One such legend, recounted in Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, involves a mythical creature of immense power: the shamir. The shamir? What’s that? Imagine a tiny worm, or perhaps a stone, possessing the ability to cut through the hardest substances known to humankind. Diamonds? Granite? Child’s play for the shamir!
But how do you get your hands on something so extraordinary?
According to Asmodeus, the king of demons, who, in this story, is in thrall to Solomon, the shamir wasn't just lying around. Oh no. It was entrusted by God himself to the Angel of the Sea. And that angel? He wasn't handing it out to just anyone. He entrusted it to… a moor-hen. Yes, a bird. But not just any bird. This moor-hen had sworn an oath to protect the shamir with her life.
Why a moor-hen, you ask? Well, the story explains that the moor-hen used the shamir for a vital purpose. She would fly to desolate, uninhabited mountains, use the shamir to split the rocks, and then plant seeds in the cracks. These seeds would then grow, covering the barren landscape with vegetation, making it habitable. A tiny creature, doing monumental work.
So, Solomon, ever the resourceful king, devised a plan. He sent a servant to find the moor-hen's nest and cover it with a piece of glass. When the mother bird returned, she was distraught! She couldn't reach her young. Driven by maternal instinct, she flew off and retrieved the precious shamir, placing it on the glass in an attempt to break through.
That's when the servant sprung his trap. He let out a shout, startling the bird so badly that she dropped the shamir and flew away in a panic. The servant grabbed the coveted prize and brought it back to Solomon.
Success, right? Solomon had the shamir! But here's where the story takes a somber turn. The moor-hen, realizing she had broken her sacred oath to the Angel of the Sea, was so overcome with grief and shame that she… committed suicide.
A pretty heavy ending, right? What are we supposed to take from this?
This legend, found in Legends of the Jews, isn't just a cool story about a magical worm. It’s a poignant exploration of responsibility, the weight of oaths, and the lengths to which creatures will go to fulfill their purpose. It also highlights the cost, sometimes, of achieving even the noblest goals. The shamir helped build the Temple, but at what price? It leaves you pondering the delicate balance between ambition and ethics, doesn't it? And the unexpected heroes, or heroines, who often hold the keys to unlocking the extraordinary. In this case, a seemingly ordinary moor-hen, entrusted with a power that shaped the very landscape.