In the Black speech, Gûl (BS."Servant, Servants") referred to Wraiths, Shadows or Phantoms created by dark magic and evil spirits under control of the Dark Lord.
Sometimes "Gûl" (in sense of "Slave, Servant" of sorcery or even "Necromancer") was also used to designate mortals who, by some dark magic were able to stretch their natural lifespan, these would become what was known as "Ugûli" in the Black Speech, and were sometimes called "living Gûls" (S."Dannath"), although their status as "alive" was debateable.
From it derived the term "Gúl" (Har.: "Ghoul"),which was common in Harad or southern Middle-Earth.Gúls however were demons, a race of fallen Maiar, who were incorporeal and whose spirits took possession of bodies of dead Hildor (or more seldom Elves or even Orcs). In the Westlands specific types of "Gúls" such as Wight-lords, Gaunt-men or others were better known and the term "Ghoul" in general was not commonly known or used.Instead "Wight" was often used synonymously but was sometimes also applied to normal animated Corpses or spirits of the dead.
Gûls of Note[]
True Gûls:[]
Borthur the Ragman
False or living Gûls[]
Athelwyn Firailian Miruimor Gollum Grima Wormtongue Krûsnak Malezar Maben Urzahil
Creatures of Ghoul-Kind:[]
- Broken Ones
- Dimloki
- Gauntmen
- Gul
- Kergrim
- Lesinavi
- Liches
- mannish-Vampires
- Mewlips
- Nimwaith
- Ringwights
- Zuzarhî
Notes[]
The term "Ghoul" is alien to european mythology and was imported from arabian and persian folklore, where the term refers to evil spirits feeding on corpses or inhabiting graveyards and forsaken places, luring mortals to their realm to cannibalize them.Sometimes they are described as shapeshifting demons or a type of Djinn, sometimes they are mortals, gravediggers or graverobbers, associated with the dead.
These Ghouls much resemble european Kergrim or even Tolkien's Mewlips.
MERP[]
In MERP the term "Ghoul" is often used to categorize creatures that have degenerated under the influence of evil, but have not yet died but stretched their lifespan in an unnatural way.By this definition the degenerated Stoor Gollum is labelled a Hobbit/Ghoul in several MERP Rulebooks.By this definition also other creatures as the Ring-Wights would fall into the "Ghoul" Category as would those evil Sorcerers and Vampires who used foul magic to artificially lengthen their lifespan.On the other Hand "Gul" is used in the MERP Books as a specific Haradaic word for a special class of demonic Undead.
ROLEMASTER[]
In ROLEMASTER the term Ghoul' is commonly used for rotting corpses or specially deformed animated Corpses.The term Living Ghoul is used for beings that have been heavily tainted by the Unlife (in MERP the Ringwights, mannish Vampires, Gollum or Grima Wormtongue could be considered living Ghouls)
Other Systems[]
In the Lotr SBG a specific type of Undead known as Dimloki of Haradwaith are mentioned.