Dzsinn

A dzsinn egy ritka fajta szellem az arab mitológiában.

Dzsinnek az iszlám előtti mitológiában [szerkesztés]

Az ókori sémi népek hiedelemvilágában a dzsinnek a régi emberek szellemei voltak, akik éjszaka jelentek meg és a hajnal első sugaraival eltűntek. Képesek voltak láthatatlanná válni és állatokká változni, és gyakran tették őket felelőssé betegségekért és az őrületért.

Az arabok úgy képzelték a dzsinneket, mint tűzszellemeket, bár néha démonokkal azonosították őket, különös tekintettel a succubusokra, olyan női alakot öltött démonokra, akik éjszaka látogatták meg a férfiakat, hogy álmukban párosodjanak velük és vámpír módjára energiát merítsenek ezekből a találkozásokból. A hiedelem szerint a dzsinnek feleltek azért is, ha valakinek költői tehetsége volt.

Dzsinnek az iszlámban [szerkesztés]

A muszlimok általánosságban hisznek a dzsinnekben, amelyek szabad akarattal rendelkező lények, akiket Isten füsttelen tűzből teremtett, hasonlóan, ahogy az embereket agyagból.

A dzsinneknek épp olyan társadalmuk van, mint az embereknek, esznek, házasodnak, meghalnak stb. Az emberek nem láthatják őket, de ők látják az embereket. Olykor szándékosan vagy véletlenül kapcsolatba kerülnek az emberekkel. Képesek jót és rosszat is tenni, amiben különböznek az iszlám angyalaitól, akik nem képesek Isten ellen cselekedni, és sosem tehetnek rosszat.

Az iszlámhoz kapcsolódó mitológiában a dzsinneket lehetséges varázslat segítségével irányítani azáltal, hogy tárgyakhoz kötjük őket; a Lámpa Szelleme Aladdin történetében is ilyen dzsinn, akit egy olajlámpába börtönöztek.

A gonosz dzsinnek szerepe általában megegyezik a keresztény démonokéval, amennyiben szintén képesek embereket megszállni vagy rávenni őket helytelen dolgokra.

Dzsinnek a nyugati kultúrában [szerkesztés]

A nyugati irodalomban a dzsinnek, akárcsak Aladdin szelleme Az Ezeregyéjszaka meséiben, általában olajlámpákban élnek és három kívánsággal jutalmazzák, aki kiengedte őket a lámpásból, míg a gonoszabbak kihasználják a rosszul megválasztott kívánságokat. A nyugati kultúra egyik legismertebb dzsinnje a Korda Sándor nevével fémjelzett 1940-ben forgatott A bagdadi tolvaj cimű filmben szereplő óriás dzsinn. Ő is a gonosz dzsinnek közé tartozik; a szabad emberek iránt érzett gyűlölettől vezérleve el akarja taposni az őt kiszabadító Abut, a kis tolvajt. A furfangos Abunak azonban sikerül egy trükkel visszazárni a palackba az óriás dzsinnt igy megússza az agyontaposást és még arra is ráveszi - ha kiengedi ujra a palackból - teljesítse három kívánságát.

Genie (from Arabic جني jinnie) is a magical fiery spirit in Asian-Mid Eastern folklore, and is mentioned in the Quran. The genie was incorporated into European folk tales with slightly modified characteristics.

[edit] Etymology and definitions

Arabia

Genie is usual English translation of the Arabic term jinni, but it is not directly an Anglicized form of the Arabic word, as is commonly thought. The English word comes from French génie, which meant a spirit of any kind, which in turn came from Latin genius, which meant a sort of tutelary or guardian spirit thought to be assigned to each person at birth. The Latin word predates the Arabic word jinni in this context, and may have been introduced in the Arabian civilization through the Nabataeans. The root however, and its concept of being "hidden" or "concealed" still comes from the Semitic root "JNN" and from which the Arabic Jannah (garden or paradise) is derived.[1][2]

Arabic lexicons, such as William Lane's lexicon provide[3] the rendered meaning of Jinn not only for spirits, but also for anything concealed through time, status and even physical darkness. A classical Arabic use of the term Jinn is as follows:

وَلا جِنَّ بِالْبَغْضَآءِ وَالنَّظَرِ الشَّزْرِ

And there is no concealment with vehement hatred as well as the averting look.

English

The first recorded use of the word Genie in English was in 1655 as geny, with the Latin meaning. The French translators of The Book of One Thousand and One Nights later used the word génie as a translation of jinni because it was similar to the Arabic word both in sound and in meaning; this meaning was also picked up in English and has since become dominant. The plural, according to Sir Richard Francis Burton, is Jann.

[edit] Jinn in pre-Islamic era

Amongst archaeologists dealing with ancient Middle Eastern cultures, any spirit lesser than Angels is often referred to as a “Djinn”, especially when describing stone reliefs or other forms of art. This practice draws on the original meaning of the term genie for simply a spirit of any sort.

Epigraphic Evidence

Inscriptions found in Northwestern Arabia seem to indicate worship of Djinn, or at least their tributory status. For instance, an inscription from Beth Fasi'el near Palmyra pays tribute to the "Ginnaye", the "good and rewarding gods"[4] providing a sharp resemblance to the Latin Genius and Juno: The Guardian Spirits.

Folklore

Types of Djinn include the ghul (“night shade”, which can change shape), the sila (which cannot change shape), the Ifrit IPA: [iˈfɾɪt], and “Marid” [mʌˈɾɪd]. From information in The Arabian Nights, Marid seem to be the strongest form of Djinn, followed by Ifrit, and then the rest of the Djinn.

