Legends of Prague: How Rabbi Leo created the Golem. Golems in different cultures Golem people

• The film is based on Peter Ackroyd's novel The Trial of Elizabeth Cree (1994), also known as Dan Lino and the Limehouse Golem.
• John Kildare was originally supposed to be played by Alan Rickman, but the actor had to turn down the job due to failing health.
• Sportscaster Jake Sanson played his first film role in this film.
• The film was shot in West Yorkshire and Manchester.
• The stage backdrop by Dan Lino features William Blake's painting Ghost of a Flea.
• The famous philosopher Karl Marx really lived at that time in London. As a Jew and promoter of socialist ideas, he was persecuted by the police and was even suspected for some time in the murders committed by Jack the Ripper. In addition to Marx, other historical figures are present in the film: comedian Dan Lino and writer George Gissing.
• Prior to this, Douglas Booth and Sam Reid starred together in the film The Rebel Club (2014).
• The film is dedicated to the memory of Alan Rickman, who passed away from pancreatic cancer on January 14, 2016.

More facts (+5)

Plot

Beware, the text may contain spoilers!

Performance at the London Music Hall. Lead comedian Dan Leno announces to the audience: Let's start from the end.

Elizabeth Cree enters her husband's bedroom in the morning, reporter and playwright John Cree is dead. The constable who arrived at the scene discovers ashes from the burnt papers of the deceased in the fireplace. suicide note he did not leave. Maid Evelyn finds a vial of poison in the kitchen. The medicine was usually brought to John before bed by his wife. In the evening, the couple quarreled noisily. Elizabeth is arrested, she is suspected of killing her husband.

Show at the music hall. Dan Leno is on stage in a women's dress and wig. Music hall favorite little Lizzie is accused of poisoning her husband. But the city was afraid of the Limehouse golem. Who was he? Who else did he want to kill? The golem struck the day before she was arrested.

Limehouse, London, 1880. Scotland Yard inspectors Roberts and Kildare are on their way to the crime scene. Five people were reported dead: the shopkeeper, Mr. Gerard, his wife, Mary, a maid, and two children. There was already a murder at this address about 70 years ago. The inspectors' carriage is besieged by a crowd of reporters. Is this the work of a golem? When will the killer be caught? Inspector Roberts withdraws from the scandalous case, the investigation will be carried out by Kildair. The house is full of onlookers. The bodies of the dead are a terrible sight, everything around is covered in blood. There is an inscription on the wall: to be a passive spectator means to share the blame with the criminal.

Kildare takes a constable as his assistant. There are rumors about the inspector: he is not one of those who marry. Perhaps for this reason, he has been working in the theft and fraud department for many years, this is the first time he has been entrusted with investigating a murder. Kildare is trying to find logic in the actions of a maniac, whom everyone calls a golem. Yesterday a shopkeeper's family was stabbed to death, a prostitute a week ago, and even earlier, an elderly scientist, Solomon Veil. The killer left the old man's severed member as a bookmark in a book on Jewish folklore on the page with the legend of the golem. Therefore, the press awarded the maniac with this nickname. Kildare thinks that the killer is clearly to his liking, he is trying to leave some kind of message. The inspector invites the constable to go to the library. Kildare is sure that for Scotland Yard he is a scapegoat, unlike Inspector Roberts, he will be easily sacrificed. Roberts' reputation will be preserved, and the people will receive the blood they so desire to see.

The inscription on the wall in the late shopkeeper's bedroom is a quote from Thomas De Quincey's book Murder as a Fine Art. Kildare discovers that in the margins of her pages, the golem left diary entries in which he describes all his crimes. The detective asks who last took this book. The librarian claims that there are records of visitors in the reading room attendance log, but it is impossible to establish who took which book. On September 24 (the date of the last diary entry), four men visited the reading room: Dan Leno, Karl Marx, George Gissing, and John Cree. The detective instructs the constable to obtain samples of the handwriting of all these people.

