djinn

A baharia is a jnoun (a pre-islamic jinn) of the sea. They live in opulent underwater palaces built from precious gems. When they grow tired of palace life, they will come to the surface to tease mariners. Usually they’re described as beautiful with pale skin and dark black hair, and with a full upper body of a human that is typical of mermen and mermaids—unlike the depiction here. From Marvels of Things Created and Miraculous Aspects of Things Existing, 18th century

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A ghul is a nocturnal type of jinn that feeds off the flesh of travelers, children, and corpses. They inhabit graveyards, ruins and other lonely places. The female ghul (ghula) are especially feared because they can take the form of a beautiful woman to seduce their unsuspecting victims. From Shah Namah, the Persian Epic of the Kings, 10th century.⠀

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Iblis is the Satan of the Qur’an. He’s the jinn who refused to bow to Adam and thus was cast out of heaven. However, he’s not an opponent to God, he was banished for his disdain for humanity. He has seven hairs on his chin and is blind in one eye. He has a penis on the inner side of his right thigh and the vulva on the other side, and produces his offspring by simply opening and closing his legs together. This is the reason there are so many shayatin (malevolent jinn).

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Mura’ash is a jinn king who rules the Jann, a primitive type of jinn that are thought to be harmless. According to One Thousand and One Nights, he is as big as a mountain and has four heads: a lion, an elephant, a panther and a lynx. From The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night.

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Many jinn can shape shift into animals, the most common is a snake. If a snake is in your house, it’s best to ask it to leave first. If you kill the snake and it turns out to be a jinn, you may be abducted and taken to a jinn court. The Wonders of Creation, 18th Century.

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King Zawba’ah is the ruler of Friday, Venus, the color green, and the metal copper. He’s watched by the angel Anael and was one of the nine jinns who listened to the prophet Muhammad recite the Qur’an at Nakhlah. He often appears as a whirlwind or cyclone. The Book of Felicity, 1582. ⠀

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