| Golem | |
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Real Name |
Golem |
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First Appearance |
Jewish Folklore |
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Created by |
Jewish folklore |
Origin[]
A golem is an animated, anthropomorphic being in Jewish folklore, which is entirely created from inanimate matter, usually clay or mud. The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late 16th-century rabbi of Prague and the Golem of Prague.
The word golem occurs once in the Bible in Psalm 139:16, which uses the word גלמי (golmi; my golem), that means "my light form", "raw" material, connoting the unfinished human being before God's eyes. The Mishnah uses the term for an uncultivated person: "Seven characteristics are in an uncultivated person, and seven in a learned one", (שבעה דברים בגולם) (Avot 5:9 in the Hebrew text; English translations vary).
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Golems from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances include:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
The Golem of Prague as depicted in The Golem: How He Came into the World (1920).
- Berthold Auerbach, Spinoza (1837)
- Gustav Philippson, Der Golam, eine Legende (1841)
- Der Golam des Rabbi Löw (1841)
- Der Golem des Hoch-Rabbi-Löw (1842)
- Der Golem (1847)
- Wonders of Maharal (1909)
- The Golem (1915)
- The Golem: Legends of the Ghetto of Prague (1925)
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- The Golem (1915) (lost film)
- The Golem and the Dancing Girl (1917) (partially lost film)
- The Golem: How He Came into the World (1920)
Notes[]
- The Marvel Comics superhero, Captain America, as the character's creators, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, originally conceived of him, has been described as a variant of the Golem concept: a protector of the Jewish community created by one of its elders (Dr. Abraham Erskine).
- Likewise, Benjamin "Ben" Grimm (aka The Thing) bears a lot of similarities with the Golem, both visually and having a Jewish background.
- The Pokémon Golett and Golurk are inspired by the Golem of Prague. The English name for the Pokemon Golem also comes from the legendary creature of the same name.