The Golem Icon

Got yet another little prop for the shop done today. It's a Golem Icon, you can't see it from this angle (because I was too lazy to turn it around and take another picture apparently) but it has the Hebrew word "emet" (truth) on its back. Why? If you're aware of Golem lore (and in cause you're confused why this looks nothing like the skinny little fellow in Lord of the Rings), the Golem had the word "emet" on its forehead and removing or destroying the first letter left the word "met" meaning death, which would deactivate the Golem.

There's a variety of legends, but some have it that Golems could be reactivated by writing a specific series of letters on parchment and placing the paper in a golem's mouth. In this little fellow's case, the legend has it that a Golem required a heart, in order to prevent some problems encountered with previous carnations of the creatures, which usually ended with them turning on their creators. This one, requiring a heart allows the Golem more freedom and more intelligence - thus making for less Golem Creators deaths.

The Golem Icon, specifically is a deactivated or dead Golem. Once the heart has been removed, the creature shrinks to a harmless size, unable to reinsert a full sized heart it remains deactivated although retaining some measure of its original protective aura - for which Golems are normally created. So it is in effect some minor form of protection against those who would do the bearer harm.

These will be for sale online by mid-April. Although if you're incredibly impatient and simple must have one right now, get in touch at foxhenderson@themonkeyrodeo.com and let me know. This is a prototype and was cast in a grey resin, a coat of black paint was added to darken the details and the overall colour, red was the dry brushed on. The final version will be cast in a red resin and the black added after, darkening it. I'm not sure what the final price will be, but I'm starting around $15. It measures 3 3/4" tall.