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Ghoul

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As a kind of devilish genie, the ghoul was part of beliefs held by Arabs long before the advent of Islam and was a perceived reality for most people living in Arabia. This paper discusses the nature of the ghoul as depicted in various Arabic sources from the eighth century onward. Throughout different historical and religious periods, the character of the ghoul remained the same, being represented as an ugly human-like monster that dwelt in the desert and secluded locations, in order to delude travelers by lighting a fire and thus leading them astray. In some cases, this creature was said to have killed travelers. However, when Antoine Galland translated the Arabian Nights into French in the eighteenth century, some features were added to the ghoul in order to intensify its fearful characteristics. For example, Galland emphasized that the ghoul used to dig graves and eat corpses if it needed food, an idea that was never mentioned in any of the Arabic sources. Accordingly, numerous English writers followed Galland’s description and further fantasied in their works about the viciousness of this creature.

Additional information

[1] Westermarck also noticed that Arabs in Morocco believed that genies have “no fixed forms, but may assume almost any shape they like. They appear now as men, and now as goats, cats, dogs, donkeys, tortoises, snakes, or other animals, now as monsters with the body of a man and the legs of a donkey, now in other shapes, sometimes, for instance, with seven heads” (1899, 253).

[2] al–Qazwīnī gives the same description but calls this devilish creature “Ghaddār” (“perfidious”) (1980, 237), and Robert Irwin calls this kind of creature a “homosexual ghoul” (2004, 206).

[3] According to the Al-Mawrid Dictionary: Arabic/English, the word “si‘alwah” is translated from Arabic into English as “ogress,” because the latter has no equivalence in Arabic (al-Ba‘labakī 2006, 630); therefore, ogre and ghoul are used interchangeably by some writers.

[4] The term “Sidi,” which means “my master” or “Sir,” is used exclusively by the Arabs residing in North Africa, particularly in Morocco and Algeria, to show respect. Hence, this story was clearly written in one of the Arab countries in North Africa.

[5] Other additions to the ghoul’s description include Anthony S. Mercatante’s reversal of Galland’s account: “Ghouls eat corpses of young children, often taking bodies from graves. If no graveyard is available, they will pursue live victims” (Mercatante 1988, 275). Other mistakes are also made by some writers such as Ulrich Marzolph, who mentions in The Arabian Nights Encyclopedia that ghouls are giant creatures: “The “ghoul is a giant cannibal jinnî …” (2004, vol. 2, 535). In fact, this “giant” creature referred to by Marzolph resembles the European ogre rather than the Arabic ghoul.

[6] As far as I am aware, there appears to be only one—possibly doubtful—reference to male ghouls residing in graveyards and devouring corpses. This occurs in Hasan M. El-Shamy’s major work on the classification of international folktales in the Arab world. El-Shamy includes motif G20.0.2§ (Necrophagus Persons: eaters of dead bodies), in the “motif-spectrum” of tale-type 366A§, Cadaver (Corpse) Reclaims its Canabalized Organs from A Ghoul (Necrophagous Persons), in this work. However, it is not clear from the work whether the tale refers to male or female necrophagous persons. Furthermore, the tale was documented by El-Shamy in Brooklyn, New York, in June 1961, rather than in the Arab world (El-Shamy 2004, 183). As full source details and the content of the tale itself do not appear to be available at this point, the import of the reference must remain unclear until further research on the matter can be carried out.

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For other uses, see Ghoul (disambiguation).

“Amine Discovered with the Goule”, from the story of Sidi Nouman, of the One Thousand and One Nights

Ghoul (Arabic: غول‎, ghūl) is a demon or monster originating in pre-Islamic Arabian religion[1] associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh. In modern fiction, the term has often been used for a certain kind of undead monster.

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[edit]

Ghoul is from the Arabic غُول ghūl, from غَالَ ghāla, “to seize”.[2] In Arabic, the term is also sometimes used to describe a greedy or gluttonous individual.

