Graveyard Ettiquette

The ghoul, a feral creature that calls graveyards and crypts home has existed since the early 1000’s present within Arabian folklore. Known first as a shapeshifting demon that commonly took the guise of a hyena like creature the characteristics of ghoul’s have changed drastically over time as an example Lovecraft’s version of the ghoul is commonly described as a white or green skinned humanoid with an elongated muzzle, pointed ears, and clawed feet and hands.

Just the appearance itself is by no means a sure ticket into becoming a monster but rather the combination of personality that goes along with its looks. To me the scariest thing about ghouls is the fact that they are capable of thought and primal decision making. The ghoul is known to have the intelligence of a feral beast or possibly a small child depending on what tale is looked at. To me this heightens the danger of the ghoul as a feral animal behaves in unpredictable patterns that could harm or completely ignore an individual's presence. People always have had a fear of the unknown and we constantly seek understanding not just in the world but in the behaviors of ourselves and of animal species in general. Going back through history animals becoming increasingly less dangerous or at least controllable the more we learn about them. The fact that ghouls have instincts and act on urges is terrifying as there is no way for us to develop the knowledge we have with those we can animals rather than monsters.

Moving on, the first thesis discusses monsters and their relation to crossroads or specific points in a person’s or culture’s existence. Undeniably the most heavily focused point of humankind's life has been death itself. Ghouls are linked heavily with graveyards and crypts, resting places of the deceased. Within these confines ghouls defile the resting places of the dead and feast upon their flesh as their preferred form of nourishment. Amongst common beliefs passed down through the generations the defilement of the dead is a surefire way to upset the balance and cause chaos and unease throughout a civilization. In fact the word ghoul has found use as a derogatory term used to describe a person’s profession that is linked with death for example a graverobber. Ghouls not only represent the unease and fear surrounding the act of defiling the dead but also serve as a threat to those who would go tampering around in crypts at night.

Entire cultures have sprung up around the uncertainty that is death and the afterlife so is it really a surprise that the fear and uncertainty surrounding death gives birth to not just ghouls but many monsters?