Editing Golem (section)

{{Short description|Being in Jewish folklore made from clay}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{For multi|the character in ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''|Gollum||Golem (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox mythical creature
| name             = Golem
| image            = Mikoláš Aleš - The Maharal of Prague and the Golem.jpg
| image_upright    = 1.2
| caption          = The [[Judah Loew ben Bezalel|Maharal of Prague]] and the Golem by [[Mikoláš Aleš]], 1899.
| Grouping         = [[Monster]]
| Similar_entities = [[Frankenstein's monster]], [[Robot]], [[Automaton]]
| Folklore         = [[Jewish folklore]]
| First_Attested   = [[Talmud]]
| AKA              = Gōlem ({{Script/Hebrew|גּוֹלֶם}})
| Country          = [[Czech Republic|Czechia]]
| Region           = [[Prague]]
| Habitat          = Typically resides in attics or temples
| Details          = Protector of the Jewish community, created from clay or mud, animated through mystical rituals. 
}}
A '''golem''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|oʊ|l|ə|m|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-golem.wav}} {{respell|GOH|ləm}}; {{langx|he|{{Script/Hebrew|גּוֹלֶם}}|gōlem}}) is an animated [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] being in [[Jewish folklore]], which is created entirely from inanimate matter, usually [[clay]] or [[mud]]. The most famous golem narrative involves [[Judah Loew ben Bezalel]], the late 16th-century [[rabbi]] of [[Prague]]. According to ''[[Moment (magazine)|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."<ref name="Cooper">Cooper, Marilyn. [http://www.momentmag.com/jewish-word-golem/ Jewish Word | Golem"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825062411/http://www.momentmag.com/jewish-word-golem/ |date=25 August 2017 }} ''[[Moment (magazine)|Moment]]''. 17 July 2017. 24 August 2017.</ref>

In modern popular culture, the word has become generalized, and any crude anthropomorphic creature devised by a sorcerer may be termed a "golem".{{cn|date=October 2024}} There may be metal golems, such as [[Talos]], or stone golems, e.g., in ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]''.