Simulacrums

Simulacra are all manner of artificial beings imaginable. They are a popular appearance in a wide spectrum of fiction, being as common to fantasy and science fiction as they are to the horror genre.

This article has the following simulacrum types split off into their own articles:
 * Gargoyles
 * Robots

Etymology
The word "simulacrum" is Latin in origin, and means "image" or "likeness". It may be recognizable as the inspiration of the English word "similar". "Simulacrum" has been in use in several European languages since the late sixteenth century to refer to anything that is a depiction or mimicry of another thing. For example, (non-manipulated) photos are simulacra by definition because they always are a depiction of something else, but the likes of paintings and statues can be an original design and thus they aren't necessarily simulacra.

Though the concept and philosophical considerations of what role a copy plays in reality predate the sixteenth century, when the word "simulacrum" came into use in Europe, it was a neutral word. This had changed by the nineteenth century, when the word "simulacrum" was associated with fakeness and inferiority.

It is unknown when the term was first applied to the concept of artificial beings. In relation to the evolution of the term, prior to the nineteenth century simulacra were either readily accepted as equals to natural beings or unchallengedly considered the servants of natural beings. The nineteenth century notion of "fakeness" or what spurned the notion of "fakeness" rubbed off on the role of artificial beings, with the monster of Frankenstein, Pinocchio, Thumbelina, and robots all taking the role of lesser beings that seek to become higher beings; to become "human".

An alternative term for artificial beings is androids, though the latter word is more often thought to apply only to mechanical simulacra. Also, "android" is Ancient Greek and translates to "likeness of a man", meaning it fails as a word to describe those simulacra who are female, non-humanoid, or both.

Simulacra in reality
An important theme in religion and (ancient) people's worldview is the story of how everything and in particular humans came to be. While these stories are fiction, they had and have a profound effect on the way humans looked and look at themselves.

Most religions feature one or more primary gods who either have always been or at one point came forth from some pre-existence chaos. These gods, in turn, created everything else. A common theme in these creation myths is that the gods created humans from non-living material, often mud, clay, or wood. As such, humans of many cultures viewed themselves as inherently artificial beings to the gods, who were inherently natural beings. This idea also played a large role in human acceptance that the gods were their superiors and should be obeyed and appeased to. Depending on the details of the religion, the idea of artificiality was also used to explain and justify hierarchy among humans, such as that the upper class, men, or relevant race/nationality consisted of humans made from better materials, formed with greater care, or created first.

Also depending on the religion was the tolerance for humans taking the role as creators of other creatures. For instance, the golems of Jewish mythology were not always appreciated, and the homunculi were largely seen by the Islamic and Christian religions as a product of magic and therefor of evil.

Simulacra in fiction
With as long and varied a history as simulacra have in fiction, a prudent start is to list and group the significant ones first. The below list orders the simulacra by date as well as possible and assumes the earliest known simulacrum as the starting year. For instance, with living scarecrows, there is a Japanese one that is several centuries older than the one listed, but that scarecrow is not a simulacrum but the chosen form of a god.


 * Ushabtis (ca. 1900 BCE)
 * Automata (ca. 800 BCE)
 * Galatea (prior to 8 CE)
 * Homunculi (prior to 50 CE)
 * Golems (prior to 2nd century)
 * Simigdáli/Pintosmalto (prior to 1634)
 * Monster of Frankenstein (1818)
 * Thumbelina (1835)
 * Living scarecrows (1852)
 * Living dolls (prior to 1855)
 * Gingerbread Man (1875)
 * Snowflake (prior to 1882)
 * Pinocchio (1883)
 * Mechanical robot (1907)
 * Robots R.U.R.-type (1920)

Simulacra in Monster High
The Monster High simulacra are Frankie Stein, her parents, Watzit, HooDude, Robecca Steam, and Captain Penny. It is likely though not confirmed that the De Nile servants are simulacra, and the same goes for the Tiki. How Rochelle Goyle, Roux, and Rockseena came into being is unknown and thus their status as simulacra is uncertain.