The golem is a figure shaped from clay or earth and given life by a sacred name or letters inscribed on a rune or scroll, originating in Jewish folklore including the legend of Rabbi Loew of Prague. In tabletop role-playing it is a clay, stone, or iron construct that follows commands without a self — classed not as undead but as a "construct."
The notion that letters can set an object in motion runs directly into our world’s ledger motif, where the written record itself becomes a force.