The Chronicle of Caine
THE CHRONICLE OF CAINE
I dream of the first times1the longest memory
I speak of the first times2the oldest Father
I sing of the first times and the dawn of Darkness
In Nod3where the light of Paradise lit up the night sky and the tears of our parents wet the ground
Each of us, in out way, set about to live and take our sustenance from the land.
And I first-born Caine, I, with sharp things4, planted the dark seeds5wet them in earth tended them, watched them grow
And Abel second-born Abel tended the animals aided their bloody births6fed them, watched them grow
I loved him, my Brother
He was the brightest
The sweetest.
The strongest.
He was the first part of all my joy7.
Then one day our Father8said to us.
Caine, Abel to Him Above9 you must make a sacrifice a gift of the first part of all that you have
And I, first-born Caine, I gathered the tender shoots the brightest fruits the sweetest grass
And Abel, second-born, Abel slaughtered the youngest, the strongest, the sweetest of his animals
On the altar of our Father we laid our sacrifices and lit fire under them and watched the smoke carry them up to the One Above
The sacrifice of Abel, second-born, smelled sweet to the One Above and Abel was blessed.
And, I, first-born Caine, I was struck from beyond by10 a harsh word and a curse, for my sacrifice was unworthy.
I looked at Abel’s sacrifice, still smoking the flesh, the blood.
I cried, I held my eyes
I prayed in night and day
And when Father said11the time for Sacrifice has come again
And Abel led his youngest, his sweetest, his most beloved to the sacrificial fire
I did not bring my youngest, my sweetest, for I knew the One Above would not want them.
And my brother, beloved Abel said to me,
‘Caine, you did not bring a sacrifice, a gift of the first part of you joy, to burn on the altar of the One Above.’
I cried tears of love as I, with sharp things, sacrificed that which was the first part of my joy, my brother.
And the Blood of Abel12covered the altar and smelled sweet as it burned
But my Father said
‘Cursed are you, Caine, who killed your brother. As I was cast out so shall you be.’13
And He exiled me to wander in Darkness, the land of Nod.14
I flew into the Darkness
I saw no source of light and I was afraid.15
And alone.
THE COMING OF LILITH
I was alone in the Darkness
And I grew hungry.
I was alone in the Darkness
And I grew cold.
I was alone in the Darkness
And I cried.16
Then there came to me a sweet voice, a honey voice
Words of succor.
Words of surcease.17
A woman, dark and lovely, with eyes that pierced the
Darkness came to me.18
I know your story. Caine of Nod."
She said, smiling.
"You are hungry. Come! I have food.
You are cold. Come! I have clothes.
You are sad. Come! I have comfort."
"Who would comfort one so Cursed as I?
Who would clothe me?
Who would feed me?"
"I am your Father's first wife, who disagreed with the One Above
and gained Freedom in the Darkness.
I am Lilith.19
Once, I was cold, and there was no warmth for me.
Once. I was hungry and there was no food for me.
Once, I was sad, and there was no comfort for me."
She took me in, she fed me.
She clothed me.
In her arms. I found comfort.
I cried until blood trickled from my eyes and she kissed them away.20
LILITH'S MAGICK
And I dwelt for a time in the House of Lilith21
and asked her
"Out of Darkness, how did you build this place?
How did you make clothes?
How did you grow food?"
And Lilith smiled and said.
"Unlike you, I am Awake.
I see the Threads that spin all around you, I make that
which I need out of Power." 22
"Awaken me, then, Lilith." I said.
"I have need for this Power.
Then, I can make my own clothes,
make my own food,
make my own House."
Worry creased Lilith's brow.
"I do not know what the Awakening will do for you,
for you are truly Cursed by your Father.
You could die.
You could be forever changed."
Caine said, "Even so, a life without Power will not be worth living.
I would die without your gifts.
I will not live as your Thrall."
Lilith loved me, and I knew this.
Lilith would do what I asked, though she did not wish it.
And so, Lilith, bright-eyed Lilith.
