Al Basty (Turkish: Albasti; Tatar, Kyrgyz, Kazakh: ???????, Chuvash: ??????

a, Az
erbaijanese: Albasdi, Russian: ???????) or Al Kardai is an ancient female spirit,
the personification of guilt, found in folklore throughout the Caucasus mountai
ns, with origins going as far back as Sumerian mythology.
In Sumerian Folklore[edit]
A variation of the Al Basti myth stretches back into Sumerian times as one of th
e names given to Lilith,[1] the Biblical first wife of Adam, cast out of Paradis
e for her willfulness and independence.[2] In this form much of the mythology su
rrounding Lilith has also been ascribed, in different accounts, to Al Basti, tho
ugh with local regional variances taken into account.[1]
In Turkish Folklore[edit]
In Turkish folklore Al Basti has been often confused as both a Mare, a Succubus,
as well as any number of Middle Eastern female spirits which are told to enter
a man's erotic dreams. However, the difference in the Al Basti legends is that s
he is not a sexual spirit, she rather visits those who have guilty souls [3] and com
e from families that have committed bloody crimes that have gone unpunished. [3]
According to scholar zhan ztrk those who Al Basti visits are said to wake up in an i
ntense fever ... She is also known to steal horses, who are found sweating and e
xhausted in the morning, and unable to provide a full day's work. Due to her tor
ments, she is also known as the 'red mother'. [4]
In Armenian Folklore[edit]
There is a further version of Al Basti, referred simply as Al, a demon of childbi
rth who blinds unborn children and causes miscarriages and stillbirths to women
who have committed crimes that have gone unpunished.[5] In this form she appears
as spirit of flame, with snake-like hair, brass fingernails and iron teeth ...
[she] hides in damp places. [6] According to Ann and Imel there is a similar legen
d found in Afghanistan.[6]
Anz, (before misread as Z) also known as Imdugud, in Sumerian, (from An "heaven" a
nd Zu "to know",[citation needed] in the Sumerian language) is a lesser divinity
or monster of Akkadian mythology, and the son of the bird goddess Siris. He was
conceived by the pure waters of the Apsu and the wide Earth.[1] Both Zu and Sir
is are seen as massive birds who can breathe fire and water, although Zu is alte
rnately seen as a lion-headed eagle (like a griffin).
Anzu was a servant of the chief sky god Enlil, guard of the throne in Enlil's sa
nctuary, (possibly previously a symbol of Anu), from whom Anzu stole the Tablet
of Destinies, so hoping to determine the fate of all things. In one version of t
he legend, the gods sent Lugalbanda to retrieve the tablets, who in turn, killed
Anzu. In another, Ea and Belet-Ili conceived Ninurta for the purpose of retriev
ing the tablets. In a third legend, found in The Hymn of Ashurbanipal, Marduk is
said to have killed Anzu.
In Sumerian and Akkadian mythology, Zu is a divine storm-bird and the personific
ation of the southern wind and the thunder clouds. This demon half man and half bi
rd stole the "Tablets of Destiny" from Enlil and hid them on a mountaintop. Anu or
dered the other gods to retrieve the tablets, even though they all feared the de
mon. According to one text, Marduk killed the bird; in another, it died through
the arrows of the god Ninurta. The bird is also referred to as Imdugud or Anzu.
In Babylonian myth, Anzu is a deity associated with cosmogeny. Anzu is represent
ed as stripping the father of the gods of umsimi (which is usually translated "c
rown" but in this case, as it was on the seat of Bel, it refers to the "ideal cr
eative organ.") "Ham is the Chaldean Anzu, and both are cursed for the same alle
gorically described crime," which parallels the mutilation of Uranos by Kronos a
nd of Set by Horus.

Davara is a demon of the night or nightmare in Turkish folklore of the Trabzon r

egion.
