View source for Golem

{{Short description|Being in Jewish folklore made from clay}}
{{For-multi|the character in ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''|Gollum||Golem (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox mythical creature
| name             = Golem
| image            = Golem_–_Mikoláš_Aleš_(Staré_pověsti_české).jpg
| image_upright    = 1.2
| caption          = The [[Judah Loew ben Bezalel|Maharal of Prague]] and the Golem
| Grouping         = [[Monster]]
| Folklore         = [[Jewish folklore]]
| First_Attested   = [[Talmud]]
| AKA              = Gōlem ({{Script/Hebrew|גּוֹלֶם}})
| Country          = [[Kingdom of Bohemia|Bohemia]]
| Region           = [[Prague]]
| Habitat          = Typically resides in attics or temples
| Details          = Protector of the Jewish community, created from clay or mud, animated through mystical rituals. 
}}
A '''golem''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|oʊ|l|ə|m|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-golem.wav}} {{respell|GOH|ləm}}; {{langx|he|{{Script/Hebrew|גּוֹלֶם}}|gōlem}}) is an animated [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] being in [[Jewish folklore]] that is created entirely from inanimate matter, usually [[clay]] or [[mud]]. The most famous golem narrative involves [[Judah Loew ben Bezalel]], the late-16th-century [[rabbi]] of [[Prague]]. According to ''[[Moment (magazine)|Moment]]'' magazine, "the golem is a highly mutable metaphor with seemingly limitless symbolism. It can be a victim or villain, man or woman—or sometimes both. Over the centuries, it has been used to connote war, community, isolation, hope, and despair."<ref name="Cooper">Cooper, Marilyn. [http://www.momentmag.com/jewish-word-golem/ Jewish Word | Golem"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825062411/http://www.momentmag.com/jewish-word-golem/ |date=25 August 2017 }} ''[[Moment (magazine)|Moment]]''. 17 July 2017. 24 August 2017.</ref>

In modern popular culture, the word has become generalized, and any crude automaton  devised by a sorcerer may be termed a "golem".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Definition of GOLEM |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/golem |access-date=2025-10-17 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The word ''golem'' [[Hapax legomenon|occurs once]] in the [[Bible]], in [[Psalm 139]], which uses the word {{lang|he|גׇּלְמִ֤י}} ({{transliteration|he|golmi}}; 'my golem',<ref name="Introduction" /> 'my light form', 'raw material'<ref name="OED">{{Cite encyclopedia|title=golem|encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary|editor=J. Simpson |editor2=E. Weiner|year=1989|edition=2nd| location=Oxford|publisher=Clarendon Press|isbn=0-19-861186-2}}</ref>) to connote the unfinished human being before God's eyes.<ref name="Introduction" /> [[Pirkei Avot]] 5:9 uses the term to refer to someone who is unsophisticated: "[There are] seven things [characteristic] in a clod, and seven in a wise man" ({{lang|he|שִׁבְעָה דְבָרִים בַּגֹּלֶם וְשִׁבְעָה בֶחָכָם}}).<ref>{{cite web |title=Pirkei Avot 5:7 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.5.7?lang=bi |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref>

In [[Modern Hebrew]], {{transliteration|he|golem}} is used to mean 'dumb', 'helpless', or '[[pupa]]'. Similarly, it is often used today as a [[metaphor]] for a stupid man or other entity that serves a man under controlled conditions, but is hostile to him in other circumstances.<ref name="Cooper" /> ''Golem'' passed into [[Yiddish]] as {{transliteration|yi|goylem}}, meaning someone who is lethargic or in a stupor.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eqhur2UnvyIC&q=goylem+definition&pg=PA32|title=Anglish/Yinglish: Yiddish in American Life and Literature|last=Bluestein|first=Gene|date=1998|publisher=U of Nebraska Press|isbn=0803219148|access-date=17 October 2020|archive-date=3 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203231028/https://books.google.com/books?id=eqhur2UnvyIC&q=goylem+definition&pg=PA32|url-status=live}}</ref>

==History==
===Earliest stories===
The oldest stories of golems date to early Judaism. In the [[Talmud]] (Tractate [[Sanhedrin (tractate)|Sanhedrin]] 38b), [[Adam]] is initially created as a golem ({{lang|he|גולם}}) when his dust is "kneaded into a shapeless husk".<ref>{{cite web | title=Sanhedrin 38b | website=sefaria.org | url=https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.38b?lang=bi | ref={{sfnref|sefaria.org}} | access-date=2024-11-15}}</ref> Like Adam, all golems are [[Creation of life from clay|created from mud]] by those close to divinity, but no anthropogenic golem is fully human. Early on, the main disability of the golem was its inability to speak. Sanhedrin 65b describes [[Rava (amora)|Rava]] creating a man ({{transliteration|he|gavra}}), whom he then sends to [[Zeira|Rav Zeira]]. Zeira speaks to the man, but he does not answer, whereupon Zeira says, "You were created by the sages; return to your dust".{{efn|[[Jewish Babylonian Aramaic]]: {{lang|he|מן חבריא את הדר לעפריך}}}}<ref>{{cite web | title=Sanhedrin 65b | website=Sefaria | url=https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.65b?lang=bi | ref={{sfnref|Sefaria}} | access-date=2024-11-15}}</ref>

During the [[Middle Ages]], passages from the ''[[Sefer Yetzirah]]'' were studied as a means to create and animate a golem, although little in the writings of [[Jewish mysticism]] supports this belief. The earliest known written account of how to create a golem can be found in the ''Sode Raza'', a commentary on [[Merkabah mysticism]] by [[Eleazar of Worms]], who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kressel |first=Matthew |date=1 October 2015 |title=36 Days of Judaic Myth: Day 24, The Golem of Prague |language=en-US |work=Matthew Kressel |url=https://www.matthewkressel.net/2015/10/01/36-days-of-judaic-myth-day-24-the-golem-of-prague/ |url-status=live |access-date=2 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802223529/https://www.matthewkressel.net/2015/10/01/36-days-of-judaic-myth-day-24-the-golem-of-prague/ |archive-date=2 August 2018}}</ref>

It was believed that golems could be activated by an [[ecstasy (emotion)|ecstatic]] experience induced by the ritual use of various letters of the [[Hebrew alphabet]]<ref name="idel">{{cite book |last=Idel |first=Moshe |title=Golem: Jewish Magical and Mystical Traditions on the Artificial Anthropoid |publisher=State University of New York Press |year=1990 |isbn=0-7914-0160-X |location=Albany, New York}} page 296</ref> forming one of the [[Names of God in Judaism|names of God]]). This was written on a piece of paper and inserted into the mouth or forehead of the golem.<ref name="jewishencyclopedia" />

In some tales, including certain stories of the [[Chełm]] and Prague golems, a word such as {{wikt-lang|he|אֱמֶת}} {{transliteration|he|emeṯ}} 'truth' is inscribed on the golem, sometimes on its forehead. In this example, the golem could then be deactivated by removing the [[aleph]] (א),<ref>Kerstein, Benjamin. ''Jewish Ideas Daily''. 14 September 2010. 24 August 2017.</ref> thus changing the inscription from "truth" to "death" ({{wikt-lang|he|מֵת}}, {{transliteration|he|mēt}}, 'dead').

