Page 96 - Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Vol. 3

76 Mysterious Creatures

The most famous Golem is “Yossele,” the other animal and serve as a witch’s familiar.
creature said to be created by Judah Loew Ben In many of the transcripts of the European
Bezalel (1525–1609) to help protect the Jews witchcraft trials, the demonic spirit given by
of Prague from the libel that the blood of a the Devil to a witch to do his or her bidding
Christian child was used during the Passover was referred to as an imp.
Seder. There are many accounts of how Yosse- In most of the descriptions of imps given
le saved Jews from reprisals directed against by witches or those theologians who claimed
them by those citizens who had been incited to have exorcised the entities, their appear-
by the anti-Semitic libel. Once the Golem ance apart from the animals they possessed
had served its purpose, the rabbi locked it in was always a solid black in color. Since they
the attic of Prague’s Old-New Synagogue, were creatures without souls sired by the
where it is widely believed that the creature Devil, imps were condemned to be dark shad-
rests to this day. The synagogue survived the ow beings, forever denied the light of God.
widespread destruction directed against Jewish Over the centuries, the meaning of the
places of worship by the Nazis in the 1930s word has lost its satanic implications. When
and early 1940s, and it is said that the Gestapo one speaks of someone having an impish
did not even enter the attic. A statue of Yosse- smile, one is likely to mean that that individ-
le, the Golem of Prague, still stands at the ual has wry sense of humor. To refer to chil-
entrance to the city’s Jewish sector.
dren as “little imps” suggests that they are mis-
chievous, rather than malignant.

M Delving Deeper
THE most famous Golem is “Yossele,” that was Larousse Dictionary of World Folklore. New York:
Larousse, 1995.
allegedly created by Judah Loew Ben Bezalel Michelet, Jules. Satanism and Witchcraft. New York:
(1525–1609) to help protect the Jews of Prague. Citadel Press, 1939, 1960.
Walker, Barbara. The Woman’s Dictionary of Symbols &
Sacred Objects. Edison, N.J.: Castle Books, 1988.

M Delving Deeper
Incubus
“Frankenstein and the Golem.” Jewish Gothic.
According to ancient tradition, there are two
[Online] http://www. jewishgothic.com/golem.html.
main classifications of demons that sexually
Kaplan, Aryeh. Sefer Yetsirah: The Book of Creation in
molest humans—the incubi that assault
Theory and Practice. New York: Samuel Weiser,
women and the succubi that seduce men.
1990.
Both sexual predators are said to have been
Unterman, Alan. Dictionary of Jewish Lore and Legend.
born as a result of Adam’s sexual intercourse
London and New York: Thames and Hudson,
with Lilith, a beautiful demonic entity, often
1991.
said to have been his first wife, or in other tra-
Winkler, Gershon. The Golem of Prague. New York:
ditions, a fantasy wife created to alleviate his
Judaica Press, 1994.
loneliness before the advent of Eve. The incu-
bi were said to seduce unsuspecting women by
Imp
appearing to them in the guise of their hus-
In Old English impe means a young plant bands or lovers, and as one might suspect, the
shoot or a tree sapling. Over the years, the incubi played an important role in the history
word came to refer to smallish entities that of the Inquisition. Even pious nuns appeared
were direct offspring of the Devil and sent before the tribunals, attesting to their afflic-
from hell to do evil deeds to humans on Earth. tion by persistent incubi that tried to persuade
Imps might well be called junior demons, and them to break their vows of chastity. Epi-
one of their principal assignments, according demics of demon possession and erotomania
to Christian authorities, was to disguise them- swept such convents as Loudon, Louviers,
selves as black cats, owls, ravens, or some Auxonne, and Aixen-Provence.

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