Awakened me.
She cut herself with a knife bled for me into a bowl.
I drank deep. It was sweet.23
And then I fell into the Abyss.24
I fell forever, falling into the deepest darkness.
THE TEMPTATION OF CAINE
And from the Darkness came a bright shining light fire in the night.
And the archangel Michael revealed himself 25 to me.
I was unafraid. I asked his business.
Michael, General of Heaven, wielder of the holy Flame, said unto me,
"Son of Adam, Son of Eve, thy crime is great, and yet the mercy of my Father is also great.
Will you not repent the evil that you have done, and let his mercy wash you clean?"
And I said to Michael,
"Not by [the One Above]'s grace, but mine own will I live, in pride."26
Michael cursed me, saying
"Then, for as long as you walk this earth, you and your children will fear my living flame,
and it will bite deep and savor your flesh." 27
And on the morning, Raphael came28 on lambent wings, light over the horizon
the driver of the Sun, ward of the East.
Raphael spoke, saying Caine, son of Adam, son of Eve, your brother Abel
forgives you your sin will you not repent, and accept the mercy of the Almighty?"
And I said to Raphael
"Not by Abel’s forgiveness, but mine own, will be forgiven."
Raphael cursed me, saying
"Then, for as long as you walk this earth, you and your children will fear the dawn,
and the sun's rays will seek to burn you like fire where ever you hide always.
Hide now for the Sun rises to take its wrath on you."
But I found a secret place in the earth and hid from the burning light of the Sun.
Deep in the earth, I slept until the Light of the World was hidden behind the mountain of Night.29
When I awoke from my day of sleep, I heard the sound of gentle rushing wings30
and I saw the black wings of Uriel draped around me -
Uriel, reaper, angel of Death, dark Uriel who dwells in darkness.
Uriel spoke to me quietly, saying
"Son of Adam. Son of Eve. God Almighty has forgiven you your sin.
Will you accept his mercy and let me take you to your reward, no longer cursed?31
And I said to dark-winged Uriel,
"Not by God’s mercy, but my own, will I live.
I am what I am, I did what I did, and that will never change."32
And then, through dread Uriel God Almighty cursed me, saying.33
"Then, for as long as you walk this earth, you and your children will cling to Darkness
You will drink only blood
You will eat only ashes34
You will be always as you were at death,
Never dying, living on.
You will walk forever in Darkness, all you touch will crumble into nothing, until the last days."
I gave a cry of anguish at this terrible curse and tore at my flesh.
I wept blood
I caught the tears in a cup and drank them 35
When I looked up from my drink of sorrow the archangel Gabriel gentle Gabriel
Gabriel, Lord of Mercy appeared to me.
The archangel Gabriel said unto me,
"Son of Adam, Son of Eve, Behold, the mercy of the Father is greater than you can ever know
for even now there is a path opened a road of Mercy and you shall call this road [Golconda].36
And tell your children of it, for by that road may they come once again dwell in the Light."
And with that, the darkness was lifted like a veil and the only light was Lilith's bright eyes.
Looking around me, I knew that I had Awakened.
When my energies first surged through me I discovered how to move like lightning [Celerity]
how to borrow the strength of the earth [Potence]
how to be as stone [Fortitude]
These were like breathing once was to me.
Lilith then showed me how she hides herself from hunters [Obfuscate]
how she commands obedience [Dominate]
and how she demands respect [Presence]
Then, Awakening myself further, I found the way to alter forms [Protean]
the way to have dominion over animals [Animalism]
the way to make eyes see sight [Auspex]37
Then Lilith commanded that I stop, saying that I had over reached my bounds
That I had gone too far That I threatened my very essence.
She used her powers and commanded me to stop.
Because of her power, I heeded her, but deep within me a seed was planted a seed of rebellion
and when she turned her face from me, I opened myself up once more, to the Night,
and saw the infinite possibilities in the stars and knew that a path of power, a path of Blood
was mine for the taking, and so I awakened in me this Final Path, from which all other paths would grow.
