Al-Ghoul: Devilish Arabian Monster
How a supernatural creature preoccupied the lives of Arabs
Al Ghoul originated in Mesopotamian civilization. The ancient Akkadian demon Gallu passed to the Arabs during their trade activities in Mesopotamia. Since Akkad and Sumer were very close to the Arabian desert, the Bedouins were influenced by the Gallu. This underworld demon was responsible for abducting the vegetation god Damuzi (Tammuz) to the realm of death.
The Arabs were largely responsible for popularizing the Gallu. Over time, it became an integral part of the Arabian culture. It was transformed into a supernatural being that was a source of fear and mystery. Popular tales involving several stories dealing with the Al Ghoul circulated in pre-Islamic Arabia. It was a devilish female creature that resided in the wilderness, changed its form, and inflicted harm on travelers. The Arabs featured the ghoul in their poetry. It was defeated by striking it with a sword. In a popular tale, Omar ibn Al Kattab, who became the second Rahsidun Caliph after Islam, encountered a ghoul while traveling to Syria. After stopping him, the female monster asked: “Ibn al Khattab, where are you heading?” “This is not your concern”, he replied. To frighten him, the ghoul turned its head completely. Knowing the monster’s evil intentions, Omar raised his sword and killed it by striking it between its shoulder and neck.
After Islam, the idea of Al Ghoul continued to preoccupy the lives of Medieval Arabs. The legend spread to the Arab urban areas and became part of the culture there. Ghouls were the demons or enchantresses of genies that hurt human beings by eating or spoiling their food or by frightening travelers when they were in the wilderness. The Abbasid-Iraqi geographer Al Qazwini mentioned that when the devils wanted to eavesdrop on Heaven, God threw meteors at them. Some were burnt, some fell into the sea and later turned into crocodiles, while others dropped onto the ground and changed into ghouls. Abi al Sheikh al Asbahani described the ghoul as a female demon that changed its shape and appeared to travelers in the wilderness to delude and harm them. To avoid their harm, Muslims must recite a verse from the Holy Quran or call for prayer.
Another popular aspect of the ghoul is the belief that it can change shape and form. The Arab geographer Al Masudi mentioned a popular fallacy about the ghoul where many believed it had cloven feet similar to that of a goat. He also noted that the ghoul attracted travelers by setting fire at night so that they lost direction. Arabs also believed the ghouls resided in islands. Al Idrisi mentioned an island of she-ghouls called si’ali where demon creatures that look like women lived. They have long fangs and bright eyes like lightning. The other Arab geographer, Ibn Said al Maghribi, referred to 100 small islands called the Ghoul inhabited by naked black people who spoke an unknown language.
The ghoul was also used in popular Arab proverbs such as: “Uglier than a monkey, uglier than a pig, uglier than a ghoul”. Arab poets described ghouls as ugly-looking women with evil traits. In his verses, Asim ibn Kharwa’ah al Nahshali presented his wife saying:
She is the ghoul and the devil put together…,
Whoever accompanies the ghoul and the devil is depressed,
Even genies seek God’s protection upon seeing her.
Ghouls were mentioned in several Medieval Arabian tales. Al Asbahani narrated the story of Aḥmed al Dabbagh’s father who took a risky road known to be frequented by ghouls. After walking for a few hours, the Arabian man saw a woman wearing a ragged dress lying on a bed above hung lanterns used to illuminate the place. When she saw the man approaching, the woman started calling on him to attract him. When he realized she was a ghoul, he recited the Yasin Chapter (Sura) from the Holy Quran to ward off its evil. As a result, the woman put out her lantern lights and said: “Oh man, what did you do to me?” Hence, he was saved from her harm. In another story by Abu Asid al Sadi, a ghoul appears to Arqam bin Abu Al Arqam during his desert journey. The ghoul was disguised in the form of a woman who kidnaps his son and carries the boy on its back. When the ghoul sees Al Arqam’s friend, it pretends to be the boy’s female attendant. This story shows the deceitful and wicked character of the ghoul.
The tales of the Arabian Nights, also known as the 1001 Nights, feature the ghoul. In the story of Prince Saif al Mulk and Princess Badi’a al Jamal, a ghoul takes a group of men into a cave. They managed to blind his eyes with a hot rod and then kill it with a single stroke of a sword across its waist. According to Arab folk, the ghoul must be stricken only once or else it would not die. At that moment, the ghoul cried out: “O man, if thou desire to slay me, strike me a second stroke!” As the man was about to hit it again, his fellow stopped him, saying: “Smite him not a second time, for he will not die, but will live and destroy us.” In the Fourth Voyage of Al Sindibad of the Sea, Sindbad traveled from Basra (modern-day Iraq) and saw many islands where he swam after his shipwrecked using a plank. On the shore, the Abbasid sailor saw a high building. He walked towards it. Standing near its gate were a group of savage, naked men. These were the “Magian people” and their king was a Ghoul. According to this Arabian tale, whoever came to their island was required to eat a certain kind of food. Sindbad, who could not eat from it, watched other fellows do. Their minds were stupefied. They were then given coconut oil which made them very fat and stupid. The men were roasted and presented to King Ghoul. Sindbad managed to escape after realizing that the Magians ate raw human flesh.
