Library Lore: Zillah

Art by Andew Robinson from "The Book of Nod"

 Let me tell the tale of Zillah
first loved of Caine, first wife of Caine, the sweetest blood, the softest skin, the clearest eyes.

Alone of Caine's newest Childer, did Caine desire Her,
and she was not mindful of his desire, turning away from Him.

Not gifts, not sacrifices, not perfumes, not doves, not beautiful dancers, not singers, not oxen,
not sculpture, not beautiful clothes, nothing would turn Zillah's heart from stone to sweet fruit.

  – ”Zillah´s Tale”, The Book of Nod











Who is this Zillah then, mentioned in the title of the cards Zillah´s Valley and Zillah´s Tears?

In vampire mythology: “Zillah the Beautiful” was wife and third childe of Caine, embraced about 10 000 BC. Caine was obsessed with her because she could resist him, and he sought out a being known as The Crone who taught him how to bind the young woman by blood.

Zillah sired three vampires of the third generation: Absimiliard (founder of clan Nosferatu), Set (yes, the Followers of Set are his followers) and Haqim (founder of the Assamites). All her childer possessed the discipline Obfuscate. Absimiliard was a powerful hunter, but was defeated in combat with Zillah – yet she deemed him brave and worthy of immortality.

Zillah has not been encountered in modern days. Possibly she was destroyed by her childer or other Antediluvians in the first or second millenia BC.

In human mythology: According to the Bible, Zillah is a wife of Lamech, who is son of Methusael, son of Mehujael, son of Irad, son of Enoch, son of Cain (Note that in Vampire Irad and Enoch are Caines first two childer.) She is the mother of Tubalcain and Naamah.

“And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah. And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.” - Genesis 4:19, 22–23

The word zillah means "shade" in Hebrew.

Sources:
The Book of Nod
The Bible
Behindthename.com