Editing Golem (section)

== 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]].<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0004026/|title = Der Golem (1915)| website = [[IMDb]]|date = 8 April 1915|access-date = 10 August 2021|archive-date = 11 August 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210811023309/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0004026/|url-status = live}}{{unreliable source |date=October 2024}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=October 2024}}
* ''[[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]].<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0176776/|title = Der Golem und die Tänzerin (1917) |website = [[IMDb]]|date = 9 April 1917|access-date = 10 August 2021|archive-date = 11 August 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210811023312/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0176776/|url-status = live}}{{unreliable source |date=October 2024}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=October 2024}}
* ''[[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]].<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0011237/|title = Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam (1920)|website = [[IMDb]]|date = 19 June 1921|access-date = 10 August 2021|archive-date = 25 January 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220125023843/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0011237/|url-status = live}}{{unreliable source |date=October 2024}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=October 2024}}
* ''[[Le Golem]]'' ({{langx|cs|Golem}}), a 1936 Czechoslovak [[monster movie]] directed by [[Julien Duvivier]] in French.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027688/|title = Le Golem (1936) |website = [[IMDb]]|date = 21 March 1937|access-date = 10 August 2021|archive-date = 11 August 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210811093139/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027688/|url-status = live}}{{unreliable source |date=October 2024}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=October 2024}}
*''[[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]]) 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).
* In the SyFy series ''[[The Magicians (American TV series)|The Magicians]]'', there is a golem made of a main character. It appears in the episodes "Homecoming" and "Be The Penny".
* 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 a golem in the form of a dead child.
 

<gallery widths="135px" heights="200px">
File:Golem 1920 Poster.jpg|Movie poster for ''[[The Golem: How He Came into the World|Der Golem]]'' (1920)
</gallery>

===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]]'' feature 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.
* [[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 ([[List of Marvel Comics characters: E#Abraham Erskine|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>

===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 ''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>
* There is a golem stone enemy in the video game ''[[Dragon Warrior]]'' for the Nintendo Entertainment System.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dragon Warrior game review|website=Honest Gamers |url=https://www.honestgamers.com/3332/nes/dragon-warrior/game.html}}</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 and snow 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> 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>
*[[List of generation I Pokémon|Golem]] is the name of a [[Pokémon]] whose body is made of rocks. [[List of generation V Pokémon|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 3 bespoke computers that were 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>