With this newest power, I broke the bonds that the Lady of Night put on me
I left the Damned Queen that evening, cloaking myself in shadows,
I fled the lands of Nod and came at last to a place where not even her demons could find me.
ZILLAHS TALE
Let me tell the tale of Zillah38
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,39
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.
So Caine pulled at his beard40
and tore at his hair and took to roaming the wilderness at night, thinking of her, burning for her,
and one night Caine came upon an old Crone singing to the moon
Caine said to the Crone,
"Why do you sing so?"
And the Crone replied,
"Because I yearn for what I cannot have ..."41
Caine said to the Crone,
"I yearn also. What can one do?"
The Crone smiled and said,
"Drink of my blood this night, Caine, Father of Kindred, and return tomorrow night.
Then will I tell you the wisdom of the Moon."42
Caine drank at the Crone's bare neck, and departed.
The next night, Caine found the Crone sleeping on a rock.
"Wake up, Crone."
Caine said.
"I have returned."
The Crone opened one eye and said,
"I dream of the solution for you this night. Drink once more of me, and then return tomorrow night.
Bring a bowl of clay.
Bring a sharp knife.
I will have your answer then."
Once again. Caine took blood from the Crone, who immediately fell back into a deep slumber.
When Caine returned the next night, the Crone looked up at him and smiled,
"Greetings, Lord of the Beast," the Crone said.43
"I have the wisdom you seek."
"Take some of my blood, into the bowl you have, and mix in these berries and these herbs,
and drink deep of the elixir."
"You will be irresistible.
You will be potent.
You will be masterful.
You will be ardent.
You will be glowing.
The heart of Zillah will melt like the snows in spring."
And so. Caine drank from the Crone's elixir, because he was so in love with Zillah,
and he so desired her love in return.
And the Crone laughed. The Crone laughed aloud.
She had tricked him! She had trapped him!
Caine was angry beyond compare.
Caine reached out with his powers, to rend this Crone apart with his strength.
The Crone cackled and said, "Do not"
And Caine could do nothing against her.
The Crone chuckled and said. "Love me."
And Caine could do nothing but stare into her ancient eyes, desire her leathery skin.
The Crone laughed and said, "Make me immortal."
And Caine Embraced her. She cackled again, laughed with the pure ecstasy of the Embrace,
for it did not pain her.
"I have made you powerful. Caine of Enoch, Caine of Nod, but you will forever be bound to me.
I have made you master of all, but you will never forget me!
Your blood, potent as it is now, will bond those who drink it, as you did, once a night for three nights.
You will be the master.
They will be your thrall, as you are mine.
For though Zillah will love you, as you wanted, you will love me, forever. Go now, and claim your
lovely bride, I will wait for you in the darkest places, while I brew more potions for your health."
And so, heavy hearted, Caine returned to Enoch.
And each night, for three nights,
Zillah drank from her Sire, though she did not know it.
And, on the third night, Caine announced he would marry44
Zillah, his sweetest Childe, and she agreed.
THE TALE OF THE CRONE
For a year and a day45 Caine labored in service to a Crone, who with blood-wisdom, bound him as surety as any prisoner.
She would visit him at night force him to give up his blood for her secret elixirs and potent formulas
She would take his Childer's Childer, and they would never be heard from again.
But Caine was wise. He did not drink from her ever again.
And she did not ask him to, thinking that he was ever in her Thrall.
One night.
Caine went to the Crone in the forest, and told her of terrible dreams that he had during his sleep.
"I fear for my life, Crone.
I fear the prophecy of Auriel, and my Children's lust for my blood.
Tell me secret knowledge, that I might be powerful against my own."
And the Crone went to a tree made of gopher wood,46
and broke off a limb.
She took a sharp knife and sharpened the limb.
"Take this piece of living wood, sharp, strong, pierce the heart of your wayward childe.
It will render him still, and yours to command.
Instead of feasting on your heart's blood, he will feel the weight of your justice."
