Golem

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Do you know about golems? They originated in Jewish folklore several hundred years ago. The stories vary, but essentially a golem is a creature created out of clay by a man.

The most famous golem, I think, was the one created by Rabbi Loew of Prague to protect the Jewish community from attacks. According to the story, the golem’s dust is still hidden in the attic of one of Prague’s synagogues. Nobody’s ever been able to find the golem, but Rabbi Loew was a real man, and people still pay respect at his grave:

And when you visit Prague you can buy souvenir golems of your own. Here’s a tiny one I brought my parents several years ago:

That the golem legend has endured for so long means there must be something inherently appealing about him. Maybe for the Jews, who’ve had such a long history of persecution, the idea of a protector is comforting. And maybe all of us like the idea of being able–godlike–to create.

I’ve always wondered what the golem felt like. Is he content with his role? Is he lonely? In Issac Bashevis Singer’s version of the story, the golem falls in love with a woman. But what if he fell in love with a man instead?

That’s the question in The Golem of Mala Lubovnya, my new novella in the Stitch anthology, which you can preorder now. It releases April 21st.

6 thoughts on “Golem”

  2. Kim, I am in the process of being blown away by your golem story–just wow. I am wondering which of the golem stories is your inspiration (time/place)? I had never heard of something mentioned in the story, which is that the Gentiles are being stricken by plague, while the Jews are not, which is a reason for their persecution, and I’d love to read a bit more about that (if that is nonfiction versus something made up for the sake of the story).

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