BEW ARE THE II GHOUL

From: The Bestiary of Mara A multitude of spirit beings there be, yea, legions of entities of diverse sorts, as many as the living things thou seest: the fowls of heaven, the walking and creeping ones of earth, the dwellers in rivers and lakes and the inhabitants of the sea. The ancient ones emerged at the beginning of time. Later, when the dry land and the sea were separated, special spirits were called into being to care for the grasses, the mosses, the flowers, the shrubs, the trees and the plants under the waters.

Others exist as potential in Tiamat but it be man who calleth them into being, yea, who giveth them form and becometh their slave. From feelings do they indeed arise and emotion be the raw material of their existence. The fiery passions summon them up, the fierce fervency of feeling clotheth them in form. Such as when elation possesseth thee, the form of joy manifesteth for the duration of it and truly decorous be this one, of pleasing form and radiance. Yet evil ones there be aplenty, alas, the soul of man is infected by them and thus subjected to Tiamat.

Exceedingly sly be the Ii Ghoul, [eedjee xl] the one called envy, master of guile, the wearer of many masks indeed. With stealth it taketh over its host to rule. By crafty means, by trickery and deceit doth it blind the one which hath succumbed to it. The Ii Ghoul then thinketh the thoughts and the host be the servant, he knoweth not what is transpired. Greed and hatred make up equal parts of envy and malice is the glue. The perversion of the Ii Ghoul matcheth its skill of cunning.

Oftentimes it putteth on the mask of compassion and deceiveth many. The guise of pity and concern inspireth the servant to delusions of self-righteousness. Thou canst discern the possessed by their contempt for law, by the words of their mouths that paint the illusion of a noble goal that justifieth all and any means to achieve. The Ii Ghoul desireth not to take form for it is hideous. Verily hideth it under many disguises to conceal its true nature. Yet can it be perceived by the perceptive. In colour it hath hues from green to yellow, verily in form it may encompass that of a spider or a viper with legs and grasping claws or an insectoid of between six and ten pairs of legs and arms. Serpentine are its eyes, cold and filled with murder.

MORAL LESSON AND EXORCISM Be on thy guard! Beware, lest thou harbourest feelings of moral superiority, thinking that thou art good. For verily art thou not good. Look at thy thoughts and judge thine actions. Hast thou given of thine own possessions to the needy? Hast thou given of thine time to comfort the suffering about which thou wailest in public? Shouldst thou perceive notions of hatred for the wealthy, of harming the rich to hand their goods to the poor, and that such action be righteous, then be afraid. For that be the sure sign that thou hast fallen prey to the deceptive Ii Ghoul. Yet canst thou thyself subdue and expel it by challenging the lies that bind thee. However, the crafty Ii Ghoul so subtly entwineth itself in the soul that many are helpless in their ignorance, unable to free themselves for they know not who their master be. Two recourses remain: Exorcism and Shaking Awake the soul of the slave. Verily may exorcism gravely harm the possessed for the entwinement be intricate, indeed be the chains connected to a powerful anchor in Tiamat. Thus much preferred is the intervention of a powerful healer, to shock the slave into thinking, yea, compel it to see the evil within. These are the words that the healer employeth, with fervour and according to the rhythmic speech known to the exorcist:
Thus goeth the antiphon, to immobilize the ghoul: Begone Ii Ghoul! Shut up lest I strike thee with the lightning of the primordial time! Thus goeth the speech, addressed to the possessed: Envious hypocrite! Dark hearted son of a thousand generations of whores! Thou concealest thy malevolent envy with a cloak of compassion, thou disguisest thy greed with a mask of concern. Verily are thine motives clear as the sun at the midday, truly stand thy true intention out like a Ziggurat on its platform. Behold! Thou shallst lose all the gold thou wouldst steal! And the one pence thou wouldst hand to the poor will also be demanded of thee. Furthermore willst thou be afflicted more sorely than the other misfits in the frightening House of Irkalla it approacheth every minute that thine envy, thy greed and thy false piety be tormented out of thee by psychic vampires, blood sucking leeches, intestinal parasites, hunger, thirst, cats o nine tails, suffocating smoke and consuming flames. Wake up, thou dead soul, thou who art the prey in the clutches of Ii Ghoul! Awaken and arise! Thou alone art the master of thy soul! Cast of the chains, open thine eyes, slay the deceiver! Cast off, open, slay, now!!!

Translated from Sumerian by Pieter Uys From: The Bestiary of Bawa Mara, the great seer of Nippur Text rights reserved. Pieter Uys 2013 Illustrations: http://www7a.biglobe.ne.jp/~NOeL_MADLAX/main/pickup/sp0003.htm http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-images-demon-face-image8391299