LILIENCRON

liliencron, detlev von (1844-1909), german poet and novelist, was born at kiel on the 3rd of june 1844. he entered the army and took part in the campaigns of 1866 and 1870-71, in both of which he was wounded. he retired with the rank of captain and spent some time in america, afterwards settling at kellinghusen in holstein, where he remained till 1887. after some time at munich, he settled in altona and then at altrahistedt, near hamburg. he died in july 1909. he first attracted attention by the volume of poems, _adjutantenritte und andere gedichte_ (1883), which was followed by several unsuccessful dramas, a volume of short stories, _eine sommerschlacht_ (1886), and a novel _breide hummelsbuttel_ (1887). other collections of short stories appeared under the titles _unter flatternden fahnen_ (1888). _der macen_ (1889), _krieg und frieden_ (1891); of lyric poetry in 1889, 1890 (_der heideganger und andere gedichte_), 1893, and 1903 (_bunte beute_). interesting, too, is the humorous epic _poggfred_ (1896; 2nd ed. 1904). liliencron is one of the most eminent of recent german lyric poets; his _adjutantenritte_, with its fresh original note, broke with the well-worn literary conventions which had been handed down from the middle of the century. liliencron's work is, however, somewhat unequal, and he lacks the sustained power which makes the successful prose writer. liliencron's _samtliche werke_ have been published in 14 vols. (1904-1905); his _gedichte_ having been previously collected in four volumes under the titles _kampf und spiele, kampfe und ziele, nebel und sonne_ and _bunte beute_ (1897-1903). see o. j. bierbaum, _d. von liliencron_ (1892); h. greinz, _liliencron, eine literarhistorische wurdigung_ (1896); f. oppenheimer, _d. von liliencron_ (1898). lilith (heb. _lilatu_, "night"; hence "night-monster"), a female demon of jewish folk-lore, equivalent to the english vampire. the personality and name are derived from a babylonian-assyrian demon lilit or lilu. lilith was believed to have a special power for evil over children. the superstition was extended to a cult surviving among some jews even as late as the 7th century a.d. in the rabbinical literature lilith becomes the first wife of adam, but flies away from him and becomes a demon.