Lamia
In ancient Greek mythology, Lamia (/'le?mi?/; Greek: ???a) was a beautiful queen
of Libya who became a child-eating daemon. Aristophanes claimed her name derived
from the Greek word for gullet (?a???; laimos), referring to her habit of devour
ing children.[1]
In the myth, Lamia is a mistress of the god Zeus, causing Zeus' jealous wife, He
ra, to kill all of Lamia's children (except for Scylla, who is herself cursed) a
nd transform her into a monster that hunts and devours the children of others. A
nother version has Hera merely stealing away all of Lamia's children and it bein
g Lamia herself, losing her mind from grief and despair, who starts stealing and
devouring others' children out of envy, the repeated monstrosity of which trans
forms her into a monster on its own.
Some accounts say she has a serpent's tail below the waist.[2] This popular desc
ription of her is largely due to Lamia, a poem by John Keats composed in 1819.[3
] Antoninus Liberalis uses Lamia as an alternate name for the serpentine drakain
a Sybaris; however, Diodorus Siculus describes her as having nothing more than a
distorted face.[4]
Later traditions referred to many lamiae; these were folkloric monsters similar
to vampires and succubi that seduced young men and then fed on their blood.[5]
In later stories, Lamia was cursed with the inability to close her eyes so that
she would always obsess over the image of her dead children. Some accounts (see
Horace, below) say Hera forced Lamia to devour her own children. Myths variously
describe Lamia's monstrous (occasionally serpentine) appearance as a result of
either Hera's wrath, the pain of grief, the madness that drove her to murder, or i
n some rare versions a natural result of being Hecate's daughter.[6]
Zeus then gave her the ability to remove her eyes. The purpose of this ability i
s unclear in Diodorus, but other versions state Lamia's ability to remove her ey
es came with the gift of prophecy. Zeus did this to appease Lamia in her grief o
ver the loss of her children and to let her rest since she could not close her e
yes.[7]
Horace, in Ars Poetica (l.340) imagines the impossibility of retrieving the livi
ng children she has eaten:
Neu pranse Lamiae vivum puerum extrabat alvo.
Alexander Pope translates the line:
Shall Lamia in our sight her sons devour,
and give them back alive the self-same hour?
Stesichorus identifies Lamia as a daughter of Poseidon and as the mother of Scyl
la by Phorcys.[8] This might be a conflation of Lamia with the sea goddess Ceto,
traditionally Phorcys's wife and mother of Scylla. Further passing references t
o Lamia were made by Strabo (i.II.8) and Aristotle (Ethics vii.5). Other sources
cite Triton as having fathered Scylla by Lamia. Antoninus Liberalis identifies
the dragon Sybaris with Lamia, another conflation.
Mothers throughout Europe used to threaten their children with the story of Lami
a.[9] Leinweber states, "She became a kind of fairy-tale figure, used by mothers
and nannies to induce good behavior among children."[10]
Many lurid details were conjured up by later writers, assembled in the Suda, exp
anded upon in Renaissance poetry and collected in Bulfinch and in Brewer's Dicti
onary of Phrase and Fable: Lamia was envious of other mothers and ate their chil
dren. She was usually female, but Aristophanes suggests a hermaphroditic phallus
, perhaps simply for monstrosity's sake.[11] Leinweber notes, "By the time of Ap
uleius, not only were Lamia characteristics liberally mixed into popular notions
of sorcery, but at some level the very names were interchangeable."[12] Nicolas
K. Kiessling compared the lamia with the medieval succubus and Grendel in Beowu
lf.[13]

Apuleius, in The Golden Ass, describes the witch Meroe and her sister as lamiae:
[14] "The three major enchantresses of the novel
Meroe, Panthia and Pamphylia
al
so reveal many vampiric qualities generally associated with Lamiae," David Walte
r Leinweber has noticed.[15]
One interpretation posits the Lamia may have been a seductress, as in Philostrat
us' Life of Apollonius of Tyana, where the philosopher Apollonius reveals to the
