Spirit-Induced Illness In Moroccan Folk Belief A Comparative Study Of Aisha Qandisha And The Grave Mule

Abstract

This article examines the cultural and symbolic functions of spirit-induced illnesses in Moroccan folk belief, focusing on two central figures: Aisha Qandisha, a seductive jinniya associated with possession, sexuality, and trance, and the Grave Mule (Baghalate Qbūr), a hybrid being tied to death, taboo, and moral boundaries. By drawing on a comprehensive body of literature—ethnographic, historical, and anthropological—across Arabic, French, and English sources, this study reveals how these supernatural entities operate within Moroccan cosmology to both explain illness and regulate behavior. Their roles in ritual healing and social control are explored through the lens of symbolic anthropology.