Caine said. "Thank you, Mother," and with that, moving in quick movements,
Caine took the stake of gopher wood, seized it and drove it deep within the Crone's heart.
Because Caine, wise Caine had fed not upon her for a year and a day and because he forced his Will through his hands, he broke the Bond she held on him, and turned his fortune.
She laughed again, as blood welled up and poured out of her mouth.
Her eyes poured out hate.
Caine kissed her once, kissed her cold, withered lips, and left her there to Raphael’s gentle smile:
the sun that rises.
THE TALE OF THE FIRST CITY
In the beginning there was only Caine
Caine who [sacrificed] his brother out of [love].47
Caine who was cast out.
Caine who was cursed forever with immortality.
Caine who was cursed with the lust for blood,
It is Caine from whom we all come,
Our Sire's Sire.
For the passing of an age he lived in [the land of Nod].
In loneliness and suffering
For an eon he remained alone
But the passing of memory drowned his sorrow.
And so he returned to the world of mortals,
To the world his brother [Seth, third-born of Eve],
and [Seth's children] had created.
He returned and was made welcome.
[For none would turn against him due to the Mark that was laid upon him]
The people saw his power and worshipped him,
[He grew powerful, and his power was strong, his ways of awe and command were great]
And they [the Children of Seth] made him
King of their great City, The First City.
But Caine grew lonely in his Power.
Deep within him, the seed of loneliness blossomed, and grew a dark flower
He saw within his blood the potence of fertility
By calling up demons and listening to whispered wisdom
He learned the way to make a child for his own.
He came to know its power, and, doing so, decided to Embrace one of those near him.
And, lo, Uriel, Dread Uriel, revealed himself to Caine that very night and said to him,
"Caine, though powerful you are, and marked of God, know you this: that any Childe you make will
bear your curse, that any of your Progeny will forever walk in the Land of Nod, and fear flame and sun, drinking blood only and eating ashes only.
And since they will carry their father's jealous seed, they will forever plot and fight amongst themselves.
Doom not those of Adam's grandchildren who seek to walk in righteousness. Caine!
Stay your dread Embrace!"
Still, Caine knew what he must do, and a young man named Enosh,
who was the most beloved of Seth's kin, begged to be made Son to the dark Father.
And Caine, mindful though he was of Uriel's words, seized Enosh,
and wrapped him in the dark Embrace.
And so, it came to pass that Caine beget Enoch and, so doing, named the First City Enoch.
And so doing, did Enoch beg for a brother, a sister, and Caine, indulgent Father,
gave these to him, and their names were Zillah, whose blood was most-favored of Caine,
and Irad, whose strength served Caine's arm.
And these Kindred of Caine learned the ways of making Progeny of their own, and they
Embraced more of Seth's kin, unthinking.
And then wise Caine said. "An end to this crime.
There shall be no more."
And as Caine's word was the law, his Brood obeyed him.
The city stood for many ages,
And became the center of a mighty Empire.
Caine grew close to those not like him.
The [children of Seth] knew him
And he, to turn, knew them
But the world grew dark with sin.
Caine's Children wandered here and there, indulging their dark ways
Caine felt anger when his children fought
He discovered deceit when he saw them make word-war
He knew sadness when he saw them abuse [the children of Seth]
Caine read the signs in the darkening sky, but said nothing.
Then came the great Deluge, a great flood that washed over the world.
The City was destroyed, the children of Seth with it.
Again, Caine fell into great sorrow and went into solitude.
And he left us, his Progeny, to our own ends.
We found him, after much searching, deep in the earth, and he bade us go, saying
that the Flood was a punishment, for his having returned to the world of life
And subverting the true law.
He asked us to go, so that he might sleep.
So we returned alone to find the children of Noah,
And announced that we were the new rulers.
Each created a Brood
In order to claim the glory of Caine,
Yet we did not have his wisdom or restraint.
A great war was waged, the Elders against their Children, just as Uriel had said,
And the Children slew their parents.
They rose up
Used fire and wood
Swords and claws
To destroy those who had created them
The rebels then built a new city.