young bridegroom, Menippus, his hastily-married wife is really a lamia, plannin
g to devour him.[16] Some harlots were named "Lamia".[17] The connection between
Demetrius Poliorcetes and the courtesan Lamia was notorious.[18][19][20] In the
painting by Herbert James Draper (1909, illustration above), the Lamia who mood
ily watches the serpent on her forearm appears to represent a hetaera. Although
the lower body of Draper's Lamia is human, he alludes to her serpentine history
by draping a shed snake skin about her waist. In Renaissance emblems, Lamia has
the body of a serpent and the breasts and head of a woman, like the image of hyp
ocrisy.[citation needed]
Christian writers warned against the seductive potential of lamiae. In his 9th-c
entury treatise on divorce, Hincmar, archbishop of Reims, listed lamiae among th
e supernatural dangers that threatened marriages, and identified them with genic
iales feminae,[21] female reproductive spirits.[22]
John Keats described the Lamia in Lamia and Other Poems, presenting a descriptio
n of the various colors of Lamia that was based on Burton's in The Anatomy of Me
lancholy.[23] The Keats story follows the general plotline of Philostratus, with
Apollonius revealing Lamia's true nature before her wedding.
In the modern Greek folk tradition, the Lamia has survived and retained many of
her traditional attributes.[24] John Cuthbert Lawson remarks "....the chief char
acteristics of the Lamiae, apart from their thirst for blood, are their uncleanl
iness, their gluttony, and their stupidity".[25] The contemporary Greek proverb,
"t?? ???a? ta sa??ata" ("the Lamia's sweeping"), epitomises slovenliness[citation
needed]; and the common expression, "t? pa?d? t? 'p???e ? ???a" ("the child has
been strangled by the Lamia"), explains the sudden death of young children.[25]
Abyzou
In the myth and folklore of the Near East and Europe, Abyzou is the name of a fe
male demon. Abyzou was blamed for miscarriages and infant mortality and was said
to be motivated by envy (Greek: f????? phthonos), as she herself was infertile.
In the Jewish tradition she is identified with Lilith, in Coptic Egypt with Ala
basandria, and in Byzantine culture with Gylou, but in various texts surviving f
rom the syncretic magical practice of antiquity and the early medieval era she i
s said to have many or virtually innumerable names.[1]
Abyzou (also spelled Abizou, Obizu, Obizuth, Obyzouth, Byzou etc.) is pictured o
n amulets with fish- or serpent-like attributes. Her fullest literary depiction
is the compendium of demonology known as the Testament of Solomon, dated various
ly by scholars from as early as the 1st century AD to as late as the 4th.[2]
A.A. Barb connected Abyzou and similar female demons to the Sumerian myth of pri
meval Sea. Barb argued that although the name Abyzou appears to be a corrupted for
m of the Greek word abyssos ("the abyss"),[3] the Greek itself was borrowed from
Assyrian Apsu or Sumerian Abzu, the undifferentiated sea from which the world w
as created in the Sumerian belief system, equivalent to Babylonian Tiamat,[4] or
Hebrew Tehom in the Book of Genesis. The entity Sea was originally bi- or asexu
al, later dividing into male Abzu (fresh water) and female Tiamat (salt water).
The female demons among whom Lilith is the best-known are often said to have com
e from the primeval sea. In classical Greece, female sea monsters that combine a
llure and deadliness may also derive from this tradition, including the Gorgons
(who were daughters of the old sea god Phorcys), Sirens, Harpies, and even water
nymphs and Nereids.[5]
In the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Hebrew scriptures, the word Abyssos

is treated as a noun of feminine grammatical gender, even though Greek nouns end
ing in -os are typically masculine. Abyssos is equivalent in meaning to Mesopota
mian Abzu as the dark chaotic sea before Creation. The word also appears in the
Christian scriptures, occurring six times in the Book of Revelation, where it is
conventionally translated not as the deep but as the bottomless pit of Hell. Barb a
rgues that in essence the Sumerian Abzu is the grandmother of the Christian Devil.
