Friday, February 25, 2011

Djinn

Djinn - Known as "genies" in English, Djinn (singular form Djinni) have deep roots in Arab culture. The Djinn first sprang from stories told by Indian, Persian, and Arabian storytellers and gained international fame when they appeared throughout the tales Scheherezade told in "The Thousand and One Nights". It is said that the Djinn are created from fire and can take on any form they choose-animal or human-and can be of any size, including gigantic. Most of them are hostile, although some can be friendly. It is possible for magicians or wise men and women to gain power over a Djinn and use it to perform amazing and magical tasks. But be wary, for even a friendly Djinn is unpredictable, and certainly anyone who breaks an agreement with a Djinn will strongly regret it. Often Djinn take naughty pleasure in punishing people for wronging them, even unintentionally.

There are five different types of Djinn. The least powerful is the Jann, next come the Djinn, and then the Sheytans, or devils. The Afrits, sometimes called Efreets are very powerful, but the Marids are the most powerful and dangerous of all. Djinn are generally believed responsible for illness and mishaps. Magicians have trapped Djinn in various ways. One way was imprisoning them in an old brass lamp. When someone rubs the lamp three times, the Djinni inside will appear, grant three wishes, and obey the one who set it free. Traditionally, it is said that the great and wise King Solomon shut misbehaving Djinn in lead-stoppered bottles and threw them into the sea.

Source

The most well known Djinn in pop culture has to be from the "Wishmaster"  movies. :D

Wishmaster

25 comments:

  1. I remember a dude I worked with told me a story about a djinn. He was positive his uncle was being punished by one. He's from Pakistan. It was a bit weird since I'm a skeptical. Still enjoy hearing stories.

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  2. good article, i didn't know the different types of djinn.

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  3. ooh I love A Thousand & One Nights :)

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  4. I've seen wishmaster. The first two are good, but after that the rest are just sequels.

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  5. looks like a mcfarlane action toy?

    anyways wishmaster is ok but the sequels suck pretty hard

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  6. Spooky LOL!
    I couldnt watch the last half of that movie, too much for me

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    http://www.blizzardhacks.com

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  7. didnt know this one, i'll be sure to watch it, thx for the share

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  8. I need to check these movies out. Sounds interesting.

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  9. This movie is still on my to watch list

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  10. do these genies have a robin williams voice?

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  11. Informative post lol, I learn something new every day. :)

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  12. I learned what a Djinn was from D&D. Thanks!

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  13. I've never heard of Djin, he's creepy looking!

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  14. I just learned something new, thank you :)

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  15. Interesting blog concept, will be checking back.

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