Welcome to RAD Note’s Creature of the Month Club.
This month we’re going to take a deeper dive into the mysterious Djinn, also known as Genie, Jinn, and Jinni.
Derived from an ancient Arabic term meaning “covert” or “darkness”-as most Jinn are secretive, covert spirits who remain invisible to humans
-that is-
unless they wish to be seen…
My fascination of the Djinn stems back to my evening television viewing. Ever since I started watching Paranormal Caught on Camera on the Travel channel, I became enthralled with the Djinn.
Before we get too far in the weeds here, let’s get the elephant out of the room; the television show always depicts djinn as evil entities and frankly, I have a hard time believing there isn’t a yin to the creature’s yang. Or, to use the universal slogan, as above, so below.
A Middle Grade book I had recently read, entitled, Children of the Lamp, by PB Kerr, focuses solely on the characters’ “special gifts”. The author takes young readers through a fantastical tale of a set of twelve-year-old twins living in New York and had no idea they were creatures of the Intermedium Plane. And it was only after some minor surgery that they recognized something was different about them. Their parents thought it best to visit and learn their heritage from their uncle living in England, which led to a necessary visit to Egypt. A bunch of fantastical things happened—spoiler alert—the bad Djinn were overthrown by the good Djinn and every one lived happily ever after.
Islamic Tradition Says..
On Wednesday, Allah created Angels and on Thursday, created the Jinn.
The Quran, Surah 72 Says…
There are 3 types of Djinn
1) Ifrit
Powerful & cunning – ruthless, wicked creatures
Protects pyramids & burial grounds
Have the power to grant wishes
2) Marid
Most well-known & extraordinarily powerful
Have free will. Will grant wishes, but at a price
Marid means Giants
3) Ghoul
Shapeshifting, blood-drinking, cannibal
Crave human flesh – dead or alive
Visit graveyards & ruins – attack lone travelers
Ancient Arabic Tradition Says…
There are at least 10 Jinni
1) Ifrit
2) Marid
3) Ghoul
4) Hinn
5) Jann
6) Sila
7) Palis
8) Qareen
9) Shayteen
10)Vetala
Basic Characteristics & Attributes
- Shapeshifters
- Occupy the space between the terrestrial and celestial world
- Need food to survive
- Not humans, not monsters, and not earthly
- Live for thousands of years
- Crave Heat
- Hate Salt
- Live in deserts, by hot springs, and in bath houses
- Fear Iron & Steel
- Don’t like loud, crowded places
- Hover quietly in corners and listen to human stories
- Often interfere with humans’ lives
Theology Crossover:
I love cross examining theology and putting puzzle pieces together. In my research of Jinni, I found an interesting connection between Islamic and Christianity views of heaven and hell.
After Allah created man, he asked the Angels and Jinn to bow before Adam. Not sure what that was all about. Go ahead and create your own thoughts there. One Jinn, named Iblis, refused Allah’s command. Instead, Iblis demonstrated his freewill and disobeyed Allah.
Does this sound like Lucifer in Christianity?
Allah then banished Iblis from Paradise and renamed him, Sheitan.
Phonetically spoken, Sheitan sure sounds similar to Satan, no?
It gets better. As you could imagine, Sheitan felt man was beneath him and he was going to prove it.
His power over man focused on two important aspects:
Hubris, meaning extreme pride and arrogance, and Influence, in which he can whisper and instigate people to do evil deeds.
To Sheitan’s dismay, humans have the same choice as he had shown against Allah
—Free Will!
How to capture Djinn in Fiction Writing?
As a horror fan, I think of the visual version of Jafar from Disney’s, Alladin. Do you remember when he turned red and it looked like he was wearing his inner anger on his sleeve? Now refocus the ticked-off, power hungry, greedy Jinn, and think what a realistic Humanoid/Djinn would look like. How would he respond to a human asking for a wish granted?
Which type of Jinni would you choose as a character? Remember, there are several options to create a creature that is either feared or loved.
Writing Prompt:
Where would you take this opening line?
“An opaque darkness loomed in the corner of the ceiling. To determine if it was mist or dream was a mistake I made too late.”
REBECCA A DOLENCE
References:
Jinn: Tales of Wish Masters Throughout Time | Ancient Origins (ancient-origins.net)
Jinn – Description, History, Myths & Interpretations | Mythology.net
11 types of Jinn according to Islam – Life in Saudi Arabia
The Encyclopedia of Spirits. Judika Illes. Harper One. 2009