Out of the fallen Empire, they collected the
Thirteen clans that had been scattered by the Great War, and brought them all together,
They brought in the Kingship Clan [Ventrue],
the Clan of the Beast [Gangrel],
the Moon Clan [Malkavian],
the Clan of the Hidden [Nosferatu],
the Vanderer Clan [Ravnos],
the Clan of the Rose [Toreador],
the Night Clan [Lasombra],
the Clan of Shapers [Tzmisces],
the Snake Clan [Setites],
the Clan of Death [Giovanni],
the Healer's Clan [Saulot],
the Clan of the Hunt [Assamites],
and the Learned Clan [Brujah].
They made a beautiful city, and the people worshipped them as gods.
They created new Progeny of their own, the Fourth Generation of Cainites.
But they feared the Jyhad, the Prophecy of Uriel,
And it was forbidden for those Children
To create others of their kind.
This power their Elders kept for themselves.
When a Childe was created, it was hunted down and killed, and its Sire with it.
Although Caine was away from us, we did feel his careful eye watching us,
and we knew that he marked our movements and our ways.
He cursed [Malkav], when that one defamed his image and doomed him to insanity, forever.
When [Nosferatu] was found indulging his tastes in foul ways with his own Children,
Caine laid his hand on [Nosferatu], and told him that he would forever wear his evil
and twisted his visage.
He cursed us all, for killing the first part of his Children, the Second Generation,
As we had hunted them down one by one, Zillah the Beautiful, Irad the Strong, and Enoch First-Ruler.
And we mourned them all, as we were all of a kind, and all of the families of Caine's childer.
Though this city was as great as Caine's, eventually
It grew old.
As do all living things, it slowly began to die.
The gods at first did not see the truth,
And when they at last looked about them it was too late.
For, as Uriel had said, the seed of Evil planted blossomed as a blood-red rose
And [Troile], the Child of his Child's Child rose up, and slew his Father, Brujah.
And ate of his flesh.
Then war wracked the city
And nothing could ever be as it was.
The Thirteen saw their city destroyed and their power extinguished,
And they were forced to flee, their Progeny along with them.
But many were killed in the flight, for they had grown weak.
With their authority gone, all were free create their own Broods,
And soon there were many new Kindred,
Who ruled across the face of the Earth.
But this could not last.
Over time, there came to be too many of the Kindred
And then there was war once again,
The Elders were already deep in hiding,
For they had learned caution,
But their Children had founded their own cities and Broods,
And it is they who were killed in the great wave of war.
There was war so total, that there are none of that Generation
To speak of themselves any longer.
Waves of mortal flesh were sent across continents
In order to crush and burn the cities of the Kindred.
Mortals thought they were fighting their own wars.
But it is for us that they spilt their blood.
Once this war was over,
All of the Kindred hid from one another
And from the humans that surrounded them.
In hiding we remain today,
For the Jyhad continues still.
And none will say when Caine will arise again, from his sleep in the earth, and call for the city Gehenna,
the Last City, the City of Judgment.
The Jyhad continues still.
Notes to the Chronicle of Caine
1. The "first times" discussed in this stanza have been researched thoroughly by myself and my fellow Kindred. The original text speaks of a time "before." The oldest piece of the Book of Nod has been dated just before the time of Sumer, around 4500 B.C.
2. I assume in this that the first stanza is the original narrator, perhaps the first translator of Caine’s story.
3. "Nod" in this case, meaning, the "Unknown Lands" - supposedly the lands outside of Eden, which were not named at that time.
4. Latin translation reads "With a plowshare." The translation is from the original Sumerian, and just implies a sharp thing. This could be a prehistoric "spike" tool, used for planting seeds. It is definitely tooth-like, possibly formed of some mammal’s canines - or at least it is depicted thus in the Coonan-DeBrie fragment and the St. Clair Tapestry.
5. That Caine was originally a farmer would fall into line with his existence in the myth as a un King/Dying God figure, much like the character of Dumuzi/Tammuz in the Inanna/Ishtar myth.
