It took a few thousand years of city conquering and myth twisting to divorce the old from the new, but thanks to pop culture (and the French), the ancient and terrifying creatures of the desert became docile cartoon characters and spunky blondes engaging in classic televised hijinks. Origins of Genies book! read more
Jinni was now genie. This new marriage united two words separated by several thousand years of history. Their meanings, however, refused to mingle. Jinn stayed as jinn, the desert-dwelling creatures of old, but the younger, prettier genie held on to its newfound “happy” definition. read more
Jinni, plural Jinn, also called Genie, Arabic Jinnī, in Arabic mythology, a supernatural spirit below the level of angels and devils. Ghūl (treacherous spirits of changing shape), ʿifrīt (diabolic, evil spirits), and siʿlā (treacherous spirits of invariable form) constitute classes of jinn. read more
In Guanche mythology from Tenerife in the Canary Islands, there existed the belief in beings that were similar to genies, such as the maxios or dioses paredros ("attendant gods", domestic and nature spirits) and tibicenas (evil genies), as well as the demon Guayota (aboriginal god of evil) that, like the Arabic Iblīs, is sometimes identified with a genie. read more