One source credits [[Solomon ibn Gabirol]], who lived in the 11th century, with creating a golem.<ref>Bokser, Ben Zion (2006). </ref From the World of the Cabbalah. Kessinger. p. 57.</ref> possibly female, for household chores.<ref name="je-ibngabirol">{{cite Jewish Encyclopedia | title=Ibn Gabirol, Solomon ben Judah|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/6448-gabirol-solomon-ibn | noicon=1 }}</ref> A legend also existed claiming that [[Samuel of Speyer]] created a golem in the 12th century.<ref name="magic" />

In 1625, [[Joseph Solomon Delmedigo]] wrote that "many legends of this sort are current, particularly in Germany."<ref name="magic" />

===Golem of Chełm===
{{See also|Elijah Ba'al Shem of Chełm}}

The oldest description of the creation of a golem by a historical figure is included in a tradition connected to the [[Baal Shem]] ([[folk healer]]) named [[Elijah Ba'al Shem of Chełm|Elijah of Chełm]] (1550–1583).<ref name="idel" /><ref name="Introduction">[http://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/9780472117598-intro.pdf Introduction to "The Golem Returns"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012061347/http://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/9780472117598-intro.pdf |date=12 October 2012 }}. Retrieved 23 September 2011.</ref><ref name="magic">{{cite book|last=Trachtenberg|first=Joshua|title=Jewish Magic and Superstition|location=Philadelphia|publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania Press]]|year=2004|orig-year=Originally published 1939|isbn=9780812218626|page=85}}</ref><ref name="gelbin">{{cite book |last1=Gelbin |first1=Cathy S. |title=The Golem Returns: From German Romantic Literature to Global Jewish Culture, 1808-2008 |date=2011 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |isbn=978-0-472-11759-8 |page=85 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Golem_Returns/5HkzGcG9YeAC? |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160614171217/https://books.google.com/books?id=5HkzGcG9YeAC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=Maharal&f=false |archive-date=14 June 2016}}</ref>

A Polish [[kabbalah|Kabbalist]], writing in about 1630–1650, reported the creation of a golem by Rabbi Eliyahu thusly:
{{blockquote|And I have heard, in a certain and explicit way, from several respectable persons that one man [living] close to our time, whose name is R. Eliyahu, the master of the name, who made a creature out of matter [Heb. ''Golem''] and form [Heb. ''tzurah''] and it performed hard work for him, for a long period, and the name of ''emet'' was hanging upon his neck until he finally removed it for a certain reason, the name from his neck and it turned to dust.<ref name="idel" />}}

A similar account was reported by a Christian author, [[Christoph Arnold]], in 1674.<ref name="idel"/>

[[Jacob Emden]] elaborated on the story in a book published in 1748:
{{blockquote|As an aside, I'll mention here what I heard from my father's holy mouth regarding the Golem created by his ancestor, the Gaon R. Eliyahu Ba'al Shem of blessed memory. When the Gaon saw that the Golem was growing larger and larger, he feared that the Golem would destroy the universe. He then removed the Holy Name that was embedded on his forehead, thus causing him to disintegrate and return to dust. Nonetheless, while he was engaged in extracting the Holy Name from him, the Golem injured him, scarring him on the face.<ref>שו"ת שאילת יעב"ץ, ח"ב, [https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=1408&pgnum=225 סי' פ"ב] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509025816/https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=1408&pgnum=225 |date=2013-05-09 }}. Cf. his בירת מגדל עוז, Altona, 1748, p. 259a; מטפחת ספרים, Altona, 1768, [http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=21115&st=&pgnum=90&hilite= p. 45a] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509032718/http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=21115&st=&pgnum=90&hilite= |date=2013-05-09 }}; and מגילת ספר, ed. Kahana, Warsaw, 1896, [https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=37017&st=&pgnum=12&hilite= p. 4] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509043404/https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=37017&st=&pgnum=12&hilite= |date=2013-05-09 }}. See also שו"ת חכם צבי, [https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=19566&st=&pgnum=163 סי' צ"ג] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509043324/https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=19566&st=&pgnum=163 |date=2013-05-09 }}, and the references cited in שו"ת חכם צבי עם ליקוטי הערות, Jerusalem, 1998, vol. 1, p. 421 and in the periodical כפר חב"ד, number 351 (1988), p. 51. Cited by Leiman, S.Z., [http://seforim.blogspot.com/2007/02/shnayer-z-leiman-did-disciple-of.html "Did a Disciple of the Maharal Create a Golem?"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111210431/http://seforim.blogspot.com/2007/02/shnayer-z-leiman-did-disciple-of.html |date=2012-01-11 }}</ref>}}

According to the Polish Kabbalist, "the legend was known to several persons, thus allowing us to speculate that the legend had indeed circulated for some time before it was committed to writing and, consequently, we may assume that its origins are to be traced to the generation immediately following the death of R. Eliyahu, if not earlier."<ref name="idel" />

===Classic narrative: The Golem of Prague===
[[File:Rabbi Löw Saloun.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Rabbi Loew]] statue at the New City Hall of Prague]]
[[File:Old_New_Synagogue-back.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Old New Synagogue]] of [[Prague]] with the rungs of the ladder to the attic on the wall. In the legend, the Golem was in the loft]]
[[File:Ústěk Jewish museum.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Úštěk Synagogue]] with a statue of a Golem in [[Úštěk]]]]
[[File:Golem by Philippe Semeria.jpg|thumb|upright|Illustration by Philippe Semeria, 2009. The Hebrew word {{Langx|he|אמת|4=truth|label=none}}, is inscribed on the golem's forehead.]]

The most famous golem narrative involves [[Judah Loew ben Bezalel]], the late 16th-century rabbi of Prague, also known as the Maharal, who reportedly "created a golem out of clay from the banks of the [[Vltava River]] and brought it to life through rituals and Hebrew incantations to defend the Prague [[ghetto]] from [[antisemitic]] attacks and [[pogrom]]s".<ref>Green, Kayla. [http://www.momentmag.com/the-golem-in-the-attic/ "The Golem in the Attic"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825231615/http://www.momentmag.com/the-golem-in-the-attic/ |date=25 August 2017 }} ''Moment''. 1 February 2011. 25 August 2017.</ref><ref name="newlife">{{cite news|first=Dan|last=Bilefsky|author-link=Dan Bilefsky|title=Hard Times Give New Life to Prague's Golem|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/world/europe/11golem.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=10 May 2009|access-date=19 March 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509123841/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/world/europe/11golem.html|archive-date=9 May 2013}}</ref> Depending on the version of the legend, the Jews in Prague were to be either expelled or killed under the rule of [[Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor|Rudolf II, the Holy Roman Emperor]]. The Golem was called Josef and was known as Yossele. He was said to be able to make himself invisible and summon spirits from the dead.<ref name="newlife" /> Rabbi Loew deactivated the Golem on Friday evenings by removing the ''shem'' before the Sabbath (Saturday) began,<ref name="jewishencyclopedia" /> so as to let it rest on Sabbath.<ref name="jewishencyclopedia" />

