The Froggy illustrations to be used for the "Lilith Skull"
check out the original work here: Bug Eyed Frogs
It was these frogs that inspired the entire creation of the skull
Mirrored Frogs
As you know if you tuned in yesterday...according to Jewish folklore, Lilith was the first wife of Adam. She was banished from the Garden of Eden when she refused to make herself subservient to Adam (specifically, she refused to get into the missionary position with him during sex). When she was cast out, she was made into a demon figure, and Adam was given a second wife, Eve, who was fashioned from his rib to ensure her obedience to her man. The following is an excerpt from a Jewish folktale that describes some of the evils attributed to Lilith:
"The wife brought the mirror and all of the fine furnishings in the cellar to her own home and proudly displayed it. She hung the mirror in the room of their daughter, who was a dark-haired coquette. The girl glanced at herself in the mirror all the time, and in this way she was drawn into Lilith's web.... For that mirror had hung in the the den of demons, and a daughter of Lilith had made her home there. And when the mirror was taken from the haunted house, the demoness came with it. For every mirror is a gateway to the Other World and leads directly to Lilith's cave. That is the cave Lilith went to when she abandoned Adam and the Garden of Eden for all time, the cave where she sported with her demon lovers. From these unions multitudes of demons were born, who flocked from that cave and infiltrated the world. And when they want to return, they simply enter the nearest mirror. That is why it is said that Lilith makes her home in every mirror...
"Now the daughter of Lilith who made her home in that mirror watched every movement of the girl who posed before it. She bided her time and one day she slipped out of the mirror and took possession of the girl, entering through her eyes. In this way she took control of her, stirring her desire at will.... So it happened that this young girl, driven by the evil wishes of Lilith's daughter, ran around with young men who lived in the same neighborhood."
From "Lilith's Cave," Lilith's Cave: Jewish tales of the supernatural, edited by Howard Schwartz (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988)
Other folktales describe of how Lilith captured Jewish babies in the night and ate them, and how she led young girls and young husbands astray. Although Lilith was demonized by early Jewish culture as a symbol of promiscuity and disobedience, many modern Jewish feminists see Lilith as a positive figure, a model of woman as equal to man in the creation story. For further reference, please look at:
(source art.net)
Now Specifically Frogs Alone:
The Old Testament remains known as the "Hebrew" Bible. The Old Testament follows the story of creation through the arrival of Jesus. After Jesus, the Christian Bible and Hebrew Bible take differing paths, due to the belief of Jesus as God's son by the Christians and the lack of belief in such by the Jewish people. Frogs fill the Old Testament through cautionary tales and metaphors.
Fertility and
Fruitfulness
Exodus deals with many
plagues, the second of which is the plague of the frogs. Frogs were seen as a
symbol of fruitfulness and fertility. The frog in areas near the Nile had been
deified. Because of the high standing of frogs in the community, killing a frog
intentionally led to a sentence of death. Killing frogs accidentally could also
result in death. So when the plague of the frogs came, not only was it
drastically inconvenient to the people of town, not a single one of the beasts
could be killed. This was meant to teach the people believing in false deities
would not be tolerated and served as yet another battle between the Pharaoh and
God.
Unclean
The river of Egypt (the
Nile) caused many plagues and illnesses throughout the years. Unsanitary
practices with food caused many deaths from food leading to a good portion of
the kosher food doctrine. Frogs arose from the unclean river, making the animal
dirty as it came from the tainted river.
Croaking: Denial of
Divinity
The croaking of frogs
represents the naysayers of divinity. The drone of the noise keeps the truth
from reaching those who need to hear the information. Psalms discusses Egypt's
river bringing forth frogs upon the land. This is seen as an evil that comes to
ruin the world. In addition the croaking represents grabbing all the good out
of life and not worrying about your eternal soul. This all ties in with the
overall "falsities" theme of frogs overall.
Tsphardea, Meaning Marsh
Leaper
The marsh leapers were
not to be trusted. The idea an animal could live in two worlds, both the water
and on land, was not understood at the time. Frogs became the symbol of someone
who could not commit to a belief system. This alluded to being tempted by the
devil or the unclean ways of the less than devout.
(source www.ehow.com)
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