Lilith - The First Eve: Historical and Psychological Aspects of the Dark Feminine

In a fascinating excursion through the history of her myth, Siegmund Hurwitz presents and interprets the ancient dark-winged goddess Lilith, also known as ’the first Eve.’ The author’s extraordinarily meticulous study of the original sources brings to light a striking figure long lost from our awareness, yet highly relevant to a psychological understanding of today’s evolving masculine and feminine identities. Case material from his analytical practice imbeds Lilith in the everyday problems of contemporary life.

That an unbridled life-urge which refuses to be assimilated lies behind depression... seems to me to be a new and important discovery. By combining the experience of a contemporary man with this historical material, Siegmund Hurwitz sheds new light on both.

-- From the Foreword by Marie-Louise von Franz

Dr. Siegmund Hurwitz was a member of the innermost circle of C.G. Jung’s so-called Zurich school and he received his analytical training from Jung, Toni Wolff and Marie-Louise von Franz. He was long a scholar of Jewish mysticism and, with his gift for language, was often sought out by Jung and others when there were ancient texts to be consulted. Dr. Hurwitz published numerous articles and books over the course of his long lifetime, and he continued to maintain a small analytical practice in Zurich until his death in the Summer of 1994. Dr. Hurwitz was Jung’s dentist for many years and was, together with his wife Leni Hurwitz (one of the original editors of Jung’s Collected Works), also a personal friend. He often advised Jung on questions regarding Jewish mysticism and they shared wide-ranging interests in the fields of philosophy and religion. Dr. Hurwitz worked both as a dentist and an analyst for many years, and after his retirement from dentistry, he was able to devote more time to his writing. An early work was the article, ＂Archetypal motifs in Hassidic Mysticism＂, a contribution to the third volume of ＂Studies from the C.G. Jung Institute＂ (Rascher, 1952), and later he authored the eighth volume of the series, THE FIGURE OF THE DYING MESSIAH (1958) on his own. He continued to share his knowledge and insights by writing numerous articles, book reviews and essays.