One Friday evening, Rabbi Loew forgot to remove the ''shem'', and feared that the Golem would desecrate the Sabbath.<ref name="jewishencyclopedia" /> A different story tells of a golem that fell in love, and when rejected, became the violent monster seen in most accounts. Some versions have the golem eventually going on a murderous rampage.<ref name="newlife" /> The rabbi then managed to pull the ''shem'' from his mouth and immobilize him<ref name="jewishencyclopedia" /> in front of the synagogue, whereupon the golem fell in pieces.<ref name="jewishencyclopedia" /> The Golem's body was stored in the attic ''[[genizah]]'' of the [[Old New Synagogue]],<ref name="newlife" /> where it would be restored to life again if needed.<ref name="Legend">{{cite web|url=http://www.applet-magic.com/golem.htm|title=The Golem Legend|work=applet-magic.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102224246/http://www.applet-magic.com/golem.htm|archive-date=2 January 2013}}</ref>

Rabbi Loew then forbade anyone except his successors from going into the attic. Rabbi [[Yechezkel Landau]], a successor of Rabbi Loew, reportedly wanted to go up the steps to the attic when he was [[Chief Rabbi|Chief Rabbi of Prague]] to verify the tradition. Rabbi Landau fasted and immersed himself in a [[mikveh]], wrapped himself in [[Tefillin|phylacteries]] and a prayer-shawl and started ascending the steps. At the top of the steps, he hesitated and then came immediately back down, trembling and frightened. He then reiterated Rabbi Loew's original warning.<ref>{{cite book |last=Winkler |first=Gershon |author-link=Gershon Winkler |date=1980 |title=The Golem of Prague |location=New York |publisher=Judaica Press |pages=60–63 |isbn=0-910818-24-X}}</ref>

According to legend, the body of Rabbi Loew's Golem still lies in the synagogue's attic.<ref name="jewishencyclopedia" /><ref name="newlife" /> When the attic was renovated in 1883, no evidence of the Golem was found.<ref>{{cite book |publisher=Time-Life |title=Mysteries of the Unknown: Inside the World of the Strange and Unexplained |date=16 September 2014 |isbn=978-1618933522}}</ref> Some versions of the tale state that the Golem was stolen from the ''genizah'' and entombed in a graveyard in [[Žižkov|Prague's Žižkov district]], where the [[Žižkov Television Tower]] now stands. A recent legend tells of a [[Nazi]] agent ascending to the synagogue attic, dying under suspicious circumstances thereafter.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lee-Parritz |first=Oren |title=The Golem Lives On |url=http://www.jewishpost.com/news/The-golem-Lives-On.html |publisher=jewishpost.com |access-date=12 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100901092722/http://www.jewishpost.com/news/The-Golem-Lives-On.html |archive-date=1 September 2010 }}</ref> The attic is not open to the general public.<ref>[http://atlasobscura.com/place/old-new-synagogue Old New Synagogue located in Praha, Czech Republic|Atlas Obscura|Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations] {{webarchive|url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110829001745/http://atlasobscura.com/place/old-new-synagogue |date=29 August 2011 }}. Atlas Obscura. Retrieved on 23 September 2011.</ref>

Some [[Orthodox Jews]] believe that the Maharal did actually create a golem. The evidence for this belief has been analyzed from an Orthodox Jewish perspective by Shnayer Z. Leiman.<ref name="leiman">Leiman, S. Z., [http://seforim.blogspot.com/2010/05/golem-of-prague-in-recent-rabbinic.html ''The Golem of Prague in Recent Rabbinic Literature''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924212735/http://seforim.blogspot.com/2010/05/golem-of-prague-in-recent-rabbinic.html |date=24 September 2011 }}</ref><ref name="tradition" />

===Sources of the Prague narrative===
The general view of historians and critics is that the story of the Golem of Prague was a German literary invention of the early 19th century. According to John Neubauer,<ref name="neubauer" /> the first writers on the Prague Golem were:
* 1837: [[Berthold Auerbach]], ''Spinoza''
* 1841: {{ill|Gustav Philippson|de}}, ''Der Golam, eine Legende''
* 1841: Franz Klutschak, ''Der Golam des Rabbi Löw''
* 1842: {{ill|Abraham Tendlau|de}}, ''Der Golem des Hoch-Rabbi-Löb''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tendlau |first=Abraham M. |url=https://archive.org/details/dasbuchdersagenu00tenduoft/page/16/mode/1up |title=Das Buch der Sagen und Legenden jüdischer Vorzeit |publisher=J.F. Cast'sche Buchhandlung |year=1842 |location=Stuttgart |pages=16–18 |language=de |archive-url=}}</ref>
* 1847: {{ill|Georg Leopold Weisel|de}}, ''Der Golem''
A few slightly earlier examples are known, in 1834<ref>{{cite book |last1=Glasenapp |first1=Gabriele von |editor1-last=Haug |editor1-first=Christine |editor2-last=Mayer |editor2-first=Franziska |editor3-last=Podewski |editor3-first=Madleen |title=Populäres Judentum: Medien, Debatten, Lesestoffe |date=2 June 2009 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=9783484971042 |page=31 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qPzRvJgrMkEC&pg=PA31 |language=de |access-date=16 September 2018 |archive-date=3 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203234723/https://books.google.com/books?id=qPzRvJgrMkEC&pg=PA31 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Der jüdische Gil Blas |url=http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/buch/-502/6 |language=de |quote=der Golam... des Rabbi Liwa, vom Volke der hohe Rabbi Löw genannt |access-date=16 September 2018 |archive-date=27 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927064901/http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/buch/-502/6 |url-status=live }}</ref> and 1836.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Frankl |first1=L. A. |author-link1=Ludwig August von Frankl |editor1-last=Kaltenbaeck |editor1-first=Johann Paul |title=Oesterreichische Zeitschrift für Geschichts- und Staatskunde |date=1836 |publisher=Beck |page=368 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W7ZeAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA368 |language=de |access-date=16 September 2018 |archive-date=16 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916120809/https://books.google.com/books?id=W7ZeAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA368 |url-status=live }}</ref>

All of these early accounts of the Golem of Prague are in German by Jewish writers. They are suggested to have emerged as part of a Jewish [[folklore]] movement parallel with the contemporary German folklore movement.<ref name="gelbin" />

The origins of the story have been obscured by attempts to exaggerate its age and to pretend that it dates from the time of the Maharal. [[Rabbi Yehudah Yudel Rosenberg|Rabbi Yudel Rosenberg]] (1859–1935)<ref name="Kieval">[[Hillel J. Kieval|Kieval, Hillel J.]] [http://www.yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Golem_Legend "Golem Legend"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825022936/http://www.yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Golem_Legend |date=25 August 2017 }} ''The YIVO Encyclopedia''. 24 August 2017.</ref> of [[Tarłów]], before moving to Canada where he became one of its most prominent rabbis, is said to have originated the idea that the narrative dates from the time of the Maharal. Rosenberg published ''Nifl'os Maharal'' (''Wonders of Maharal'') ([[Piotrków Trybunalski|Piotrków]], 1909),<ref name="Kieval" /> which purported to be an eyewitness account by the Maharal's son-in-law, who had helped to create the Golem. Rabbi [[Meir Mazuz]] commented that Rosenberg was a forger and stories of the Maharal creating a Golem stem from Rosenberg's fabrication.<ref>MiGedolei Yisrael (Hebrew: מגדולי ישראל) volume 1, p. ה (Hebrew pagination) footnote 1.</ref>

