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Revision as of 19:39, 8 December 2018
| “ | Queen of Demons, Mother of Monsters, lover and betrayer, temptress and traitor. Creation's most exquisite lie. | ” |
Lilith is a character featured in Darksiders and Darksiders II, who is perhaps best known for having created the Nephilim, the race to which the Four Horsemen belong.
Overview
| “ | The Demon Queen, bride of Lucifer. She is a cold, calculating temptress with an unrivaled lust for power. She considers herself ruler of Hell with all of Lucifer's authority and Samael imprisoned on Earth. She sees in her 'son' Death the unique opportunity to serve her own ends. — In-game description |
” |
Lilith is a powerful demon known for her use of manipulation and seduction to achieve her ends. She has been responsible for a number of cosmic catastrophes, including creating the genocidal Nephilim and being indirectly responsible for the destruction of the Third Kingdom.
Biography
Creating the Nephilim
| “ | Did I not create Absalom from the mingled dust of angel and demon? And from that first Nephilim, were not the rest formed? — Lilith to Death. |
” |
At some point in time, Lilith became the lover of a renowned Maker called Gulbannan, from whom she learned many secrets concerning the crafting of life. When Gulbannan began to realize what she might do with the knowledge he had imparted to her, he prepared to reveal the extent of her knowledge to the rest of his kind so as to curb her activities. Before he was able to do so, his apprentice Belisatra murdered him in the hopes that she would be allowed to observe whatever Lilith might create. The Maker would receive her wish when Lilith used the mingled dust of angels and demons to create Absalom, the progenitor of the Nephilim from whom the others, including the Four Horsemen, were formed. Lilith considered all of the Nephilim to be her children, though Death would later refuse to acknowledge her as his mother. Some time after the Nephilim began their world-destroying crusade, the Charred Council stripped Lilith of her knowledge in order to preserve the Balance. Though she was initially infuriated beyond measure by the Council's interference, Lilith eventually gave up on retrieving her lost knowledge and moved on to other schemes.
The Abomination Vault
Many eons after the destruction of the Nephilim, Lilith became tangentially involved in the Abomination Vault crisis. A rogue angel named Hadrimon came to her domain and offered her a chance to participate in his plan to take vengeance upon Creation. He claimed that she had no reason to love Heaven or Hell, and that she should want the chance to reclaim what was taken from her. In return, he asked her to reveal anything she might know about the location of the Abomination Vault, the pocket dimension where the world-killing Grand Abominations were kept. Lilith coldly declined, stating that retrieving her lost knowledge was not worth earning the ire of most of the universe's major powers, and claiming to know nothing of the Vault. However, wishing not to make an enemy of the angel in the event that he should succeed, she attempted to seduce him as he prepared to leave. To her astonishment and irritation, he resisted her influence, prompting her to remark that he must have a paramour that he treasured dearly.
Shortly thereafter, Death and War journeyed to Hell in order to question her concerning the whereabouts of Belisatra, who had become involved in Hadrimon's plot. With his knowledge of many of Lilith's most vile deeds serving to keep his mind clear, Death considered himself to be essentially immune to her wiles. However, he was unwilling to risk War becoming enamored with her, and ordered his brother to remain outside her chambers while he questioned her. Insulted, War insisted that his will was stronger than Death was giving him credit for. Violently re-asserting his position, Death entered her presence alone. Disgustedly rebuffing her initial advances, he demanded Belisatra's location, but Lilith, having no incentive to assist him, told him nothing. Death wasted no time in threatening her with a declaration of war from the Charred Council, manipulating her into acknowledging that her position in Hell was too precarious to make an enemy of the Council. Momentarily cowed, Lilith told him that Belisatra had left her service to join forces with Hadrimon. After a bit of unfriendly back-and-forth and a death threat apiece, Lilith finally gave Death the location of a laboratory that she had once used while she and Gulbannan had been lovers.[1].
Darksiders Comic Book
Lilith appeared in Samael's domain shortly before the apocalypse, offering the Blood Prince whatever he desired for an unknown price. However, Samael rebuffed her without seeming to even consider her offer, saying that he desired only her silence.
The Four Horsemen then delivered a warning to Samael to respect the treaties binding Heaven and Hell. When the Horsemen implied that Lilith's presence was due to Samael's imminent seizure of Lucifer's seat, Lilith grew angry and directed them to Abaddon if they wished to threaten anyone, as he, unlike Samael, was an open proponent of war.
Darksiders
Lilith was responsible for transforming Abaddon, the fallen leader of the angels, into the Destroyer after his fall during the Apocalypse. Lilith herself did not appear, but her voice was heard during Abaddon's transformation into the Destroyer, offering the angel the chance to "serve in Heaven or rule in Hell", the choice between returning to the light and being executed for his deeds or taking up the mantle of the Destroyer and ruling over Hell's forces on Earth. When Abaddon took her offer, Lilith could be heard laughing during his transformation.
Darksiders III
After Fury and the last survivors of Humanity managed to escape the final assault by the Destroyer's armies on their last hiding place, Lilith met with Lucifer, the demon lord once more addressing his underling from the shadows. Lucifer expressed amusement at Lilith's report that Fury was playing nursemaid to what was left of Humanity, but infinitely more concerned that she had the Lord of the Hollows Amulet having specifically told her to eliminate the 'Traitor'.
Lilith was informed that with Abaddon in control of Earth in the guise of the Destroyer, the forces of Heaven and Hell fighting for whatever scraps were left, and the Charred Council battling against the Balance it professed to uphold, soon enough Corruption would devour all of his rivals, leaving Lucifer as the only one standing. Satisfied, Lucifer then dismissed Lilith as he brooded on his next move.
