Churel

A churel, also written as "churail", or rather "chudail" (pronounced chew-dail) (Devanagari: चुडेल) is a female ghost out of Hindu folklore. The spirit is said to be of a low-caste woman who died either in childbirth or during her menstruating.^[1][2]

Churels are most often reported near graveyards or squalid places.^[1] Legend says that they hold young men captive until they are elderly, or else make love to them until they become so weak that they die to join the spirit.^[3] A churel can be prevented from forming by burying the corpse of any woman who is likely to become one and some families would sprinkle mustard seeds on the grave to ensure that the churel did not visit the old family house.^[4] However, in some cases an exorcism has been needed over the burial site.^[1]

Appearance

She appears either as a hideous creature with long sagging breasts and unkempt hair, or as a beautiful young woman who can charm any man. Often, her feet are backward, and she has an unnaturally long and thick black tongue; though sometimes she is reported as having no mouth at all.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Cheung, Theresa (2006) (in English). The Element Encyclopedia of the Psychic World. Harper Element. pp. 112. ISBN 13 978-0-00-721148-7. 
2. ^ Fane, Hannah (1975). "The Female Element in Indian Culture" (in English). Asian Folklore Studies (Nanzan University) 34 (1): 100. JSTOR http://www.jstor.org/stable/1177740. 
3. ^ Barnouw, Victor (Autumn, 1956). "Some Eastern Nepalese Customs: The Early Years" (in English). Southwestern Journal of Anthropology (University of New Mexico) 12 (3): 267. JSTOR http://www.jstor.org/stable/3629084. 
4. ^ Hildburgh, W. L. (Oct 1917). "103. Note on a Magical Curative Practice in Use at Benares" (in English). MAN (Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland) 17: 158. JSTOR http://www.jstor.org/stable/2788048.