Rosenberg claimed that the book was based upon a manuscript that he found in the main library in Metz. ''Wonders of Maharal'' "is generally recognized in academic circles to be a literary hoax".<ref name="idel" /><ref name="tradition">[http://traditionarchive.org/news/originals/Volume%2036/No.%201/The%20Adventure%20of%20the.pdf Leiman, S.Z., " The Adventure of the Maharal of Prague in London: R. Yudl Rosenberg and The Golem of Prague"], {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170917075811/http://traditionarchive.org/news/originals/Volume%2036/No.%201/The%20Adventure%20of%20the.pdf |date=17 September 2017 }} ''Tradition'', 36:1, 2002</ref><ref>Sherwin, Byron L. (1985) ''The Golem Legend: Origins and Implications''. New York: University Press of America</ref> [[Gershom Sholem]] observed that the manuscript "contains not ancient legends, but modern fiction".<ref>Sholem, G., ''Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism'', Schocken, 1961</ref> Rosenberg's claim was further disseminated in Chayim Bloch's (1881–1973) ''The Golem: Legends of the Ghetto of Prague'', English edition 1925.

The ''[[Jewish Encyclopedia]]'' of 1906 cites the historical work ''Zemach David'' by [[David Gans]], a disciple of the Maharal, published in 1592.<ref name="jewishencyclopedia">[http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=334&letter=G&search=golem#1137 GOLEM] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125023845/https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/6777-golem#1137 |date=25 January 2022 }}. ''Jewish Encyclopedia''. Retrieved on 23 September 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.epa.hu/01400/01462/00004/pdf/1986_2_296-298.pdf HUNGARIAN STUDIES 2. No. 2. Nemzetközi Magyar Filológiai Társaság. Akadémiai Kiadó Budapest [1986&#93;] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510130210/http://www.epa.hu/01400/01462/00004/pdf/1986_2_296-298.pdf |date=10 May 2013}}. (PDF). Retrieved on 23 September 2011.</ref> In it, Gans writes of an audience between the Maharal and Rudolph II: "Our lord the emperor&nbsp;... Rudolph&nbsp;... sent for and called upon our master Rabbi Low ben Bezalel and received him with a welcome and merry expression, and spoke to him face to face, as one would to a friend. The nature and quality of their words are mysterious, sealed, and hidden."<ref>Gans, D., ''Zemach David'', ed. M.Breuer, Jerusalem, 1983, p.145, cited [http://www.rabbiyehudahyudelrosenberg.com/ Rabbi Yehudah Yudel Rosenberg and the Maharal's Golem] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923154135/http://www.rabbiyehudahyudelrosenberg.com/ |date=23 September 2009 }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=August 2017}}

But it has been said of this passage, "Even when [the Maharal is] eulogized, whether in David Gans' ''Zemach David'' or on his epitaph&nbsp;..., not a word is said about the creation of a golem. No Hebrew work published in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries (even in Prague) is aware that the Maharal created a golem."<ref name="neubauer">Neubauer, J., [https://books.google.com/books?id=YINYl4iv4ecC&q=golem&pg=PA303 "How did the Golem get to Prague?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160614161741/https://books.google.com/books?id=YINYl4iv4ecC&pg=PA303&lpg=PA303&dq=gustav+philippson+the+Golem&source=bl&ots=euPUiGZv7x&sig=pxjaHEMbgMEPZsW6wk9knCLhrTw&hl=en&ei=Ls9tTpXgD8i3hAf85JiDDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=golem&f=false|date=14 June 2016}}, in Cornis-Pope, M., and Neubauer, J. ''History of The Literary Cultures of East-Central Europe'', John Benjamins, 2010, see also: Dekel E., Gurley D.E., "How Did Golem \came to Prague", JQR, Vol. 103, No. 2 (Spring 2013), pp. 241–258 [https://jqr.pennpress.org/media/23891/JQRnewArticle.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809114258/http://jqr.pennpress.org/media/23891/JQRnewArticle.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140602100921/http://jqr.pennpress.org/media/23891/JQRnewArticle.pdf|archive-date=2014-06-02|url-status=live|date=9 August 2017}}</ref> Furthermore, the Maharal himself did not refer to the Golem in his writings.<ref name="leiman" /> Rabbi Yedidiah Tiah Weil (1721–1805), a Prague resident, who described the creation of golems, including those created by Rabbis [[Avigdor Kara]] of Prague (died 1439) and Eliyahu of Chelm, did not mention the Maharal. Rabbi Meir Perils' biography of the Maharal<ref name="megilasYuchsin">{{cite book|author=Meir Perels|title=Megilas Yuchsin|year=1718|location=[[Prague]]|oclc=122864700}}</ref> published in 1718 does not mention a golem.<ref name="gelbin" /><ref name="leiman" />

==Golem of Vilna==
A similar tradition relates to the [[Vilna Gaon]] or "the saintly genius from Vilnius" (1720–1797). Rabbi [[Chaim Volozhin]] (Lithuania 1749–1821) reported in an introduction to ''Sifra de Tzeniuta'' that he once presented to his teacher, the Vilna Gaon, ten different versions of a certain passage in the ''Sefer Yetzira'' and asked the Gaon to determine the correct text.<ref name="Chaim">Chaim of Volozhin. [https://books.google.com/books?id=UXtWbo-QGoAC&dq=golem+Volozhin&pg=PT197 "Sifra de Tzeniuta, Introduction"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204022205/https://books.google.com/books?id=UXtWbo-QGoAC&pg=PT197&lpg=PT197&dq=golem+Volozhin&source=bl&ots=QN3UmnwneO&sig=dgIOspJMP-FDHhtKj0YCaQ20quk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjFn4nQ2vDVAhUpsVQKHXb0BBkQ6AEITzAL#v=onepage&q=golem%20Volozhin&f=false |date=4 February 2021 }} ''The Kabbalistic Tradition: An Anthology of Jewish Mysticism'', edited by Alan Unterman. ''Google Books''. 24 August 2017.</ref> The Gaon immediately identified one version as the accurate rendition of the passage.<ref name="Chaim" />

The amazed student then commented to his teacher that, with such clarity, he should easily be able to create a live human. The Gaon affirmed Rabbi Chaim's assertion and said that he once began to create a person when he was a child, under the age of 13, but during the process, he received a sign from Heaven ordering him to desist because of his youth.<ref name="Chaim" />

==Theme of hubris==
[[File:Clay-golem.jpg|upright|thumb|A statue of the Prague Golem created for the film ''[[The Emperor and the Golem]]'']]

The existence of a golem is sometimes a mixed blessing. Golems are not intelligent; if commanded to perform a task, they will perform the instructions literally. In many depictions, golems are inherently perfectly obedient. In its earliest known modern form, the Golem of Chełm became enormous and uncooperative. In one version of this story, the rabbi had to resort to trickery to deactivate it, whereupon it crumbled upon its creator and crushed him.<ref name="Introduction" />

