The genie, or djinn, is a spirit in Arab mythology with magical powers. In Islam, genies are similar to demons and have free will for good or evil. In Western culture, they are portrayed as magical spirits who grant wishes but can be mischievous or dangerous. The concept is drawn from Aladdin in the Arabian Nights, but the original stories reveal different types of genies with various powers and classifications.
In Arab mythology, a genie or djinn is a type of spirit. In pre-Islamic thought, he had magical powers and was sometimes, though not always, evil, or at least mischievous. In Islam, the genie has become more analogous to a demon, with the devil being the most powerful of these spirits, while in Western culture it is typically portrayed as a magical spirit with no religious overtones who is able to grant wishes. The English word comes from the French for “spirit,” which was used to translate djinn in early French translations of the Arabian Nights.
The Western concept is mainly drawn from the story of Aladdin in the Arabian Nights, in which Aladdin releases a genie from his captivity in a lamp and receives wishes in return. However, a broader reading of the Arabian Nights reveals the spirit as a very different creature from the modern Western version. There are different types with different sets of magical powers and, in some mythology, they are classified by the element – fire, water, earth or air – that governs them. Some genie types are fearsome, such as the ghul, which gives its name to the modern English ghoul, and the succubus-like female versions.
In Islam, genes are believed to live among humans but are mostly invisible. They are said to have free will, like humans but unlike angels, and to have the ability for good or evil. There are references to them throughout the Quran, and the Devil, called Shaitan in Islam, is the most powerful of these spirits. The wicked are similar to demons in Christian thought and can physically possess people or tempt them to sin.
While genie in Western culture is generally benign, it is often mischievous and sometimes borders on the scarier Middle Eastern versions. The dangerous ones in the West often act by twisting the wishes of those they are supposed to serve or by taking their words very literally. This trope in Western folklore predates the arrival of genius in Western consciousness and is summed up in the adage, “Be careful what you wish for.”
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