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Wednesday 1 August 2012

Genies


Jinn or genies are supernatural creatures as mentioned in the Qur'an and often referred to in Arab folklore and Islamic mythology that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind.In many modern cultures, a Genie is portrayed as a magical being that grants wishes.






TYPES OF JINNS


Aamir (dweller)
If the jinni is one of those who live in houses with people, they call him ‘Aamir (dweller).

Rooh (spirits)
If the jinni is one of those who interact with children, they call them Ruh. We hear a lot from our children seeing cartoons in real life. Ones who are scared of water speak of the same cartoonish things appearing in  water to them.

Al-nasnas – Shiqq
Strangest of all, described as a man split into two, having half a body. Al-Jahiz speaks, that if a shiqq encounters a human, it beats him till he dies.

Marid 
Large and imposing, the marid are considered the most powerful tribe of jinn. They are the classic genies of folklore, often portrayed as barrelchested men with booming voices.
Originally sea-spirits, they are often associated with water, and thought to take sanctuary in the open ocean.








Effrit
Intelligent and cunning, the effrit are thought to live in complex societies similar to those of humans. They are said to prefer caves and under ground dwellings. Though ostensibly demonic, they are portrayed as changeable in nature, and capable of becoming pious and good.







Ghoul
This tribe of jinn has traveled north and west to become a common English- language term for “undead monster.” This is pretty close to its original Arabic connotation; ghouls are thought to be zombie-like jinn who haunt graveyards and prey on human flesh. They are strictly demonic and incapable of goodness. Often portrayed as nocturnal. 







Sila
Talented shape-shifters who are more tolerant of human society than other tribes of jinn, sila are most often portrayed as female. Thought to be extremely intelligent, sila are nonetheless the most rarely seen of all the types of jinn, and appear only sporadically in folklore. 





1 comment:

  1. Ok. Why was my comment on Kobolds deleted?
    I was just being factual. I am GERMAN. I know the legends of Kobolds from my child hood to the present. They are NOT "Rat-Demons"! That pic of one depicted as such is just not factual. Sorry. Kobolds are goblins, Period. They look like Humans, exept smaller in most cases. (Nearly as big as humans in other cases). but in NO legend that I ever heard growing up in Gemany were Kobolds ever described as anything other than human in appearance. Never a Rat-Demon, ever!

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