A similar theme of [[hubris]] is seen in ''[[Frankenstein]]'', ''[[The Sorcerer's Apprentice]]'', and some other stories in popular culture, such as ''[[The Terminator]]''. The theme manifests itself in ''[[R.U.R.]]'' (''Rossum's Universal Robots''), [[Karel Čapek]]'s 1921 play that coined the term [[robot]]. The play was written in Prague, and while Čapek denied that he modeled the robot after the golem, many similarities are seen in the plot.<ref>[[Voyen Koreis|Koreis, Voyen]]. Introduction. [https://books.google.com/books?id=UP-Ui34-M7UC&dq=Karel+%C4%8Capek+golem&pg=PA9 "Two Plays by Karel Capek: R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) & The Robber"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204063423/https://books.google.com/books?id=UP-Ui34-M7UC&pg=PA9&lpg=PA9&dq=Karel+%C4%8Capek+golem&source=bl&ots=2WLnFDNDEA&sig=xgQvJZYlT9nWVC5sqMWcjfPhhUU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjC-bb4-vLVAhXosFQKHbVyDngQ6AEIQjAE#v=onepage&q=Karel%20%C4%8Capek%20golem&f=false |date=4 February 2021 }} ''Google Books''. 25 August 2017.</ref>

==Culture of the Czech Republic==
The golem is a popular figure in the [[Czech Republic]]. The 1915 novel by [[Gustav Meyrink]] (''[[The Golem (Meyrink novel)|The Golem]]'') was briefly popular and did much to keep the imagination about the golem going. Several restaurants and other businesses have names that make reference to the creature. A Czech [[Strongman (strength athlete)|strongman]], René Richter goes by the nickname "Golem",<ref name="newlife" /> and a Czech [[monster truck]] outfit calls itself the "Golem Team".<ref>{{Cite web|title=VIDEO: René Richter, the Czech Man With the Strongest Jaws in the World|url=https://www.praguemorning.cz/rene-richter-czech-record-cans/|last=B|first=Veronika|date=25 January 2020|website=Prague Morning|language=en-US|access-date=29 May 2020|archive-date=26 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126014817/https://www.praguemorning.cz/rene-richter-czech-record-cans/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Abraham Akkerman preceded his article on human automatism in the contemporary city with a short satirical poem on a pair of golems turning human.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Philosophical Urbanism and Deconstruction in City-Form: An Environmental Ethos for the Twenty-First Century |url=https://www.usask.ca/structurist/|first=Abraham |last=Akkerman|magazine=The Structurist|number=43/44 |pages=48–61|date=2003–2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904074945/https://www.usask.ca/structurist/|archive-date=4 September 2017|access-date=18 August 2017}} Published also as Paper CTS-04-06 by the Center for Theoretical Study, Prague.</ref>

==Clay Boy variation==
A Yiddish and [[Slavic folklore|Slavic folktale]] is the Clay Boy, which combines elements of the golem and ''[[The Gingerbread Man]]'', in which a lonely couple makes a child out of clay, with disastrous or comical consequences.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Cronan|first=Mary W. |title=Lutoschenka|magazine=The Story Teller's Magazine |year=1917|volume=5|issue=1|pages=7–9}}</ref>

In one common Russian version, an older couple, whose children have left home, make a boy out of clay and dry him by their hearth. The Clay Boy ({{langx|ru|Гли́няный па́рень}}, {{transliteration|ru|Glínyanyĭ párenʹ}}) comes to life; at first, the couple is delighted and treats him like a real child, but the Clay Boy does not stop growing and eats all their food, then all their livestock, and then the Clay Boy eats his parents. The Clay Boy rampages through the village until he is smashed by a quick-thinking goat.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ginsburg|first=Mirra|author-link=Mirra Ginsburg |title=Clay Boy|year=1997|publisher=Greenwillow |location=New York|isbn=9780688144098 |url=https://archive.org/details/clayboy00gins}}</ref>

== Golem in popular culture ==
[[File:Mdm. Tussauds Prag 8.jpg|thumb|Golem depicted at [[Madame Tussauds]] in Prague]]
{{in popular culture|date=June 2023}}
In popular culture, the term "golem" is often used to refer to "any magically created human figure" rather than specifically "a humanoid formed by Kabbalistic means".<ref>{{cite book |last=Sherman |first=Fraser |editor-last=Frankel |editor-first=Valerie Estelle |date=2022 |title=Jews in Popular Science Fiction: Marginalized in the Mainstream |publisher=[[Lexington Books]] |page=23 |chapter=Destroyer, Defender, AI, Lover: The Golem in Speculative Fiction Prose and Comics |isbn=9781666901450}}</ref>

=== Film and television ===
Golems are frequently depicted in movies and television shows. Programs with them in the title include:

* ''[[The Golem (1915 film)|The Golem]]'' ({{langx|de|Der Golem}}, shown in the United States as ''The Monster of Fate''), a 1915 German [[Silent film|silent]] [[horror film]], written and directed by [[Paul Wegener]] and [[Henrik Galeen]].
* ''[[The Golem and the Dancing Girl]]'' ({{langx|de|Der Golem und die Tänzerin}}), a 1917 German silent [[Comedy horror|comedy-horror]] film, directed by Paul Wegener and [[Rochus Gliese]].
* ''[[The Golem: How He Came into the World]]'' ({{langx|de|Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam}}, also referred to as ''Der Golem''), a 1920 German silent horror film, directed by Paul Wegener and [[Carl Boese]].
* ''[[Le Golem]]'' ({{langx|cs|Golem}}), a 1936 Czechoslovak [[monster movie]] directed by [[Julien Duvivier]] in French.
*''[[The Limehouse Golem]]'', a 2016 film about a fictional series of [[Jack the Ripper]]-esque murders in Victorian London.
Other references to golems in popular culture include:
* ''[[The Golem (Meyrink novel)|The Golem]]'' ({{langx|de|Der Golem}}), the first novel by [[Gustav Meyrink]] and adapted for television in 1967, for film in 1980, and for the stage in 2013.
* ''[[Daimajin]]'', a 1966 Japanese [[Kaiju|''kaiju'' film]] directed by [[Kimiyoshi Yasuda]].<ref>Ishii et al., 1997, 日本特撮・幻想映画全集, p.170, Keibunsha, {{ISBN|4766927060}}</ref>
* ''[[It! (1967 film)|It!]]'', a 1967 British horror film directed by [[Herbert J. Leder]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=It! (1967): The Golem Movie That Time Forgot – Ryan Harvey|date=10 October 2020 |url=https://ryanharveyauthor.com/2020/10/10/it-1967-golem-movie/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105211514/https://ryanharveyauthor.com/2020/10/10/it-1967-golem-movie/|archive-date=5 January 2022|access-date=5 January 2022}}</ref>
* "[[Kaddish (The X-Files)|Kaddish]]", a 1997 episode of ''[[The X-Files]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751149/|title = Kaddish (The X-Files) |website = [[IMDb]]|date = 16 February 1997|access-date = 13 April 2022|archive-date = 13 April 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220413132810/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751149/|url-status = live}}{{unreliable source? |date=October 2024}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=October 2024}}
* The 1995 ''[[Gargoyles (TV series)|Gargoyles]]'' episode "Golem" featured a golem made in the image of a stone statue that was created by Rabbi Loew (voiced by [[Victor Brandt (actor)|Victor Brandt]]) to defend the Jewish inhabitants of Prague from raiders and had been passed down to his descendant Max Loew (voiced by Scott Weil).
* The 1997 ''[[Extreme Ghostbusters]]'' series depicts a Rabbi's son bringing a golem to life to protect a local New York synagogue from antisemitic vandalism in the episode "The True Face of a Monster".
* "[[Treehouse of Horror XVII#You Gotta Know When to Golem|You Gotta Know When to Golem]]" is a short story during "[[Treehouse of Horror XVII]]", part of the long-running series of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' Halloween specials. The Golem, voiced by [[Richard Lewis (comedian)|Richard Lewis]], is controlled via paper notes by [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] and used to wreak havoc on the citizens of [[Springfield (The Simpsons)|Springfield]]. 
* ''[[Inglourious Basterds]]'', a 2009 film written and directed by [[Quentin Tarantino]], includes a fictional version of [[Adolf Hitler]] repeating fearful speculation that "The Bear Jew," who kills German soldiers with a bat, is a golem.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Duz90_F6TPw | title=Inglourious Basterds (2009) - the Bear Jew | website=[[YouTube]] | date=26 November 2019 }}</ref><ref>Chrystall, Andrew. "Inglourious Basterds: Satirizing the spectator and revealing the 'Nazi' within." ''New Cinemas: Journal of Contemporary Film'' 13.2 (2015): 153-168.</ref><ref>{{cite book |editor-last=von Dassanowsky |editor-first=Robert |date=2012 |title=Quentin Tarantino's ''Inglourious Basterds'': A Manipulation of Metacinema |publisher=[[Bloomsbury (publisher)|Bloomsbury]] |pages=7, 160 |isbn=978-1-4411-3821-7}}</ref>
* In the fourth episode of season 4 of ''[[Grimm (TV series)|Grimm]]'' ("[[Dyin' on a Prayer]]"), a golem plays an important role. 
* The 2013 ''[[Supernatural (American TV series)|Supernatural]]'' episode "Everybody Hates Hitler" features a golem (portrayed by [[John DeSantis]]) who had been used to fight the Nazis in Belarus during [[World War II]]. In the present, the golem has been passed down from Rabbi Bass (portrayed by [[Hal Linden]]) to his grandson Aaron Bass (portrayed by Adam Rose). While Aaron had a hard time controlling the golem at first, they did help Sam Winchester and Dean Winchester fight against a group of Nazi necromancers led by Commandant Eckhart (portrayed by Bernhard Forcher).
* The 2019 Netflix series ''[[The Order (TV series)|The Order]]'' features a recurring character (portrayed by [[Dylan Playfair]]) who is revealed to be a golem in season 1. 
* The majority of the CW series ''[[Legacies (TV series)|Legacies]]'' (a spin-off of ''[[The Vampire Diaries]]'') centers around defeating a golem. 
* ''[[The Golem (2018 film)|The Golem]]'', a 2018 Israeli horror film features the Golem, who takes the form of a dead child.

===Literature===
* "[[El Golem]]" is a poem by [[Jorge Luis Borges]], published in 1959, and later published as part of the 1964 book ''[[El otro, el mismo]]'' (''The other, the self''). The poem tells the story of [[Judah Loew ben Bezalel|Judah Loew]] and his creation of the Golem. In the poem, Borges quotes the works of German Jewish philosopher [[Gershom Scholem]] and [[Cratylus (dialogue)|''Cratylus'']] by [[Plato]].
* Marge Piercy's 1991 science fiction novel, ''[[He, She and It]]'', features intertwined narratives, one of which is a retelling of the story of Rabbi Loew and his creation of a golem in medieval Prague.
* [[Terry Pratchett]]'s 1996 [[Discworld]] novel ''[[Feet of Clay (novel)|Feet of Clay]]'' features a number of golems who reside in the city of Ankh-Morpork. Golems also appear in ''[[Going Postal]]'' and ''[[Making Money]]'' and make cameos throughout the remainder of the series. They fulfil the same role as [[robot]]s but some develop more personality.
* Golems play a large role in [[Mary Gentle]]'s novel ''[[Ash: A Secret History]]''.
* [[Ted Chiang]]'s 2000 novella "[[Seventy-Two Letters]]" focuses on an alternate history of the world where science and technology are based on the use of golems and, accordingly, the Kabbalistic names embedded in them.
* [[Michael Chabon]]'s 2000 novel ''[[The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay]]'' features a story of a Golem like creature that is shipped to the United States. 
* The 2004 book ''[[The Golem's Eye]]'' by Jonathan Stroud features a magically rendered golem as the main threat.
* [[David Brin]]'s 2002 science fiction book, ''[[Kiln People]]'', is based on the premise that people can make short-lived clay-based copies of themselves. The golems have the same motives and memories as the humans that made them.
* [[Brandon Mull]]'s 2006 book series ''[[Fablehaven]]'' prominently contains a golem character, one which is more faithful to traditional portrayals through its depiction as a protector of the community.
* [[Catherynne M. Valente]]'s novel ''[[The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland]]'' and later books in the series feature a golem made of soap, Lye, as a recurring character.
* 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]]).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Isaak |first1=Joshua |title=Captain America Is A Jewish Golem - Theory Explained |url=https://screenrant.com/captain-america-jewish-golem-jack-kirby-joe-simon/ |website=Screenrant |date=3 December 2021 |access-date=17 September 2022}}</ref>
* ''[[The Golem and the Jinni]]'' is a debut novel written by [[Helene Wecker]], published by [[Harper (publisher)|Harper]] in April 2013. It combines the genre of historical fiction with elements of fantasy, telling the story of two displaced magical creatures in 19th century New York City, reflecting the fate of [[History of immigration to the United States#1850 to 1930|contemporary immigrants to the USA]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://books.usatoday.com/book/%E2%80%98golem-and-the-jinni-supernatural-story-of-assimilation/r851243 |title='The Golem and the Jinni': Supernatural story of assimilation |work=[[USA Today]] |author=Ciuraru, Carmela|date=27 April 2013 |access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/books/review/the-golem-and-the-jinni-by-helene-wecker.html?_r=0 |title=Breaking the Mold: 'The Golem and the Jinni', by Helene Wecker |work=[[The New York Times]] |author=Cokal, Susann|date=16 March 2013 |access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/helene-wecker/golem-and-jinni/ |title=The Golem and the Jinni |work=[[Kirkus Reviews]] |author= |date=31 March 2013 |access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref>
* ''[[The Golem of Hollywood]]'', a supernatural mystery by writers [[Jonathan Kellerman]] and [[Jesse Kellerman]], weaves the legend of the Golem into a Los Angeles murder mystery. This golem is described as female.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014 |title=The Golem of Hollywood {{!}} Jewish Book Council |url=https://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/book/the-golem-of-hollywood |access-date=2024-02-25 |website=www.jewishbookcouncil.org |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Dan Brown]]'s 2025 novel [[The Secret of Secrets (novel)|''The Secret of Secrets'']] is set in Prague and includes a figure inspired by the legend of the Golem.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-26 |title=In the footsteps of Robert Langdon: Dan Brown's new thriller inspires themed city tours |url=https://english.radio.cz/footsteps-robert-langdon-dan-browns-new-thriller-inspires-themed-city-tours-8863893 |access-date=2025-10-02 |website=Radio Prague International |language=en}}</ref>