6. Blood in birth in this case. of course, perhaps being a result of the recent Fall. Note that this is the first instance of the word "blood" in the narrative. The translational sense of the word is more along the lines of what we would consider 'blood' rather than the 'vitae' cognate, which implies some extra virtue or potency
7. The "first part" is a phrase repeated throughout the Book of Nod. It means essentially, "the best." the "cream."
8. "Father." in this specific case, generally thought to be Adam.
9. I am translating this as exactly as possible. Because of the nature of the myth. one can easily assume that this is the Cod of the Hebrews and later Christianity. However, because this is not specifically stated in the text. I do not wish to color the narrative with possible inter-religious complexities.
10. "Struck from beyond" might have been a lightning bolt. In some Latinate translations, it is a "bolt from beyond."
11. "Father", again, is probably Adam.
12. In this case. "blood" is written as the cognate to "vitae.
13. This stanza has confused many scholars, including myself. I have chosen to represent it as my particular translation, which is that it is Adam who is the "Father" in this stanza, and it is Adam who casts Caine out. The reasoning behind this is that the One Above never speaks directly to Caine: it is only through a medium that the One communicates Its will to Caine, as we will see. Furthermore, the word "Father" in the previous stanzas has always meant Adam. This contrasts heavily with the Genesis story, but it is internally consistent, and since Caine himself is said to have originated this particular narrative, we can take it on better authority perhaps than Noah, who penned Genesis. There are other interpretations, of course. In New York, Beckett once met a member of the Sabbat who claimed this section referred to our "true" father - Satan. He watched my childe closely when he said this, and then something which Beckett can only describe as an imp appeared on his shoulder. We have gone to great pains to not deal with this vampire again.
14. Here. now, we get the basic idea behind the "Land of Nod." No longer is it simply "not Eden." but it is now to be considered the "Exiled Lands." "Nod" in the Hebraic translation of the text is basically "the wandering lands." This is perhaps because Adam has established himself outside of Paradise and has created a territorial boundary between himself and the rest of the world: thus "Nod" is the same wilderness he was banished to. but now it is Caine who is leaving. One would think perhaps that Adam would have been a little more sympathetic to this. his last remaining son. However, it is possible that Adam's words in this were "divinely inspired" or perhaps inspired out of rage. Thus. we see the traditional tragic, tumultuous lives of all vampires as being indicative of their origins, Beckett says this parallels the relationship all vampires have with their sires, but I like to think our own continued alliance proves this hypothesis incorrect.
15. This stanza is quite important to the "Dying God" myth-perspective of Caine. Caine is destined for darkness, a dark land where he will learn much wisdom. This may refer to our own journey into death, from which our sires tear us when they feed us their own rich vitae.
16. These three things, hunger, cold. and fear (or sadness) still obviously attribute Caine with human feelings and failings. Caine is not yet a "vampire" in the traditional sense. He is, however, clearly cursed.
17. It was hard not to use Ishtar for this particular translation, for this stanza seems to speak of Ishtar: certainly her honey-voice and words of surcease are Ishtar's. Lilith would have to do, however, as many of the original works agree that it was Lilith in this narrative.
