Ghoul: Difference between revisions
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The star [[Algol]] takes its name from the definite Arabic term ''[[Algol#Names|Rās al-ghūl]]'', or ''The Demon's Head''.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=40JzBYGREL0C&pg=PA215&dq=algol+star#v=onepage&q=algol%20star%20demon&f=false|page=215|title=Star-Hopping: Your Visa to Viewing the Universe|isbn=9780521598897|author1=Garfinkle|first1=Robert A|date=1997-04-13}}</ref> [[Ra's al Ghul]] is also the name of a major [[Batman]] [[villain]]. |
The star [[Algol]] takes its name from the definite Arabic term ''[[Algol#Names|Rās al-ghūl]]'', or ''The Demon's Head''.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=40JzBYGREL0C&pg=PA215&dq=algol+star#v=onepage&q=algol%20star%20demon&f=false|page=215|title=Star-Hopping: Your Visa to Viewing the Universe|isbn=9780521598897|author1=Garfinkle|first1=Robert A|date=1997-04-13}}</ref> [[Ra's al Ghul]] is also the name of a major [[Batman]] [[villain]]. |
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In the manga and anime [[Tokyo Ghoul]] many characters (including the main character) are ghouls. |
In the manga and anime [[Tokyo Ghoul]] many characters (including the main character) are ghouls. |
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Scooby-doo has faced many ghouls including: The Graveyard Ghoul, The Ship of Ghouls, The Night Ghoul, The Guitar Ghoul, The Ghoul King, Gater Ghoul, The High School Ghoul, and of course the infamous Creeper. |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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Revision as of 02:56, 6 October 2014
A ghoul is a folkloric monster or evil spirit 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 or graverobber.
Early etymology
Ghoul is from the Arabic الغول al-ghūl, from ghala "to seize".[3] The term is etymologically related to Gallu, a Mesopotamian demon.[4][5]
In Arabian folklore
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 jinni believed to be sired by Iblis.[7]
A ghoul is also a desert-dwelling, shapeshifting, 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 .[citation needed] In colloquial Arabic, the term is sometimes used to describe a greedy or gluttonous individual.
Ghouls in popular culture
The star Algol takes its name from the definite Arabic term Rās al-ghūl, or The Demon's Head.[9] Ra's al Ghul is also the name of a major Batman villain. In the manga and anime Tokyo Ghoul many characters (including the main character) are ghouls. Scooby-doo has faced many ghouls including: The Graveyard Ghoul, The Ship of Ghouls, The Night Ghoul, The Guitar Ghoul, The Ghoul King, Gater Ghoul, The High School Ghoul, and of course the infamous Creeper.
See also
References
- ^ "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.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Garfinkle, Robert A (1997-04-13). Star-Hopping: Your Visa to Viewing the Universe. p. 215. ISBN 9780521598897.