===Tabletop and video games===
* Golems appear in the [[fantasy]] [[role-playing game]] ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' (first published in 1974), and the influence of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' has led to the inclusion of golems in other [[Role-playing game (pen and paper)|tabletop role-playing games]], as well as in [[video games]].<ref>{{cite web |title=How Dungeon & Dragons shaped the modern videogame |work=[[PC Gamer]] |date=February 8, 2007 |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=157343&site=pcg |accessdate=April 3, 2007}}</ref> There are many varieties of golems in the game,<ref>{{cite book |editor=[[Doug Stewart (game designer)|Doug Stewart]] |title=[[Monstrous Manual]] |date=June 1993|publisher=[[TSR, Inc.]] |isbn=1-5607-6619-0}}</ref> and ''{{ill|Backstab (magazine)|lt=Backstab|fr|Backstab}}'' reviewer Philippe Tessier called the creature a "classic of ''D&D''".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Tessier|first=Philippe|date=November 2000|title=Baldur's Gate II|department=Review|language=fr|magazine=Backstab|number=24|pages=90–91}}</ref> The clay golem is based on the golem of Medieval Jewish folklore, though changed from "a cherished defender to an unthinking hulk".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Silver |first=Eric |date=2021-01-28 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Has an Antisemitism Problem |url=https://www.heyalma.com/dungeons-dragons-has-an-antisemitism-problem/ |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=Alma}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hahnlibrary.net/rpgs/sources.html |title=Literary Sources of D&D |access-date=December 12, 2019 |last=DeVarque |first=Aardy}}</ref> The flesh golem is related to [[Frankenstein's monster]] as [[Universal Pictures|Universal]]'s [[Frankenstein (1931 film)|1931 film]], seen in e.g. being empowered by electricity,<ref>{{cite book |author-first=Richard W. |author-last=Forest |editor-first=Jeffrey |editor-last=Weinstock |date=2014 |title=The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters |publisher=[[Ashgate Publishing]] |chapter=Dungeons & Dragons, Monsters in}}</ref> though again with the difference of being essentially an unthinking machine in the game.<ref name="Dummies">{{cite book |last1=Slavicsek |first1=Bill |author-link=Bill Slavicsek |first2=Rich |last2=Baker |author-link2=Richard Baker (game designer) |first3=Jeff |last3=Grubb |author-link3=Jeff Grubb |title=Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies|publisher=For Dummies |year=2006 |page=373 |isbn=978-0-7645-8459-6}}</ref> ''D&D'''s golems are also rooted in Gothic fiction more generally, and are typical denizens of the [[Ravenloft]] setting.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rangel Jiménez |first=Mauricio |date=2021 |title=Lanzando los dados: aproximaciones académicas a los juegos de rol |language=Spanish |publisher=[[Universidad Iberoamericana]] |isbn=978-607-417-763-3}}</ref> The flesh golem was ranked ninth among the ten best mid-level monsters by the authors of ''Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies'' for both 3rd<ref name="Dummies"/> and 4th edition.<ref name="4EDummies">{{cite book |title=Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition For Dummies |chapter=31: The Ten Best Mid-Level Monsters |first1=Bill |last1=Slavicsek |author1-link=Bill Slavicsek |first2=Rich |last2=Baker |author-link2=Richard Baker (game designer) |first3=Mike |last3=Mearls |author3-link=Mike Mearls |date=January 2009 |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]}}</ref>
* Golems are recurring characters in the ''[[Dragon Quest|Dragon Quest/Dragon Warrior]]'' video game series.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dragon Warrior game review|website=Honest Gamers |url=https://www.honestgamers.com/3332/nes/dragon-warrior/game.html}}</ref><ref>https://www.woodus.com/den/resources/monster_wiki_result.php?monsternumber=1031&pickedname=Golem</ref>
* There is a golem character in ''[[Little Samson]]'', a game released on the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Little Sampson game review|website=Honest Gamers |url=https://www.honestgamers.com/10433/nes/little-samson/review.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Little Sampson game review |website=Cousin Gaming |date=23 August 2016 |url=https://www.cousingaming.com/2016/08/23/little-samson-1992-nes/}}</ref>
*Golems are a recurring character in the ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' series of video games.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thegamer.com/final-fantasy-series-most-recurring-monsters-ranked/#golem|title=Recurring monsters in Final Fantasy|date=11 December 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Specific instance of a Golem in Final Fantasy |website=gamerant.com |date=3 January 2021 |url=https://www.gamerant.com/final-fantasy-rare-enemies-never-encounter/#iron-golem-final-fantasy}}</ref>
* Games in the ''[[Minecraft (franchise)|''Minecraft'' franchise]]'' contain many different types of golems. In the [[Minecraft|main game]], there are iron, snow and copper golems.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stone |first1=Tom |title=Meet the Iron Golem |url=https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/meet-iron-golem |access-date=28 April 2023 |date=2017-02-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lele |first1=Nutan |title=How to Make a Snow Golem in Minecraft |url=https://afkgaming.com/esports/guide/how-to-make-a-snow-golem-in-minecraft |website=AFKGaming |access-date=28 April 2023 |date=21 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/a-new-friend-with-a-familiar-patina |title=A new friend with a familiar patina|first=Cristina|last=Anderca|date=1 July 2025}}</ref> In ''[[Minecraft Dungeons]]'', there is the Redstone Golem. In ''[[Minecraft Legends]]'', there are Cobblestone Golems, Plank Golems, Mossy Golems, and Grindstone Golems.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Anderca |first1=Cristina |title=New Friends: The Golems of Minecraft Legends |url=https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/new-friends--the-golems-minecraft-legends |access-date=28 April 2023 |date=2022-10-12}}</ref>
*[[Golem (Pokemon)|Golem]] is the name of a [[Pokémon]] whose body is made of rocks. [[Golett]] and [[Golurk]] are two Pokémon inspired by the Golem of Prague.<ref name="GR_myth">{{cite web|author=Lucas Sullivan|date=February 8, 2014|title=17 Pokemon based on real-world mythology|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/15-pokemon-based-real-world-mythology/|access-date=January 27, 2016|work=[[GamesRadar]]}}</ref>
* A golem features prominently in ''The Ghost and the Golem'', a 2024 Jewish historical fantasy interactive fiction game by [[Benjamin Rosenbaum]], on the [[Choice of Games]] platform.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Ghost and the Golem|url=https://www.choiceofgames.com/ghost-and-the-golem/ |access-date=29 August 2024|website=Choice of Games}}</ref>

