The Shamir of Solomon
The Shamir is a tiny creature or worm that splits stone and iron with a glance. Solomon used it to carve the Temple without metal tools, keeping construction pure of war-forged steel.
Story beats
- 1) Solomon seeks to build the Temple but refuses iron, a metal of bloodshed.
- 2) He learns of the Shamir from Asmodeus or a hoopoe bird; the creature can fissure stone with radiant intent.
- 3) Traps of lead and wool capture the Shamir; handlers must keep it damp or its power bursts containers.
- 4) With Shamir paths traced, stones split clean; when work is done, the creature vanishes into myth.
Context & symbolism
Shamir centralizes the tension between sacred building and violent tools. It’s a technology-of-peace—construction without weapons. Lead and wool restraints show that softness and dullness can hold power better than force.
Some versions cast Shamir as a living rune, a word made creature, aligning divine speech with creation.
Motifs
- Tool taboo in holy spaces
- Capturing the agent of creation
- Soft materials containing power
- Creatures that cut stone
Use it in play
- Players must build a sanctum without metal; find or bargain for a Shamir.
- An enemy steals the Shamir to carve living stone weapons; rescue it before the land fractures.
- Transport the Shamir in a lead box lined with moss; keep it moist or risk it exploding free.
- Etch unbreakable wards by letting the Shamir crawl along inscribed paths.
Comparative threads
- Stone-splitting wonders: Moses striking the rock, dwarven crafts that part mountains.
- Peaceful construction: Taboo tools in other temples, tree-resin glues in sacred sites.
Hooks and campaign seeds
- A rival religion wants the Shamir destroyed to prove metal supremacy.
- The Shamir escaped; earthquakes follow its wandering path.
- Carve a prison for a demon—but only the Shamir’s cut will hold it.