4 myths
Myths, legends, and mystical writings about Shamir from across Jewish tradition.
4 myths on JewishMythology.com retell how Jewish tradition imagines shamir, drawn from the Hebrew Bible, Midrash, Talmud, Kabbalah, and later Jewish literature. Each story below synthesizes primary sources into a single narrative; follow any myth to read it, and from there into the source passages behind it.
God did not scoop a single handful of clay. Each part of Adam's body came from a different corner of the universe, and each part gave him a different sense.
Hezekiah's mother heard what salamander blood could do. She anointed her son before Ahaz carried him to Moloch's fire, and the flames did not touch him.
No iron could touch the Temple stones, so Solomon needed the Shamir worm. Benaiah drained the well where Ashmedai the demon drank and poured in wine.
Solomon binds Ashmedai with the Ineffable Name to get the shamir. After the Temple is built, Ashmedai borrows the royal ring and throws Solomon into exile.
