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.
Related
Ariel
Air Spirit from Shakespeare's The Tempest
Sylph
Air Spirit of Paracelsus
Agni
Agni — Sacred Messenger of the Flame
Suzaku
Suzaku · 朱雀 — Sacred Red Bird of the South
Ifrit
Fire Jinn of Arab/Islamic Mythology
Sylphide
Small Sylph from Pope's The Rape of the Lock
Cinder Sprite
Small Flame Spirit Dwelling in Embers
Ignis Fatuus
Latin 'Foolish Fire,' Scientific Name for Will-o'-the-Wisp
Phoenix Spirit
Spirit Form of the Immortal Phoenix
Fire-drake
Fire Dragon of Beowulf and Norse Myth
Kagutsuchi
Kagutsuchi · 軻遇突智 — King of the Destructive Flame
Salamander
Fire Spirit of Paracelsus