# Can I -- Should I? -- use Lilith in a story/book? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 9, 2013, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751 "2013-10-09T04:26:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/1 "2013-10-09T04:26:49Z")
Thinking (ha!) of writing something, and was toying with the idea of using Lilith – first wife of Adam, mother of the Lilim – as a character (villain?) But a friend said, “Bad idea.” Apparently, Lilith is a vampire in the True Blood series, and my friend said everyone will think of that character first. Not so much that people will think I’m stealing, but the name Lilith, nowadays, is just too strongly associated with True Blood and that specific vampire. (My character would _not_ be a vampire! Somewhat demonic, perhaps…) Advice? ---
**Author:** ![Weeping\_Wyvern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@Weeping\_Wyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weeping_Wyvern)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/2 "2013-10-09T04:35:38Z")
For me the only thing that comes to mind when hearing “Lilith” is how she was mentioned in _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe._ ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/3 "2013-10-09T04:43:48Z")
I think 'that music thing with “Sarah McLaughlin” '. But the characters been used pretty frequently in all sorts of fantasy lit. I doubt many people would be under the misapprehension you’re ripping off True Blood (plus, why would anyone want to rip off True Blood)? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/4 "2013-10-09T05:10:54Z")
FTR, when I saw the thread title, I just assume you were planning to add the True Blood character Lilith to something you were writing (or do some kind of fanfic with her). But, she’s a VERY prominent (non-main) character right now and if you use the name now and your book isn’t associated with vampires it won’t be a problem once the character is off the show…which is like a soap opera by the way, other then the main cast, the rest of the show is like a revolving door. Lilith has been on for two seasons IIRC, she’ll probably be gone some time next year. It would be like naming someone Skyler right now. Of course everyone is going to think of Skyler White, but if what you write is good and people are still reading it in a few years, they won’t anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/5 "2013-10-09T05:22:51Z")
Your friend thinks True Blood is more important than it is. In order, your thread title made me think: First wife of Adam Villain of the Nightside series Lilith Fair. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/6 "2013-10-09T05:24:36Z")
When I hear Lilith I think of Lilith in the Nightside series. Who is more akin to the Christian-mythic version, not the vampire version (and by no means is True Blood Lilith the only vampiric Lilith). Really; Lilith is used often enough that you’ll just be one of many. EDIT: And what **Inner Stickler** said ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/7 "2013-10-09T06:13:44Z")
Meh I think of Frasier. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/8 "2013-10-09T06:18:19Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > When I hear Lilith I think of Lilith in the Nightside series. Who is more akin to the Christian-mythic version, not the vampire version (and by no means is True Blood Lilith the only vampiric Lilith). Really; Lilith is used often enough that you’ll just be one of many. > > EDIT: And what **Inner Stickler** said This +15. By the time I learned that Lilith was the first wife of Adam (I still don’t know according to whom), I’d encountered the name in half a dozen different books; this was years before True Blood came out. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/9 "2013-10-09T06:19:51Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Your friend thinks True Blood is more important than it is. . . . Sigh… They’re only about a thousand times more popular than my story is ever likely to be. What I wouldn’t give for a readership the size of their viewership! Thank you, and thank you all, for your advice. I feel a little more comfortable using the character name. At least it’s in the public domain! ---
**Author:** ![Dickerman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@Dickerman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dickerman)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/10 "2013-10-09T06:24:29Z")
She was also a significant character in the Supernatural series, as a demon: [Lilith - Super-wiki](http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/index.php?title=Lilith) ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/11 "2013-10-09T06:26:52Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > Meh I think of Frasier. Ah, good. It’s not just me, then. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/12 "2013-10-09T06:32:14Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > Meh I think of Frasier. Mmm, Lilith… ETA: Typing in Lilith on Google, the first four suggestions are: Supernatural True Blood Borderlands Lilith fair. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/13 "2013-10-09T06:41:53Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Sigh… They’re only about a thousand times more popular than my story is ever likely to be. What I wouldn’t give for a readership the size of their viewership! I meant that your friend is overly concerned about people’s ability to divorce the concept of Lilith from True Blood. I’m sure to its many fans, True Blood is very important. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/14 "2013-10-09T06:54:34Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > Meh I think of Frasier. I think ONLY of Frasier! ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/15 "2013-10-09T07:56:11Z")
I think of darkstalkers. > **[Lilith](https://darkstalkers.fandom.com/wiki/Lilith)** > > Lilith (リリス, Ririsu) is a fictional character from Capcom's Darkstalkers series. She first appeared in Vampire Savior (Darkstalkers 3 in the west) in 1997 and later reappeared in Vampire Savior 2. During her development, she was intended to be the... ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/16 "2013-10-09T08:04:11Z")
My first thought was of the DC comics character. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/17 "2013-10-09T08:22:36Z")
Your friend is severely underestimating the knowledge of Lilith among the sort of people likely to read a book of a genre where she can logically be used as a character, and just how widely the name is used, both to refer to THE Lilith, and for characters simply named after her. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/18 "2013-10-09T09:00:26Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Thinking (ha!) of writing something, and was toying with the idea of using Lilith – first wife of Adam, mother of the Lilim – as a character (villain?) You know, I’ve been a christian for a very long time, but only recently come across this concept of Lilith, which is jewish folklore concept. It is mentioned in the Narnia books, but without the resources of Google/Wikipedia in the 70’s, I never investigated at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/19 "2013-10-09T09:18:48Z")
> [@si\_blakely](#): > > You know, I’ve been a christian for a very long time, but only recently come across this concept of Lilith, which is jewish folklore concept. It’s certainly spread beyond that. I recall Jerry Falwell condemning Lilith Fair for being named after Lilith. IIRC, it was him or Pat Robertson who claimed that the sin of Lilith was that she liked to have sex on top. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751/20 "2013-10-09T10:26:32Z")
My first association with the name is Bebe Neuwirth, quite frankly. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-should-i-use-lilith-in-a-story-book/670751.md?page=2)