DEMONS, DJINNS, AND DEVILS

The peoples of the ancient and medieval Middle East feared the howling winds that swept across the deserts of Arabia, believing malevolent spirits, demons, and deities rode them, bearing misfortune. Known as djinn, these spirtis inhabited these desolate landscapes, making the desert a place of fear and the unknown; a place where the lines between the worlds and dimensions blurred, and encounters with the supernatural could become a reality.

By Adam Ali

The mention of djinn (also spelled jinn), or genies as they are referred to in the West, evokes exotic images of the Middle East from stories like Aladdin and the Magical Lamp and other tales from the 1001 Nights. Ancient djinn Although the djinn is associated with Islamic culture, folklore, and religion, they have much deeper roots that stretch back millennia. Some scholars believe that the supernatural beings that would come to be known as djinn were first conceptualized as malevolent demons, while others have argued that they were the primordial gods and goddesses (often associated with nature) of ancient peoples such as the Sumerians and Akkadians. These early primitive deities were supplanted by new pantheons of gods and goddesses, and more sophisticated belief systems. However, they were not fully discarded and…

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Medieval World Culture & Conflict (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 10 - 2024

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