Lilith's Cave: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural

by Howard Schwartz (Compiler)

Once upon a time in the city of Tunis, a flirtatious young girl was drawn into Lilith's dangerous web by glancing repeatedly at herself in the mirror. It seems that a demon daughter of the legendary Lilith had made her home in the mirror and would soon completely possess the unsuspecting girl. Such tales of terror and the supernatural occupy an honored position in the Jewish folkloric tradition.
Howard Schwartz has superbly translated and retold fifty of the best of these folktales, now collected into one volume for the first time. Gathered from countless sources ranging from the ancient Middle East to twelfth-century Germany and later Eastern European oral tradition, these captivating stories include Jewish variants of the Pandora and Persephone myths and of such famous folktales as "The Fisherman and His Wife," "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," and "Bluebeard," as well as several tales from the Middle Ages that have never before been published.
Focusing on crucial turning points in life--birth, marriage, and death--the tales feature wandering spirits, marriage with demons, werewolves, speaking heads, possession by dybbuks (souls of the dead who enter the bodies of the living), and every other kind of supernatural adversary. Readers will encounter a carpenter who is haunted when he makes a violin from the wood of a coffin; a wife who saves herself from the demoness her husband has inadvertently married by agreeing to share him for an hour each day; and the age-old tale of Lilith, Adam's first wife, who refused to submit to him and instead banished herself from the Garden of Eden to give birth to the demons of the world.
Drawn from Rabbinic sources, medieval Jewish folklore, Hasidic texts, and oral tradition, these stories will equally entrance readers of Jewish literature and those with an affection for fantasy and the supernatural.

Genres: Jewish, Judaism, Folklore, Short Stories, Religion, Fiction, Mythology

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Howard Schwartz is Professor Emeritus at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He is a prolific writer who has published fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. In searching for themes and images for his work in various genres, he has often found his inspiration in biblical, midrashic, and kabbalistic lore. Many of his works retell ancient folktales, reflecting his belief in the importance of passing cultural lore from one generation to the next. His poetry frequently reflects the dreamlike and mysterious elements of Jewish mythology.

Reviews

[Lisa Feld · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this voraciously when I was a teen, but rereading it now, I'm less enamored. What I liked about it originally was how the supernatural was interwoven with the everyday: the locked cellar door or garden gate might be a portal to hell; the bedroom mirror might be a source of enchantment.

Rereading it as an adult, though, the book feels problematic on several levels. Each tale is told three times: once in a brief, spoilery summary for no reason in the introduction, once in the book itself, in better prose, and then a third recap with annotations and commentary in the notes section--I think the book would have been stronger with little or no introduction. I would also have loved some clearer arrangement of stories: Hungarian tales from one century are interspersed with Tunisian stories from another. It would have been interesting to see stories from the same region and era together and see patterns, get a sense of the fears and tensions of each distinct culture. It feels like a missed opportunity.

In terms of content, most of the stories chosen focus on men's strengths and flaws, with women mainly present as victims and temptresses, with very few exceptions. My sense that this was Schwartz's choice rather than purely an issue of source material is strengthened by the illustrations, which mainly feature men bundled in traditional coats and furs confronting naked women. It makes me wonder what fascinating women's tales were left out of this eclectic collection.

[Ezra · Rating 4 out of 5]

great intro to Lilith mythology - and the tales are real and disturbing. made me realize how many myths about demonic women are made up to explain the terrible behavior of men.

[Benjamin Fasching-Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's best about this book is that the stories are really dark. There's some sexy stuff too. You know how collections of Jewish folk tales are usually like either kid's stuff or chasidic propaganda? Not this time, buddy.

[Steve Cran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Asmodeus and Lilith are the crown regent of the sitra achra or the other side. They rule over all the demon. Both King an Queen are spoken of quite frequently in Jewish literature. Asmodeus threw King Solomon out of his palace and too, his place for a number of years. Lilith rebelled against Adams superiority trip and fled the Garden of Eden. She gives birth to demons. I legend she seduces men and kills children unless they are protected with a certain amulet.

This book is a collection of 50 stories regarding the supernatural, collected from the Jews in Europe and from Jewish communes in the Middle East . In these stories Rabbis serve as powerful magicians doing battle against demons, supernatural creatures and other sorcerers . These Rabbis cast circle on the ground , see into the future, raise the dead and caste spell. A good number of stories include Asmodeus and Lilith. In one story a gold smith is about to die in the forest and in order to survive he makes a deal with Asmodeus. He marries his daughter and she lives in the cellar of the goldsmiths shop. He frequent her there and they even have kids. After The affair is discovered. The demon goddess lives there with the offspring until generations later rabbis compel then to leave. In another story Lilith or Queen Sheba seduces a man and lives in siniliar circumstance .

I enjoyed reading this collection and finished it in two days. Th stories pull motifs from Jewish sources like the bible, Talmud and Kabbalah . Yet they also draw from Faery lore. You have women marrying demons and then living with them at the bottom of the ocean. Lots of Faery kings have seduced many a human in so a fashion. In one story two friend are reunited after one dies. They study Torah for a few hours, but the passes quickly and 150 years go by. In the Faery world time moves in such a fashion.

[Walter · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a long time to finish this book, but that's not because it was a bad read. It consists of short stories and after a while they become very similar, so you don't want to read too many of them in one sitting. I took this book to work to read during my lunch break, 1 - 2 stories a day.
The stories are as the title suggests Jewish folktales and most of them can be summarized as brave rabbi defeats evil demon, but that doesn't make them less interesting.
If your interested in folk tales, this is a good read.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of stories veered from cautionary fables to some really elaborate (and dark) weird tales about descents into Gehenna and battling demons which really showed me that Jewish folklore can be pretty cool. My favorite parts were using the Ark to teleport between synagogues, the demons tricking people into self-immolation, and the underwater palace of the demons (which fits in nicely with the other book I'm reading Underworld about ruins now covered by water).

[Susannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating accounts of Adam's infamous first wife, Lilith, deconstructed by historians of religion from rabbinical tales and Talmudic commentary.

[Herman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collection of Jewish folktales dealing with the supernatural usually Witches, or evil Sorcerers, or Demons, I give it five stars because of the high level of research done to put all these stories from different parts of the world together, Joseph Campbell would have loved this book I'm sure. Stories are normally rather short just a few pages at most but this small book contains 50 stories.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just got this book again- it's simply great with mythology, top references and lots to think about, I have had 3 copies over the last 10 or so years and keep loaning them out without return

[Fred Kohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personally I was somewhat disappointed, only because I had previously read Leaves from the Garden of Eden: One Hundred Classic Jewish Tales by the same author. Most of the stories in this volume I already knew. However, to be honest, this book predated Leaves by 20 years, and I found the stories to be better written. There were also more illustrations of better quality, so naturally I had to give this book one more star than I gave Leaves.

[Laura Boudreau · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book! Well-written, intriguing stories of dybbuks, witches, demons, sorcerers, Lilith, and other such characters preying on poor Jewish souls. I enjoyed every story, although it serves as a reminder that Jews of old were as superstitious as their neighbors. I'm happy to be a Reform Jew in the 21st century! But it was definitely a fun read.

[Brian Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories, and great writing that emulates the spoken word with just enough description. Folk tale style. If you see a finger sticking out of the ground somewhere don’t put a ring on it! My only critique is that there are so many stories and they’re so short it was hard to retain. Guess I’ll have to read it again sometime.

[Elyse Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you, like me, enjoy reading or writing stories from a Jewish perspective but prefer the darker side of Jewish lore, this book is for you. All of Howard Schwartz's books of Jewish folklore are well worth reading, but this one and Elijah's Violin are my favorites by far. This one is especially useful if your interest in Judaic demonology, which is a little hard to find sources for.

[Aurora Deshauteurs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been waiting a long time for liliths tales so I LOVE this collection!

[IVellon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the choice of stories and the commentary in the back.

[Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting collection that captures the breath of diversity in Jewish communities. Schwartz shares tales that, though comparable to those of other cultures, also manage to show innovative aspects and unique cultural twists. The tales span the gamut from edifying to cautionary to comical. Schwartz also groups them in a way that feels natural and aids the reading experience. Definitely worth the read.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun read :)

Shoutout to book club w Auntie & E!

It’s interesting how the culture influenced the stories people told to cope with real life events. Jewish people are constantly telling sad stories of our past, and it was so lovely to read a book about our joys and triumphs and fantasies, and to think our ancestors had these in their roster.

Some of the stories are so rich and the final story was an amazing end. And wowowoweee these rabbinical heroes who mentored each other in the ways of godly magic are so creative - a giant oven that releases firey beasts, turning yourself into a Tallis wearing crow, demons’ love of jam.

So fun so cool I recommend to all my fellow Jews if you want some wholesome content. (And a bit of non wholesome content around sexist rabbinic laws, u know the gist)

[Samuel · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's safe to say that Howard Schwartz's book is a sort of "Grimm's Fairy Tales" of Judaism. Lilith's Cave is a terrific glimpse into Jewish folklore, and the book documents the stories and their origins quite well, making it as informative as it is entertaining. I didn't find the tales extremely frighting, although I did find myself looking for the deeper meaning in each short story. What I found was just that, stories that convey a life lesson during times of stress or upheaval. Would recommend this book to anyone who is studying the Jewish faith or culture.

[May Su · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent collection of folklore about demons, dybbuks, sorcery, ghosts, werewolves, and a brief summary of Lilith's origin story in the Introduction. The rabbis in these stories are powerful sorcerers who either outwit or bring the forces of evil to rabbinical court to be judged. Each of these very short tales would make a great premise for larger creative work.

Also useful information: demons love jam.

[Jakob Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fine! Sort of a hard read, worth the time if you're interested specifically in folklore- don't know that i'd recc it if you aren't also doing some kind of research.

[Rammy Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! A rich source for Jewish folklore, it helped me understand a lot about the different folktale types and the way the people back in those days viewed demons and the influence they had on their day to day life. Also there's additional context and details given for each story in the end which is pretty cool! (I got a bit bored to read through everything lol). Recommending to everyone interested in the Jewish tradition and folklore.

May I also add that the illustrations in between stories are so cool and creepy!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Years ago, I saw a theatrical performance of "The Dybbuk," a gorgeously dark folk tale about a bride who is pursued by a demonic bridegroom. It was amazing! And quite a few of the stories in this collection are amazing and spinetingling in the very same way.
And so-- the ones I liked, I liked quite a bit. But after a while, a lot of them seemed to have the same plot (sometimes with bridegroom entangled with demonic bride.) I would have liked more variety.

[Mephistopheles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an absolutely fantastic book of tales about Jewish demons and sorcerers and other supernatural things. They come from all over the Jewish world – so from the Middle East and North Africa as well as from Central and Eastern Europe and Russia. The stories are wonderfully told and range from creepy to charming. The author includes a section at the end that lists all his sources for each story, and the provenance of the tale and its variants, which I found particularly helpful.

[Margaret Soffian]

Lost interest and moved on to other books. This wasn't the right book for now.

[Adi · Rating 5 out of 5]

love finding out how much wild folklore exists in the jewish community. didn't realise how much witchy shit we've got going on

[Leah Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was hoping for more feminism and less historical misogyny.

[Lili]

interesting…

[Brian Slattery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who doesn't love dark folktales?

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome.

[Joseprasanna]

nothing