18. This stanza, and the others that follow here, I have seen in another form. This is the highly sought-after "Cycle of Lilith" which appears in many different forms. In looking for the original text for these stanzas, I was forced to go into the labyrinthine and saturnine depths of the world of the Diabolists. I started in Venice, where I met with some of the Order of the Black Rose. dark monks, some of whom had to communicate with sign language because their tongues had been severed and then mummified as magical talismans. I soon found that they hungered for Kindred blood, and I was able to parley some of my own vitae for information that led me to Boston. Massachusetts, in America. There I met with a woman by the name of Selina. who at first refused to speak to me about the diabolic Cycle of Lilith. but then allowed me to continue for some bizarre mystical purpose. She said that the "Dark One Herself" asked to let me pass with the knowledge. I was followed through the streets of Boston by the Dark Clan themselves (the Nosferatu) until I got to a special bookstore: it is this bookstore that had. in their back shelves, a few fragments of the Cycle of Lilith behind glass. I was allowed to view it for a few moments before the shop owner returned. The older man cursed loudly when he saw me. and showed me the door quite firmly. I stood outside the door and heard the man berate his employee in some detail. They believed to be speaking confidentially because they were speaking in a dialect of Italian native to Venice, but I had learned that dialect quite fluently and was able to listen for quite some time. I discovered that they were part of a dark circle of devil-worshippers, and followed the older man later that evening back to the cemetery where they held their rites. Although I was not able to find the devil-worshippers in the cemetery. I did have a very strange encounter in the graveyard nonetheless. A woman appeared from the fog as if by magic. By her aura I knew her to be Kindred, but could not guess how old or of what clan she was. She came to me and showed me a book bound in silver and holding a complete translation of the Cycle of Lilith. She silenced me immediately, commanding me not to ask anything as long as she stood there. I had to obey. I was able to look at the tome and read it while she smiled at me in the light of a candle. Then she took the book. kissed me once on the forehead, and was gone into the night before I could ask her another question. I can't imagine who this mysterious woman was, but I do think that she is in some way connected with the spirit-form of Lilith, for her powers of command were great, and she had a presence about her that was ancient. I can only thank her for the opportunity to glance at that fabled volume, and I think that this translation benefits singularly from her intervention.
19. It might be noted that Genesis speaks not at all of Lilith. the first wife of Adam. She is a creature of the Midrashim. the Hebrew parables. She is depicted as a demoness, cursed by God Himself because she would not be subservient to Adam. Lilith has apparently, at least in this narrative, spent some time in the Land of Nod, and has built up her own power in this place. She apparently has comfort where no one else could take it. This doesn't speak well for her being a demoness, and thus confined to Hell. but then again Hell wasn't a very populous place around this time in history.
20. Here is a major inconsistency in the narrative, and I have fought for many years to retain it, for I feel that it points at the fundamental flaw of the Book of Nod translations to date: where did the blood tears of Caine come from, if not from the original Curse? Was he then a vampire at that point? When did he exactly begin crying blood? When did he become a vampire? This is a nebulous point still. But I leave the inconsistency because I do not want this point to remain "glossed over" into history. My childe Beckett uses this point to bolster his allegorical fancies. Even now, he travels to Harvard college, there to study some ancient texts discovered in a well in the Sudan. He keeps hoping to discover some more of what he calls "antediluvian" mural works, the poor boy.
21. There has been argument on both sides of the following issue: Was Caine imprisoned in Lilith's house, under her control, or did Caine stay there as an honored guest? This question is never fully answered, but might lend an interesting perspective if it could be proved one way or the other. Perhaps, as some have suggested, the situation involved a little of both.
22. I have translated these words specifically in this fashion out of the advice of one Haphacstus a friend of mine who was once a part of the mystical Tradition known as the Order of Hermes. He maintains that Lilith was no woman, no demoness. but rather an original mage, and that she used her own particular magickal qualities to "Awaken" Caine's magickal potential as well. This is the story of that awakening. I believe that what he says has merit, and it certainly fits in the translation of the story. If it is true that Caine was a wizard as well as Lilith, then the Tremere may indeed be "closest to Caine: - a theory to which Beckett violently objects.
23. Hephaestus indicates that this stanza may point to Lilith being perhaps the founder or one of the first supplicants in the magick Tradition know as Verbena, which uses blood in its rituals.
24. This is often translated as "And then I fell into Hell." I did not feel that the original text was attempting to say this, and I felt that Abyss seemed to indicate a less Judeo-Christian sort of place of torture.
25. Once again, not to cross-mythologize too much. but I could do nothing else but translate the Angels into Angels and Michael into Michael, even though the "shining ones" mentioned in the original text do not specifically seem to be angels. I was unable to come up with a cognate that would fit. Still, I feel that they do not hamper the overall "feel" of the narrative, and so they remain. Their traditional Cabalistic correspondences also remain as they were originally written.