[6]
In the late antique Testament of Solomon,[7] Abyzou (as Obizuth) is described as
having a greenish gleaming face with dishevelled serpent-like hair ; the rest of h
er body is covered by darkness.[8] The speaker ( King Solomon ) encounters a series
of demons, binds and tortures each in turn, and inquires into their activities;
then he metes out punishment or controls them as he sees fit. Put to the test, A
byzou says that she does not sleep, but rather wanders the world looking for wom
en about to give birth; given the opportunity, she will strangle newborns. She c
laims also to be the source of many other afflictions, including deafness, eye t
rouble, obstructions of the throat, madness, and bodily pain.[9] Solomon orders
that she be chained by her own hair and hung up in front of the Temple in public
view. The writer of the Testament appears to have been thinking of the gorgonei
on, or the icon of the Medusa s head, which often adorned Greek temples and occasi
onally Jewish synagogues in late antiquity.[8]
Envy is a theme in the Testament,[10] and during his interrogation by the king,
Beelzebub himself asserts that he inspires envy among humans.[11] Among the succ
ession of demons bound and questioned, the personification of Envy is described
as headless, and motivated by the need to steal another's head: "I grasp in an i
nstant a man's head
and put it on myself."[12] As with Envy's Sisyphean efforts
to replace his head, Abyzou (Obizuth) cannot rest until she steals a child each
night.
Amulet depicting Abyzou whipped by Arlaph
On the inscribed healing amulets of the Near Eastern and European magico-medical
tradition, illness or affliction is often personified and addressed directly; t
he practitioner may be instructed to inscribe or chant a phrase that orders the
ailment to depart: for example, Flee, Fever! [13] The ailment may also be conceived
of as caused by a demon, who must be identified correctly by name and commanded
to depart. In this mode, magico-healing practice bears comparison to exorcism.[
14]
Abyzou is depicted and named on several early Byzantine bronze amulets. With her
hands tied behind her back, she kneels as she is whipped by a standing figure,
identified as Solomon or Arlaph, called Afarof in the Testament of Solomon and i
dentified with the archangel Raphael. On one amulet, the figure is labeled as Ar
laph, but an inscription reads The Seal of Solomon [is] with the bearer; I am Nos
kam. The reverse inscription is written within an ouroboros, the symbol of a snak
e biting its tail to form a circle: Flee, flee, Abyzou, [from] Sisinios and Sisin
nia; the voracious dog dwells here. (St. Sisinnios[15] sometimes takes the Solomo
n role on Christian amulets.) Although Abyzou is regarded mainly as a threat to
child-bearing women and to infants, some of the names of those seeking protectio
n from her on extant amulets are masculine.[16]
Medieval amulets show a variation on this iconography, with Abyzou trampled unde
rfoot by a horseman. The rider is identified again either as Solomon or Arlaph;
one example depicts the rider as Sisinnios, with the demon named as both Abizou
and Anabardalea, and an angel named Araph (for Arlaph) standing by with one rais
ed wing. The medieval lead amulets that show the rider subduing the female often
have a main image that resembles a gorgoneion and is likely a womb symbol (hyst
era).[17]
Peri
In Persian mythology, the Peri (Persian: ???? pari) are spirits who have been de
nied paradise until they have done penance. In earlier sources they are describe

d as agents of evil; later, they are benevolent. They are exquisite, winged, fai
ry-like creatures ranking between angels and evil spirits. They sometimes visit
the realm of mortals.
At the start of Ferdowsi's epic poem Shahnameh, "The Book of Kings", the divinit
y Sorush appears in the form of a peri to warn Keyumars (the mythological first
man and shah of the world) and his son Siamak of the threats posed by the destru
ctive Ahriman. Peris also form part of the mythological army that Kaiumers event
ually draws up to defeat Ahriman and his demonic son. In the Rostam and Sohrab s
ection of the poem, Rostam's paramour, the princess Tahmina, is referred to as "
peri-faced" (since she is wearing a veil, the term Peri may include a secondary
meaning of disguise or being hidden[dubious
discuss]).
