RICHARD FREEMAN: THE MONSTERS OF PRAGUE #14

The Golem
This is undoubtedly Prague’s most famous monster. According to the story it was a giant of clay, created and animated by Rabbi Loew ben Bazalel in the 16th century in order to protect the Jewish ghetto from anti-Semitic attacks. In fact, though the Rabbi was a historically real man, the monster of clay was actually created by German writer Berthold Auerbach for his 1837 novel Spinoza. There earlier references to golems in the Talmund, a record of rabbinic descutions on Jewish laws, history and ethics. Adam was though of as the origional golem as he was created from earth.