Lilim

A lilu or lilû is the masculine Akkadian word for a spirit or demon. A female lilû was called a lilītu or ardat-lilî. Together, these were a class of demon that the ancient Mesopotamians believed emerged from the unfulfilled spirits of adolescents who died before marriage or conceiving children. "Lilû" and its root word lil- also show wider meanings linked to spirits, desolation, and wild creatures.