Inner alchemy archives - The Golem

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Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997
From: Anno Mitchell

I am an artist currently making a digital piece called golem for the
city of York. I have been having enormous difficulty locating any
information about Jewish cabalism and golems in general, other
than what can be gleaned from general folklore. I was wondering
if anyone had any information on the subject, I don't know how
connected it is with alchemy in general, but I must admit to being
at a loss where to start, would you be able to help in any way.

thanks very much for your time

Anno Mitchell

Date: Wed, 13 Aug 97
From: Tzvi Langermann

Moshe Idel, certainly the outstanding scholar of the kabbalah, has written a
full length book on The Golem. I don't have biblio. details handy, but it came
out maybe 10 years ago, and should be easily available at the library.

Tzvi Langermann

Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997
From: Jeffrey

Dear Anno

You might check the works of Gershom Scholem. I know he has
written on the golem but can't remember which book of his it is in. He wrote
Major Trends of Jewish Mysticism and On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism, as
well as some other works on Jewish mysticism. My recollection is that the
discussion of the golem is in one of the two books I mentioned. There is
also Ginsberg's many volumed collection on the legends of the Jewish peole(i
think that is the title.) In alchemy the homunculus is symbolically related
to the notion of the golem. You could also check the index of Jung's works
for he writes on the golem somewhere as well. Sorry I couldn't be more
specific but hope this willhelp get you started.
Jeff

Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997
From: George Leake

That's an odd request, I assume this is an art piece, and not intended to
be an actual functioning golem (perhaps in an effort to assume say city
sanitation duties?).

Knowledge of Hebrew would obviously help, and there are a number of
sources out there, one that immediately springs to mind--not very
extensive--but a fairly accessible source--is Agrippa's De Occulta
Philosophia, look for the 1993 Llewellyn English translation--I'm fairly
sure Tyson (the editor) gives some helpful suggestions for further
research--as far as whether its alchemy or not, this is a borderline case,
and in any event Agrippa addresses both making a golem and some limited
alchemical topics.

From: Noel Kettering
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997

Anno Mitchell wrote:

> I am an artist currently making a digital piece called golem for the
> city of York. I have been having enormous difficulty locating any
> information about Jewish cabalism and golems in general, other
> than what can be gleaned from general folklore. I was wondering
> if anyone had any information on the subject, I don't know how
> connected it is with alchemy in general, but I must admit to being
> at a loss where to start, would you be able to help in any way.

Go to: http://www.levity.com/Excite/AT-Levityquery.html
and enter "golem" into the search engine.

Noel

Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997
From: Joe Dionne

Dear Anno:

I picked up a book in Prague 2 or 3 years back; it's called: Golem - by
Eduard Petiska, published by Martin [a Czech publisher] translated by Jana
Svabova. It was copyrighted in 1991 and has ISBN # 80-900129-2-2. While
Rabbi Löw created his golem [I believe there were other golems] in an
operation with alchemical structures there is little "historically
alchemical" about the beast. Rabbi Löw, on the other hand, is a much more
interesting subject. Perhaps you should start your investigations with the
good Rabbi. Several of us will be placing a stone on his grave in Prague in 2
weeks time. What type of "digital piece" are you working on?

Joe

From: Jon Marshall
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 1997

On Aug 13, 6:05pm, Alchemy e-mail wrote:

> From: Tzvi Langermann
> Moshe Idel, certainly the outstanding scholar of the kabbalah, has written a
> full length book on The Golem. I don't have biblio. details handy, but it came
> out maybe 10 years ago, and should be easily available at the library.

Moshe Idel *Golem: Jewish Magical and Mystical Traditions on the Artificial
Anthropoid*, State Uni Press of NY, 1990

Scholem's essay is in *On the Kabbalah and its symbolism*, Schoken NY, 1965 pp
158-204
another essay called "golem" pp351-5 in a book simply called *Kabbalah*, Dorset
press reprint, 1987

Idel refers to Byron l.Sherwin *The Legend of the Golem: Origins and
implications*, Uni press of america, 1985

jon

Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997
From: Juli Kearns

>From: Anno Mitchell
>I am an artist currently making a digital piece called golem for the
>city of York.

It has already been mentioned that Gershom Scholem wrote on the golem in
one of his works.
That work was "On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism."

Date: Thu, 14 Aug 1997
From: Nancy

There is a statement in the Kabbalah that Adam was a Golem for the
first few hours of his life...since he was made of the dust of the
ground- Eve escaped that ignoble beginning, since she was made of
Adam's rib..Lilith, his first wife, was created as he was, and took off
when he insisted on always being on top..So she remained golem,
and gave birth to the race of demons...

The dirt didn't seem to be as important as the utterance of all the possible
combinations of the creative letters in proper order...Hmmm- guanine,
adenine, .....nah...

Although I did read somewhere that when God was gathering together the
dirt to make Adam, from all over the the world, he got the dirt for his
genitals from a village noted for the raunchy behavior of its inhabitants...

Nancy

Date: Thu, 14 Aug 1997
From: George Leake

If one wants to talk about literary references to Golems, they are
legion...Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is nothing more than an industrial age
Golem tale, for instance.

George Leake

From: Lerual
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997

> From: Jeffrey
> You might check the works of Gershom Scholem. I know he has
> written on the golem but can't remember which book of his it is in.
>... My recollection is that the discussion of the golem is in one of the
> two books I mentioned.

Hi!

I've read "On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism" a couple of times and I can
assure is one of the most interesting and serious books I've ever read.
There you can find a whole chapter precisely about the idea of the golem.
Anyway I recomend you the whole book.

Besides that there is a beautiful poem that J.L. Borges wrote that is
called "The Golem" which mentions this book. If you are interested I can
send it to you. A. Bioy Casares thaught that that poem was the best one.

Lerual

Date: Sat, 16 Aug 1997
From: Richard Roberts

Anno Mitchell inquired about the golem. I saw a film by the same name
directed by Paul wegener made in 1920 in German. A rabbi summons
the golem to save the chosen people during a pogrom. The film is
noteworthy in cinematic history for its impressionistic sets. It is probably
in the archives of one of the local film societies

Richard Roberts