In the mid-east it is believed that the Djinn were spirits of smoke-less fire, although sometimes they associated them with succubi (demons in the forms of beautiful women). The feminine form of Djinn is “jinniyah” or “jinneyeh”.

[edit] Jinn in Islam

The Djinn are said to be creatures with free will, made from 'smokeless fire' by God, in the same way humans were made of earth. According to the Qur'an, Djinn have free choice, and Iblis used this freedom in front of God by refusing to bow to Adam when God told Iblis to do so. By refusing to obey God’s order he was thrown out of the Paradise and called “Shaitan” (See Shaitan and Satan). In the Qur'an, Djinn are frequently mentioned and Sura 72 of the Qur'an named Al-Jinn is entirely about them. Another Sura (Al-Naas) mentions the Djinn in the last verse. In fact, it is mentioned in the Qur'an that Muhammad was sent as a prophet to both “humanity and the Djinn”.

The Djinn are believed to have communities much like human societies: they eat, marry, die, etc. They are believed to live in tribes that have boundaries, to follow religions as humans do, and follow the same ranks in armies as humans do. Because they are massless and can be fit into any space, some believe Djinns can settle into any location, from a vast area (like a Universe), to a tiny hole, (like a lamp). It is believed that they are invisible to humans, but that they can see humans. Some believe that they occasionally, accidentally or deliberately, come into view or into contact with humans. Djinn are believed to live much longer than humans: some of whom are said to be still alive having seen Muhammad (who lived during the 7th century). It is also thought that Djinn can take on the form of humans and animals but they can not take on the form of prophets and 12 Imams of Shi'ite Islam.

[edit] Genie as a Thief

In Muslim beliefs, the genie can also act as a supernatural thief. [1] By some traditions, the prophet Mohammed warned against thieving jinn.

[edit] Jinn in post-Islamic Arabic fiction

Evil Ifrit in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights are called “the seed of Iblis”.

The Spirit of the Lamp in the story of Aladdin, a familiar djinn to the Western world (see next section), was such a jinni, bound to an oil lamp. Ways of summoning jinn were told in The Thousand and One Nights: by writing the name of God in Hebrew characters on a knife (whether the Hebrew name for God, Yahweh, or the Arabic Allah is used is not specified), and drawing a diagram, with strange symbols and incantations around it.

The jinn’s power of possession was also addressed in the fictional Nights. It is said that by taking seven hairs out of the tail of a cat that was all black except for a white spot on the end of its tail, and then burning the hairs in a small closed room with the possessed, filling their nose with the scent, this would release them from the spell of the jinn inside them[citation needed].

[edit] Classes of Jinn
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In the West, Jinn are conventionally classified as follows: (from high to low)

Marid: The marid are the fewest in number among the jinn, and the strongest. It is said that a marid was the first jinn, and his brothers began the other tribes. Marid are solitary beings, and often live near the coast. They are masters of the weather, and sailors are careful not to anger these jinn. They can be seen to travel across water as a waterspout and have been known to wreck ships with the wind and waves they can cause. A marid may appear as a wise old man or a porpoise, or a horse, leading travelers to wise courses.

Ifrit: These highly intelligent jinn are among the most numerous. They have a quite evil temper. Their main homes are in abandoned or desolate places. Iblis is their great leader. They may appear as a soldier, or a great dog. The afreet often move across land as a great tornado of dust, or on magical camels made of sand and evil magic. They may also strike as giant serpents or scorpions spitting fire.

Shaitan (Sheitan): These are the longest lived of all the jinn. Their home is in the mountains where even the rock and water are hot. They are masters of deception, and can disappear in a cloud of smoke, traveling on clouds of hot air from place to place. They are well known for their pride, and are known to have human worshipers and slaves. The Sheitan are also the most adept at manipulating the pride of man to turn him away from his fate. These evil jinn often appear as beautiful women, but will of course retain some part of an animal's form on their body. They often appear as smoke or a jackal, and will use disease as a weapon in many instances. They are often seen as or riding black camels.

Ghoul (Ghillan, Ghul): The name means "to seize". The Ghillan are the most depraved of the jinn. The Ghillan stalk the trackless wastes of the desert and prey upon the living and the dead. They may only eat what they have killed or what dead creature has not had the name of a protective deity spoken over it. They are very intelligent, but can behave as animals when in a crazed lust for food. They are very superstitious and consider their hospitality to be inviolable. If offered salt, they will not attack the individual who offered the salt, or his household. The Ghillan often appear as pilgrims and join caravans, then fall upon their hosts if they are not treated with due hospitality. They will also openly attack individuals or small groups. Many Ghillan seek out grave sites, and will devour the newly dead or retrieve them for evil wizards or other diabolical masters. They can change into vultures, and follow their mundane cousins to battle fields and dying travelers. Their alternative forms always have asses' hooves The only way to kill Ghillan is to strike them with a single blow, since striking them twice will invest within them new life.

Jann (Djann): The most individualistic of the jinn. They consider an oasis as perhaps the most beautiful place that exists. Caravans suffered or prospered at their hands, for it is said they could hide an oasis from those who had previously mistreated them or shown disrespect. Jann can take the form of a camel, generally white, and travel slowly between oasis under their control. They occasionally will disappear in a cyclone of sand. Jann will only rarely be found in cities, though many are said to have palaces at their favorite oasis. They often appear as a whirlwind of sand, or as a soldier in order to conceal themselves.

In addition to these classes, there is also:

Qareen: according to Islamic literature, these are evil spirits, analogous to a personal demon, intent on tricking people into acts of sin.

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