One of the symbols of the Czech capital Prague is the famous Golem. His images can be found everywhere here. Despite the fact that the story about him is just a legend, and even looks completely incredible, many believe that the clay man really existed, and even that he is still hiding somewhere in the city back streets …
Legends about golems (clay idols animated with spells) have abounded in Jewish folklore since ancient times. It is believed that only a righteous person can make such a "toy". This was Rabbi Yehuda Lev ben Bezalel. In fact, Bezalel was known as the largest authority among the Jewish clergy of the 16th century. He was very well versed in secular sciences, mathematics and mechanics, he was friends with the famous astronomer Tycho Brahe …
The rabbi created the golem from clay to make it easier for his wife to do housework. So the legends say … True, the au pair rather resembled not a man, but a doll, but of a very impressive size. He perfectly performed the functions of a servant - he carried firewood, stoked the stove, carried water, washed dishes … To "revive" the idol, it was enough to put a special ball with magic formulas in its mouth - shem … The clay "robot" strictly followed all the master's instructions.
However, it all ended badly. Like any devout Jew, Ben Bezalel could not allow his "servant" to work on Saturday. To do this, on Friday evening, he "turned off" his ward, taking the shem out of his mouth. More often than not, the rabbi's wife did this. But once it happened that she forgot to take out the shem.
And then it began! There was no limit to the fury and disgrace of the Golem. He crumbled and destroyed, broke and scattered everything that was around him … Neither threats, nor exhortations, nor promises worked. It's a good thing that the giant, by some miracle, did not kill, burn, or strangle anyone …
Thank God, they managed to send for Ben Bezalel, who was conducting the Saturday service in the synagogue, almost on time. Pulling the shem out of the Golem's mouth, the rabbi read the corresponding spell backwards, and the consciousness left the clay body … The furious assistant collapsed to the floor as if knocked down. They carried him to the attic of the old synagogue, where he crumbled to dust and was littered with rubbish. Since then, access to the attic for the uninitiated, and even more for sightseers, is prohibited … According to another version, the Golem remained forever in the old synagogue in the form of a soulless statue, which was sometimes shown to visitors …
Today, in a shallow niche at the corner of the building of the new Prague City Hall, one can see the following sculptural composition: a hunched over old man in medieval clothes with long gray hair, and next to it is a naked young woman. She tries to cling to him, and he stretched out his hand and was ready to either push her away, or bring her closer … Yes, this is the same Yehuda Lev ben Bezalel. But who is this strange person next to him? Maybe the old philosophical rabbi actually created not a helper from clay, but a female helper? And what role did she play in his life? Who knows…
You can also find a gravestone in the ancient Prague cemetery with the inscription that the very creator of the Golem is buried under this slab. It is believed that if you leave a note with a request on the tombstone with the name of Ben Bezalel, it will certainly come true … However, the sages warn that the fulfillment of a wish may end sadly. As it happened once with Rabbi Lev himself …
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Most likely, in the form of a legend about a clay giant, information about medieval experiments carried out by the Prague sage has reached us. It is possible that the chief rabbi of Prague managed to create some kind of mechanism like a modern robot. Mechanical figures already existed in Europe at that time. Some were controlled by people sitting inside, others acted quite independently. These devices were called automata, some of them were used to decorate watches … Such mechanisms were also known in Russia: according to rumors, Ivan the Terrible had a certain "iron man" who played the role of a servant. But it is clear that ordinary people did not understand science and perceived the "revival" of inanimate objects as magic.
The Austrian writer and mystic philosopher of the first half of the twentieth century, Gustav Meyrink, revived the legend of the clay Golem created by Ben Bezalel, linking it with the rites of initiation and magical initiation.
They say that the statue of the Golem is hidden to this day somewhere in the depths of Prague's back streets. Sometimes at night it comes to life, and then on the dark streets one can hear the heavy tread of an inhuman creature. Woe to the one who gets in his way!