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Émile Durkheim

Lilith

  • Japanese Name: リリス (Ririsu)
  • Hebrew: לילית (Lîlîṯ), נידה (Niddah)
  • Designation: 2nd Angel
  • Franchise:Neon Genesis Evangelion

Émile Durkheim
Born
David Émile Durkheim

(1858-04-15)15 April 1858

Épinal, France
Died 15 November 1917(1917-11-15)(aged 59)

Paris,France
Nationality French
Alma mater École Normale Supérieure
Known for Sacred–profane dichotomy
Collective consciousness
Social fact
Social integration
Anomie
Collective effervescence
Scientific career
Fields Philosophy, sociology, education, anthropology, religious studies
Institutions University of Paris, University of Bordeaux
Influences Immanuel Kant, René Descartes,Plato, Herbert Spencer,Aristotle, Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Auguste Comte. William James, John Dewey, Fustel de Coulanges, Jean-Marie Guyau, Charles Bernard Renouvier, John Stuart Mill
Influenced Marcel Mauss,Claude Lévi-Strauss, Talcott Parsons, Maurice Halbwachs, Jonathan Haidt, Lucien Lévy-Bruhl,Bronisław Malinowski, Fernand Braudel, Pierre Bourdieu, Charles Taylor, Henri Bergson, Emmanuel Levinas, Steven Lukes, Alfred Radcliffe-Brown, E. E. Evans-Pritchard, Mary Douglas, Paul Fauconnet, Robert N. Bellah, Ziya Gökalp, David Bloor, Randall Collins, Neil Smelser[1]

Appearance

Lilith’s appearance is haunting and ethereal. Bound to a massive cross with her mask-like face and faceless body, she lacks the aggressive characteristics of the other Angels. Instead, her form exudes a sense of quiet authority and potential energy, enhanced by the mask she wears—a white visage with the Seven Eyes of God, symbolizing divine omniscience and completeness. Her blood is a key element, seeping from her wounds and forming the “Sea of LCL” below her, which serves as the lifeblood of humanity within the Evangelion universe.

A collection of Durkheim's courses on the origins of socialism (1896), edited and published by his nephew, Marcel Mauss, in 1928

Shrouded in an eerie glow, Lilith’s legs begin to regenerate, an awe-inspiring yet unsettling display of their otherworldly power and resilience.

Role and Importance

Lilith’s role as the mother of humanity makes her central to the events of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Found within NERV headquarters, she is bound on a cross-like structure in Terminal Dogma, a hidden section deep below Tokyo-3. Although Lilith is inert, her power is immense, and her blood is used by NERV in their operations, such as the creation of the LCL fluid within the Evangelion entry plugs. Her presence also becomes the focal point of several factions’ plans to bring about Human Instrumentality—a controversial and transformative goal of merging all human souls into a singular consciousness.

Relationship to Adam and the Angels

While Adam is the progenitor of the other Angels, Lilith’s existence diverges, as she is responsible for giving rise to human life rather than Angelic life. However, like Adam, she is incredibly powerful and revered by some characters in the series as a deity-like figure. The distinction between Lilith’s Lilin and Adam’s Angels represents the divide between humanity and the ethereal beings attacking Earth.

Legacy

Lilith’s presence in Evangelion extends beyond the story’s immediate events, embodying deep themes of life, creation, and humanity’s inherent desire for purpose and unity. Her role as the progenitor of human life grants her an iconic status within the series, symbolizing the enigmatic origins of humanity and the powerful forces that shape human destiny.

Trivia

Symbolism: Lilith’s role mirrors mythological depictions of the primordial female figure, Lilith, often associated with independence, creation, and mystery. This makes her a compelling symbol of humanity’s origins and spiritual nature.
Instrumentality: Lilith is central to the Human Instrumentality Project, intended to unify human souls, a process that highlights themes of existential loneliness, unity, and the quest for connection.
The Seven Eyes of God: Her mask, marked by seven eyes, is inspired by religious iconography, hinting at the divine qualities attributed to her character in the series’ lore.