Legends of the Fire Spirits: Jinn and Genies from Arabia to ZanzibarIn the magical tale of Aladdin in The Arabian Nights, the genie that suddenly appears out of the lamp is powerful, playful and utterly mysterious. Supernatural, shape-shifting figures have been given many names over the ages - genie, demon, spirit, ghoul, shaitan and jinn. Those who have seen them believe jinn shadow us in our daily lives, causing endless mischief, providing amazing services and sometimes inducing sheer terror. Legends of the Fire Spirits explores the enduring phenomenon of the jinn. From North Africa to Central Asia, from the Mediterranean to sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, this riveting book draws on long-forgotten ancient testimonies, medieval histories, colonial records, anthropologists' reports and travellers' tales to explore the different types of jinn, their behavior, society, culture and long history of contact with humankind. It documents their links with famous figures in history and illustrates the varied and vivid portrayals of jinn in world literature. In essence, Legends of the Fire Spirits is a magnificent and indispensable portrayal of the rich folklore of the Islamic world. |
Contents
Origins | 7 |
Historical Encounters | 48 |
Jinn Behaviour 4627 | 64 |
Copyright | |
6 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Legends of the Fire Spirits: Jinn and Genies from Arabia to Zanzibar Robert Lebling Limited preview - 2010 |
Legends of the Fire Spirits: Jinn and Genies from Arabia to Zanzibar Robert Lebling No preview available - 2020 |
Legends of the Fire Spirits: Jinn and Genies from Arabia to Zanzibar Robert Lebling,Tahir Shah No preview available - 2014 |
Common terms and phrases
Abdul According Adam Africa Aisha Aisha Qandisha al-Andalus Allah ancient angels animal appeared Arab Bedouins believed Berber Bilqis body called century Christian City of Brass created creatures cultural deities demons described desert devils earth Egypt Egyptian Emir Musa evil jinn exorcists eyes female jinn fire spirits folklore ghouls Greek hadiths haunted heaven holy human Iblees Iblis Ibn al-Nadim Ibn Arabi Ibn Taymiyyah ifrit inhabited invisible Iraq iskoki Islamic Jangare jann Jewish jinn jinn king jinn lore jinn possession Jinnee Jinni jnoun jnun killed King Solomon known legend Lilith live lost city magic magicians Malay Mohammed Moroccan Morocco mosque mountains Muhammad Muslim mysterious night Pazuzu Persian person pre-Islamic Prophet Qur'an ritual ruins scholars seen sheikh smokeless fire sometimes story Sufi tale talismans Thalaba told tradition treasure tribe Ubar Umayyad Westermarck woman women Yemen