Peris were the target of a lower level of evil beings called ?????? divs (?????
daeva), who persecuted them by locking them in iron cages. This persecution was
brought about by, as the divs perceived it, the peris' lack of sufficient self-e
steem to join the rebellion against perversion.[citation needed]
Jinn, notably evil ones, are called Dev by the Persians, and the most powerful r
eferred to as Narahs (which signifies males though there are said to be females
too). The good Jinn are the Piri (or Peri in Turkish) which is usually applied t
o the female. There are lower orders of Jinn, one of which is called Gul or Ghul
(from which the English word Ghoul is derived). These are regarded as a kind of
female Sheytan or evil Jinni (the male is called Qutrub). Guls are said to be s
olitary demonic creatures resembling both man and animal; they inhabit cemeterie
s where they feed on the dead, or lay in wait for a traveler to pass where from
they entice and trick him by changing their shape (shape-shifting) to resemble a
nother traveler, and lead him from his course till lost.[citation needed]
The jinn (also djinn or genies, Arabic: ????? al-jinn, singular ????? al-jinni)
are spiritual creatures in Islam and Arabic folklore. They are mentioned in the
Qur'an and other Islamic texts and inhabit an unseen world in dimensions beyond
the visible universe of humans. Together, the jinn, humans and angels make up th
e three sapient creations of God.
The Qur'an mentions that the jinn are made of a smokeless and "scorching fire",[
1] but are also physical in nature, being able to interact physically with peopl
e and objects and likewise be acted upon.[clarification needed][2] Like human be
ings, the jinn can also be good, evil, or neutrally benevolent and hence have fr
ee will like humans and unlike angels.[3] The jinn are mentioned frequently in t
he Qur?an, and the 72nd sura is titled Surat al-Jinn.
Jinn is a noun of the collective number in Arabic literally meaning "hidden from
sight", and it derives from the Arabic root j-n-n (pronounced: jann/ junn ????
/ ????) meaning "to hide" or "be hidden". Other words derived from this root are
majnun 'mad' (literally, 'one whose intellect is hidden'), junun 'madness', and
janin 'embryo, fetus' ('hidden inside the womb').[4]
The word genie in English is derived from Latin genius, meant a sort of tutelary
or guardian spirit thought to be assigned to each person at their birth. Englis
h borrowed the French descendant of this word, gnie; its earliest written attesta
tion in English, in 1655, is a plural spelled "genyes." The French translators o
f The Book of One Thousand and One Nights used gnie as a translation of jinni bec
ause it was similar to the Arabic word in sound and in meaning. This use was als
o adopted in English and has since become dominant.[citation needed]
In Arabic, the word jinn is in the collective number, translated in English as p
lural (e.g., "several genies"); jinni is in the singulative number, used to refe
r to one individual, which is translated by the singular in English (e.g., "one
genie"). Therefore, the word jinn in English writing is treated as a plural.
