Ghoul
A ghoul is a (folkloric) monster associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh, often classified as undead. The oldest surviving literature that mention ghouls is likely One Thousand and One Nights.[1] The term was first used in English literature in 1786, in William Beckford's Orientalist novel Vathek,[2] which describes the ghūl of Arabian folklore.
By extension, the word ghoul is also used in a derogatory sense to refer to a person who delights in the macabre, or whose profession is linked directly to death, such as a gravedigger.
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Early etymology [edit]
Ghoul is from the Arabic الغولghul, from ghala "to seize".[3] Marc Cramer and others believe the term to be etymologically related to Gallu, a Mesopotamian demon.[4][5]
In Arabian folklore [edit]
In ancient Arabian folklore, the ghūl (Arabic: literally demon)[6] dwells in burial grounds and other uninhabited places. The ghul is a fiendish type of jinn believed to be sired by Iblis.[7]
A ghul is also a desert-dwelling, shapeshifting, evil demon that can assume the guise of an animal, especially a hyena. It lures unwary people into the desert wastes or abandoned places to slay and devour them. The creature also preys on young children, drinks blood, steals coins, and eats the dead,[6] then taking the form of the person most recently eaten.
In the Arabic language, the female form is given as ghouleh[8] and the plural is ghilan. In colloquial Arabic, the term is sometimes used to describe a greedy or gluttonous individual.
Other influences [edit]
The star Algol takes its name from the definite Arabic term "al-ghūl", "the demon".[9]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "The Story of Sidi-Nouman". Retrieved 2012-07-05.
- ^ "Ghoul Facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Ghoul". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
- ^ "Online Etymology Dictionary". Etymonline.com. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
- ^ Cramer, Marc (1979). The Devil Within. W.H. Allen. ISBN 978-0-491-02366-5.
- ^ "Cultural Analysis, Volume 8, 2009: The Mythical Ghoul in Arabic Culture / Ahmed Al-Rawi". Socrates.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
- ^ a b "ghoul". Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved January 22, 2006.
- ^ "ghoul". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved January 22, 2006.
- ^ *Muhawi, Ibrahim, and Sharif Kanaana (1988). Speak, Bird, Speak Again: Palestinian Arab Folktales. Berkeley: University of California Press.
- ^ Jim Kaler (Prof. Emeritus of Astronomy, University of Illinois). "Algol". STARS. Retrieved February 18, 2006.
