Djinn

Historical Background
In Arabic mythology and Islamic folklore, the Djinn (spelled جني in Arabic; more commonly known in English as the Genie; also spelled jinni, jinn) were sentient spirit-beings (sometimes called demons) composed of “smokeless fire” (a loose translation of the actual word, which is “subtle fire”, a fire that burns without smoke). They also have no mass and can access places too small for humans. They have an organized society and live in settlements like humans do (most often in the desert). They live, die, have religions, like humans. Djinni reside in many locations, including all over or in the Earth, or in the mountains of Qaf (a chain of mountains made from emerald which surround the Earth). Djinn are invisible to humans. Djinn can interbreed with humans, but all offspring will be djinn. In Arabic mythology they occasionally engaged in destructive behavior, but were not considered wholly evil, nor wholly good. In Islamic folklore, they were thought to have been the first sentient (possessing free will) race created by Allah, created long before humans were created. They are generally viewed as evil, with some groups being considered more evil than others (e.g. the Shaitan). It was also believed the zauba’ah (a dust devil) was caused by the movement of a djinni. Djinn were thought to be vulnerable to metal (not any specific metal per se, just metallic objects in general), though some stories from Arabic folklore indicate Djinni (specifically the Ifrit) reside in cities made entirely of brass.

Djinn appear in some stories in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, a compilation of stories from the Middle East compiled in the 9th century CE. The concept of a genie confined to an oil lamp and granting wishes comes from one story in this work (specifically the story of Aladdin). This is the only concept of the djinn familiar in the West and has come to appear in many movies and television programs (e.g. I Dream of Genie, The Twilight Zone, The X-Files, Charmed, Gilligan’s Island, etc).

There are multiple types of Djinni: Primary groups: Lesser groups:
 * Marid- Djinni affiliated with seas or oceans (grouped with Water element in occult texts)
 * Ifrit (also spelled Efreet)- Djinni affiliated with fiery areas or residing on dimensional planes of elemental fire (grouped with Fire element in occult texts)
 * Shaitan- Djinni who are affiliated with Iblis, a renegade Djinni (not an angel) (Iblis can be considered the Islamic Devil) (grouped with Air element in occult texts)
 * Jann- a weaker, more primitive group of Djinni (grouped with Earth element in occult texts)
 * Ghoul and Qutrub- Djinni who can change shape, assume the form of animals, which devours humans, both living and dead (sometimes considered a subgroup of Shaitan)
 * Si’lat (or Si’la)- Djinni who reside in woodlands and capture travelers, forcing them to dance.
 * Dalham- Djinni residing on islands which eats shipwrecked people