Jinn
Spiritual Beings of Arab/Islamic Mythology
Jinn (جن) are spiritual beings in Arab and Islamic mythology, intermediate between humans and angels. According to the Quran, God created jinn from 'smokeless fire' before creating humans from clay, granting them free will and religious choice. Originally desert spirits in pre-Islamic Arab polytheism, they were systematized in Islam into five types (Jann, Ghul, Si'la, Ifrit, Marid). Widely known to the West through the lamp-genie of One Thousand and One Nights.
Origin
The jinn are spiritual beings of Arab and Islamic mythology, occupying a middle realm between humans and angels. According to the Qur'an, God created the jinn from 'smokeless fire' before creating humans from clay. The figure also appears in pre-Islamic Arab religion and reached the West through One Thousand and One Nights.
Features
- Born from smokeless flame
- Shapeshift into human, animal, or monstrous forms
- Powerful magic
- Possess free will (capable of good or evil)
- Very long-lived (long enough to embrace religion)
Stories
The archetype of free-willed non-human beings in Islamic theology. A staple of One Thousand and One Nights, the original of Aladdin's lamp-genie, and a core influence on Western fantasy literature.
Weakness
Can be sealed by the Seal of Solomon (ring of binding). Vulnerable to iron, water, and salt; weakened by the prayers of the devout.
