The Jewish occult legend of the Golem – an anthropomorphic defender and servant, created from mud and animated by Hebrew incantations – has roots in the Talmud, predating both stories of robots and Frankenstein’s monster. In a contemporary context, the legend unites the realization of artificial intelligence with humans’ reliance upon and stewardship over the earth. In the Talmud (Sanhedrin 38b), Adam – Biblical guardian of the Garden of Eden – is named as the first golem.