Kildare visits the courtroom where Elizabeth Cree is being tried. The defendant claims that shortly before her death her husband was in a depressed state, the play “Crossroads of Trouble” written by him failed. The judge doubts the sincerity of Elizabeth, because she is an actress. Now she plays the role of a lady. But Lizzie was an illegitimate child, born in a disadvantaged area of ​​London. As a girl, she made sails and spent quite a lot of time at the docks with the men to whom she brought her goods. Spectators in the courtroom laugh at the greasy allusions to the accused. Elizabeth claims to have been a pious and innocent child. Mother was overly strict with Lizzy. She severely punished her daughter when she suspected that she allowed men to commit indecency with her (since then, everything related to sex causes fear and disgust in Elizabeth). The judge interrupts Elizabeth's candid story and announces a recess.

John Cree's former employer could not provide a sample of his handwriting; reporters' manuscripts are not kept. Kildare reads the golem entry from September 5, when the first victim, a prostitute, was killed. He introduces John Cree as the killer. The inspector even finds some logic in the maniac's actions. He imagines himself to be a kind of creator, as in De Quincey's book. The murder of a prostitute, according to the perpetrator, was a modest, private rehearsal. He cut out the eyes of his victim, because he was afraid that his silhouette could be imprinted in them.

Kildare visits Elizabeth Cree's prison cell. She says that the great comedian Dan Leno often touched on the topic of injustice towards women in his shows. But the line between comedy and tragedy is too thin. Kildare claims that he would not condemn Elizabeth for poisoning her husband, she could have had good reasons for that. She denies her guilt. Kildare says that John Cree is suspected of a series of brutal murders. If his handwriting matches that found in the book, Elizabeth's claim that John committed suicide will be heeded and then she can be released. Elizabeth says she missed her chance to become an actress. The only chance to solve the high-profile murders will be lost by Kildare. John burned his papers, it will not work to prove that he is a golem. Elizabeth tells the inspector about how her fate developed in her youth. Her mother died early, Lizzie grew up in the music hall. Her mentor and patron was Dan Leno. Books were her first love.

Elizabeth is also asked about her relationship with Leno during the trial. The prosecution recalls that Dan Leno was recently interrogated in the golem case, but the actor was released due to insufficient evidence.

Kildare manages to figure out that the murdered prostitute's dress was previously Leno's stage costume. The year before, the actor had sold it to a shopkeeper who sold second-hand items. The shopkeeper and his family also fell victim to the golem. But Dan Leno was released after interrogation.

Kildare pays a visit to the prison again. He tells Elizabeth Cree that the golem is still dangerous to her. The woman is threatened with death, she can be hanged. Elizabeth tells how she met her future husband. John Cree came to the music hall to interview the actors of the troupe. One of the leading actresses, Eleanor, drew attention to an attractive gentleman. But he was fascinated by young Lizzy, about whom Leno said that she had a real talent. At that time, Lizzie did not perform on stage, in the troupe she was an errand girl. Dwarf Victor during dinner began to make obscene jokes about her. Lizzie complained to John. Victor was found dead in the morning. Evening show Leno decided to dedicate to the memory of Victor. It was Lizzie who first appeared on stage. Her number was a success with the public. The girl performed in a sailor costume. Dan himself often dressed up as a woman for the show, but he asked why Lizzy chose such a stage image. She replied that in this way she intended to scare away men from herself.

Inspector Kildare and the constable meet with Karl Marx. He claims that the killings of the golem are ritual in nature. The maniac destroys the symbols of London. Kildare asks Marx to provide him with a handwriting sample. Marx agrees to write the dictated phrase. According to Kildare, the philosopher and sociologist may have committed the murder of a prostitute in order to draw attention to his ideas. But when the text of the diary mentions the murder of a Jew, the inspector realizes that it is absurd to suspect Marx of this. He couldn't do it.

Evelyn is interrogated in the courtroom. She claims that relations between the Cree spouses were strained, on the eve of the murder they had a noisy quarrel. Evelyn heard John say: "You damn thing, this is your doing." This is tantamount to a death sentence for Elizabeth.

