Ghouls: What are they in Supernatural and real lore
Ghouls were introduced into Supernatural in Season 4 and have been seen a handful of episodes since. Just what are they in the show and how does that lore match the real lore.
In Supernatural Season 4, Episode 19 we met our first ghoul. Well, more like ghouls plural. Two killed Kate and Adam Milligan and took on their forms.
Like all lore in the series, it’s connected to real lore in some way. Ghouls have their place in religious texts and mythology, but how much of the real lore was used for Supernatural? That’s something we’ll look into with this John’s Journal entry.
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In the series, these creatures are scavengers. They live in graveyards, where they get to feed on the blood and flesh of dead people. However, there are times that they’ll live on living blood and flesh.
When they eat people, they are able to become them. Think of them a little like shapeshifters, but the method of killing a ghoul is different. One can only be killed through the complete destruction of its head or by decapitation. To be able to turn back into a person, they will need to have a piece of the person to eat.
Real lore about the supernatural creatures
Ghouls come from Islamic lore and are a subtype of djinn. As you’ll remember, djinns are a type of creature from Supernatural that were linked to the Islamic lore. They fed off humans, putting them into a wish world to do so.
Unlike djinn, ghouls just feed off humans but don’t put them in a wish world. They can feed off the living or the dead. The Supernatural lore takes on the mythology that ghouls aren’t undead (unlike in some modern-day pop culture) but are scavenger demons or monsters.
One thing that isn’t in the lore that the series used is the change of shape and form. That connects more to shifter lore.
Another change is the way the creatures can be killed. In Islamic mythology, the creatures should be killed with one blow to the head. Another blow will bring the creature back to life. The show opted for the pop culture method of killing zombies.
Next. Supernatural lore: The use of astral projection. dark
What did you know about ghouls? Are you surprised at some of the changes or do you love them? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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