Golems

Last night, I could not get elements out of my head. And then I remembered an X-Files episode I had watched a few days before that was about the Golem. Naturally, I started thinking about how the element of earth functions in the Golem.

The golem is part of a Jewish folklore where man tries to emulate God by making a being out of mud. Golem actually means "raw materials." Once the golem was created, he was unable to disobey its creator. Having a golem servant is the ultimate sign of wisdom and holiness. However, no matter how holy the creator appears, the creature they create will always be a shadow of the creatures God has created. Golems are hindered from some things that are everyday for normal humans. For one thing, they are unable to speak, because if they spoke, they would have a soul. Golems are not very intelligent either; they are brainless and are either obedient to man or hostile toward man. Golems do have some special powers, such as invisibility, a heated touch, and the ability to summon spirits of the dead.

Now, it is important to remember that the name Adam actually means earth. In some theories, God created Adam himself out of mud. It is interesting to consider what the implications are when making beings out of the earth. The earth is cold and is associated with the underworld. The earth is also the only element humans have any real control over. One cannot control fire, air, and water, but in some ways, they do have the ability to control some aspects of the earth, such as growing plants, destroying mountains, building cities. Despite catastrophes, such as earthquakes, the earth is also predictable.

So what does it mean if humans are made of mud initially? Even if we're not, what are the implications when people attempt to make servants out of mud to do our bidding? If we are also made out of mud, why don't we have the ability to communicate with the underworld like the golem?

I want to look deeper into the golem. Not sure if it will be very fruitful, but I am interested about these men made of earth.