Kildare tries to convince Elizabeth that she should say that Evelyn's testimony is dictated by a feeling of jealousy. She says that she never interfered with the relationship between John and Evelyn. Elizabeth agreed to marry John only because she was counting on the lead role in his play. It was a marriage of convenience, although Dan Leno tried to dissuade her from this in every possible way. Lizzy's stage career at that time was at its peak, John, as an aspiring playwright, was also interested in her.

Inspector Kildare and the constable are looking for the last suspect in the golem case, George Gissing. He is discovered in Limehouse, in an underground opium den. Gissing works here, writing novels about the life of the urban poor. Kildare believes that a scholar who marries a fallen woman may well be the murderer of an old Jew. He dictates to Hessing the text from the golem's diary. The handwriting doesn't match. But Kildare discovers a place in the real killer's records that he hadn't paid attention to before. The golem bought cufflinks from a second-hand store. The inspector checks the shopkeeper's log dated September 10th, there are two familiar names - Cree and Leno. Now Kildare tends to think of Dan Leno as the golem.

Kildare and the constable attend a new music hall show called Bluebeard. After the show, they pay a visit to Leno's dressing room. The actor did not buy cufflinks, as evidenced by extracts from his accounts. On that day he purchased a woman's hat. Referring to being busy, Leno refuses to provide the inspector with a handwriting sample, he promises to go to Scotland Yard tomorrow for this. But while the actor takes off his makeup, he can answer questions about John Cree. Leno says that he saw the deceased in the evening when his play premiered. The play failed. Currently, the theater is owned by Leno, he became director after the death of the previous manager, whom everyone called Uncle. Kildare asks why Elizabeth doesn't want to call her late husband a murderer. The inspector is also interested in the details of Victor's death. Leno believes Uncle's death has more to do with the case under investigation.

Kildare asks questions about Uncle Elizabeth. She says that the manager persuaded her to take pornographic photographs. Many actresses have done this. Lizzie indignantly rejected the indecent proposal. The uncle took the girl by force and deprived her of her innocence. Lizzie told everything to John. He, in order to restore her honor, made an offer to Elizabeth, she became his wife. Three days later, Uncle died. Kildare believes John killed him. Elizabeth claims she doesn't need help and doesn't deserve to be saved. After the marriage, John began to demand from Lizzy intimate relationships. It was so unbearable for Toy that she hired Evelyn as a maid. Elizabeth paid the actress twice as much as she earned in the theater. The terms of their contract included that Evelyn would perform marital duties in her place.

Elizabeth was waiting for the play to be written, in which she was promised the main role. But it turned out that John had not even begun to write it. Elizabeth came to the reading room, where her husband was allegedly working on a play, and gave him a scandal. He decided that the reason for his wife's discontent was a feeling of jealousy towards Evelyn. John has begun writing a new play, and there is no role for Elizabeth. After all, now she is a lady, she does not belong on the stage. Elizabeth directed Crossroads of Troubles herself, without her husband's permission. The performance was booed by the audience. Near the theater between the spouses there was a noisy quarrel. Evelyn was on John's side, Dan defended Elizabeth. Enraged, John left alone. Kildare says the golem killed the shopkeeper's family that evening. The inspector persuades Elizabeth to confess that she poisoned her husband because she was afraid for her life. In this case, the jury may feel sorry for her. Elizabeth says she doesn't need anyone's pity.

The jury reaches a verdict: Guilty. Elizabeth Cree will be hanged at ten o'clock tomorrow morning. Kildare does not lose hope of saving Elizabeth. He wants to prove that John Cree was the killer. Elizabeth wants the inspector to expose the golem. She says that Dan Leno still has a copy of Crossroads of Evil. But Kildare can't compare the handwriting - Leno only has the printed version. The original manuscript is in the library, which will open only in the morning.

Kildare manages to run to the execution site at the last minute. He seeks a stay of execution for an hour in order to convince the judge to change the decision during this time. The inspector asks Elizabeth to write a receipt stating that her late husband was a murderer. The woman writes: I am the golem. Kildare is horrified to discover that Elizabeth's handwriting is identical to that of the maniac's notes. All these terrible crimes were committed by Elizabeth.

