Djinn or Jinn or Genie

[The Archivist]

Djinn are supernatural creatures in early Arabian and later Islamic mythology and theology. They are not purely spiritual, but also physical in nature, being able to interact in a tactile manner with people and objects and also subject to bodily desires like eating and sleeping. Djinn in Middle Eastern folktales are often depicted as monstrous or magical creatures.

Djinn were worshipped by many Arabs during the Pre-Islamic period. But unlike gods, djinn were not depicted as immortal. However, djinn were also feared and thought to be responsible for various diseases and mental illnesses. Such spirits were thought to inhabit desolate, dingy, and dark places and that they were feared and one had to protect oneself from them. In ancient Arabia, the term djinn also applied to all kinds of supernatural entities among various religions and cults, thus angels and demons among Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Judaism were also called djinn.

Jinn can be found in the One Thousand and One Nights story of "The Fisherman and the Jinni"; more than three different types of jinn are described in the story of Ma‘ruf the Cobbler; two jinn help young Aladdin in the story of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp; as Ḥasan Badr al-Dīn weeps over the grave of his father until sleep overcomes him, and he is awoken by a large group of sympathetic jinn in the Tale of ‘Alī Nūr al-Dīn and his son Badr ad-Dīn Ḥasan. In some stories, Jinn are credited with the ability of instantaneous travel (from China to Morocco in a single instant); in others, they need to fly from one place to another, though quite fast (from Baghdad to Cairo in a few hours).

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[Mighty Darci]

Types of Djinn

MARID
Large and imposing, the marid are considered the most powerful tribe of jinn. They are the classic genies of folklore, often portrayed as barrelchested men with booming voices. Originally sea-spirits, they are often associated with water.

EFFRIT/'IFRIT/AFRIT
Intelligent and cunning, the effrit are thought to live in complex societies similar to those of humans. They are said to prefer caves and under ground dwellings. Though ostensibly demonic, they are portrayed as changeable in nature, and capable of becoming pious and good. In the Quran, King Solomon is said to have had power over a tribe of effrit, who performed various tasks for him.

The ‘ifrit (variation: afrit) is cited only once in the Qur’an, in reference to a djinni who fetched the throne of the Queen of Sheba at the command of King Solomon. In lore, it is evil and powerful, and difficult to control.

The Ifrits are in a class of infernal Jinn noted for their strength and cunning. An ifrit is an enormous winged creature of fire, either male or female, who lives underground and frequents ruins. Ifrits live in a society structured along ancient Arab tribal lines, complete with kings, tribes and clans. 

While ordinary weapons and forces have no power over them, they are susceptible to magic, which humans can use to kill them or to capture and enslave them. As with the jinn, an ifrit may be either a believer or an unbeliever, good or evil, but it is most often depicted as a wicked and ruthless being.

GHOUL
This tribe of jinn has traveled north and west to become a common English- language term for “undead monster.” This is pretty close to its original Arabic connotation; ghouls are thought to be zombie-like jinn who haunt graveyards and prey on human flesh. They are strictly demonic and incapable of goodness. Often portrayed as nocturnal.

The ghoul are shape-shifting, cannibalistic, and blood-drinking creatures that feed on the flesh of human beings,  especially travelers, children or corpses stolen out of graves. The oldest references to ghul in Arabian lore are found in The Book of 1001 Nights. There are several types of ghoul. The most feared is a female type (ghula) which has the ability to appear as a normal, mortal woman. According to lore, such a creature marries an unsuspecting man, who becomes her prey.

The ghoul are nocturnal creatures who inhabit graveyards, ruins and other lonely places. Sometimes they are described as dead humans who sleep for long periods in secret graves, then awake, rise and feast on both the living and the dead. Ghoul also personify the unknown terrors held by the desert.

SILA
Talented shape-shifters who are more tolerant of human society than other tribes of jinn, sila are most often portrayed as female. Thought to be extremely intelligent, sila are nonetheless the most rarely seen of all the types of jinn, and appear only sporadically in folklore. Sila are extremely rare and while they are intelligent and comfortable crossing back and forth between realms seen and unseen/human and jinn, by their nature they do not usually set out to harm or trick humans. Sila are, however, fond of meddling in an attempt to help.

VETALA
The original vampires, vetala are semi-malevolent spirits from ancient Indian folklore. They can possess human corpses and prevent them from decaying, and in so doing trick human beings into believing the vetala is an ordinary person. However, vetala can also change shape at will. They are thought to be natural psychics, able to foretell the future and gain insight into the past, as well as read the thoughts of others. 

JANN
Jann are shape-shifters who live in the desert, and take the forms of whirlwinds and white camels. They are open-minded about humans, and were among the first djinn encountered by people. They have the power to hide or reveal oases in the desert, depending on whether they like or dislike a party of travelers. They are the enemies of the ghoul.
Throughout history, the Jann have protected armies they deem as righteous, while impeding those they deem unworthy.

Powers of Djinn

Genies may be bound to a receptacle (usually imagined as a lamp), which they cannot leave without certain events happening (someone rubbing the lamp, certain commands, etc).
 Anyone who holds the receptacle may have command over the genie, forcing it to grant them wishes.
 Destruction of the receptacle may either kill the genie or release it.
 A genie's immense magic may be limited to rules that forbid it from granting just any wish or use magic for their own gains and desires.

Reality Warping, Wish Granting, Superhuman Durability, Speed, Strength, Flight, Invisibility, Shapeshifting, Teleportation
They are strong and fast and can carry people of objects vast distances in a very short time. They can build things in a very short time, even very large things.

Traditional jinn are made of smokeless flame or are the spirits of dust devils (hence the term) and like human beings, they are both free-willed and can be good, evil, or neutral. They live in their own communities, are usually invisible to mortals and can change their shape.

[Morose]

Wow, that is some great reference material.