Ghoul

The Ghoul is an enemy in the Castlevania series. It is a foul being that rose from the grave to feed on the flesh of the dead.
==Origins==
A ghoul is a monster or evil spirit in Arabic mythology, associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh. The term was first used in English literature in 1786, in William Beckford's novel Vathek, which describes the ghūl of Arabic folklore. In modern fiction, the term has often been used for a certain kind of undead monster. By extension, the word "ghoul" is also used in a derogatory sense to refer to a person who delights in the macabre, or whose profession is linked directly to death, such as a gravedigger or graverobber.
Originating around the eighth century AD, a ghoul is a mythical creature often described as hideous human-like monster that dwelt in the desert or other secluded locations in order to lure travelers astray. It was not until Antoine Galland translated Arabian Nights into French that the western idea of ghoul was introduced. Galland depicted the ghoul as a monstrous creature that dwelled in cemeteries, feasting upon corpses.
==Description==
Ghouls are human-like creatures who feed off of corpses. In some games, these are undead beings risen from the grave. In others, such as those in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, they are living beings, descended from humans who have turned into monsters after generations of living off of rotten flesh. In others, they are even referred to as being spirits.
They are similar to Zombies and often appear as more powerful versions of these.
==Appearances==
===Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow===
In this game, Ghouls act and behave just like Zombies. However, they are stronger and have more health, so when first encountered, Soma will usually have to land several hits to kill them. As their weaker counterparts, they keep rising in endless hordes from the ground to march against him. They have no offensive attacks.
On the "Hard" difficulty setting, ghouls move faster and will poison Soma upon contact.
===Castlevania: Curse of Darkness===
Ghouls, like their Zombie counterparts, come in groups or dig out from the ground at determined spots in a room. They are first and mainly found in Cordova Town. Like Zombies, they can vomit a harmful substance and stand on the puddle until it dries up, making them harder to reach. Casting a ranged ability from an Innocent Devil is useful to quickly get rid of them when they are in this state. They also have a nasty grab attack where they restrain the player for a while and start biting on them, which can traduce in big cumulative damage if the player doesn't quickly break free from it. Additionally, when attacking, they sometimes can tank through the player's attacks without staggering, almost ensuring connecting the hit. As such, it's advisable to always try to attack them from behind.
They open their stealing window when they raise their arms to attack, and have a chance to drop the White Steel material, which opens up the next main series of possible combinations in the "Combine" menu.
Since the first Ghouls encountered in the game are already at Level 26 and come in large groups, they are an excellent source to make a Phoenix learn the Big Bang ability, which can only be learned by defeating enemies that are above Level 25.
===Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin===
There's a stronger variant of the normal Ghoul, called the Ghoul King, that glows with a dark aura and that advances at great speed, and thus it's much more difficult to kill. It only appears in certain ghoul-infested rooms in 13th Street, and spawns after a certain period of time has elapsed, sharing this particularity with the Wight and Zombies.
Finding and defeating the Ghoul King is required in order to complete Wind's quest: "Defeat the Ghoul King". Travel to the 13th Street and look for a certain room infested by ghouls. Fend them off, preferably by staying on one side of the room in order to make the king appear on the other end and have more time to kill it once he finally appears. One method to defeat him easily is by casting 1,000 Blades at him; otherwise, Slash, Fire or Holy weapons, such as the fully-powered Vampire Killer or the Holy Claymore, should also make short work of him. Once he's dead, return to Wind to complete the quest and be awarded the Immunity Ring, which neutralizes poison attacks.
===Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia===
In Order of Ecclesia, Ghouls appear in Dracula's Castle and can poison Shanoa; the same ability they had in Dawn of Sorrow.
==Enemy Data==
==Item Data==
==See also==
*Ghoul (Lords of Shadow)
*Zombie
Category:Persian Monsters
Category:Poison Enemies
Category:Spirits
Category:Zombies
Category:Circle of the Moon Enemies
Category:Curse of Darkness Enemies
Category:Dawn of Sorrow Enemies
Category:Grimoire of Souls Enemies
Category:Legacy of Darkness Enemies
Category:Order of Ecclesia Enemies
Category:Portrait of Ruin Enemies