Among archaeologists dealing with ancient Middle Eastern cultures, the spirits m
ade after the angels and before mankind are often referred to as a jinni, especi
ally when describing stone carvings or other forms of art.[citation needed]

Inscriptions found in Northwestern Arabia seem to indicate the worship of jinn,

or at least their tributary status, hundreds of years before Islam. For instance
, an inscription from Beth Fasi'el near Palmyra pays tribute to the "jinnaye", t
he "good and rewarding gods".[5]
In Islamic theology jinn are said to be creatures with free will, made from smok
eless fire by Allah as humans were made of clay, among other things.[6] Accordin
g to the Quran, jinn have free will, and Iblis abused this freedom in front of A
llah by refusing to bow to Adam when Allah ordered angels and jinn to do so. For
disobeying Allah, he was expelled from Paradise and called "Shay?an" (Satan). J
inn are frequently mentioned in the Quran: Surah 72 (named Surat al-Jinn) is nam
ed after the jinn, and has a passage about them. Another surah (Surat al-Nas) me
ntions jinn in the last verse.[7] The Qur?an also mentions that Muhammad was sen
t as a prophet to both "humanity and the jinn," and that prophets and messengers
were sent to both communities.[8][9] An appellation of Muhammad is Rasl-s-Sakaley
n. Because Muhammad met the jinn several times at night, a masjid (Masjid-i Jinn
) is said to have been built in memory of this phenomenon[citation needed][dubio
us
discuss].
Similar to humans, jinn have free will allowing them to do as they choose (such
as follow any religion). They are usually invisible to humans, but humans do app
ear clearly to djinns, as they can possess them. Jinn have the power to travel l
arge distances at extreme speeds and are thought to live in remote areas, mounta
ins, seas, trees, and the air, in their own communities. Like humans, jinn will
also be judged on the Day of Judgment and will be sent to Paradise or Hell accor
ding to their deeds.[10]
The social organization of the jinn community resembles that of humans; e.g., th
ey have kings, courts of law, weddings, and mourning rituals.[11] A few traditio
ns (hadith), divide jinn into three classes: those who have wings and fly in the
air, those who resemble snakes and dogs, and those who travel about ceaselessly
.[12] Other reports claim that Abd Allah ibn Mas ud (d. 652), who was accompanying
Prophet Muhammad when the jinn came to hear his recitation of the Quran, describ
ed them as creatures of different forms; some resembling vultures and snakes, ot
hers tall men in white garb.[13] They may even appear as dragons, onagers, or a
number of other animals.[14] In addition to their animal forms, the jinn occasio
nally assume human form to mislead and destroy their human victims.[15] Certain
hadiths have also claimed that the jinn may subsist on bones, which will grow fl
esh again as soon as they touch them, and that their animals may live on dung, w
hich will revert to grain or grass for the use of the jinn flocks.[16]
Ibn Taymiyyah believed the jinn were generally "ignorant, untruthful, oppressive
and treacherous,"[17] thus representing the very strict interpretations adhered
by the Salafi schools of thought.
Ibn Taymiyyah believes that the jinn account for much of the "magic" perceived b
y humans, cooperating with magicians to lift items in the air unseen, delivering
hidden truths to fortune tellers, and mimicking the voices of deceased humans d
uring seances.[17]
In Surat al-Ra?man, verse 33, God reminds jinn as well as mankind that they woul
d possess the ability to pass beyond the furthest reaches of space only by His a
uthority, followed by the question: "Then which of the favors of your Lord do yo
u deny?" In Surat Al-Jinn, verses 8 10, Allah narrates concerning the jinn how the
y touched or "sought the limits" of the sky and found it full of stern guards an
d shooting stars, as a warning to man. It goes on further to say how the jinn us
ed to take stations in the skies to listen to divine decrees passed down through
the ranks of the angels, but those who attempt to listen now (during and after
the revelation of the Qur?an) shall find fiery sentinels awaiting them.
Qarin[edit]
A related belief is that every person is assigned one's own special jinni, also
called a qarin, of the jinn and if the qarin is evil it could whisper to people'
s souls and tell them to submit to evil desires.[18][19][20] The notion of a qar

in is not universally accepted amongst all Muslims, but it is generally accepted

that Shay?an whispers in human minds, and he is assigned to each human being.
In a hadith recorded by Muslim, the companion Ibn Mas ud reported: 'The Prophet Mu
hammad said: 'There is not one of you who does not have a jinni appointed to be
his constant companion (qarin).' They said, 'And you too, O Messenger of Allah?'
