Golem

A golem ( GOH-ləm; Hebrew: גּוֹלֶם, romanized: gōlem) is an animated anthropomorphic being in Jewish folklore that is created entirely from inanimate matter, usually clay or mud. The most famous golem narrative involves Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late-16th-century rabbi of Prague. According to Moment magazine, "the golem is a highly mutable metaphor with seemingly limitless symbolism. It can be a victim or villain, man or woman—or sometimes both. Over the centuries, it has been used to connote war, community, isolation, hope, and despair." The Golem, in Jewish tradition, may be compared to the popular trope of the Frankenstein monster (19th century). Indeed, the Golem is even a precursor or inspiration of the Frankenstein monster in several phases of the folklore. Whereas Mary Shelley's book, Frankenstein, was written in the 1810's, legends of the Golem go all the way back to 12th century in the tradition of Jewish Kabbalah--if not further, back to the Talmud. In modern culture, the term denotes "any magically created human figure", with such beings appearing frequently in tabletop role-playing games and video games.