# The Golem of Prague **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 17, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021 "2012-09-17T23:27:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hottius\_Maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hottius\_Maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hottius_Maximus)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/1 "2012-09-17T23:27:17Z")
I would welcome hearing from some religious Jewish people here on this thread. Okay so the story of Rabbi Loew and the Golem of Prague is famous among horror movie buffs. However I did some research on this and I discovered that it was NOT actually Rabbi Loew that allegedly created the infamous golem, but it was instead a man named Rabbi Elijah of Chelm. However, this story is only a few hundred years old, and it has been passed down through the centuries as “true.” SO…is it even POSSIBLE to create such a creature? How did this legend originate? I mean, obviously SOMETHING STRANGE occurred in Prague back in the 16th century, and supposedly the remains of the golem are STILL locked in that attic in the synagogue of Prague. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/2 "2012-09-17T23:54:53Z")
[Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golem#The_classic_narrative:_The_Golem_of_Prague) has some interesting information. But there is absolutely no reason to think that it is anything but a fairytale. What makes you think anything strange happened in Prague in the 16th century? Of course it is impossible to create a golem. You can’t make a statue come to life by carving letters into it or by performing rituals over it. On the other hand, the golem is the literary forebear of the robot, and we have those for real now, even ones that can speak (unlike the golem)! But robots are technology, not magic. Magic isn’t real, and I doubt you’ll find more than one person here that thinks magic is real. And the attic of the New Old Synagogue in Prague, where the golem’s remains were supposedly kept was renovated in 1883 and opened to a film crew in 1985, and neither time was there any sign of a golem. (Though I would be surprised if there wasn’t some dust!) ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/3 "2012-09-18T00:36:24Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > On the other hand, the golem is the literary forebear of the robot Both Czech, too. Coincidence? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/4 "2012-09-18T00:44:10Z")
The premise of the golem legend/myth is that _any_ sufficiently righteous man can make a golem. So the one in Prague wasn’t the only one, just the most recent and close-to-home for those relaying the tale. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/5 "2012-09-18T01:08:41Z")
Kaballah is pretty awesome. It basically boils down to this: A very long time ago, Jews knew the name of God, but then they forgot it. Very righteous Jews can learn the true name of God, and calling on it more or less gives you undefined magical powers, including visiting heaven to hang out with angels and animating golems. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/6 "2012-09-18T02:31:53Z")
I thought all synagogues had a golem in the attic? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/7 "2012-09-18T02:46:11Z")
It’s not just the letters, you need a special type of clay. You can only get it in… wait, I’m not supposed to talk about this am I? Nevermind, yeah, just a silly legend. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/8 "2012-09-18T03:29:55Z")
I have nothing to contribute except to note that I first heard of the Golem of Prague when I read the really excellent novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon. (The golem is a plot device.) ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/9 "2012-09-18T05:43:43Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Kaballah is pretty awesome. It basically boils down to this: > > A very long time ago, Jews knew the name of God, but then they forgot it. It isn’t that they forgot it. 99.99% of Hebrews never knew it. It’s said that in times of the Temple, only the High Priest knew the Name. > [@](#): > > Very righteous Jews can learn the true name of God, and calling on it more or less gives you undefined magical powers, including visiting heaven to hang out with angels and animating golems. The whole point of Kabbalah is direct knowledge and experience of the mind of G-d. Things like golems, and other miracles are _side effects_. Re Chelm Last I checked, Chelm was a legendary city of fools. The idea of one of the idiots of Chelm being learned enough to create a golem is itself comical. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/10 "2012-09-18T10:23:26Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I have nothing to contribute except to note that I first heard of the Golem of Prague when I read the really excellent novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon. (The golem is a plot device.) Me too. I had to look it up to figure out what in the heck was going on! ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/11 "2012-09-18T13:35:33Z")
Now I have to read this. I love golem stories. _The Fifth Servant_ by Kenneth Wishnia had Rabbi Loew as a character, and I’m trying to get through Eco’s _The Prague Cemetery_. I first became aware of the golem from the horrible 1967 Roddy McDowall movie _It!_, in which he is a museum curator whose museum burns down – everything except a mysterious statue, which Roddy learns to control – for a while. This movie was on our local movie rerun channel quite a few times and I was fascinated both by the golem and the leading lady’s stunningly bad hairstyle. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/12 "2012-09-18T13:44:47Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Now I have to read this. I love golem stories. _The Fifth Servant_ by Kenneth Wishnia had Rabbi Loew as a character, and I’m trying to get through Eco’s _The Prague Cemetery_. If by “this” you’re referring to _The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay_, I should warn you that the Golem of Prague only appears at the beginning of the novel, and is, as I said, basically a plot device. But as I also said, it’s an excellent novel and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001 (and was nominated for a bunch of other awards). But if you want a golem story, it’s not that. ---
**Author:** ![HansH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed655f/32.png) [@HansH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HansH)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/13 "2012-09-18T13:49:50Z")
The Mechanical Turk is another “robot” from the past. The Turk was a chess machine winning many games. The techinic secret was a human player hidden in the “robot”. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/14 "2012-09-18T14:19:34Z")
Avram Davidson wrote a story called “The Golem.” I must have found it in an anthology. There’s an appreciation [here](http://edsfproject.blogspot.com/2006/01/golem-by-avram-davidson-appreciation.html), leading to a dead link. I think the story is elsewhere on the 'net. But you’d do well to just buy [this](http://www.amazon.com/Avram-Davidson-Treasury-Tribute-Collection/dp/031286731X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347977783&sr=1-1&keywords=avram+davidson+treasury) & read everything… ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/15 "2012-09-18T14:52:26Z")
J.R.R. Tolkien told an especially _precious_ version of the story. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/16 "2012-09-18T14:52:43Z")
::::Looks up in the sky:::: Naw, no one knows the name of God. The Sun is still shining. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/17 "2012-09-18T15:02:34Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Both Czech, too. Coincidence? Possibly not – I’ve heard (but as hearsay, no cite) that Capek was aware of the story and sort of ran with it in RUR. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/18 "2012-09-18T15:22:35Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > If by “this” you’re referring to _The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay_, I should warn you that the Golem of Prague only appears at the beginning of the novel, and is, as I said, basically a plot device. But as I also said, it’s an excellent novel and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001 (and was nominated for a bunch of other awards). But if you want a golem story, it’s not that. Yes, it is what I meant. Bummer, but I’ve been meaning to read it anyway. I do want more books about the golem! ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/19 "2012-09-18T16:41:13Z")
For shame. All this, and no one has mentioned Gustav Meyrink’s _The Golem_ from 1913-1914? Bonus info to sex it all up a bit: Meyrink himself was a practicing occultist, having established a Theosophical lodge dedicated to practical magic as early as 1891. Where? In Prague! As Gregory Tillett has written, Meyrink and his small circle > [@](#): > > “engaged in various ascetical austerities, practised breathing, visualization and meditation exercises, before finally committing themselves to the exercises contained in Rama Prasad’s _Nature’s Finer Forces_ […] one of the first Theosophical works providing practical occult techniques” No word on whether they ever tried to create a Golem, though. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021/20 "2012-09-18T16:52:58Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Yes, it is what I meant. Bummer, but I’ve been meaning to read it anyway. > I do want more books about the golem! Kind of a tangent, but i thought Chabon’s other big hit, _The Yiddish Policeman’s Union_, was way, way better. It does however have 100% less golem in it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golem-of-prague/635021.md?page=2)