Ghouls

Ghoul is a creature that originates in Middle Eastern folklore, typically described as a graveyard-dwelling demon or spirit that feeds on human flesh. The word derives from the Arabic ghul, a desert demon associated with graves and with cannibalism, and entered Western literature through translations and travelers in the medieval and early modern periods. In traditional stories, ghouls inhabit tombs or desolate places, lure travelers to prey on them, and desecrate graves. They are often depicted as shapeshifters who can assume human form.

In folk belief, ghouls are dangerous but not invincible, and they are commonly portrayed as solitary creatures or as part of a demonic cohort. Some tales cast ghouls more as malevolent spirits or revenants that torment the living, while others emphasize their role as grave robbers who feed on corpses rather than on the living except when provoked.

In modern fiction and games, ghouls are commonly adapted as horror or fantasy creatures. In many role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, ghouls are undead beings whose touch can paralyze and who feed on living or undead flesh. Other settings distinguish between undead ghouls and living or semi-living humans who have become thralls or dependents of vampires, often called ghouls in the World of Darkness and similar works.

Overall, the ghoul has become a flexible mythic trope representing cannibalistic predation and desecration of the dead, appearing across cultures and media as both a supernatural entity and a literary archetype.