He said, 'Me too, but Allah has helped me and he has submitted, so that he only
helps me to do good.' '
The stories of the jinn can be found in various Muslim cultures around the world
. In Sindh the concept of the Jinni was introduced during the Abbasid Era and ha
s become a common part of the local folklore which also includes stories of both
male jinn called "jinn" and female jinn called "jiniri." Folk stories of female
jinn include stories such as the Jejhal Jiniri.
Other acclaimed stories of the jinn can be found in the One Thousand and One Nig
hts story of the Fisherman and the Jinni;[21] more than three different types of
jinn are described in the story of Ma ruf the Cobbler;[22][23] a mighty jinni hel
ps young Aladdin in the story of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp;[24] as ?asan Ba
dr al-Din weeps over the grave of his father until sleep overcomes him, and he i
s awoken by a large group of sympathetic jinn in the Tale of Ali Nur al-Din and h
is son Badr ad-Din ?asan.[25]
During the Rwandan genocide, both Hutus and Tutsi avoided searching in local Rwa
ndan Muslim neighborhoods and widely believed myths that local Muslims and Mosqu
es were protected by the power of Islamic magic and the efficacious jinn.[citati
on needed] In Cyangugu, arsonists ran away instead of destroying the mosque beca
use they believed jinn were guarding the mosque and feared their wrath.[26] The
modern city of Deoband (Uttar Pradesh, India) is named on similar grounds. 'Deo'
from Hindi, is a synonym of Jinn, while 'Band' means closed, but can be transla
ted as captured in Hindi.[citation needed] The legend says that there was once a
menacing jinni, and it was an elderly man who put a stop to him, by capturing h
im into a bottle and sealing him away forever. Another version describes that th
ere were two, not one jinni. The bottle/s are said to be sealed away in the dung
eon of a mosque situated on a hill in the city itself, which has not been opened
ever since. Additionally, the premier Islamic body of Darul-Uloom, Deoband is s
aid to have a vibrant community of civilized jinn in its midst.[citation needed]
According to traditions, the jinn stood behind the learned humans in Solomon's c
ourt, who in turn, sat behind the prophets. The jinn remained in the service of
Solomon, who had placed them in bondage, and had ordered them to perform a numbe
r of tasks.
"And before Solomon were marshalled his hosts,- of jinn and men and birds, and t
hey were all kept in order and ranks." (Quran 27:17)
The Qur?an relates that Solomon died while he was leaning on his staff. As he re
mained upright, propped on his staff, the jinn thought he was still alive and su
pervising them, so they continued to work. They realized the truth only when All
ah sent a creature to crawl out of the ground and gnaw at Solomon's staff until
his body collapsed. The Qur?an then comments that if they had known the unseen,
they would not have stayed in the humiliating torment of being enslaved.
"Then, when We decreed (Solomon's) death, nothing showed them his death except a
little worm of the earth, which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his staff: so whe
n he fell down, the jinn saw plainly that if they had known the unseen, they wou
ld not have tarried in the humiliating penalty (of their task)." (Qur?an 34:14)
Protection from jinn[edit]
Muslims believe that all protection and help only comes from God, as it is a cen
tral Islamic tenet to believe that there is no power nor might save God's. These
sorts of practices are widespread in the Islamic world. The Muslim faithful bel
ieve that reciting the Verse of the Throne (Qur?an 2:255) and the final three co
ncise chapters of the Qur?an (chapters 112-114) are the most effective means of
seeking protection from satanic whispers and evil creatures.[citation needed]

In Guanche mythology from Tenerife in the Canary Islands, there existed the beli
ef in beings that are similar to genies[improper synthesis?], such as the maxios
or dioses paredros ('attendant gods', domestic and nature spirits) and tibicena
s (evil genies), as well as the demon Guayota (aboriginal god of evil) that, lik
e the Arabic Iblis, is sometimes identified with a genie.[27]
In Judeo-Christian tradition, the word or concept of jinn as such does not occur
in the original Hebrew text of the Bible, but the Arabic word jinn is often use
d in several old Arabic translations. In Isaiah 6, the seraphim (lit. "burning/f
iery ones") appear to the prophet Isaiah, with their six wings being used to cov
er, or hide, their body, face and feet.
