3.1359 Golems (62)
Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Fri, 4 May 90 16:46:38 EDT
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 3, No. 1359. Friday, 4 May 1990.
(1) Date: Fri, 4 May 90 10:18 -0300 (9 lines)
From: DENNIS CINTRA LEITE <FGVSP@BRFapesp.BITNET>
Subject: RE: 3.1354 Golems (48)
(2) Date: Fri, 4 May 90 14:02 EST (19 lines)
From: "N. MILLER" <NMILLER@TRINCC>
Subject: golems again
(3) Date: Fri, 4 May 1990 15:08 IST (12 lines)
From: Marc Bregman <HPUBM@HUJIVM1>
Subject: Re: 3.1324 Notes and Queries (66)
(4) Date: Thu, 3 May 90 17:17 EST (22 lines)
From: <J_CERNY@UNHH>
Subject: telling of the golem story.
(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 4 May 90 10:18 -0300
From: DENNIS CINTRA LEITE <FGVSP@BRFapesp.BITNET>
Subject: RE: 3.1354 Golems (48)
>"This idol was of the most beautiful wood which there ever was in the
>guise of a woman, so that the king used to lie with her carnally and
>dress her as richly as he could, and he had made for her a room where he
>took care that no mortal man could find her."
Sounds more like an equivalent to an inflatable doll rather than a robot!
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------24----
Date: Fri, 4 May 90 14:02 EST
From: "N. MILLER" <NMILLER@TRINCC>
Subject: golems again
I'm glad that Terry Erdt mentions Virgil legends in connection with those
about the Golem. The 1901 J.E. is even more explicit. "..it becomes
probable that the whole of the golem legend is in some way a reflex of
the medieval legends about Vergil (sic), who was credited with the power
of making a statue move and speak and do his will. His disciple once
gave orders which, strictly carried out, resulted in his destruction.
The statue of Vergil once saved an adultress, just as did the golem of
R. L/"/ow.."
And for those who want to _see_ a golem, I suppose a print is available
of the old Harry Baur film. Early 30's. I remember it only because it
was the first foreign film that ever played in out neighborhood. Baur
played the King of Bohemia much as Laughton at about the same time played
Henry VIII. I don't know who or what played the golem.
Norman Miller
(3) --------------------------------------------------------------19----
Date: Fri, 4 May 1990 15:08 IST
From: Marc Bregman <HPUBM@HUJIVM1>
Subject: Re: 3.1324 Notes and Queries (66)
Apropos Sarah Higley's query about Medieval Robots the Jewish legend of
the Golem should be mentioned. There is a great deal of Bibliography on
this but one place to start is Y. Dan's article in Scripta
Hierosolymitana (Annual of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem) 22 (I
think this is the correct volume - - based on memory. If you have
problems finding it please contact me.) which traces the legend from the
biblical story of the Teraphim to the story of the Golem of Prague --
the similarities to Bacon's Talking Head are interesting too.
(4) --------------------------------------------------------------27----
Date: Thu, 3 May 90 17:17 EST
From: <J_CERNY@UNHH>
Subject: telling of the golem story.
For those interested in the current golem discussion, who have NOT read
the story, I've found several versions readily available (I've bought
these books in the last two years, but can't confirm that they are still
in print).
* Gustav Meyrink, 1976, "The Golem," intro. and ed. E.F. Bleiler,
Dover Publications, paper, ISBN 0-486-25025-3. 190 pp. no illus. This
is a reprint of the translation by Madge Pemberton pub. in 1928.
* Elie Wiesel, 1983, "The Golem," trans. Anne Borchardt, illus. Mark
Podwal, Sumit Books, hard, ISBN 0-671-45483-8. 105 pp. very nice illus.
* Isaac Bashevis Singer, 1982, "The Golem," illus. Uri Shulevitz,
Farrar Straus Giroux, hard, ISBN 0-374-32741-6. 85 pp.
Jim Cerny, University of New Hampshire, j_cerny@unhh