The golem (גולם) is a being Humanoïde, artificial, fact of Argile, temporarily animated life by the inscription on its face of a biblical verse. In the Hebraic culture, the first appearance of the term golem is in the Livre of the Psalms: I was only a golem and your eyes saw me (139, 16). It is then an unfinished being, an outline. In the Cabal, it is a raw material without form nor contours. In the Talmud, the golem is the state which precedes creation by Adam.

The legend of Rabbi Löw

According to other sources, the Rabbin which conceived it was Maharal of Prague named Loew (of German Loewe: Lion). Its goal would have been to defend its community. It would have given him the life by registering EMITS (אמת) ( Hebrew truth in and one of the names of God) on its face and while introducing into its mouth a parchment on which was registered the unutterable name of God (the tétragramme Yud He Vav He). To kill it, the 1st letter (the aleph) would have had to be erased because MET (אמ) means dead . Golem had become too large so that the Rabbi can erase the aleph, Rabbi Loew required of him to tie its shoes what it did. The plan functioned: the creature bent down and put its face at range of its creator, Golem became again what had been used for its creation: loam.

Some tell that its creator died, crushed by the mass of its creature. The legend also wants that it is God who asked Maharal to create “second Adam”. Another legend wants also that Golem, its body, is always at the disposal of the Jewish community of Prague and stored - or sleeping - in the Genizah (warehouse of the old Hebrew manuscripts, it is interdict to throw writings which contains the name of the Almighty) of the Jewish community of Prague, which is in the roofs of the Synagog Old woman-News of Josefov, which besides always would be sealed and kept.

Works inspired of the myth of the golem

This myth is found in the novel Frankenstein , of Mary Shelley, the novel Golem of the brothers and sisters Murail, or in the Fantasia of Walt Disney (the Sorcerer's apprentice). The golem symbolizes the fear of the men vis-a-vis their creations like, for example, the Western rejection of the robots humanoïdes.

In several works of fiction, golems can be built in various materials with share clay. Thus, the " term; golem" a whole of a homogeneous material of form humanoïde having taken life is found to indicate. One thus finds golem stone, golem of wood, iron golem, even golem of flesh…

Theater and opera

  • the golem inspired the folklore Yiddish directly: many Jewish theater companies of Eastern Europe played of the adaptations of the legend of the golem.

  • on June 28th, 1989, is created in London the Opera of John Casken in Almedia Theater. French creation took place in Rennes on November 6th, 2006.

Cinema and television

Golem inspired also the German cinema of the beginning of the twentieth century: the scenario writer Paul Wegener made a first film on this topic former to 1914 and a second, more succeeded, in 1920, entitled Der Golem, Wie er in die Welt kam .

See also: Golem

  • One can add to the cinematographic history of Golem, the contribution of Martin Fric, scenario writer Czechoslovakian, who under the title Cisaruv pekar has pekaruv cisar is “the Baker of the Emperor and the Emperor of the Bakers” carries out in 1951 two films which are presented in only one in Europe as of 1952.

  • "Golem" , dramatic televised, of Louis Pauwels, diffused the 2/18/1967 on the French second channel (repeated the 9/16/71 on the 1st chain), very faithful to the work of Gustav Meyrinck. A version inspired of Golem expressionist of Paul Wegner (1922) was carried out in cartoon by Gyora Gall Glupczynski (Workshop of Production of Cambers - Brussels 1983).

  • Innocence (Ghost in the Shell II) , cartoon film of Mamoru Oshii, left in 2004, refers to Golem in the scene of the doll's house via the inscriptions AEMAETH and MAETH . There is also the episode of the series X-Files entitled Prayer for the dead (season 4) which approaches the topic of Golem.

  • the Horrow Show of the 18th season of the Simpson (episode: " Simpson Horror XVII" Show; (HABF17). First diffusion: 10/5/2006.), the second part of the episode milked of Golem: " You gotta know when to golem" - In the room of the accessories of spectacle of Krusty, Bart falls nose to nose with Golem from Prague, a made legendary creature of clay which obeys whoever registered an order on a parchment and throws to him in the mouth. Bart does not miss this occasion and benefits from it so that it makes him its four wills…

  • Golem is also found in the name of " Grolem" , which is the name of a pokemon in the series " Pokemon".

  • Golem 13 is the enemy in the series San Ku Kaï.

Literature

  • the first version of film of Paul Wegener would have inspired the book of Gustav Meyrink, Der Golem , regards as one of the Masters of fantastic European.

  • Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-1991), writer Yiddish, and Nobel Prize of literature in 1978, is also the author of a very beautiful version of the history of Golem.

  • Golem plays a central role in all the first part of the novel of Michael Chabon the Extraordinary adventures of Kavalier & Clay .

  • In its novel Golems (2004), Alain Delbe imagines that occultists Nazis (Otto Rahn, Wiligut) Himmler will tear off with the Jews of Prague the secrecy on the order of Golem.

  • Golem is a character of the albums of band-drawn of the scenario writer/draftsman Joann Sfar. It appears inter alia in the album of the Great Vampire " The people are a golem" appeared with the editions Delcourt in 2005.

  • fifth Tom " Anna and Zaccharia" of " the legacy of the alchimiste" (Cartoon) about Graduate and Hubert (Glénat edition) also speaks about a golem, the context is the second world war… very beautiful.

Roleplays

  • the golems exist in several medieval-fantastic roleplays . In particular, in Keeps and dragons, there exist several kinds of golems which each one are named according to the matter of which they are formed, like the golems iron, golems of stone, etc

  • Golems are one of the races of the Jeu of figurines of science fiction VOR - the Maelstrom.

External bonds

poem of Rene http://www.barbier-rd.nom.fr/journal/article.php3?id_article=472 Barber

  • Golem on heresie.com

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