Kildare is shocked. He burns Elizabeth's confession. The woman is executed. Everyone thinks John Cree is a golem. Londoners rejoice: terrible crimes are finally revealed. Inspector Kildare gets a promotion. In the evening they go with the constable to the music hall. There's a new show here. It is dedicated to the life of Lizzy. Dan Leno decides to start the story from the end, that is, with the execution of Elizabeth. Starring Eleanor. The actress dies during the performance (no one checked the props for safety). Leno decides the show must go on. The audience, as always, is out for blood. The great comedian himself will play Lizzie. This would be the triumph she so desired.

Anniversary of Magaral

Visitors to Prague roaming the streets of Prague are mostly not attracted by the remarkable discoveries made here by scientists such as Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler. They listen with great interest to stories about magical and mystical Prague. While there are more than enough stories to offer them, the brightest star in the firmament of urban legend is the tale of the Golem. The myth ascribes its creation to the learned rabbi Yehuda ben Bezalel (circa 1525-1609).

The Jewish scientist, also known as Rabbi Lev or Magaral, is still the personification of medieval Prague, where reality was mixed with legend, science with mysticism. The Prague Jewish community and the entire Czech community honored the memory of this great Jewish thinker. In 2009, the 400th anniversary of his death was celebrated. During this long time, as a sign of respect, no one sat in the rabbi's chair on the right side of the Old New Synagogue.

The collections of the Prague Jewish Museum contain several first editions of the works of Rabbi Lev. It was these works that became one of the most significant exhibits of the exhibition dedicated to the memory of Magaral. Restoration work was carried out at the Old Prague Jewish Cemetery, and the tombstone of Rabbi Lev, as well as the tombstones of his ancestors, descendants and family members, were put in order. The late Renaissance tombstone of Rabbi Lev and his wife Pearl is the cemetery's most frequently visited monument. Constantly flooded with waves of wax from brought candles, with slots clogged with pieces of paper with mysterious messages from pilgrims from different countries, the tombstone is evidence that the legacy of the rabbi is alive.

For the public, the legacy of the rabbi - a thinker and scientist - is still somewhat closed by his alleged creation of the Golem. Let's take a short digression to the time period preceding the moment when the rabbi and his assistants, on a dark night, found a deposit of clay that no man had touched, molded the Golem and breathed life into it with the help of magical formulas.

Many stories shroud in shadows
But among them this one is still
is an exception.
The memory of Leo still lives on,
eminent Prague rabbi.
Yehuda Leva was driven by aspiration
Know God's truth.
He began to replace the letters
and complex variations
Until I found the word
Revealed by the Key...

Jorge Luis Borges "The Golem"

The idea of ​​creating an artificial creature is very old. Even before the description of the most famous act of creation in the book "Genesis", the ancient Greek narratives left us the story of the titan Prometheus, who created the first people from clay and water, on whom the gods sent suffering and misfortune in the form of the next artificial creation: Pandora. The earthly creator was the legendary Pygmalion, who created a statue of supernatural beauty. But he managed to revive his work only with the help of the gods.

The medieval creators of artificial creatures were convinced that they would be able to breathe life into their homunculi. At the time when the Golem rose from clay in Prague, the most famous representative of alchemy, Paracelsus, proposed in his work “De generatione rerum naturalium” another, “biochemical” concept of creating an artificial being. The famous alchemist and physician advised putting the male seed in a hermetically sealed glass vessel, which was to be placed in horse dung for forty days. During this time, decomposition should have occurred in the vessel and a transparent human form without a body should have appeared. This form was to be nourished with a human blood remedy for forty weeks at a temperature corresponding to that of the mother's womb. Thus, "a human child, as if emerging from the womb of the mother, but only a little smaller" was to be born.

The method of the legendary rabbi proceeded from other principles, from a combination of divine creation and knowledge, where the alchemical theory of the four elements, the foundation stones of the world, had its place. “Four elements are needed to create a Golem or a homunculus. Namely, earth, water, fire and air,” the rabbi explained to his assistants before creating the Golem.

