Ghul

The Ghul (known more commonly as the Ghoul) is a demonic spirit that craves human flesh (folklore says that the creature is most often female). Spoken of all throughout Muslim folklore, the Ghul haunts the desert, near old battlefields, deserted oases, graveyards, and other remote places where the unwary can be easily attacked. The Ghul who dwells deep within the desert is a shapeshifter, able to assume the shape of various animals and birds. It mostly satisfies its unearthly hunger with the fetid flesh of corpses, but sometimes it will lure travelers into the desert, disguised as a beautiful woman, and once in a secluded spot, they will attack and kill the victim.

The Ghul lures its victims to sleep, slitting their throats with a dagger or smashing their heads in with sharp stones. It also haunts the fringes of the battlefield, coming to the wounded as a nurse or water-bearer.

In other cases, the Ghul is a person who was cursed during life or led a life opposed to God’s laws (usually a prostitute, which explains why this creature is predominantly female) and upon death, rises from the grave as a flesh-eating monster. In such cases, it can haunt an area for generations until a holy man exorcises the area with seven days of prayer to God.