Lore

Lore 298: Almost Alive

January 26, 2026

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  • The history of automata reveals a long-standing human fascination with creating seemingly sentient, self-moving mechanical beings, ranging from ancient mythological concepts to complex 18th-century clockwork marvels. 
  • Many historical automata, despite their appearance of independent intelligence (like the Mechanical Turk or Brazen Heads), were elaborate hoaxes relying on hidden human operators or clever mechanical deception. 
  • The episode explores the uncanny nature of artificial life, contrasting the terrifying, gruesome creations (like the feather-covered Alma Doll or English execution dioramas) with the sophisticated, intellectual feats of automata like the writing and drawing machines. 

Segments

Oscar Kokoschka’s Alma Doll
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(00:01:46)
  • Key Takeaway: Artist Oscar Kokoschka commissioned a life-sized, anatomically correct doll of his former lover, Alma Mahler, which was horrifically constructed from swan pelts and feathers.
  • Summary: Following a tumultuous breakup with Alma Mahler in 1912, Oscar Kokoschka ordered a doll intended to replicate her skin texture, requesting it feel ‘peach-like.’ The puppet maker instead delivered a figure made of swan pelts, described as a feathered, glaring, lady-shaped punching bag. Kokoschka reportedly kept the horrifying doll for years, eventually destroying it after it supposedly cured him of his passion.
Ancient and Early Automata History
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(00:04:53)
  • Key Takeaway: The concept of automata, meaning ‘acting of one’s own will,’ dates back to ancient Greek myths featuring creations by Hephaestus, later realized by Alexandrian scientists using water power.
  • Summary: Legends suggest the first automata were crafted by the god Hephaestus, including golden handmaidens and the bronze sentry Talos. By the 3rd century BCE, Alexandrian scientists built functional devices like water-powered clocks and organs. Hero of Alexandria designed automata to startle non-believers in temples and also invented the world’s first vending machine for holy water.
Medieval and Renaissance Automata
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(00:08:06)
  • Key Takeaway: Automata making flourished in China and the Islamic world before moving to Europe, where they became popular at dinner parties and religious settings during the Renaissance.
  • Summary: Ninth-century Baghdad featured steam-fueled flute-playing automata, and a 10th-century Constantinople ruler had a throne with singing silver birds and roaring lions. By the 13th century, European craftsmen matched this skill, creating clockwork musicians and ambulatory monks for display.
The Mechanical Monk Vow
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(00:10:19)
  • Key Takeaway: King Philip II of Spain commissioned a walking automaton resembling the dead monk Fray Diego as a fulfillment of a miraculous vow made for his son Don Carlos’s recovery.
  • Summary: When Prince Don Carlos survived a severe accident in 1560, King Philip II upheld his promise to God by commissioning a bizarre automaton. This mechanical monk was crafted in the form of the 100-year-old corpse of Fray Diego, featuring silver skin and a snapping jaw. The legend suggests this was the origin of the creepy, existing mechanical monk.
The Writer and The Draftsman
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(00:11:53)
  • Key Takeaway: The Writer and The Draftsman, built in the mid-1700s by watchmakers, were sophisticated automata capable of writing custom text and sketching four distinct, complex images.
  • Summary: The Writer, standing two feet tall, contained a programmable memory allowing it to inscribe up to 40 characters of custom text. Its companion, The Draftsman, could use a mechanical pencil to draw four different scenes, including a portrait of King Louis XV and a drawing of Cupid riding a butterfly-pulled chariot. These creations were intended to be impressive rather than frightening.
Tipu Sultan’s Mechanical Tiger
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(00:13:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Tipu’s Tiger, an automaton built by Indian and French engineers, depicted a gruesome scene of the tiger mauling a British soldier, complete with an internal organ producing roars and screams.
  • Summary: Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysore, used this massive automaton as an intimidating display against the British East India Company. When cranked, the soldier figure would cover his mouth while the tiger roared, accompanied by the sound of the man’s moans from the internal organ. The British took the tiger as a spoil of war, where it became a tourist attraction in London.
Macabre English Automata Dioramas
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(00:14:47)
  • Key Takeaway: English toy makers in the 20th century specialized in creating highly macabre, coin-operated mechanical dioramas depicting grisly scenes like executions and murders.
  • Summary: The Musie Mécanique in San Francisco houses an automaton called ‘An English Execution’ where a hooded figure plummets to his death via a trap door. The Dennison family created scenes such as ‘Murder in the Museum,’ where a gun-toting man kills another before being shot by a detective. The St. Denniston Mortuary display shows four pale corpses on slabs while living figures mourn and work around them.
The Mechanical Turk Chess Hoax
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(00:18:30)
  • Key Takeaway: The Mechanical Turk, famous for defeating many top chess players including Benjamin Franklin, was revealed in 1857 to be a century-long hoax concealing a human chess master inside the cabinet.
  • Summary: Wolfgang von Kempelen presented the Turk in 1770, showcasing its ability to play chess and even sweep pieces off the board when cheated. After touring Europe and the Americas, the machine was eventually destroyed in a Philadelphia museum fire in 1854. Years later, Silas Mitchell confessed that the elaborate clockwork was a facade hiding a human player who operated the figure via levers and magnetic discs.
Roger Bacon’s Exploding Head
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(00:35:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Legend claims medieval polymath Roger Bacon created a ‘brazen head’ automaton, which spoke only seven words—‘Time is, time was, and time is past’—before exploding.
  • Summary: Brazen heads were mythical brass automata said to answer any question, including prophecies, and were mentioned by authors like Cervantes and Hawthorne. Bacon allegedly summoned the devil to help create his head, which required fueling with alchemical plant fumes. After speaking its brief prophecy, the head fell down, followed by fire and an explosion, ending the tale anticlimactically.