From the first element, the Golem was created, and the next three - water, air and fire - were the creator himself, along with his two students. The very same revival of the Golem took place with the help of the pronunciation of magical formulas, and according to another version, due to the insertion of parchment with formulas (shema) into the mouth of the Golem or into his forehead. The concept of "shem", with the help of which it was possible to revive the Golem, comes from Kabbalah, according to which one can repeat the Divine creative act with the help of the correct combination of letters of the Name of God. At the end of the process, the revived Golem was to be dressed and looked to be thirty years old.

Defender of the Jews

The reasons that led to attempts to create an artificial creature were different. Pygmalion asked to revive his work under the influence of love, Pandora was sent into the world as an instrument of revenge of the gods, Paracelsus proceeded from scientific considerations. One of the variants of the Golem myth has its own socio-political overtones. After the Golem first rose from the ground, the rabbi allegedly addressed him with the following words: “Know, heap of clay, that we created you from the dust of the earth, so that you protect the people of Israel from their enemies and protect them from all misfortunes and oppression, which our people are experiencing.

Rabin began to create the Golem after he heard a mysterious voice at night calling him to create a creature to protect the oppressed Jewish people. During the time of Rudolf II, the Jews in Prague lived well, however, legends tell us about conspiracies against them, which only the Golem managed to prevent. In a legend that arose when waves of anti-Semitism rose during the reign of the heirs of Emperor Rudolf II, there is a call for the arrival of a powerful protector who will protect the Jews from a hostile environment.

dangerous force

The golem was neither good nor evil, because it was not a man, but an artificially created being, freed from human feelings. The enormous power that was in him, he used, serving his master and his people. The golem did not know fatigue, and, moreover, it constantly accumulated energy. Therefore, on Fridays, the rabbi took out the shem so that the Golem would cool down. Despite the services that the Golem rendered to the rabbi, the latter came to the conclusion that the unusual servant should be disposed of. In the most traditional version of the legend, this happened after the rabbi went to the synagogue on Friday and forgot to take the Golem Shem out of his mouth. The energy accumulated in the Golem turned him into a raging monster, which was only able to be stopped by the rabbi himself, who interrupted the service in the synagogue. Taking out the shem, he turned the Golem into an immobile body, which, together with his assistants, then hid in the attic of the Old New Synagogue (later, there were more than enough of those who tried to find the Golem, among them was the "frantic reporter" Egon Erwin Kisch). In this layer of the legend, we encounter the interesting motif of the Golem as a not fully controlled creation of human thought and ability. At a time when other human discoveries and inventions are capable of destroying not only humanity itself, but also the planet on which it lives, a reminder of this is more than modern. The golem was supposed to evoke reflections on the limits of human knowledge, more precisely, on the rules that should be observed on the path in search of the truth. But even a learned rabbi would hardly have answered the question of what a shem should look like, which would protect us from modern threats.

Source of inspiration

Today we know that the theme of the Golem was present in Jewish literature long before the time of Rabbi Leo. We also know that authorship was awarded to him later in the legend, we also know that the Prague Jews were saved from pogroms by an enlightened emperor, and not an artificially created protector. Despite this, the legendary Golem went to the world of literature, fine arts and cinema. The Golem theme asks inspiring questions that take the Golem from the realm of legend and art to the realm of natural science and philosophy.

Therefore, in the future, other Golems will certainly be added to the most famous literary Golems of Judita Rozenbergova, Gustav Meyrink, Jorge Borges and their film images created by Paul Wegener and Martin Fritsch. By the way, the international association "Golem" performs klezmer, diluted with punk rock.

Peter Wagner

In the mythology of each people of the Earth, there is a legend about an artificially created creature controlled by magic from the outside. In Ashkenazi Jewish mythology, this is a golem - a giant creature made of clay, stone or metal. As a rule, he helps his creators, but one has only to overlook and the golem becomes a terrible destroyer.