26. This is perhaps a strong rebuff of the "One Above." Caine seems to still be angry about his exile.
27. This is the legendary "Curse of Fire." It is perhaps among the strongest curses of the day. It set up an eternal enmity between the Kindred and the singular source of life in the world: the fire. Fire was the mortals' way of keeping out the darkness, the wolves. It provided a center of community and allowed them to create new technologies. This put us out of that light forever, and was designed to make us outcast forever. It is perhaps this particular curse with, also made hospitality so important among the Kindred.
28. Raphael being the Archangel of the Dawn.
29. An early survival instinct, obviously. Caine instinctively seeks the earth.
30. Uriel's role as the Angel of Death would place him in the ultimate position to be the vessel of Cod's judgment on Caine. Only through Uriel would God Himself choose to punish our Father.
31. Note here that Uriel is offering not to preserve Caine, but rather to "take him to his reward." i.e.. death.
32. Is this a mockery of the more traditional" I am that I am" phrase of the Bible?
33. The first use of the freely translated words, "God Almighty."
34. "Eating ashes" is thought to be a metaphor for the tragic vampire existence. I can find no other reference to "eating ashes." and can only assume it is an idiom which cannot be translated Other versions of the Book of Nod have translated "eating ashes" into "knowing only sadness."
35. This is perhaps a poetic statement, ft certainly emphasizes that Caine is consuming his own sadness.
36. The fact that there is an important diamond city in India also called Golconda may or may not have bearing to this particular stanza. I am beginning to think that the term was originally coined by Saulot, who was known to travel to the Far and Middle East on quests of enlightenment.
37. I have heard of additional sections here describing more of the powers Caine developed. According to my old friend Malk Content, the original version of this went on for 1.001 stanzas Malk also claims his left pinkie is made out of chocolate mousse and answers to the name Harold, so I will stand by the version I have here.
38. Zillah, sometimes translated as "Sylah.' This Tale is translated from a much more folklore-influenced original text. A version of this tale is told by some of the oldest of the Russian Kindred, and I have reason to believe it has roots in Russian folktales.
39. Remember that, among Kindred, there is no "incest" taboo in lusting after the blood of your childe. Indeed, this is perhaps indicative of the Methuselahs attitudes: they often create childer to feed upon.
40. A flagrant transliterative idiom, but one that I felt had literary importance. Imagine Caine with a full, long beard, tugging on it! This is perhaps the only descriptive feature of Caine that we have on record, and its provenance is impure.
41. This Crone remains a mystery to archaeologists trying to locate the source of this story. I believe that the Crone is a shaman/ witch/priestess who perhaps knew a bit about Caine from relations with a demon or some kind of familiar spirit. In sticking with his allegorical paradigm, Beckett suggests that she may be a metaphor for the lust we have for blood and the control it has over us.
42. Another clue: she is affiliated with the Moon. I originally believed this pointed to her origins as a Lupine shaman, but I learned from my Gangrel friends that they do not twist their spells in such fashion.
43. Others have translated Caine's title as "Master of the Blood Fury" in this instance.
44. In Enoch, marriage between Kindred was common. I have read fragments of the "Love Hymn to Zillah" which has led me to believe that it carried with it specific ownership of all house slaves and property, as well as special privileges such as the ability to temporarily invoke one's spouses' power.
45. The traditional Lunar year. It is such a mythological cliché, especially among the "Wise Woman" traditions of the pagan folk. that I must count it as a purely symbolic period of time.
46. A traditional material. Strong, sturdy. The Ark of Noah was built of it.
47. This is perhaps the best-known part of the Book of Nod. Because of the frequent copying by the Tremere and Ventrue Clans of this fragment, there arc many colloquial versions of it. My first task was to totally disregard these "popular" versions, and go on to tackle the truth of the matter. Thus, you see my translations of the "non-traditional" verses in brackets.
