More Info on GhoulSimilar Undetermined MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
For|other uses of the term "ghoul"|Ghoul (disambiguation)A ghoul is a folkloric monster associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh, often classified as but not necessarily undead . The oldest surviving literature that mention ghouls is likely One Thousand and One Nights . The term is first attested in English in 1786, in William Thomas Beckford|William Beckford 's Orientalism|Orientalist novel Vathek ,cite web|url= http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-ghoul.html |title=Ghoul Facts, information, pictures & #124; Encyclopedia.com articles about Ghoul |publisher=Encyclopedia.com |date= |accessdate=2011-03-23 which describes the ghul of Arabian folklore.
By extension, the word ghoul is also used derogatorily to refer to a person who delights in the macabre , or whose professions are linked directly to death, such as gravedigger s.
Early etymology
Ghoul is from the Arabic ghul , from ghala 'to seize'.cite web|url= http://www.etymonline.com/index.php? search=ghala& searchmode=none |title=Online Etymology Dictionary |publisher=Etymonline.com |date= |accessdate=2011-03-23 Marc Cramer and others believe the term to be etymologically related to Gallu , a Mesopotamian demon.Marc Cramer. http://books.google.com/books? id=fdB-AAAAMAAJ& q=ghoul+galla+sumerian& dq=ghoul+galla+sumerian& hl=en& ei=8erITIzSMIG8lQfnmpXoAQ& sa=X& oi=book_result& ct=result& resnum=4& ved=0CDUQ6AEwAw The devil within. W. H. Allen, 1979. ISBN 0-491-02366-9, ISBN 978-0-491-02366-5cite web|url= http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~caforum/volume8/vol8_article3.html |title=Cultural Analysis, Volume 8, 2009: The Mythical Ghoul in Arabic Culture / Ahmed Al-Rawi |publisher=Socrates.berkeley.edu |date= |accessdate=2011-03-23
In Arabian folklore
In Arabian mythology|ancient Arabian folklore , the ghul (Arabic: literally demon )cite web|title=ghoul|work=Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary|url= http://webster.com/dictionary/ghoul|accessdate=January 22, 2006 dwells in burial grounds and other uninhabited places. The ghul is a devilish type of Genie|jinn believed to be sired by Iblis .cite web|title=ghoul|work=Encyclopędia Britannica|url= http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9036705? query=Ghoul& ct=eb|accessdate=January 22, 2006
The Arabian ghoul is a desert-dwelling, shapeshifter|shape shifting demon that can assume the guise of an animal, especially a hyena . It lures unwary travellers into the desert wastes to slay and devour them. The creature also preys on young children, robs graves, drinks blood, steals coins and eats the dead, taking on the form of the one they previously ate.
In the Arabic language, the female form is given as ghouleh *Muhawi, Ibrahim, and Sharif Kanaana. Speak, Bird, Speak Again : Palestinian Arab Folktales. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1988 and the plural is ghilan . In colloquial Arabic, the term is sometimes used to describe a greedy and/or gluttonous individual.
Other influences
The star Algol takes its name from the definite Arabic term "al-ghul", "the demon".cite web|title=Algol|work=STARS|author=Jim Kaler (Prof. Emeritus of Astronomy, University of Illinois)|accessdate=February 18, 2006|url= http://www.astro.uiuc.edu/~kaler/sow/algol.html