The term was first used in English literature in 1786, in William Beckford‘s Orientalist novel Vathek,[3] which describes the ghūl of Arabic folklore. This definition of the ghoul has persisted until modern times, with ghouls appearing in popular culture.[4]

Folklore[edit]

Ghouls gathering for combat in a Persian poem

In the Arabic folklore, the ghul is said to dwell in cemeteries and other uninhabited places. A male ghoul is referred to as ghul while the female is called ghulah.[5] A source[who?] identified the Arabic ghoul as a female creature who is sometimes called Mother Ghoul (ʾUmm Ghulah) or a relational term such as Aunt Ghoul.[6] She is portrayed in many tales luring hapless characters, who are usually men, into her home where she can eat them.[6]

Some state[who?] that a ghoul is 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,[7] then taking the form of the person most recently eaten. One of the narratives identified a ghoul named Ghul-e Biyaban, a particularly monstrous character believed to be inhabiting the wilderness of Afghanistan and Iran.[8]

It was not until Antoine Galland translated One Thousand and One Nights into French that the western idea of ghoul was introduced into European society. Galland depicted the ghoul as a monstrous creature that dwelled in cemeteries, feasting upon corpses.

Ghouls (Persian: غول‎) were also adopted into Iranian folklore.

Islamic theology[edit]

Although not part of Islamic scriptures, some exegete of the Quran report an account of the origin of Ghouls. According to one report, the shayatin (devils) once had access to the heavens, where they eavesdropped and returned to Earth to pass hidden knowledge to the soothsayers. When Jesus was born, three heavenly spheres were forbidden to them. With the arrival of Muhammad the other four were forbidden. The Marid among the shayatin continued to rise to the heavens, but were burned by the comets. If the comets didn’t burn them to death, they were deformed and driven to insanity, they then fell to the deserts and were doomed to roam the earth as Ghouls.[9]

Others believed the ghoul to be a type of jinn, who could be converted to Islam, if someone recites the Verse of the Throne.[10]

A water deity is a deity in mythology associated with water or various bodies of water. Water deities are common in mythology and were usually more important among civilizations in which the sea or ocean, or a great river was more important. Another important focus of worship of water deities has been springs or holy wells.

As a form of animal worship, whales and snakes (hence dragons) have been regarded as godly deities throughout the world (other animals are such as turtles, fish, crabs, and sharks). In Asian lore, whales and dragons sometimes have connections.[1] Serpents are also common as a symbol or as serpentine deities, sharing many similarities with dragons.

Ainu mythology[edit]

Armenian mythology[edit]

  • Anahi ta, the divinity of “the Waters” (Aban) and associated with fertility, healing, and wisdom
  • Astghik, goddess of water sources
  • Tsovinar, goddess of seas and storms

Australian aboriginal mythology[edit]

Aztec mythology[edit]

  • Atlaua, god of water, archers, and fishermen
  • Chalchiuhtlicue, goddess of water, lakes, rivers, seas, streams, horizontal waters, storms, and baptism
  • Opochtli, god of fishing and birdcatchers
  • Tlāloc, god of water, fertility, and rain
  • Tlaloque, a group of rain, water, and mountain gods

Benin mythology[edit]

  • Ezili, goddess of sweet water, beauty, and love

Canaanite mythology[edit]

Celtic mythology[edit]

Chinese mythology[edit]

Chinese sea goddess Mazu

  • Ehuang & Nuying, goddesses of the Xiang River
  • Gonggong, red-haired dragon with the head of a man and water god who, together with his associate Xiang Yao, is responsible for the great floods
  • Hebo, god of the Yellow River
  • Longmu, goddess of the Xijiang River in the Lingnan area
  • Mazu, goddess of the sea and protector of seafarers
  • Tam Kung, sea deity worshiped in Hong Kong and Macau with the ability to forecast weather

Honorable Kings of the Water Immortals (Shuixian Zunwang)

Dragon Kings of the Four Seas

  • Ao Kuang, Dragon King of the Eastern Sea
  • Ao Qin, Dragon King of the Southern Sea
  • Ao Run, Dragon King of the Western Sea
  • Ao Shun, Dragon King of the Northern Sea

Dogon mythology[edit]

  • Nommos, amphibious spirits that are worshiped as ancestors

Egyptian mythology[edit]

