A Handsome Master, Barbara Eden and, Oh My!

Everyone has heard of the old adage, “Be careful what you wish for, you just may get it!” Well, when it comes to the Djinn, no truer words were ever spoken. To say that they were “tricksters” would undoubtedly be a huge understatement! So who exactly were these so-called “Djinn” and where did they come from? According to the Koran, they were originally called the “Shayahteen” (Sha-ha-teen) and then later became known as the Djinn or Jinn. In Islamic scripture, they were made out of fire with no fixed appearance and, like the transformative element of fire, they could change their form and appearance – human or animal. Needless to say, they were far from the Hollywood-created version we call Genies. They were adversaries of humanity, but they were not; however, adversaries of God. They were said to have been created before man and may well predate both Christianity and Islam. In Zoroastrian Persia, before the coming of Islam, evil spirits called jaini were thought to cause disease and misfortune. The word djinn is derived from the Arabic “jinni” or demon and its’ root word is janna which means “to cover or conceal.”

Although, in Islam, they were originally believed to be good or evil, we in the Western world, view them much as we view demons – sent to ruin our world any way they can. Just like humans, the Djinn were held accountable for their actions and indeed Allah would take the day of the last Judgment to them.

It is also said that humans can call the Djinn forth to do their bidding. This is, of course, how the story of the Genie came about - along with the idea of free wishes. However, there appears to be no evidence that the Djinn could actually do little more than trick magick and perform minor spells and charms.

I, personally, do not believe in the existence of the Djinn anymore than I believe in the devil or Satan himself. As a student of mythology and ancient religions; however, I thought that the subject might make for an interesting read ~ not to mention fun!

"Wishmaster" movie trailer

http://youtu.be/aJgl3uoxXc0

 (image credit)