Al (folklore)

Al (or Hal); Armenian: Ալ or Ալք; Mongolian: Гал; (Qal); Oirat: Һал; Russian: Алы; Turkish: Al; Azerbaijani: Xal) is a class of demon in the folklore of the Caucasus, Iran, Central Asia, and Armenia. Als are demons of childbirth, interfering with human reproduction. The al is known by various other names, including alk in Armenian and Kurdish, ol, hāl and xāl in Tajikistan and Afghanistan, almasti or albasti in Central Asian Turkic speaking countries, and halmasti among the Dards.