The term “golem” is widely misunderstood, due in part to the difference between the popular uses of the nickname in different mythologies. In its original and primary meaning, a golem is a humanoid creature made from some kind of inanimate mineral and brought to life through magic, much like fairies or elves.
A person with the right skills could build a “person” out of sand, earth, clay, stone, or similar material and then magically animate and control the creature. Golems can be brought to life through various magical methods, but the most common is to engrave a magic word on their foreheads or write a magic word on a piece of paper and bring it to their mouths.
Appearance of golems
These creatures first appeared in Jewish mythology, the most famous being the Golem of Prague. According to legend, this clay creature was created in the late 16th century by Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the chief rabbi of Prague, to protect the Jews of Prague from persecution by the Roman emperor.
There are several versions of the story, but it seems to end with the Emperor begging the Rabbi to deactivate the creature in exchange for an end to the persecution. To do this, the rabbi removed the first letter of the magic word on the golem’s forehead, changing it from “emet” (truth, real) to “met” (dead).
It is said that this deactivated creature still exists in the attic of the Old New Synagogue in Prague, capable of being reactivated by someone with knowledge of the proper activation ritual. The attic is not open to the public.
Modern appearances
More modern recreations of the humanoid myth have been made from various materials such as lava or ice, but they are most commonly made from clay or stone. Kevin Smith’s 1999 film “Dogma” even includes a golem made from… how to put this nicely… human excrement. Okay, that’s definitely taking it too far, but it shows that they can be created from almost anything.
Reproduction of the Golem of Prague
An important note about these creatures is that they do not have a mind of their own. They are like robots in the sense that they cannot think for themselves, they can only follow orders. It is also important to remember that they take their orders literally. Their controllers must be very specific so that the golem does not cause more problems than it helps.
Popular references
One of the most popular references to the name comes from J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic series “The Fellowship of the Ring.” In it, a creature known by that name plays a central role in the main characters’ quest, but it is by no means the same as the golems discussed so far.
This use of the term most likely comes from the old use of the name as an insult to people who do not think for themselves. It is said that there was once a human so obsessed with the power of a magic ring that he lost his ability to think about anything else.
Finally, we can tell you that they are such prominent figures in Jewish legend that they continue to inspire artists and writers to this day. For at least the last two hundred years, these creatures have found their way into painting, sculpture, illustration, and, more recently, video and digital art. They still have an air of fascination and magic, but they also remind us to ask ourselves what it really means to be human…
