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| FRANKENSTEIN 1931 |
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| DER GOLEM 1915 |
I was interested in the Golem myth (I even visited Prague and the synagogue where the Golem is still believed to be hidden in the attic rooms) and started researching similar legends. I'd always known about creation myths but didn't realise how many of them related to man being created out of clay, usually containing some fault or other. Here's a list with Wikipedia links.
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The Greek Titan Prometheus gave the gift of fire (a symbol for the soul) to humans (that he made from clay) but was punished by Zeus for eternity for his crime.
In the Babylonian creation epic Enuma Elish, the goddess Ninhursag created humans from clay.
In Africa, the Yoruba culture holds that the god Obatala likewise created the human race.
In Egyptian mythology, the ram-headed god Khnum made people from clay in the waters of the Nile.
In Chinese myth, the goddess Nuwa created the first humans from mud and clay.
According to Genesis 2:7 "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
According to Qur'an[23:12–15], Allah created man from clay.
Mayan myth holds that Tepeu and Kukulkán (Quetzalcoatl) made the first humans from clay, but they were unsatisfactory.
The Māori people believe that Tāne Mahuta, God of the forest, created the first woman out of clay and breathed life into her.
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What fascinated me was this idea of something akin to human but really not like us at all. He/she/it is without conscience, without a soul. A being without morality. Is that an evil thing or can't we even apply such moral rules to a creature so outside of our understanding and principals of good and bad? After all a Golem is a naive creature, in fact not dissimilar to a child. And of course let's not forget a very recent incarnation of 'Golem'.
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| GOLLUM - LORD OF THE RINGS 2001 |
There is no evidence that suggests J. R. R. Tolkien was thinking of the legend of the Golem of Prague but since he was a well researched and an eminent scholar he must have known about the Golem myth. In any case I feel the inclusion of Gollum as 'Golem' is justified since his character is defined by slavery to a power beyond his control. Gollum had developed an abnormal morality and had virtually become an automaton.
In modern stories this still fascinates people. Spock from Star Trek has always been a favourite, as has Data from the later series and many robot characters scattered throughout science fiction beginning most famously with the female robot in Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" all the way through to Blade Runner with it's Nexus-6 Replicants, essentially fake humans who supposedly have no real history (read that as no soul) and therefore need them implanting as memories, albeit false ones.
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| THE ROBOT MARIA - METROPOLIS 1927 |
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| ROBOT MARIA WITH FLESH ON - METROPOLIS 1927 |
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| ROY BATTY - REPLICANT. BLADE RUNNER 1982 |
Too deep? Yeah, me too. For me these things only come alive I believe in drama, their underlying truths just make for great stories. Will he kill her? Will he find out what it means to be human? Will she ever get over the death of her father? That's what "Inhuman" is about. A soulless monster and a grieving innocent little girl can illustrate for most of us basic questions when we wonder if they will find common ground or fail in tragedy . . . and bloodshed.
