Golem

Golem
Season(s)	8
Species	Construct
Status	Active
Affiliation	Isaac Bass † (ex-owner) Aaron Bass (current owner)
Portrayed by	John DeSantis

“	Yifalchunbee! (Take Charge!)	”
	— The Golem to Aaron Bass in Everybody Hates Hitler

A Golem is a supernatural being of clay, made and given life to obey a rabbi. It was created to protect the Jewish people in times of war or genocide, one in specific was made in the ghetto of Vitsyebsk. They are usually under the employ of Rabbis, or the descendant of the Rabbis, that animated them.

Characteristics

One golem was created and was under the employ of the Judah Initiative, a group of rabbis fighting a secret war against the Thules. It is sentient and is capable of speech, and is keen on voicing opinions. However, its actions are generally limited, depending on the orders of the rabbi it was bound to.

Golems are typically aggressive and brutal, built for war and protection. Despite this they will not kill without order, and are capable of understanding what is good, as seen when one acknowledged both Dean and Sam to be allies, after learning that they descended from the Men of Letters.

A golem has a bulky physique and a huge build; it is also very heavy, as every step it took creates an audible thudding sound from where it stood. It is far larger than even tall full-grown men, such as Sam Winchester.

The Scroll inside the Golem.

The golem has a scroll on its mouth where its owner would write his name. Upon doing so, the rabbi would gain complete control of the golem. Ownership over the Golem is passed on, by inheritance, to the next master (usually a relative of the previous master), but if that person fails to have his or her name written on the scroll that animates the Golem, then the Golem will still remain (somewhat) loyal to its new master, though magic can be used to usurp ownership by forcibly taking the scroll from the Golem and the caster having their name written instead. Once written, the scroll must then be returned inside of the Golem, and only then will it acknowledge its new master. When ownership of the golem is contested or when the scroll is removed, the golem is incapacitated.

Instead of blood, a golem leaves behind bits of clay when it is damaged.

History

In 1944, the Judah Initiative constructed a Golem in the ghettos of Vitsyebsk to combat the Thule. The Golem assaulted the Thule headquarters in Vitsyebsk, slaughtering numerous German soldiers and a large chunk of the Thule membership. The Thule leader, Eckhart manages to escape the Golem using the Cloaking Flame spell, losing the Ledger of the Thules in the process.

Over the next seventy years, the Golem falls under the command of various Judah members, eventually ending up in the care of Rabbi Isaac Bass, the last surviving member of the Judah Initiative. Rabbi Bass grooms his grandson Aaron to take control of the Golem once he's gone, but Aaron never takes it seriously and smokes the instruction manual for the Golem.

Season 8

Following the death of Rabbi Bass, the Golem fell into the possession of Aaron who lacked the knowledge of how to take full control of him due to the loss of the instruction manual. The Golem was greatly frustrated with Aaron's inability to truly command him but still served Aaron anyway, aiding him in his investigation into the murder of his grandfather.

While investigating the death of Rabbi Bass, the Golem and Aaron met the Winchesters who offered to store the Golem in the Men of Letters bunker for Aaron who had no real desire to have control of the Golem. The group comes into conflict with the Thule, whose member Torvald nearly kills Aaron and Sam Winchester with a dart spell. The Golem kills Torvald and breaks the spell, but four Thule, led by Eckhart, arrive to retrieve the ledger. Eckhart is able to stop the Golem with a binding spell and explains to Aaron how to take true control of him. Eventually, the Winchesters kill Eckhart and two other Thule, but Heintz escapes while using Aaron and the Golem as shields.

After disposing of the bodies of the Thule members, Aaron decides to take up the role of a Judah member and to this end, he finally takes full control of the Golem who acknowledges Aaron's control over him.

Season 12

In 2016, the Winchesters contact Aaron about possible Thule activity. Aaron tells them that he and the Golem have been using the names listed in the Thule ledger to hunt down all of the Thule. According to Aaron, they have killed half of the Thule with Aaron killing six and the Golem killing the rest.

Powers and Abilities

• Super strength - A Golem has enough strength to easily overpower and snap a human's neck, or rip it from the body. It can throw a full-grown man a few feet into the air, and can easily smash through walls.
• Invulnerability - A Golem is not affected by conventional human weapons such as guns or knives. It is also unaffected by magically imbued poisonous darts.
• Immortality - Not being an actual being, it doesn't age or die by conventional methods.
• Super stamina - Golems do not tire or stop unless commanded so by their rabbi.

Weaknesses

The clay left when the Golem is damaged.

• Binding - A certain binding spell is capable of incapacitating it for an indefinite length of time.
• Scroll Removal - Removal of the scroll in its mouth, as well as contesting its ownership, will incapacitate the golem until the scroll is returned.

Appearances

• Season 8
  • Everybody Hates Hitler
• Season 12
  • The One You've Been Waiting For (mentioned only)
• The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls (non canon, mentioned only)

Trivia

• In the beginning scene of the episode, when the golem attacks the Nazi compound, the Wilhelm scream is played in the background.
• The idea of a "golem," a manipulable soldier made out of magically animated mud or clay created to protect Jews during pogroms or other times of antisemitism, actually is a part of European-Jewish folklore and mythology. The earliest-known written description of a golem's creation dates from the late 1100s or early 1200s. The most famous version of the golem myth comes from 16th-Century Prague, where a Rabbi named Judah Loew ben Bezalel was fabled to have created a golem to protect Prague's Jews from pogroms.
• John DeSantis, the actor that portrays the Golem also portrayed Freeman Daggett in Season 3, the Scarecrow in "Fan Fiction" and Moloch in "The Memory Remains".