A golem is an element of Jewish folklore in which a clay figure is brought to life by magic. According to Ye Olde Wiky-paedia, the first reference for a golem comes from Psalm 139:16 "my unshaped form." Golems have been formed supposedly for defense or menial tasks, a creature made of mud with holy words etched into its forehead or around its neck, which once taken away will reduce the creature to dust. I came across this term in two places: Sherlock and The X-Files. In "Kaddish" an episode in the fourth season of The X-Files, Mulder and Scully investigate mysterious happenings in a Hasidic community, murders that can only be attributed to the golem-esque reincarnation of a dead man. In the first series of Sherlock, "The Great Game" a serial killer - a giant of a man with laptodactylic features and superhuman strength - referred to as a "golem" is a component of Moriarty's web of crime. Great name for a villain, huh?
