SCULPTURE AND MYTHS

Czech teachers visited the school exhibition "In the name of RUR" in Olomouc to get inspiration for our statues. In book RUR was written by Czech writer Karel Čapek is for the first time use the word ROBOT. The root of this word is connected with Czech expression for tedious boring repeated work. And robots were in this book and later in reality invented to replace people by machines able to think.

There is also a myth about a huge statue made of clay which nowadays we would call a robot. In the time of the myth, this creature was called Golem.

In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being that is created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing. The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late-16th-century rabbi of Prague. 

The Myth of Prague Golem

In the late 16the century, Judah rabbi of Prague called Loew ben Bezalel, alias Maharal, created a golem from clay. He brought his Golem to life through Hebrew rituals to defend the Prague Jewish ghetto from anti-Semitic attacks and pogroms. It was during the rule of Rudolf II the Holy Roman Emperor. The Golem was called Josef and was known as Yossele. It was said that he could make himself invisible and summon spirits from the dead. 

Rabbi Loew deactivated the Golem on Friday evenings by removing the shem before the Sabbath (Saturday) began, so as to let it rest on Sabbath. One Friday evening Rabbi Loew forgot to remove the shem and feared that the Golem would desecrate the Sabbath. A different story tells of a golem that fell in love, and when rejected, became the violent monster seen in most accounts. Some versions have the golem eventually going on a murderous rampage.

The rabbi then managed to pull the shem from his mouth and immobilize him in front of the synagogue, whereupon the golem fell in pieces. The Golem's body was stored in the attic of the Old-New Synagogue, where it would be restored to life again if needed.

According to legend, the body of Rabbi Loew's Golem still lies in the synagogue's attic. When the attic was renovated in 1883, no evidence of the Golem was found.

Some versions of the tale state that the Golem was stolen and entombed in a graveyard in Prague's Žižkov district, where the Žižkov Television Tower now stands. A recent legend tells of a Nazi agent ascending to the synagogue attic during World War II and trying to stab the Golem, but he died instead. The attic is not open to the public.

This is a sculpture of Karel Čapek made from bronze by V. Prezlik and Prague reproduction of the golem.

This statue of Golem was made from polystyrene and was situated in Prague Hemley´s toyshop. A group of Czech pupils who took part in Sokol Slet 2018 visited this place.

Recycled material was used to make these robots in school in Olomouc.

THE SLEEPING KNIGHTS OF BLANIK HILL

Czech team introduced this story during our first LTTA in Poland. you can read more about the story and see some statues in the presentation.

The Blanik Knights.pptx

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