Unlike the Golett, who were used primarily for manual labor, Golurk were used from their earliest days as weapons of war. This fact appears to violate the laws of robotics, and many an archaeologist has searched for a way to resolve this paradox.
The motif of the undead soldier, who returns from beyond the grave to bring victory to his or her loved ones or nation, has appeared time and time again in genres of story ranging from mythology to mecha anime, and some have suggested that it was first inspired by the Golurk. According to this theory, Golett and Golurk were true ghosts, not of machines but of those who passed away in the kingdoms which built these pokemon, and were chosen to be revived based on the prestige, loyalty, and skill they had demonstrated in life.
Although stories to that effect do appear extensively in the cities which first built these pokemon, their meaning remains the subject of debate – many see in these tales of Golurk souls not the origin of this myth, but simply another reflection. They claim that restoring particular souls to living bodies, even ghost ones,is a necromancy impossible for humanity, least of all a long-dead civilization whose technology has been greatly supplanted in all fields save robotics in the present day. Instead, they believe Golurk to have been true robots, who simply focused their attacks in warfare on pokemon, who the Laws do not forbid harming.
The archaeological record is inconclusive, and the Golurk themselves prove little more. Although they claim to have been living, ancient warriors once, they have either forgotten, never knew, or been forbidden by their programming to reveal any information which could verify that fact, and many suspect this claim is simply code written to make legends appear real.