AKA

Šulak

Title

Lurker of the bathroom, Demon of the Privy, The Striker

Expertise

Lavatories, child epilepsy

Time & Place

…Lavatories

Description

Sulak is described as a bipedal, but otherwise normal-looking, lion, or “lion rampant.” A Hebrew lavatory demon, the “Sheid beit ha-kisset” or “demon of the privy,” takes the form of a goat.  Sulak’s name might be related to the words for “dirty hands,” which suggests the image of a lion on his hind legs, looking for a towel.

Story Notes

Sulak is part of a category of “lurker demons,” or Rabisu, that are common Mesopotamian creatures that hide in dark places and pounce on their victims. But Sulak is perhaps the oldest of a long line of dark spirits that lie in wait in bathrooms, where people are physically vulnerable and exposed to disease and uncleanliness. Sulak may have decendents in the yokai tradition of Japanese Bathroom Ghosts, where this ancient unclean spirit could have snuck quietly into the modern world and into the worlds of urban legend and of manga and anime. Sulak, specifically, was opposed by the lionish guardian centaur creature Urmahlullu – seen above engaged in battle with Sulak, probably right outside your bathroom. Wealthy homes might have a seal of Urmahlullu outside their door.

Links

wiki10 Toilet Demons from Around the World