Many Muslim scholars, particularly those belonging to the Al Mutazila (Recluses) school, used rational explanations to negate the existence of the ghoul. The Arab-Mutazilite polymath Al Jahez wrote that men traveling alone in the desert get confused and unfocused. The fear caused by darkness would make them see small things as magnificent. The other reason he offered is the way youths are brought up. Those who grow up with ghoulish stories that were part of their culture would become delusional when they go to the wilderness alone. The dead of the night, the animal cries, and the echoes of the voices cause them to hallucinate. They would then narrate tales that others believe are a reality.
In the Abbasid era, the ghoul stories became a source of chivalry and knighthood. Men pretended they encountered and killed a ghoul to gain fame among naive commoners. Al Jawzi narrates in his book Al Athkiya (The Bright Ones) the story of a brave Arab man called Al Adrra’ who belonged to the Iraqi city of Al Kufa. He heard from the commoners that there was a ghoul on the outskirts of the city. Al Adrra’ decided to personally investigate this matter. He rode his horse at night and suddenly encountered a fiery creature increasing and decreasing in size. After his horse panicked, Al Adrra’ walked and followed the traces of the fire. He went into narrow dark corridors where he caught a person at the end. To his surprise, the brave Arab man found that the fiery was a black slave woman who served a family in Kufa. The woman terrified travelers using a stick, a piece of cloth, and a candle. She moved them and created an illusion of a shining creature that fooled people. The travelers threw their luggage and ran away. The women took their items and used them to survive.
In the 19th century, Western travelers to Arabia documented Bedouin beliefs on ghouls. Sir Richard Burton noted that ghouls have magical powers. They could possess a man’s body and make him mad. The only way to be saved is to practice Islam properly. Today, traveling on foot is still common in parts of Egypt, the Levant, and other Arab countries. The people often spread mysterious stories and oral tales of the dangers they faced. The nature of storytelling in Libya goes back to the Bedouin lifestyle. Stories are usually narrated at night after the audience gathers before bedtime. As in the other Arabian cultures, the ghoul has a strong presence in Libyan folktales. It appears as an impersonation of evil in the form of a man, woman, or dog. The male ghoul, although less common, is depicted in a demonized way as an old, evil man who kidnaps little girls or brides, traps them, then bites their figures to make them bleed.
In modern Libyan stories, the ghoul mostly takes the form of an elderly woman who possesses magical powers to trick people. Many times, this she-ghoul ghoula provides supernatural aid and assists others with heavenly gifts, cures, wisdom, and advice. Thus mirroring the reflection of the contrasting human nature: greed and love, grudge and compassion. In one of the popular Libyan folktales, the house of a widow who lives with her children is haunted by a she-ghoul. As the woman faces the ghoul, she opens her heart and reveals her sorrow that a ghoul killed her husband. The ghoula sympathizes with her, and the next morning, she promises the widow never to disturb her again. In another tale, the ghoula punishes a husband who physically attacks his wife. She asks the husband: “Where do I start?” He responds: “Start with my fingers that pinched my wife, then eat my leg that kicked her”.
In the Egyptian Delta, the dim grey line on the horizon beyond the familiar fields and the grey wall of the desert play a part in the ghoul mystery. The desert is still the scene where Egyptian Bedouin Arabs have supernatural encounters. In one of the most popular Delta tales, the ghoul appears as a bad old woman with magical powers. When little girls are sent to borrow the sieve from her, the ghoul tests them by asking them to comb their hair. Those who obey are rewarded with chains of gold, while the girls who fail in politeness are sent away, garbed in clinging lizards, frogs, and snakes.
Another famous story shows the ghoul taking human form and sucking blood from maidens’ fingers. In those regions, the Arabs say: “The ghoul appeared”. The definite article is used to indicate their familiarity with this particular creature. The ghoul is viewed as a monster that eats humans. Elders still use it to instill fear inside children’s hearts. Even in urban Arab areas, people enjoy the thrill of such travel stories and the belief in the mythical ghoul is widely spread.
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References
- Ahmed Al-Rawi. (2009). The Mythical Goul in Arabic Culture.
- Elnaili, S. (2019). Mythical Gouls as Supernatural Aids: An Analytical Discussion of the Ghoul in Libyan Folktale.
- Padwick, C. E. (1924). Notes on the Jinn and the Ghoul in the Peasant Mind of Lower Egypt.