Darksiders II
| “ | Death: You can come out now, Lilith. Lilith: Do you blame me for hiding? You are Death. Where you ride no one is safe. Not even your mother. Death: You are not... my... mother! — Death first meeting Lilith at Shadow's Edge |
” |
At some unknown time just before Abaddon's fall, Lilith learned that Death was seeking a way to resurrect humanity. Hoping to manipulate him into bringing back the Nephilim, Lilith took to haunting Shadow's Edge, where she knew the Horseman would come for the demon-held key to the Well of Souls.
Eventually, Death came to Shadow's Edge as Lilith had predicted, and was told of Lilith's presence there by Ostegoth, an otherworldly merchant who had taken an apparent interest in Death's quest. As she was his best chance to learn the location of the Demon Key, Death sought her out. He traveled to an outdoor courtyard in Samael's stronghold, where he was unsuccessfully ambushed by a single demon. Bifurcating the demon, Death called out to Lilith, assuming that the demon had been a minion of hers. Lilith emerged from a pool of magma, rhetorically asking Death if he could blame her for hiding and citing that none were safe from Death; not even his own mother. The Horseman resentfully refused to acknowledge her as his mother, which led her to recount her creation of the first Nephilim, Absalom, from whom the rest were formed. Lilith recalled how the Four Horsemen had defected and slaughtered their brethren, but when all was said and done, only Death had showed remorse for the massacre. She then reasoned that he had kept the souls of the Nephilim safe in his Amulet in order to have a way to undo his "sin" and restore them to life. Angrily rejecting her assertion, he told her that the Corruption spreading from Absalom had to be stopped, and demanded the location of the Demon Key. Lilith informed him that the Key was in Samael's keeping, but that the demon lord had vanished. However, Lilith gifted Death with the Phasewalker ability, which would allow him to open portals to the past and find Samael and the Key. In return she asked for Death to resurrect the Nephilim when he reached the Well of Souls. The Horseman then walked away without a word while Lilith smiled.
After Death killed Absalom, stopped the Corruption and restored humanity by sacrificing the souls of the fallen Nephilim, Lilith was seen walking through a dark corridor, where a mysterious figure awaited her. She addressed the being as my Prince, presumably Lucifer, and a voice asked her about the Nephilim. With no excuses to give, Lilith simply stood in silence as the voice told her that the Endwar was upon them, and that instead of giving him the army she had promised, Death had returned mankind to the balance. Lilith resigned herself to her fate and, with a smile, told him that she awaited her punishment. However, the figure told her that this time she would derive no pleasure from it. Lilith was then heard screaming.
Personality & Traits
| “ | 'The best laid plans'... or so the humans used to say. — Lilith |
” |
Lilith's primary character trait is her ruthless desire to acquire as much power as she can, by whatever means she must. She will use anything and anyone to achieve her ends, including fellow demons. She is deceptive and calculating, and even managed to manipulate Abaddon, one of Heaven's most devout enforcers, into betraying his comrades and becoming the Destroyer. Most of the time she maintains a facade of sexually charged hospitality, but can easily be provoked. She is said to be nearly irresistible and often attempts to achieve her ends through overt seduction. These attempts are for the most part successful, but not foolproof - Hadrimon, for instance, was able to resist her because of his feelings for Raciel, and Death was able to resist her due to the feelings of revulsion she engenders in him (due to both his knowledge of her deeds and her assertion that she is his "mother"). It is unknown if the other Horseman are able to resist her wiles but Death admitted to War that he wouldn't even risk it. Additionally, while Lilith has admitted to gracing Samael's bed, the only observed interaction between them showed him behaving very dismissively towards her, possibly showing that she has little influence on Samael personally.
She is shown to respect cunning, even at her expense, and has stated that she is, above all else, attracted to power. As such, she tends to seek out potential lovers whose power or knowledge exceed her own and appears to have no loyalty to anything else. For instance, she's said to be Lucifer's bride (quite possibly the only being she legitimately fears), but when Samael's power threatened to eclipse that of Lucifer, she apparently abandoned him for Samael. However, Lilith has also admitted to being willing to sleep with virtually anyone or anything as long as there's something to gain from it or if it amuses her.
Trivia
- Of the four villains in the Book of Revelation: the dragon, the Babylon whore, and the two beasts, Lilith is likely the whore of Babylon. The Babylon whore, befitting her title, is described as a mother of prostitutes and defined through the imagery of sexual sin, a stark contrast to biblical themes on purity defined through virginal obsession. Lilith's fixation on sexuality, vulgar appearance and role as a seductress all form a part of that character.
- Lilith confessed that she slept with Samael. When Death said that she hadn't told him where to find the key, she replied with: "I share Samael's bed, not his secrets".
- Lilith seems to have a heavy influence over Samael, as when Death explores The Black Stone there are many statues that bear a striking resemblance to her, the most noticeable of which is right above the door to Samael's throne room.
- On the door to the Well of Souls, there's an engraving of Lilith with Draven. The story of that scene is unknown.
- Lilith seems to be a masochist, as when she failed to bring back the Nephilim and told The Dark Lord that she awaited her punishment with a smile, he told her that she wouldn't get any pleasure from it. This, as well as her smile, also implies that she has failed him before and she derived pleasure from the pain of her prior punishment.
- The unity of Samael and Lilith goes back to Jewish lore on Samael and Lilith as the demonic counterparts of Adam and Eve. Just as Adam and Eve gave birth to humanity, Samael and Lilith give birth to demonkind. This substantiates Lilith's role as mother of the Nephilim.
Gallery
