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{{trope}}
{{quote|''"I beg you, my son," she said, "by the milk with which I suckled you, throw away the lamp and the ring! They can only cause us a great deal of terror, and I couldn't bear to look at that jinnee a second time. Moreover, it is unlawful to have relations with them."''|'''[[Aladdin (
In Middle Eastern folklore and Islam, genies (''jinn'', Arabic for "hidden") were created out of the Four Elements by [[God]] before he created the First Man from all the elements. They are (usually) invisible beings that are actually [[What Measure Is a Non-Human?|more like humans than we realize]]
God told the Djinn that they should bow to man's superiority, but their leader, Iblis, refused to do so; thus they ended up imprisoned in lamps and such and forced to grant wishes. Genies in Islam can also possess humans for a variety of
In popular Western media, genies are immortal beings almost invariably [[Genie in
Also, Genies are extremely likely to be an [[Amazing Technicolor Population]] and to have [[Fog Feet]].
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The correct Arabic grammar is "one ''djinni''", "two ''djinn''" (also spelled ''jinn(i)''). Don't expect the average [[Viewers are Morons|viewer]] or [[Did Not Do the Research|writer]] to get this right. (More trivia: The English word "genie", used to translate "djinni", is completely unrelated but has a similar meaning. The Dutch word "genie", genius, is spelled the same, but has nothing to do with it and is pronounced completely differently.)
See also [[Genie in
{{examples}}
▲== Anime & Manga ==
* Majin Buu of ''[[Dragonball Z]]'' is quite genie based. Both in appearance and the fact that he first manifests as smoke after being unsealed. He was even called "Djinn Buu" in at least one translation.
** In fact, Majin (demon person) is often used as a translation for Jinn in anime.
* In ''[[Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
== Card Games ==▼
* ''[[Magic the Gathering]]'' features both djinn and efreet as creature types. They tend to be fairly powerful for their cost, but often have some drawback or ability reflecting their general fickleness, like dealing damage to their controller, making enemy creatures stronger or harder to block, or only attacking or blocking when they feel like it according to a coin flip. They're also two of the few creature types that have cards specifically intended to neutralize them -- [http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=974 King Suleiman] and his [http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=3745 legacy], respectively.▼
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* One of the main characters of G. Willow Wilson's Cairo is a three-piece suit-wearing genie inhabiting a water-pipe who grants wishes by manipulating probability.
* The [[DC Comics]] character Johnny Thunder was a clueless young man who inherited a genie-like being called The Thunderbolt (who seemed to be a living bolt of lightning) that obeyed his commands- if he said the magic words "Cei-U" first (pronounced "say you!"- as you can imagine from that, [[Hilarity Ensues|hilarity often ensued]].) It was later revealed that there's a whole [[Another Dimension|dimension]] of creatures like The Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt later passed to a young African-American boy named Jakeem, and merged with another "genie" to create a new being summoned by the mahic words "So Cul" (pronounced "so cool").
* ''[[Fables]]'' plays with the idea that a djinn's lamp is actually [[Tailor-Made Prison|a very elaborate prison]] for [[Omnicidal Maniac|a very powerful, very destructive being of chaos.]] As such, it is very important that your third wish be [[Sealed Evil in
== [[Film]] ==
* The Shaquille O'Neil movie, ''[[Kazaam]]''. A genie's bottle falls into a stereo and produces a rapping genie. Also, the main character says that all genies are naturally slaves, and "djinn"
== Films -- Live-Action ==▼
▲* The Shaquille O'Neil movie, ''[[Kazaam]]''. A genie's bottle falls into a stereo and produces a rapping genie. Also, the main character says that all genies are naturally slaves, and "djinn" -- or free spirits -- are nothing more than fairy tales.
* The djinn in the ''[[Wishmaster]]'' series are apparently some kind of byproduct of God's creation of the universe and are all inherently evil and as such were banished to some Hell dimension. The main one is trapped in a red jewel on Earth and if he successfully grants his summoner's three wishes he can free his brethren and get rid of whatever it is that's restricting his powers so that they only activate for wishes. He also collects souls and has a [[Jackass Genie|very loose definition of what exactly constitutes as a wish]].