Night guard

According to Jewish lore, a golem is a mythical creature that Kabbalists breathed life into with the help of occult practices. At the same time, in Jewish literature one can often find a comparison of the golem with Adam. The only difference was that man created by God had a soul. Unlike him, the creature created by the Kabbalists had no sense organs, could not think or speak. At the same time, the golem had high growth and superhuman strength, which made him a fearless warrior, night guard or destroyer. It is interesting to note that according to the Hebrew texts, golems do not immediately create large growth. At the initial stage, Kabbalists mold the body of a ten-year-old child from clay, after which they perform an occult ritual, reviving him. At this point, the creature begins to grow until it reaches an impressive size. At the same time, the golem is physically invincible and obeys exclusively its creator. In Hebrew texts, cases are often described when a golem broke free, blinded by hatred for all living things, and killed everyone who met on its way.

Prague Monster

The most popular among the peoples of medieval Europe was the legend of the Prague Golem. It was created by a rabbi named Leo to guard the Jewish quarter at night. The creation of an artificial creature three cubits tall took place on the river in the predawn fog. After the golem figure was ready, the rabbi performed a Kabbalistic ritual. After finishing it, he put the secret name of the god into the creature's mouth to control the golem. Outwardly, the Prague golem resembled an ugly man in his thirties. At the same time, the creature possessed terrible physical strength, which was impossible to cope with. Since then, the golem has been doing hard work in the rabbi's house during the day and guarding the Jewish quarter at night. He was the perfect guard who never got tired, never needed food or drink. But over time, the Prague golem acquired human qualities: it began to demand food, learned to speak and reached out to people. However, the residents of the quarter fled from him in fear, causing the artificial creature to feel lonely and hostile to people.

Revenge on the residents of the quarter

Every Friday before the evening prayer, the rabbi took out the secret name of God from the golem's mouth in order to immobilize him for the duration of the Sabbath. On Sunday morning, the spell returned to its place, and the golem came to life again. But one day a misfortune happened: the rabbi forgot to take the secret name of the god out of the halem's mouth, after which the monster rebelled. An artificial creature endowed with incredible power tirelessly smashed the houses of the inhabitants of the Jewish quarter, killing everyone who got in its way. Fortunately, the rabbi was able to remove the spell from the golem's mouth by cunning, after which the lifeless monster fell at the feet of the clergyman. According to legend, in fear of an artificial creature, his body was taken to the attic of the synagogue and hidden under rags, protecting access to the body with occult spells. However, the legend of the Prague golem proved so popular with the city's inhabitants that in 1920 a Czech writer climbed onto the roof of the synagogue to check on the ancient legend. Of course, he did not find any golem there. However, the inhabitants of Prague still believe that once every 33 years, a terrible monster comes to life under the roof of the synagogue and roams the streets of the Jewish quarter. At this point, it's best not to get in his way.

A golem is a creature of Jewish mythology that looks like a person. It is made of clay and animated by the rabbi with the help of secret knowledge.

It is believed that a Golem can only be created by a person who has reached the highest purity, the chief rabbi, in order to save his people from impending disaster. The man of clay has supernatural strength, thanks to which he is able to cope with any enemies of the Jewish people.

Legend has it that the birth of the Golem took place in Prague in the 16th century, which at that time was inhabited by Czechs, Jews and Germans. Despite the fact that the Jewish ghetto occupied a significant part of the city, this people suffered severe persecution.

At this time, the Chief Rabbi of the Jews of Prague named Leo turned to heaven with a request to tell him how to end the suffering of his people. He was ordered to create a Golem to destroy the enemies.

At night, on the banks of the Vltava River, he performed a ritual: he fashioned a figure of a man from clay, along with around it, put it in ustash (capable of reviving the name of God, written on parchment). Immediately after that, the Golem came to life. Outwardly, he was similar to a man, only he had extraordinary strength, could not speak, and his skin was brown.

He dealt with the enemies and for 13 years protected the Jews from harassment. Finally, the Jews felt safe.

End of Golem story

The golem helped Rabbi Leo, carried out his instructions. Every Friday, the rabbi took the shem out of the clay man's mouth so that he would not be left unattended on the Sabbath when the rabbi was in the synagogue.

One day, Rabbi Leo forgot to do this, and the Golem broke out of the house, destroying everything around. The rabbi soon overtook him and took out the shem. The golem fell asleep forever.

