful discussion about Faeries abducting people. In Lilith, the children in the forest will periodically find little babies in the forest. To my surprise, Mr. Vane actually probes into where these babies come from. The faeries in the forest admit that they are not aware of how these babies end up in their forest. All they know is that some of them become giants to their great dismay. Some of them join the ranks of the “little people”. It was a fascinating addition and I can’t help but wonder if the same lore that Robert Kirk’s The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies was writing about from eyewitness accounts amongst his parishioners, were the same tales trickling down into the mind of George MacDonald in Lilith.

I will admit that much of this smacks of old wives tales and it’s hard to parse through what is true or not. Regardless, we know the bible invokes the idea of Lilith who prowls around in the night, taking children and seducing men. In this story she may be the source of the abduction of these children. According to the legend, she was the first “Eve” but never bore any children because she rejected her station and joined forces with the darkness. Now, like Satan, she must steal, kill, and destroy to attempt to have her own little kingdom and offspring.

The Relationship Between Mr. Vane and Lilith

As Mr. Vane travels through fairy land, he eventually stumbles upon Lilith and nurses her back to health. Initially she is apprehensive and thankful, but then the situation turns dark and manipulative. This dynamic between Mr. Vane and Lilith is central to the novel. Their interactions are marked by a sense of fascination and repulsion, as Mr. Vane is drawn to Lilith’s mysterious power, simultaneously recognizing the danger she poses. Through their encounters, MacDonald explores the tension between good and evil, highlighting the struggle within each individual to reconcile their own darkness with their desire for redemption.

Eventually Lilith ditches Mr. Vane and goes back to her “kingdom” called Bulika to await his arrival. He travels to her land and has an interaction with a citizen in her kingdom. The same disposition Mr. Vane acquired from his short interactions with Lilith is shared by this lady as well. A mix of hatred and love, a confusion or manipulation reminiscent of what we call “Stockholm syndrome”. Mr. Vane continues to see Lilith’s true colors, which eventually leads to him overthrowing her kingdom with the help of the sweet little folk.

Themes and Symbolism

The novel is rich in symbolism, with recurring motifs such as the mirror, the river, and the sapphire. These symbols represent the thresholds between different realms, states of consciousness, and aspects of the human psyche. MacDonald’s use of fantasy and allegory allows him to explore profound theological and philosophical ideas, making “Lilith” a work that continues to resonate with readers today. His works are emblematic of his theological convictions. Lilith is very clearly intended to explore his thoughts on universalism, the belief that everyone will be saved in the end and no one goes to hell to suffer for eternity. A universalist like MacDonald will claim that God’s justice is not satisfied if he allows evil to persist for all eternity in the hearts and souls of those eternally perishing in the lake of fire. Therefore they believe that all will be purified and repent in the end. Even those most wicked of beings like Lilith will achieve salvation in the end. She too repents, and after spending prolonged time in a purgatory-like environment purging her sins away, she too wakes up with Mr. Vane to everlasting life in God’s celestial kingdom. This is obviously heretical and contradictory to many creeds and confessions of God’s holy apostolic church, however, the story is still compelling, beautiful, and moving.

Final Notes

To conclude, I want to look at two quotes that struck me. The first is a great thought at the end of chapter 38 towards the end of the story. It is during a dialogue referring to Lilith and her relation to evil. Lilith is in the process of being “purged” and the little ones are asking how she will relinquish the evil in her heart.

The pitiful-hearted Little Ones began to sob sorely.

“Will you hurt her very much, lady Mara?” said the girl I have just mentioned, putting her warm little hand in mine.

“Yes; I am afraid I must; I fear she will make me!” answered Mara. “It would be cruel to hurt her too little. It would have all to be done again, only worse.”

“May I stop with her?”

“No, my child. She loves no one, therefore she cannot be WITH any one. There is One who will be with her, but she will not be with Him.”

“Will the shadow that came down the hill be with her?”

“The great Shadow will be in her, I fear, but he cannot be WITH her, or with any one. She will know I am beside her, but that will not comfort her.”

This quote really stood out to me because it highlights the distinction between the fake, quasi covenant with darkness and the real, fruitful, lifegiving covenant with light, specifically the Covenant of Grace. Darkness can be in things but not WITH anything. Satan, like Sauron in the Lord of the Rings, only uses his subjects for his own twisted ends. He can be in his subjects, ruling them through fear as their souls are chained to his warped will, but he is never with them, loving them and perfecting them. This is the idea of “demon possession” being in someone but not with them. However, the Grace that God gives perfects nature. He truly is with us because through the Holy Spirit we are united to him and are given life, the life that we are meant to possess as an image bearer of God.

The last quote I want to note that stood out to me is in chapter 39. The dialogue is between Mara, the good woman purging Lilith of her evil wicked thoughts, and Lilith in a state of hatred and rejection for what is being asked of her. She symbolically is holding one of her hands closed, refusing to let go of the evil she desperately clings to.

“No one ever made me. I defy that Power to unmake me from a free woman! You are his slave, and I defy you! You may be able to torture me—I do not know, but you shall not compel me to anything against my will!”

“Such a compulsion would be without value. But there is a light that goes deeper than the will, a light that lights up the darkness behind it: that light can change your will, can make it truly yours and not another’s—not the Shadow’s. Into the created can pour itself the creating will, and so redeem it!”

“That light shall not enter me: I hate it!—Begone, slave!”

“I am no slave, for I love that light, and will with the deeper will which created mine. There is no slave but the creature that wills against its creator. Who is a slave but her who cries, ‘I am free,’ yet cannot cease to exist!”

I leave you with this final quote. There is no slave but the creature that wills against its creator. Lilith thinks she is being forced into slavery to the living God. Just like Satan in the Garden lying to Adam and Eve telling them that God is not to be trusted, although Satan himself is just a power hungry slaver. Lilith believed this same lie, but the truth is that true freedom belongs to those who do the will of their creator, the living and true God. Lilith has to exist because God made her. She is not free until she submits to him fully and entirely. Let that be a lesson to all of us!

This book is quite the ride exploring many ideas. I am floored that MacDonald’s mind was able to create such a work. I think all would be benefited reading MacDonald’s works, especially Lilith.

For The King, Rocky