  • Anuket, goddess of the Nile and nourisher of the fields
  • Hapi, god of the annual flooding of the Nile
  • Khnum, god of the Nile
  • Nephthys, goddess of rivers, death, mourning, the dead and night
  • Nu, uncreated god, personification of the primordial waters
  • Osiris, god of the dead and afterlife; originally god of water and vegetation
  • Satet, goddess of the Nile River’s floods
  • Sobek, god of the Nile river, depicted as a crocodile or a man with the head of a crocodile
  • Tefnut, goddess of water, moisture and fertility

Fon/Ewe mythology[edit]

Fijian mythology[edit]

Finnish mythology[edit]

  • Ahti, god of the depths and fish
  • Iku-Turso, a malevolent sea monster
  • Vedenemo, a goddess of water
  • Vellamo, the wife of Ahti, goddess of the sea, lakes and storms.

Greek mythology[edit]

Main article: Greek sea gods
  • Achelous, Greek river god
  • Aegaeon, god of violent sea storms and ally of the Titans
  • Alpheus, river god in Arcadia
  • Amphitrite, sea goddess and consort of Poseidon and thus queen of the sea
  • Anapos, water god of eastern Sicily
  • Brizo, goddess of sailors
  • Carcinus, a giant crab who allied itself with the Hydra against Heracles. When it died, Hera placed it in the sky as the constellation Cancer
  • Ceto, goddess of the dangers of the ocean and of sea monsters
  • Charybdis, a sea monster and spirit of whirlpools and the tide
  • Cymopoleia, a daughter of Poseidon and goddess of giant storm waves
  • Doris, goddess of the sea’s bounty and wife of Nereus
  • Eidothea, prophetic sea nymph and daughter of Proteus
  • Electra, an Oceanid, consort of Thaumas
  • Eurybia, goddess of the mastery of the seas
  • Galene (Γαλήνη), goddess of calm seas
  • Glaucus, the fisherman’s sea god
  • Gorgons, three monstrous sea spirits
  • The Graeae, three ancient sea spirits who personified the white foam of the sea; they shared one eye and one tooth between them
  • Hippocampi, the horses of the sea
  • The Ichthyocentaurs, a pair of centaurine sea-gods with the upper bodies of men, the lower fore-parts of horses, ending in the serpentine tails of fish
  • Leucothea, a sea goddess who aided sailors in distress
  • Nerites, watery consort of Aphrodite and/or beloved of Poseidon
  • Nereus, the old man of the sea, and the god of the sea’s rich bounty of fish
  • Nymphs
  • Oceanus, Titan god of the Earth-encircling river Okeanos, the font of all the Earth’s fresh-water
  • Palaemon, a young sea god who aided sailors in distress
  • Phorcys, god of the hidden dangers of the deep
  • Pontus, primeval god of the sea, father of the fish and other sea creatures
  • Poseidon, Olympian god of the sea and king of the sea gods; also god of flood, drought, earthquakes, and horses. His Roman equivalent is Neptune.
  • Potamoi, deities of rivers, fathers of Naiads, brothers of the Oceanids, and as such, the sons of Oceanus and Tethys.
  • Proteus, a shape-shifting, prophetic old sea god, and the herdsman of Poseidon’s seals
  • Psamathe, goddess of sand beaches
  • Scylla, a sea monster, later authors made up a backstory of her being a Nereid transformed into a monster due to Circe’s jealousy
  • The Telchines, sea spirits native to the island of Rhodes; the gods killed them when they turned to evil magic
  • Tethys, Titan goddess of the sources fresh-water, and the mother of the rivers (Potamoi), springs, streams, fountains and clouds
  • Thalassa, primordial goddess of the sea
  • Thaumas, god of the wonders of the sea and father of the Harpies and the rainbow goddess Iris
  • Thetis, leader of the Nereids who presided over the spawning of marine life in the sea, mother of Achilles
  • Triteia, daughter of Triton and companion of Ares
  • Triton, fish-tailed son and herald of Poseidon
  • Tritones, fish-tailed spirits in Poseidon’s retinue

Hawaiian mythology[edit]

Hittite mythology[edit]

Hindu/Vedic mythology[edit]

Varuna, the Lord of the All the Water Bodies

Matsya, the Fish Avatar of Vishnu

Incan mythology[edit]

  • Pariacaca, god of water and rainstorms
  • Paricia, god who sent a flood to kill humans who did not respect him adequately

