Golems vs homunculus in fantasy novels

OP1000

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Hello!!!!
So I am confused on how to golems and homonculi are usually represented in fantasy novels. Could someone explain what makes a golem different from a homonculus? Thank you.
 

LilRora

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Golem is a construct made out of something (usually stone, mud, wood, metals, crystals, sometimes flesh or other things) that is moved using magic. It can be both natural and autonomous or made and controlled by someone.

Homonculus is usually an intricate humanlike doll made out of biological materials that moves using magic. They are not natural, but artificially made, and they often have intelligence, unlike golems.

The distinction between the two will be intelligence, material, or appearance, depending who you ask.
 

Theirl

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Flesh golem are made of corpse... homunculi is artificial life
 

Cipiteca396

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A golem is crafted by an artificer, a magical engineer. They are effectively a robot or machine that's built for a specific purpose. They are usually precoded with a set of commands and then set loose. Sometimes they are summoned wholesale through magic, but usually NOT. Occasionally, they become sentient or even sapient, but that follows the same principle as sentient machines.

A Homunculus is created by an alchemist, a magical chemist. They are living, thinking beings that were created through magic. Artificial Human(or at least Being). Typically, they would be a familiar or assistant to the alchemist, but sometimes they are used as a new body for an ailing mage, or even as a servitor race by a God. Traditionally, they would be small, the size of a fairy, but that image faded away a while ago. Probably because of Full Metal Alchemist.
 

Ai-chan

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Hello!!!!
So I am confused on how to golems and homonculi are usually represented in fantasy novels. Could someone explain what makes a golem different from a homonculus? Thank you.
Golem
A golem is a construct, like a primitive robot. It is created by putting a word of god into an inanimate mud. It has no life nor will, or at least it has no natural life and its will is not backed by sentience. If you program a golem to do something, it will continue to do so until it either breaks or develops sentience. While Japanese pop media would tell about golems who can think on its own, the original golems of Jewish tradition were utilized for single purposes. Adam was traditionally believed in early Hebrew traditions to have been a golem, created not by the hands of God, but either as a mistake by an angel or lovingly by Lilith. In early Hebrew traditions, Lilith's existence predated Adam as she was born out of dust and water in the primordial Earth. Adam was only brought to life through the word of god.

Homunculus
A homunculus is a living creature, made through alchemy. They are no different from a human being except, they have very short lives. Once the magic that moves the homunculus is gone, it 'dies'. A homunculus can be of any shape or size though supposedly the only successful homunculus achieved through alchemy was only the size of a human thumb.

So the difference? Golems are dumb, single minded robots while homunculi are living creatureS with limited lifespan.
 

TheEldritchGod

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No those are undead the golem is dead
The problem with flesh golems is that D&D wanted its Frankenstein monsters. By the rules, Flesh golems shouldn't be. It should be a BONE golem, but, we got to have the stitched together corpse powered by lightning.
 

ConansWitchBaby

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To add for homunculi: no souls. Don't give them souls at all or else they are just chimeras.
 

K5Rakitan

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I can't think of a homonculus without thinking of this image from my psychology textbooks. Uncensored, of course.

 
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