The body of the clay man was taken to the attic of the Old New Synagogue in Prague. Rabbi Leo forbade anyone to go up there. Only in 1920, a Czech journalist decided to check whether it was true or not and go up to the attic. But apart from garbage, there was nothing there.

Despite this, the Jews of Prague still believe in the clay protector of their people. They believe that every 33 years the Golem suddenly appears and disappears in the city. In the Czech city of Poznan, a monument was even erected in honor of the Golem.

The plot of this legend can be found in many works of art. The Golem motif is used in literary works such as Gustav Meyrink's The Golem and Arthur Holicher's play of the same name, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, Russian folk tale about Clay Boy. The Golem is also mentioned in the work "Monday begins on Saturday" by the Strugatsky brothers, in Umberto Eco's novel "Foucault's Pendulum", in the novel "Chapaev and the Void" by V. Pelevin, etc. The plot of the legend of the Golem can be found in movies, cartoons, songs and computer games.

1. For the body of the creature, unbaked red clay collected at the source of the river is used.
2. A figurine of a child of 8-10 years old is fashioned from the material.
3. The Hebrew word "Amet", which means "Truth", is drawn on the forehead.

After casting the spell, the golem will begin to come to life. Within a few days, it grows 5-6 times.

The creation has the mind of a small child and is completely subordinate to the magician, helping him, as well as According to legend, after a few years of life, creatures gradually learn and can rebel against the creator. The reason for the release of the golems is the crossing out of the magic word.

A mad giant in a rage is capable of destroying an entire city. It can only be destroyed by erasing the first letter of the word, so that the remaining letters form "met". This word means "mortification" in Hebrew.

The very process of making a golem is similar to the birth of a person by the will of God. Unlike Adam, man-made giants do not have souls. Their unsightly appearance, clumsiness and limited thinking also indicate the imperfection of human creation in comparison with the Lord's.

Mentions in legends

The Jewish golem is mentioned in two myths. Both legends raise the themes of the imperfection of artificially created people and the rejection of outwardly ugly creatures by society.

Prague Golem

According to this legend, at the beginning of the XVII century. the risk of a blood libel against Prague's Jews increased. The Christian inhabitants of Prague accused the Jews of using the blood of Gentiles for victims.

To protect the city from pogroms, a rabbi named Yehuda Lev ben Bezalel decided to create a magical protector. At dawn, Maharal with two assistants came to the banks of the Vlatva River and fashioned a man from red clay, 1.5 meters tall.

Rabbi Leo enlivened creation with the secret name of God. He drew it on paper and put it in the figure's mouth.

The Prague golem looked like an ugly middle-aged man. He could not speak or eat. Over time, the creature acquired an inhuman appetite. The golem ate all the food that was given to him, regardless of its taste and freshness.

The clay creature also began to show the rudiments of intelligence. The golem began to ask its creator the following questions:

1. Who is Golem?
2. Who is the mother and father of the Golem?
3. Why create a Golem?
4. The golem doesn't want to be alone.

Loneliness prompted the ugly creature to reach out to people in the hope of their responsiveness. Possessing the consciousness of a child, the golem tried to play with the children, but they fled in horror from the giant.

There are two versions of why the clay man rebelled against his master.

First version

Every day, the creature performed the most difficult and unpleasant work, and at night it guarded the Jewish houses. On Friday night, Leo pulled the sacred words out of the subordinate's mouth in order to visit the synagogue on Saturday. One day the rabbi forgot to remove the paper and the golem rebelled against its creator. In a rage, the creature smashed houses and chased the inhabitants. The Jews were saved from death only by the sluggishness of creation.

With great difficulty, the Lion was able to take the sacred words from the monster's mouth. The rabbi took his creation to the attic of the synagogue and surrounded it with Jewish incantations. At the beginning of the XIX century. a Polish journalist made his way to the attic of this church, but he did not find the giant's body.

Second version

Other sources tell of a more romantic ending to the legend. Over time, in addition to gaining consciousness, the golem began to experience feelings. Seeing once the daughter of Leo Miriam, the creature fell in love with the girl. Miriam herself did not reciprocate the soulless clay creature.