===Music===
* A number of scores have been written to accompany or based on the 1920 film, including by Daniel Hoffman and performed by the San Francisco-based ensemble Davka<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Golem-Davka/dp/B0000DG02D/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Golem&qid=1583245505&rnid=301668&s=music&sr=1-1|website=Amazon|title=Davka - the Golem - Amazon.com Music|access-date=3 March 2020|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308162614/https://www.amazon.com/Golem-Davka/dp/B0000DG02D/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Golem&qid=1583245505&rnid=301668&s=music&sr=1-1|url-status=live}}</ref> and by Karl-Errnst Sasse.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Golem-Karl-Ernst-Sasse/dp/B000001WQI/ref=sr_1_33?keywords=The+Golem&qid=1583245976&s=music&sr=1-33|website=Amazon|title=Der Golem|access-date=3 March 2020|archive-date=13 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313011635/https://www.amazon.com/Golem-Karl-Ernst-Sasse/dp/B000001WQI/ref=sr_1_33?keywords=The+Golem&qid=1583245976&s=music&sr=1-33|url-status=live}}</ref>
* In 1962, [[Abraham Ellstein]]'s [[opera]] ''The Golem'', commissioned by the [[New York City Opera]], premiered at [[New York City Center|City Opera, New York]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.milkenarchive.org/music/volumes/view/heroes-and-heroines/work/the-golem-excerpt|title=Abraham Ellstein's the Golem}}</ref>
* In 1994, composer [[Richard Teitelbaum]] composed "Golem", based on the Prague legend and combining music with electronics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Golem-Shelley-Hirsch/dp/B000003YTH/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=The+Golem&qid=1583245145&s=music&sr=1-9|website=Amazon|title=Teitelbaum: Golem|year=1995 |access-date=3 March 2020|archive-date=12 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210312170606/https://www.amazon.com/Golem-Shelley-Hirsch/dp/B000003YTH/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=The+Golem&qid=1583245145&s=music&sr=1-9|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Other ===

* [[GOLEM]] was the name given to three custom-made computers built in the [[Weizmann Institute of Science]] in Israel during the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=אורני |first=אמיר |date=2020-06-02 |title=WEIZAC and GOLEM: The Start-Up Nation's Earliest Computers |url=https://blog.nli.org.il/en/hoi_weizac/ |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=The Librarians |language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
{{cols|colwidth=21em}}
* [[Artificial intelligence]]
* [[Brazen head]]
* [[Czech folklore]]
* [[Dybbuk]]
* [[Frankenstein's monster]]
* [[The Gingerbread Man]] and [[Kolobok]] (edible golems)
* [[Homunculus]]
* [[Pinocchio]]
* [[Prometheus]]
* [[Pygmalion (mythology)|Pygmalion]] and [[Galatea (mythological statue)|Galatea]]
* [[Creation of life from clay]]
* [[Shabti]]
* [[Talos]]
* [[Totem]]
* [[Tulpa]]
* [[Tupilaq]]
* [[Zombie]]
{{colend}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book
|last=Baer
|first=Elizabeth R.
|title=The Golem Redux: From Prague to Post-Holocaust Fiction
|year=2012|publisher=Wayne State University
|location=Detroit, MI
|isbn=978-0814336267|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0KL_rg4A7ZQC}}
* {{cite book
|last=Bilski
|first=Emily B.
|title=Golem! Danger, Deliverance and Art
|publisher=The Jewish Museum
|year=1988
|location=New York
|isbn=978-0873340496}}
* {{cite book
|last1=Bloch
|first1=Chayim
|translator-last=Schneiderman
|translator-first= H.
|title=The Golem: Mystical Tales of the Ghetto of Prague
|publisher=Rudolf Steiner Publications
|year=1987
|location=New York
|isbn=0833400258}} English translation from German. First published in ''Oestereschischen Wochenschrift'' 1917.
* {{cite book
|last=Bokser
|first=Ben Zion
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T2kv0gY8UhgC&pg=PP1 |title=From the World of the Cabbalah
|year=2006
|publisher=Kessinger
|location=New York|isbn=9781428620858
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Chihaia
|first=Matei
|title=Der Golem-Effekt. Orientierung und phantastische Immersion im Zeitalter des Kinos
|publisher=transcript
|year=2011
|location=Bielefeld
|isbn=978-3-8376-1714-6}}
* {{cite book
|last=Dennis
|first=Geoffrey
|title=The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism
|publisher=Llewellyn Worldwide
|year=2007
|location=Woodbury, MN
|isbn=978-0-7387-0905-5}}
* {{cite book
|last=Faucheux
|first=Michel
|title=Norbert Wiener, le golem et la cybernétique
|publisher=Editions du Sandre
|year=2008
|location=Paris
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Goldsmith
|first=Arnold L.
|title=The Golem Remembered 1909–1980: Variations of a Jewish Legend
|publisher=Wayne State University Press
|year=1981
|location=Detroit
|isbn=0814316832}}
* {{cite book
|last=Idel
|first=Mosche
|title=Golem: Jewish Magical and Mystical Traditions on the Artificial Anthropoid
|publisher=State University of New York Press
|year=1990
|location=Albany, NY
|isbn=0-7914-0160-X}}
* {{cite journal
|last1=Montiel
|first1=Luis
|title=Proles sine matre creata: The Promethean Urge in the History of the Human Body in the West
|journal=Asclepio
|date=30 June 2013
|volume=65
|issue=1
|page=001
|doi=10.3989/asclepio.2013.01|doi-access=free
}}
* {{cite book
|last1=Rosenberg
|first1=Yudl
|translator-last=Leviant
|translator-first= Curt
|title=The Golem and the Wondrous deeds of the Maharal of Prague
|url=https://archive.org/details/golemwondrousdee0000roze
|url-access=registration
|publisher=Yale University Press
|year=2008
|isbn=978-0-300-12204-6}} First English translation of original in Hebrew, Pietrkow, Poland, 1909.
* {{cite book|last=Salfellner|first=Harald|date=2016|title=The Prague Golem: Jewish Stories of the Ghetto|location=Prague|publisher=Vitalis|isbn=978-80-7253-188-2}}
* {{cite book
|last=Tomek
|first=V.V.
|title=Pražské židovské pověsti a legendy
|publisher=Končel
|year=1932
|location=Prague}} Translated (2008) as [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1438230052 ''Jewish Stories of Prague: Jewish Prague in History and Legend'']. {{ISBN|1-4382-3005-2}}.
* {{cite book
|last=Winkler
|first=Gershon
|title=The Golem of Prague: A New Adaptation of the Documented Stories of the Golem of Prague
|publisher=Judaica Press
|year=1980
|location=New York
|isbn=0-910818-25-8}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Golem}}
* [http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/736269/Dr._Shnayer_Leiman/golem_of_Prague,_Fact_or_Fiction "Golem of Prague, Fact or Ficton?" on Yutorah.org]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Golem| ]]
[[Category:Jewish legendary creatures]]
[[Category:Jewish mythology]]
[[Category:Kabbalistic words and phrases]]
[[Category:Medieval legends]]
[[Category:Practical Kabbalah]]
[[Category:History of Prague]]
[[Category:Supernatural legends]]
[[Category:Jewish folklore]]
[[Category:Jewish mysticism]]