It's easy to imagine him and Eve, heartbroken, trying to make sense of their new, harsher reality. But the stories don't stop there. Some delve into a rather…unsettling chapter of Adam's life.
According to some traditions, Adam was so overcome with grief after the expulsion that he separated from Eve for a staggering one hundred and thirty years. One hundred and thirty years! Can you imagine? What occupied him during all that time?
Well, there are two main ideas. The first paints a picture of profound repentance. Some say that Adam stood in the River Gihon for those 130 years, the water reaching his neck, fasting until his body was as wrinkled as seaweed. A powerful image of remorse, right?
But then there's the other, far more… provocative account.
This version says that, instead of solitary repentance, Adam was besieged by female demons. Inflamed by them, he succumbed to their seductions. And in this way, Adam begot countless mutant demons, male and female, beings that were half human and half demonic. At the same time, male demons were said to have been equally inflamed by Eve, seducing her, and she too gave birth to a great many demons. It's wild, isn't it?
Some even name the temptresses. Some say it was Lilith, Adam's first wife (a story for another time!), who found him alone and lay with him, birthing myriads of demons, spirits, and imps. Others say it was not Lilith, but her sister, Na’amah, who found Adam in his solitude.
Now, where does this bizarre tale come from? It all stems from a close reading of the Book of Genesis. Specifically, Genesis 5:3: "When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he begot a son in his likeness after his image, and he named him Seth." The rabbis noticed that the verse mentions 130 years before Seth's birth, leading them to speculate that Adam must have been separated from Eve for that entire period.
Why the separation? Some say it was their expulsion from Eden, the realization that death had been unleashed upon the world because of them. Others link it to Adam's grief over the death of Abel. As we find in Midrash Rabbah, various explanations were given.
The mazikim, these demons born from the unions of Adam and Eve with demonic entities, are said to have populated the world with even more demons. The Zohar (3:76b) even attributes heavenly beauty to the daughters of Adam who were conceived in this way.
Eventually, according to the story, God saw Adam's estrangement from Eve and intervened, rekindling Adam's desire for her. When they finally reunited, Eve bore Seth, who, unlike Cain, was said to be the very image of Adam, the "seed of Adam." This distinction is significant, hinting at the midrashic tradition that Cain's conception was the result of Eve's encounter with the serpent, making Cain the son of the serpent. We find this idea discussed more in depth in "The Seed of Cain."
It’s quite the story, isn't it? A mix of grief, temptation, and cosmic consequences. One can't help but notice the similarities with Greek myths. For instance, the myth of Tantalus, condemned to stand in water he can't drink and beneath fruit he can't reach, mirrors Adam's torment. However, as noted by Robert Graves in Greek Myths, while Tantalus's punishment centers on hunger and thirst, Adam's focuses on the realm of the sexual, a key element of this story.
So, what are we to make of this strange legend? It's a reminder that even in our sacred stories, there are shadows, ambiguities, and explorations of the darker aspects of human nature. It highlights the constant struggle between repentance and temptation, between the divine image and the demonic influence.