One of the many things I love about Prague is its legends and ghost stories. My favorite among those stories is a little gem that comes out of the Josefov section of Prague One: The Golem.
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| This statue is just outside the entrance to the Jewish Quarter (Josefov). Photo courtesy of the Prague Post. |
In this story, a rabbi makes a golem out of clay to defend the Jewish people in Praha from evil and oppression The golem even performs various tasks for the people, because of its great strength. The golem is powered by a small scroll that is inserted into its mouth. Other accounts have the golem being powered by a word carved into its forehead.
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| This Golem patrols the streets of Josefov today. He enjoys taking donations in exchange for pictures of him. |
But something goes horribly wrong, and the creature begins attacking its own people. The rabbi is forced to deactivate the creature because it has gotten out of control. The scroll is removed from the golem and it is rendered motionless. (There are varying accounts on how the golem was deactivated, depending on who tells you the story.)
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| The Old-New Synagogue |
So what happened to the golem? Accounts differ, but the most popular one is that the golem is housed in the Attic of the Staronova Synagoga (Old-New Synagogue). Legend says that if you enter the attic and look upon the golem, you'll die.
There are many more amazing stories in this city we call home, such as the poker playing ghost that simply can't lose, a headless Templar Knight, and a skeleton that begs drunk people for money just after dusk. Look them up if you get a chance!
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So . . . have you been up to the attic to see if it is true?
ReplyDeleteIt's off limits! They even had the stairs that lead up there removed.
ReplyDeleteAlthough they say that in the 80s an archaeological team examined the attic and found nothing. But that is just what they want you to believe.