The Golem: A Horrific Hero with Feet of Clay

The Golem: A Horrific Hero with Feet of Clay

Date

Oct 26 2014
, 1PM- 2:30PM

 

Sunday, October 26th, 1pm

 

Speaker Dr. Arnold T. Blumberg

 

Free Fall Baltimore Program!

 

 

arnold blumbergThese days, you don’t have to wait for Halloween to find horror – and especially the living dead – in every corner of pop culture. But where are the Jewish zombies? The mythical golem is an artificially constructed, supernaturally animated liminal being caught between life and death, neither and both at the same time. Jewish folklore often features these creatures in stories of injustice and vengeance. The automaton is impelled by belief in God, but a possible danger to its creator as much as its intended victims. Tales of the golem provide a vital link between the more familiar global legends of the living dead and a Jewish tradition that mingles horror with heroism; it’s time for the golem to get a little respect.

DR. ARNOLD T. BLUMBERG is the “Doctor of the Dead,” world-renowned zombie and horror expert, and co-author of Zombiemania (one of the first exhaustive guides to zombie cinema; updated edition Zombiemania Rises forthcoming). Blumberg appears in the documentary Doc of the Dead, on TV, radio, online, and teaches the UB course “Media Genres: Zombies” that garnered worldwide coverage. He contributed to multiple essay collections on zombies, The Walking Dead, and horror. He has presented his “Zombies: Monsters with Meaning” lecture at conventions and symposia, and his podcast Doctor of the Dead (doctorofthedead.com) is on iTunes, YouTube, and other podcast apps. Find him on Twitter @DoctoroftheDead.

Image: “Prague-golem-reproduction” by user Thander. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

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