This week our group talked about how the perception of Jinn in Islamic lore has changed over time. And we also compared and contrasted other religion’s beliefs in supernatural creatures.
To start off, as Alejandro mentioned that a mysticism said that to be a Muslim one must believe in Jinn which shows the great importance the concept of Jinn holds. Jinns are accredited as being supernatural creatures that exist between the celestial and the material realm according to Islamic lore. They are known to take any shape and form which gives them a mysterious perception. And they weren’t thought of as being only harmful some Jinns were believed to be harmless.
Experiencing Jinn. [Online Image]. http://www.khalidzaheer.com/experiencing-jinn/
In the olden days, people used to worship Jinn due to their belief that Jinn had the ability to make weapons and improve crop growth. Steafan talked about how Jinn also had human-like emotions which made them dangerous at times. And it was also believed that they could infiltrate the human body if they were displeased with the person. This also ties into what modern belief is nowadays as people now believe that depression and all sorts of mental illnesses are a cause of Jinn even in this age and time as said by Ashlee.
Apart from the Islamic world the rest of the world has also started becoming comfortable with the idea of Jinn which is more accurately termed as a “genie” nowadays. Dana termed it really well saying that the idea of Jinn has changed from being the powerful creatures they were and then to be reduced to some wish-granting genies. The story “the thousand and one nights” though very amusing but came to popularity when it was translated to French which showed how western culture had overcome the whole concept of Jinn and reduced it into a genie.
Genie. [Online image]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genie_(Disney)
There are also some other religions that believe in supernatural creatures as well. For example, in Jewish lore Dybbuk is a supernatural creature that holds significance. Dybbuk are possessor demons from the early modern Jewish mythology who are dead souls that possess the living in order to complete some tasks. This is so similar to the way Muslims believe in Jinn.
Dybbuk. [Online image]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dybbuk
Alejandro also mentioned gargoyles which are mythical creatures believed in Christianity and they would attack small towns. The Bishops were ordered to torch them so that they would turn to stone and would hang them on top of churches for warding evil spirits off. Still to this day many cathedrals still have gargoyles attached at the top.
The Grotesque Stories Behind the Famous Gargoyles of Notre Dame Cathedral. [Online image]. https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/11/24/gargoyles-of-notre-dame
So, to conclude it would be fitting to say that supernatural creatures believed by various religions certainly hold their significance in terms of the past and of the present.
Sources
https://rantsofgeeks.wordpress.com/2014/05/24/mythological-creatures-christianity/
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/9k7ekv/what-are-jinn-arab-spirits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=516&v=YvdedlbyrQM&feature=emb_logo
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