The Golem has been a huge mythic figure in the realm of Judaism for at least a couple of centuries. A creature made of clay set to help the Jewish people. A protector if you will. Its story is akin to that of a modern day comic book superhero. Super strong, indestructible, and it even has a weakness like most superheroes do.
I had thought about this during the discussion on Wednesday. Besides the legends of the Greek and Roman gods and their pantheon of deities, the legend of the Golem seems to be that of the original superhero.
The Golem legend does still impact the comic world. In the Marvel universe there is the character of the Golem. He is the Golem of Jewish legend. There were even a few others that donned the name of Golem. One was of a man in World War 2 that had accidentally gained the power to turn into a golem and defended Jews in Poland.
The Golem does have influence on the comic world besides its own character. There are many parallels between the Golem and a couple of superheroes of today. Some have considered Superman to be a golem like figure as he is seen as a protector. Also the Hulk is is very Golem like as he is indestructible and super strong. But perhaps the character most influenced by the golem legend is the character of the Thing. A man with a body made of stone and also super strong says it right there. It also helps that Ben Grimm is Jewish, but that was not revealed until the 2000's. The Thing is the closest equivalent to the Golem that we have in modern day comic book lore.
It is with these findings that I would say that the Golem is the original superhero.
Until next time.
It is with these findings that I would say that the Golem is the original superhero.
Until next time.
The whole idea of "The Golem' is something that I am very unfamiliar with, perhaps due to my lack of knowledge on Jewish lore in general. I truly wish that I hadn't been sick this week and forced to miss the class discussion, as I am sure I would have learned more about this Jewish hero. But every time I hear/read the words I think about Golem, the creature of Lord of the Rings. Is there any connection between the two, did Tolkien use Golem as some sort of subtle statement about the Jewish Golem, or are they completely unrelated? It makes me curious, because, Golem of Lord of the Rings wasn't exactly a creature that we are led to love.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of the Golem in Jewish folklore and that he can be a protecter as well as a destroyer. I also think it's interesting that they thought to bring this creature into comic books.
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