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"Have I Got a Monster for You!": Some Thoughts on the Golem, The X-Files and the Jewish Horror Movie

Folklore, Oct, 2000 by Mikel J. Koven

Abstract

The figure of the golem, the Jewish "mud man," has persisted not only in folklore, but in popular culture as well; not only in Jewish tradition, but in Gentile too; it has inspired not only horror writers, but also scientists, who see in this legend a metaphor for humanity's quest for the creation of life. One particular variation of this story is the focus of this paper: in February 1997, Fox Television's highly acclaimed weekly television show The X-Files told the story of the golem, but with certain new features added. These additions annoyed a number of fans, and they expressed their concerns on the Internet newsgroup, alt.tv.x-files. Not all of the problems identified by these tuned-in vernacular theorists were errors, I think; instead, they point to a number of issues concerning the nature of "monstrosity" and "horror." In this case, those issues are framed within a Jewish context.

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This paper will begin with a brief overview of the legend of the golem, which, like most folk legends, exists in multiple forms. I hope to demonstrate that The X-Files episode should be regarded as one further variant of this legend. I also outline the objections many of the show's fans had to that particular episode, specifically the variance between The X-Files version and Jewish tradition. Finally, I will say why I feel these "errors" are not mistakes, but perhaps operate to define the monstrous within Jewish culture. [1]

"Go ahead ... make my mitzvah!" (Dennis Terrell, on alt.tv.x-files)

Introduction: The Golem

Strangely enough, Stith Thompson gives the golem only as a motif, not as a taletype. The golem narrative appears in his Motif Index as number D1635 under the general subject heading of "magic automata." Thompson lists it as: "automatic statue animated by insertion of written magic formula into an opening" (Thompson 1966, 2:291). This description is neither entirely accurate nor indicative of the Jewish legend.

To be sure, the golem story revolves around the animation of an inanimate statue, but the variations within Jewish oral and literary traditions are much more diverse. Furthermore, Thompson's description limits the narrative to only one of the possible ways of animating the golem, and ignores the ways independent life is given to this creature in other versions of the legends.

The basic outline of the story concerns a wise and righteous Jewish scholar who, in contemplating God's creation of life, endeavours to create life himself. He fashions a man out of mud or clay, and brings it to life by inserting the Shem-Hamforesh (the secret name of God) written on a piece of paper (variants include insertion into the ear, mouth, or into an amulet hanging around the golem's neck), or by the incantation of certain prayers and rituals, or by the inscription of either the Shem or the word emet--which means "truth" or "life"--directly on to the golem, usually on the forehead.

The legends also give a variety of reasons for fashioning a golem. Some suggest that the golem is created as a demonstration of the creator's mastery of the Kabbalah, the books of Jewish mysticism (cf. Sherman 1992, 81-2). There is a story in Josepha Sherman's Sampler of Jewish-American Folklore which I have not heard before. Although the monster is not really a golem insofar as the Rabbi himself does not fashion the statue, the story utilises Thompson's motif D1635 so must be considered related. It tells of the creation of a golem to demonstrate to a pagan king the errors of idolatry, by bringing to life one of the statues in the palace and assigning it to degrading duties (ibid.).

Other traditions tell of golems created as "dependable" and "trustworthy" servants to provide cheap labour or protection (ibid., 82). Beatrice Silverman Weinreich tells of a golem created in Vilna which, since it was not really human and therefore not bound by God's laws, could supply food and perform duties for the Jewish community on the Sabbath (Weinreich 1988, 340-1). Variations on the "Golem as Domestic" motif are often fused with the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" tale, where the wife of the rabbi sends the golem on a domestic errand, like filling up the water barrel, but forgets to order it to stop, so the house is flooded (Bloch 1972, 70-2). Other golem duties have included fishing, apple picking, and general cleaning in the synagogue.

The other major reason for creating a golem is to protect the Jewish community (of Vilna, of Chelm, but most often of Prague) from anti-Semitism. This variant is often linked to the blood libel legend, the ancient libel that Jews kidnap gentiles, especially children, to use their blood in rituals or in ritual food. The golem's duties are completed when a decree is issued granting freedom and basic rights to the Jews or publicly repudiating the blood libel legend, or when the Chief Rabbi has no other use for the creature. Then it is disposed of by removing the parchment which contains the Shem, or by reversing the ritual which created it, and the golem returns to the dust. In versions where the golem is created by inscribing emet somewhere on its body, however, it can only be destroyed by removing the first aleph, the first letter, which transforms the word emet (truth) to met which means "death" or "dead."

"Have I Got a Monster for You!": Some Thoughts on the Golem, The X-Files and the Jewish Horror Movie

Folklore, Oct, 2000 by Mikel J. Koven

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