Indonesian mythology[edit]

Inuit mythology[edit]

  • Aipaloovik, an evil sea god associated with death and destruction
  • Alignak, a lunar deity and god of weather, water, tides, eclipses, and earthquakes
  • Arnapkapfaaluk, a fearsome sea goddess
  • Idliragijenget, god of the ocean
  • Nootaikok, god who presided over icebergs and glaciers
  • Sedna, goddess of the sea and its creatures

Japanese mythology[edit]

See also: List of legendary creatures from Japan

Jewish[edit]

Korean mythology[edit]

  • Imoogi or Imugi, giant serpents of Korean folklore which later become true dragons
  • King Munmu, a king who wished to become a dragon before his death to protect Korea from the East Sea
  • Dragon King, an undersea deity believed to determine the fortunes of fishermen and sailors

Lithuanian mythology[edit]

  • Bangpūtys, god of sea and storm
  • Laumė, goddess of wild spaces, including waters

Luganda mythology[edit]

Lusitanian mythology[edit]

Māori mythology[edit]

Mayan mythology[edit]

Mesopotamian mythology[edit]

  • Abzu, god of fresh water, father of all other gods
  • Enbilulu, god of rivers and canals
  • Enki, god of water and of the river Tigris
  • Marduk, god associated with water, vegetation, judgment, and magic
  • Nammu, goddess of the primeval sea
  • Nanshe, goddess of the Persian Gulf, social justice, prophecy, fertility and fishing
  • Sirsir, god of mariners and boatmen
  • Tiamat, goddess of salt water and chaos, also mother of all gods

Norse/Germanic mythology[edit]

  • Ægir, personification of the sea
  • Freyr, god of rain, sunlight, fertility, life, and summer
  • Nehalennia, goddess of the North Sea
  • Nerthus, mostly an earth goddess, but is also associated with lakes, springs, and holy waters
  • Nine Daughters of Ægir, who personify the characteristics of waves
  • Nix, water spirits who usually appear in human form
  • Njord, god of the sea, particularly of seafaring
  • Rán, sea goddess of death who collects the drowned in a net, wife of Ægir
  • Sága, wisdom goddess who lives near water and pours Odin a drink when he visits
  • Tiddy Mun, a bog deity once worshiped in Lincolnshire, England who had the ability to control floods

Ossetian mythology[edit]

Persian/Zoroastrian mythology[edit]

  • Ahurani, Ahurani is a water goddess from ancient Persian mythology who watches over rainfall as well as standing water
  • Anahita, the divinity of “the Waters” (Aban) and associated with fertility, healing, and wisdom
  • Apam Napat, the divinity of rain and the maintainer of order
  • Haurvatat, the Amesha Spenta associated with water, prosperity, and health in post-Gathic Zoroastrianism
  • Tishtrya, Zoroastrian benevolent divinity associated with life-bringing rainfall and fertility

Philippine mythology[edit]

Roman mythology[edit]

Slavic mythology[edit]

  • Kostroma, goddess of fertility. After discovering that her husband, Kupala, is her brother, she jumped into the forest lake (in other legends into the river Ra). After her death she became a mavka (or rusalka).
  • Mati-syra-zemla, moist mother, also the earth goddess
  • Mokosh, moistness, lady of waters, goddess of moisture
  • Morskoi, the god and king of the sea
  • Rusalki, female ghosts, water nymphs, succubi or mermaid-like demons that dwell in waterways.
  • Veles, god of earth, waters, and the underworld
  • Vodyanoi, water demon who lived in lakes and rivers

Samoan mythology[edit]

Island Nations mythology[edit]

Taíno mythology[edit]

Tonga mythology[edit]

  • Nyami Nyami, a river spirit of the BaTonga of Zambia and Zimbabwe

Turkic mythology[edit]

Vietnamese mythology[edit]

  • Lạc Long Quân, legendary ancestor of Vietnamese people.
  • Cá Ông (Vietnamese name for blue whales, also dolphins and whale sharks in some cases), king of the sea and patron of fishermen.

Western European mythology[edit]

Yoruba mythology[edit]

  • Oshun, a river orisha
  • Olokun, an ocean orisha
  • Yemoja, a river orisha and ocean orisha as well in new world Yoruba religions

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