Golem
Artwork by Benedetta Fiore. ArtStation | Instagram
Origin: Jewish folklore
As a being brought to life from inanimate materials like clay and mud, the golem is a creature made to serve its creator—and it makes for a flexible symbolic stand-in for any story. Early definitions of “golem” in the Bible refer to it as an incomplete human being. In Modern Hebrew, it can mean “dumb” or “helpless,” in line with the metaphorical mindless follower.
In nearly Judaism, Adam was created as a golem, and only became a man when God breathed a soul into his nostrils. The Sefer Yezirah, or “Book of Creation,” is a book from the Middle Ages with instructions on how to make a golem (but sadly, no details as to how to breathe a soul into its nostrils). Be aware, however, that there are multiple ways to interpret these instructions.
One interpretation is that you should simply sculp your golem out of clay and then use God’s name to bring it to life. Another says to shape it out of soil, and then walk and dance around it while speaking a combination of letters from the alphabet as well as the secret name of God. The catch with this approach is that, to kill the golem, you must do all the same things again—but in reverse. Yet another would have you write the letters spelling “truth” on its forehead to bring it to life, and then erase one letter to spell “death” to kill it.
The most popular means of bringing a golem to life seems to be writing God’s name on parchment and sticking it in its mouth. To dispel its life, simply remove the parchment. This method was said to have been used by Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel to protect his community in the spring of 1580, right around Easter. The golem performed its task of protecting the people, but was also prone to running amok and putting innocents at risk. Some accounts say that Rabbi Loew removed the parchment from its mouth, and some that the golem went mad and ran away.
Appearances in media
Movies:
The Golem (1914)
The Golem (1920)
The Golem (2019)
Books:
The Golem (Elie Wiesel)
Golem (David Wisniewski)
Television: