Djinn

Djinn, or jinni, are ancient illusion-casting specters who live for centuries, can manifest in any form and travel anywhere instantly. Like the Greek daimon, they are spirits of an intermediate nature, between mortals and gods, and while most are neutral, some are downright evil.

It is said in the Q'uran that they are an ancient species who were created before humankind from smokeless fire.

It is also said that for each human born, a Djinn is also born as a kind of supernatural twin, a qareen, who tempts the human being from birth to do the wrong thing. Djinn are closely intertwined into human affairs and are known to be fond of granting wishes, often twisting them to their own cruel ends on the unlucky human who releases them often from a sealed glass lamp or container.

One such legend tells of a fisherman who fished up an old lamp and unsealed it, releasing a vengeful djinn who, after centuries of waiting, decided to grant one wish to his emancipator: the method by which the djinn would kill him.

The fisherman, naturally terrified beyond his wits, used his brain rather than brawn to beat the djinn at its own game, stating he did not believe the djinn could grant wishes so he requested the djinn prove it. As proud creatures, the djinn took the challenge; the fisherman told the djinn if it could make itself as smoke and shrink itself into the bottle, he would let the djinn kill him. The djinn proceeded to do just that, shrinking itself back into the bottle at which point the fisherman moved as fast as he could, resealing the evil djinn back inside its tomb.

The fisherman then weighed the bottle down and threw it back into the river, where no one could ever dredge it up again.