Emeth / אמת

The entry combines two separate referents tied by the Hebrew word אמת. In C. S. Lewis's The Last Battle, Emeth is introduced as a young Calormene officer, second in command under Rishda Tarkaan, who objects to the deceit surrounding an impostor presentation of Aslan and ultimately seeks the true deity; his moral sincerity is acknowledged by Aslan in Aslan's Country. Separately, in a retelling of the golem legend attributed in the source to the Kabbalist Elijah Ba'al Shem of Chelm, the Hebrew word אמת is written on a clay man's forehead to bring it to life; the narrative records that erasing the initial letter א (aleph) changes the inscription to מת (death), collapsing the golem.

As a Lewisian character: described in source summaries as a young Calormene officer, second in command of a detachment under Rishda Tarkaan who enters the stable created by Shift and Rishda and later appears in Aslan's Country; the supplied materials give no detailed physical description beyond his role, actions, and cultural identity as a Calormene soldier. As a written formula in the golem legend: the inscription אמת is placed on the forehead of a clay man's form crafted by Rabbi Elijah Ba'al Shem; the clay figure is described simply as a man's form made of clay that 'grows and grows' until the rabbi erases the aleph.

Emeth (Lewis): no supernatural powers are attributed in the source material; his significance is moral and soteriological — his sincerity and virtuous acts performed under the name of Tash are accepted by Aslan. The inscription אמת (golem legend): functions as an activating formula — writing the full word אמת on the clay figure's forehead brings the golem to life; erasing the initial letter א converts the word to מת ('death'), which causes the golem's clay body to collapse. The account emphasizes the performative potency of Hebrew letters rather than agency residing in the word as an independent spirit.