G is for Ghaddar

And we’re back to the Middle East for today’s letter…G is for Ghaddar.

The Ghaddar is one of many pre-Islamic djinn (or jinn) – evil demons that inhabit the earth. While scholars quibble over the details, a few general attributes of the Ghaddar appear: they kidnap and torture their prey, ultimately leaving them alone in the desert.

As the children of Iblis (the devil), Ghaddar are hideous beasts, often depicted as giants. While no one is sure, some seem to think that the creatures are only female. Unlike more alluring female demons (such as the succubus), Ghaddar are horrific and framed to terrify rather than entice. (The image is obviously not of a female demon. Most artists create seductive female demons, so I included this one instead.)

The type of torture they inflict varies from myth to myth. Many stories focus on the Ghaddar eating the genitals of male travelers. No matter the form of torture, they leave their victims alone (sometimes alive, sometimes dead) in the middle of the desert. The creatures, then, serve as a cultural warning about traveling alone, popular in myths from around the world (e.g. Little Red Riding Hood).

If the myth that Ghaddars are women is true, then the moral becomes slightly different. It’s still warning travelers, but about an all-too-real phenomenon – prostitution and sexually transmitted diseases. I’ll let you figure out the link with that for yourself…

Sonia Nimr has taken this myth and re-framed it for children in her book, Ghaddar the Ghoul and Other Palestinian Stories.  Of course, there is no genital eating in this edition.

Sources:
Theresa Bane. Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and Cultures. (2012)