Ghouls have haunted our Dreams and Nightmares for centuries. The main origin of Ghouls is believed to come from the Middle East, only because the first writings of Ghouls are mentioned in the Quran. It is thought that in Myths and Folklore that ghouls were once evil Humans or demons who rebelled against Allah. Traditionally in these regions they are evil spirits or Djinns or the lesser version a Jinn.
However, Ghouls have been around for a much longer time than that of what was written, the idea of what was once a human who consumes the flesh of the dead or living, becomes a hideous creature, has been around for a very long time. The horror of one being eaten alive is one thing of a horror we all feel but, to have one's body eaten after death is another. It up turns the thought of our bodies resting in peace. The idea of placing large stones over the graves came about to keep the dead, dead. It was believed covering a grave with large stones or large slabs of stone was to keep ghostly spirit from haunting one. This method was also used to prevent the horrors of Zombies from rising up from the graves, as well as being used to trapping vampires within their graves as well. Other such ideas is that it would prevent grave robbing. So could it also be believed that graves were covered with these large stones or slabs of stones to keep ghouls from digging up loved ones and making off with their bodies for a feast.
Ghouls are believed to have some intelligence about them, not like the Wendigo which craves fresh meat of humans and hunts with only hunger as it's guide and attacks without fear. They are also unlike Zombies that just wonders aimlessly without a real purpose seeking flesh with no awareness of its surroundings. Ghouls can and will wait to eat when it safe for them. They will hunt and trap the living as well. Ghouls with their ability to eat the dead, gives them an added advantage of not being caught so quickly, for not all graveyards are protected with cemetery care takers where many had their residence or homes in the graveyard. This gives the Ghouls the opportunity to go undetected for a very long time for in most cases it would have been believed that graves would have been disturbed by Grave Robbers.
It is by these Myths and Folklore that have Ghouls haunt the cemeteries, hiding in the shadow of darkness of the daytime waiting for the darkness of night to come out to dig up the freshly buried loved ones for their meals. There are some stories of Ghouls wondering the battlefield late at night looking for the dead to carry off and to consume later. This had been believed by some as to the reason why ss many soldiers had gone missing on the battlefield, to never to be heard from or found. There are a few stories of those seeking shelter in empty building from bad weather of running into Ghouls. These travelers explain in their strange tales of how they lost their traveling companions, by franticly escaping the deadly clutches of these Ghouls and not looking back even after hearing the screams of their companions for their help.
Some Myths have that a Ghoul was a wicked evil cruel person who was raised from the dead to walk the earth as a Ghoul for their punishment only allowed to eat the flesh of the dead. Others have it as a transformation of one who eats human flesh that is permanent disfigured and has to hide from the public for their lives. One myth has that a Ghoul cannot be recognized between it or a Human, only after long periods of time in which the ghoul has not eaten does it show, when the Ghoul's skin begins to wither and shrinks, becomes less human like, the only way to fix its situation is to eat. There is some thought that Ghouls may mate creating an offspring. One tale from "A Thousand and One Arbian Nights" of a beautiful woman who spend her days with her husband and hid her nights as a Ghoul from him. had her secret had not been found out could they have had a child. Could this create a Hybrid, half human and half Ghoul, no telling if they could or could not however the story does support the idea that Ghouls are very intelligent.
It is also said from areas of the Middle East that Ghouls are Shapeshifters! That a Ghoul could take on the form of a yet again involving a beautiful young woman to lure wondering lustful men from their travels into her camp, a trap for which other unseen Ghouls wait in hiding to pounce onto their prey, at which the beautiful young woman, the lure that is, changes back to it true form of a hideous Ghoul and joins in on the feast.
It is said, that Ghouls have a longer life span than humans and can die over time by age however, their life span can be cut short however with human weapons. Some tales have it that only one mighty blow of a heavy sword can kill a Ghoul, failure of such a blow would make the Ghoul invincible to additional attacks. While others stories have it that Ghouls are rather tough and it takes many blows to dispatch one. There are no known stories or folklore of the effects it would have of shooting one. There are stories that sunlight can harm and weaken one, as well as harming or weaking a Ghoul by reading from the Quran in Arabic, much like that of a Catholic Preist reading from the Bible in Latin to perform an exorcist.
This my interpretation of Ghouls from the information out there from the world. There are other such creatures out there that fall in line with those of Ghouls But those would be saved for a later time.
I really hope this information helps inspire your gaming ideas for some great surprises for you and your gamers.
Here are photos of my 15mm Ghouls. They are from Splintered Light Miniatures http://www.splinteredlightminis.com/ghandgh.html listed as Ghouls and Ghast. These are the three main poses from a pack of twelve.
Thanks for looking and comments are always welcome.
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