In several verses in those Arabic translations, the words jinn (??), jann (?????
al-jann), majnoon (????? Majnun), and Iblis (?????) are mentioned as translatio
ns of familiar spirit or ??? (Job) for jann and the devil or da?????? (daimnion) f
or Iblis. Moreover, several passages from the New Testament refer to Jesus casti
ng out evil spirits (or demons) from those that were demon-possessed. These evil
spirits are strikingly similar to the jinn creatures mentioned in the Qur'an an
d Hadith literature. Among the similarities of these creatures is their ability
to take possession of human beings.
In Van Dyck's Arabic translation of the Bible, these words are mentioned in Levi
ticus 19:31, Lev 20:6, 1 Samuel 28:3, 1 Sa 28:9, 1 Sa 28:7, 1 Chronicles 10:13,
Gospel of Matthew 4:1, Mat 12:22, Gospel of Luke 4:5, Luk 8:12, Gospel of John 8
:44 and other verses[citation needed] as well. Also, in the apocryphal book Test
ament of Solomon, Solomon describes particular demons whom he enslaved to help b
uild the temple, the questions he put to them about their deeds and how they cou
ld be thwarted, and their answers, which provide a kind of self-help manual agai
nst demonic activity.
The Caliph's House and In Arabian Nights by Tahir Shah, describes his family's e
xperiences in moving from London to a supposedly jinn-inhabited home in Morocco.
In a subplot in Neil Gaiman's novel, American Gods, a salesman discontented with
his life has a sexual encounter with a jinni (specifically, an ifrit) who is wor
king as a taxi driver in New York.
In the Supernatural episode "What Is and What Should Never Be", the protagonist,
Dean Winchester, is attacked by a jinn and it grants him his wish. They also ma
ke an appearance later in the season 6 episode "Exile on Main St".
In the popular online MMORPG AdventureQuest Worlds, the Middle Eastern-themed zo
ne the Sandsea Desert features a Djinn Chaos Lord named Tibicenas, as well as a
Djinn realm which the player can explore.
In Clash of the Titans the Djinn are ancient desert sorcerers who extended their
longevity by replacing damaged body parts with "charwood and black magic", also
rendering them immune to certain other forms of magic.
"Two Djinn" is a song by Bob Weir and Gerrit Graham which was released on Ratdog
's 2000 album Evening Moods.
In Wishmaster an evil Djinn is released from a museum exhibit.
I Dream of Jeannie is a 1960s television show starring Larry Hagman & Barbara Ed
en as a beautiful but incorrigible genie rescued by an Air Force pilot, Major An
thony Nelson (Hagman) who constantly gets him into trouble with her magic.
In the video game series Golden Sun players use four types of Djinn representing
the four traditional elements Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind to battle monsters.
In the video game Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, the secondary antagonist
, Shadar, is also known as 'The Dark Djinn' while there is also the benevolent C
auldron bound Genie named Al-Khemi that helps the player craft new items after b
eating him in battle.
In P.B. Kerr's series, "Children of the Lamp", the main protagonists and antagon
ists of the series are djinn.
In the video game, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Nathan Drake searches the leg
endary city of Ubar, which according to legend was doomed thousands of years ago
by King Solomon when he imprisoned evil Djinn within a brass vessel and cast it
into the heart of the city.
In the The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis, the Jadis is described as "half Jinn

and half giantess".

The Class of Jinn :
Nasnas (the first race of jinns in the earth)
Shay?an (Troops of Shay?an headed by Iblis)
Ifrit (a class of infernal jinn)
Marid (Giant jinn, often used for wish granting)
Ghoul (Evil jinn who dwell within graveyards)