The artificial man followed the rabbi's daughter everywhere in the hope of reciprocity and did not allow the words of the spell to be pulled out of his mouth. Then Leo asked Miriam to seduce the creature and pull the paper out of her mouth. The girl followed her father's orders.

Since then, there has been a Czech belief - once every 33 years on the day of the solstice, the creature comes to life to protect the capital. On this day, unmarried girls try not to leave the house, so as not to become brides of the golem.

Golem Jeremiah

The Jewish prophet Jeremiah also tried to create a creature to protect God's people. He molded a man out of clay and drew the words "God is truth" on his head.

The revived creature suddenly took the knife from the prophet and carved another phrase on its face, "God is dead." This act made it clear to Jeremiah that creatures animated by magic would not be able to protect the Jews from the forces of Evil. In horror, vice destroyed its creation and for a long time begged forgiveness from the Lord for its impudence.

Legends about creatures created by people for service are found in every mythology. Golems do not always have a human likeness, but they are related to the Jewish creation by loyalty to the owner and revitalization by magic.

Elementals in magic

Creatures called elementals are the closest "relatives" of the classic golem. What distinguishes them from the clay man is self-awareness.

Elementals are lower spirits that an experienced magician can call into a certain shell. These creatures faithfully serve their master in the hope of gaining freedom. Elementals are classified according to the elements:

1. Earthy. In some sources, this creature is a copy of the golem. The creature has a humanoid appearance, has a mind and carries out all the orders of its creator. Earth elementals were used to protect cities from foreign armies and bad weather. Their sluggishness is offset by tremendous strength.
2. Fiery. More often it is a clot of pure fire. In Arabic legends, fire elementals include a subspecies of genies - ifrits. These creatures can retain their appearance after the mage's spell expires.
3. Water. These creatures were used to protect against the monsters of the sea or the tides. Water elementals also created wells and oases.
4. Air. Outwardly, these creatures resembled a cluster of clouds. They were used to hide the army. Also, according to legend, air elementals could summon lightning.

These creatures also share invulnerability to magic with the golem. Some of the elementals rebelled against the creator mage, demanding freedom and respect.

Greek mythology

In Greece, the theme of artificially created people is widely related to the blacksmith god Hephaestus. Instead of clay, he used bronze and gold, creating intelligent iron assistants for himself.

Talos

According to ancient Greek mythology, Talos is a bronze warrior whom Zeus gave to Europe to protect the lands from strangers. This creature lived on the island of Crete.

The bronze giant threw stones at the approaching ships. If the wanderers managed to land on the shore, Talos drowned them with fire and sword.

According to one legend, the creation of the Gods was destroyed by Medea, the wife of Jason. She drugged the giant with a sleeping potion and pulled the nail out of his heel. Talos expired with ichor, which replaced his blood.

Another source says that the bronze golem was killed by a hero named Peant. He hit the creature's heel with an arrow from the bow of Hercules.

Galatea

In the culture of Greece, there is a myth about the beautiful sculpture that Pygmalion created. The Creator fell in love with a marble girl and desired her. He dressed Galatea in beautiful clothes and gave jewelry.

Distraught by the lifelessness of his love, Pygmalion prayed to the gods of Olympus to send him a similar girl. Taking pity on the mortal, Aphrodite, the goddess of Love, revived the work of the sculptor.

Legends of Europe

The myths of other European countries also tell of artificially created servants. Among them are:

1. Gullinbursti. Huge golden boar. It was created by the dwarves in a dispute with Loki.
2. Iron Bunny. In the mythology of the northern peoples, this golem was created by witches to steal milk from villagers.
3. Thorgeir bull. A creature created by an Icelandic magician from the skin and hooves of a bull. The spirit served the sorcerers and took revenge on their offenders, ruining the villages.
4. Prysypush. A child carved from a log. In Belarusian folklore, such a creature was left by witches instead of stolen children.
5. Tupilac. A golem created by the Greenlandic sorcerers. In Eskimo culture, this creature is used for revenge on foreigners.
6. Frankenstein's monster. An animated person, assembled from the dead flesh of other people. In character and behavior, it is an analogue of the Jewish golem.