Magic and creatures
Jinn: the Magical Beings of the Arabian Nights
- Made of
- smokeless fire (in the Quran)
- One of them
- a jinni
- Strong kind
- ifrit
- In English also
- genie
Jinn are magical beings from old Arabian stories and beliefs. One is called a jinni. In the Quran, jinn are made of "smokeless fire" (Quran 15:27 and 55:15), while people are made of clay. Because they are made of fire, the stories say jinn can become invisible, change shape and travel very fast.
An ifrit is one of the strongest and fiercest kinds of jinni. In Night 1, an ifrit appears out of a whirlwind with a sword, because a date stone killed his son.
Jinn in the Arabian Nights can be kind or cruel, clever or foolish. Some grant wishes, some are shut inside copper jars and some serve powerful kings. In the prologue, the two kings see a mighty jinni rise out of the sea like a pillar of smoke.
The English word "genie" comes from the French word génie, used in the early French translation of the Arabian Nights in the 1700s.
Appears in
The beginning · King Shahryar and ScheherazadeThe Brave Storyteller: How Scheherazade Began the Thousand and One NightsWhy did Scheherazade tell the king a new story every night? A gentle retelling of how the Arabian Nights begin, for children aged 6 to 12.
Night 1 · The Merchant and the JinniThe Merchant Who Kept His PromiseA merchant throws away a date stone and a furious jinni appears. Night 1 of the Arabian Nights, retold for children aged 6 to 12, with comic panels.
See also
The Merchant
King ShahryarFrom the book
- Jinn, Wikipedia, for the Quran verses, ifrits and the word genie.
- Richard F. Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, volume 1 (1885), note 12.
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