LILITH :
Pronounced: LIL-ith
Origin(s): Hebrew, English, Near Eastern Mythology
Meaning: “of the night” from Assyrian lilitu. This was the name of a demon in ancient Assyrian myths. In Jewish and Islamic tradition she was Adam’s first wife, sent out of Eden and replaced by Eve because she would not submit to him. In Jewish folklore, Lilith was a vampire-like child-killer and the symbol of sensual lust. Sarah McLachlan conceived and launched the much-heralded Lilith Fair tour, a multi-artist bill showcasing the talents of women musical performers from around the world.
LUTHER :
Pronounced: LU-thur
Origin(s): German, Teutonic
Meaning: “Renowned warrior” or “people army” from Germanic liut “people” and heri “army”. As a surname it was borne by Martin Luther, a monk and theologian of the 16th century. He started the Protestant Reformation by nailing his famous 95 theses to a church door. American plant breeder Luther Burbank experimented with thousands of plant varieties and developed many new ones, including new varieties of prunes, plums, raspberries, blackberries, apples, peaches, and nectarines.
Information sources include Behind the Name, Baby Zone, and Fact Monster. I don’t know why I decided to do this little project, but I’m going to post two names each day for the month of October. The names for each day will begin with same letter, and I’ll work my way through the alphabet until I do “Z” on October 26th. The names for the rest of the month will come from reader submissions.
