Supernatural the book of monsters, demons, spirits and ghouls

Ghoul

Where does the word "ghoul" come from? Before it came to be applied to any random sicko or serial killer, it went all the way back to the medieval Arabic ghul, which meant a kind of demon. Specifically a kind of demon that lived in graveyards and was the offspring of Iblis, a jinn roughly corresponding to Satan (in fact, later known as al-Shaitan). Like other demons, Iblis gets jonesing for human women once in a while-well, all the time-and every time he scores, that's one more ghul in the world. Iblis was allowed to roam the earth, unlike his Judeo-Christian counterpart, because Allah wanted to test people by allowing someone to put wicked ideas into their heads. Which seems like overkill to us, since as far as we've been able to tell, people are more than capable of coming up with wicked ideas on their own.

But "demon" doesn't mean the same thing in this context as it does when we're talking about Christian demonology, either.

We're not going to go all the way into it, but trust us when we say that your average ghoul or revenant, though a serious obstacle to our pursuit of happiness, is not the same kind of demon we mean when we talk about the Yellow-Eyes Son of a Bitch. Ghul also means a kind of desert-dwelling shapeshifter, often assuming the guise of a hyena, that lures travellers off paths so it can eat them. It's especially fond of children and will dig up graves to eat the dead.

Here's a good example, from Histoire curieuse et pittoresque des sorciers, as edited by Fornari:

There lived at Baghdad an aged merchant who had grown wealthy in his business, and who had an only son to whom he was tenderly attached. He resolved to marry him to the daughter of another merchant, a girl of considerable fortune, but without any personal attractions. Abdul-Hassan, the merchant's son, on being shown the portrait of the lady, requested his father to delay the marriage till he could reconcile his mind to it. Instead, however, of doing this, he fell in love with another girl, the daughter of a sage, and he gave his father no peace till he consented to the marriage with the object of his affections. The old man stood out as long as he could, but finding that his son was bent on acquiring the hand of the fair Nadilla, and was equally resolute not to accept the rich and ugly lady, he did what most fathers, under such circumstances, are constrained to do, he acquiesced.

The wedding took place with great pomp and ceremony, and a happy honeymoon ensued, which might have been happier but for one little circumstance which led to very serious consequences.

Abdul-Hassan noticed that his bride quitted the nuptial couch as soon as she thought her husband was asleep, and did not return to it, till an hour before dawn.

Filled with curiosity, Hassan one night feigned sleep, and saw his wife rise and leave the room as usual. He followed cautiously, and saw her enter a cemetery. By the straggling moonbeams he beheld her go into a tomb; he stepped in after her.

The scene within was horrible. A party of ghouls were assembled with the spoils of the graves they had violated, and were feasting on the flesh of the long-buried corpses.

His own wife, who, by the way, never touched supper at home, played no inconsiderable part in the hideous banquet.

As soon as he could safely escape, Abdul-Hassan stole back to his bed.

He said nothing to his bride till next evening when supper was laid, and she declined to eat, then he insisted on her partaking, and when she positively refused, he exclaimed wrathfully, "Yes, you keep your appetite for your feast with the ghouls!" Nadilla was silent, she turned pale and trembled, and without a word sought her bed.

At midnight she rose, fell on her husband with her nails and teeth, tore his throat, and having opened a vein, attempted to suck his blood; but Abdul-Hassan springing to his feet threw her down, and with a blow killed her. She was buried the next day.

Three days after, at midnight, she reappeared, attacked her husband again, and again attempted to suck his blood. He fled from her, and on the morrow opened her tomb, burned her to ashes, and cast them into the Tigris.

The exhuming and burning of a corpse has been one of the standard revenant-disposal measures as long as there have been revenants. Variations spring up-boy, do they spring up-but fire is a standby. We swear by it. Even when we've wasted something by other means, we burn whatever there is to burn, just to make sure.