* The remake of ''[[Clash of the Titans]]'' has Djinn, even though they are from the Arabian lore rather than from the Greek mythology. Here, they appear as black-colored humanoid creatures with bright blue eyes that use blue fire magic that seems organic based (they tame scorpions, heal the hero and are claimed to rebuild themselves of wood). And they also can suicide bomb themselves. [[Unfortunate Implications|Have I mentioned they are Arabian?]]
== [[Literature]] ==▼
* There were several genies in the ''[[
▲== Literature ==
** One was trapped in a jar. Apparently, being stuck in a jar made him so cantankerous that his idea of showing gratitude was to let his rescuer choose how he would die. Which wasn't his original
▲* There were several genies in the ''[[Arabian Nights (Literature)|Arabian Nights]]''. Here's a sampling...
▲** One was trapped in a jar. Apparently, being stuck in a jar made him so cantankerous that his idea of showing gratitude was to let his rescuer choose how he would die. Which wasn't his original plan -- when first sealed into the jar, he pledged that the one who freed him would be granted three wishes. After a thousand years, he pledged to reveal to his rescuer all the treasures of the Earth. After a thousand more, he pledges to grant his rescuer the choice of how he'll die.
** Another took a fancy to a handsome young man. After whisking him away to show him to another genie, she dropped him in Damascus, far away from his own home.
** A woman rescued a female genie from an amorous male
** The genies in the ''[[Aladdin (
** A particularly [[Literal Genie]] granted a man's wish for a bigger manhood... by making it ''gigantic''. Like fallen tree gigantic.
* That same idea as in the first ''Arabian Nights'' example is used in ''[[Enchanted Forest Chronicles|Dealing with Dragons]]''. When a genie is accidentally let out of the bottle, he explains to Cimorene and Therandril the terms of reward with years of imprisonment, and then insists that their only choice now was their manner of death, which Cimorene responds to by choosing "old age". {{spoiler|Also in keeping with the theme of the story, the genie actually had only been in the bottle long enough that he'd be forced to grant them three wishes for his release instead of killing them. Because no genie was ever released before the "kill-the-releaser" period, he felt that granting the wishes and not killing anyone would make him a laughingstock. He decides to follow Cimorene's advice and return to the bottle for another thousand years or so, when the two of them would certainly be dead and he could go home without granting wishes or breaking his oath.}}
* ''[[
* In [[Poul Anderson]]'s ''[[Operation Chaos]]'', the genie is sealed in a bottle (with Solomon's Seal no less) but does not have to grant wishes. Virginia must use psychological tricks on it.
* The ''[[Discworld]]'' novel ''[[
* [[Harlan Ellison]]'s story "[[Just for Pun|Djinn, No Chaser]]" features a ''very angry'' genie trapped in a lamp. He proceeds to make life hell for a couple on their honeymoon and gets the husband temporarily institutionalized {{spoiler|until the wife decides to just bust open the lamp with a can opener, releasing the genie and earning his gratitude}}.
* Djins in the ''[[Myth Adventures]]'' series come from the dimension of Djinger, a place so strapped for funds that they've resorted to hiring out their citizens to work in magic lamps, rings, bottles and so on. Don't believe the hype about what they're capable of; after all, they're only a few inches tall. {{spoiler|Usually. They underplay their power ''very'' heavily.}}
* ''[[
* [[
* ''[[The Bartimaeus Trilogy]]'' has a whole pantheon of spirits (afrits, jinn, etc.) who magicians use spells to bind to their will. Typically, their actual appearance is that of an [[Eldritch Abomination]], and they use shapeshifting and glamour to take other forms.
* [[Piers Anthony]] took a sci-fi twist in the book, ''Prostho Plus''. An Earth dentist {{spoiler|repairs the "tooth" of a powerful robotic being with ill-defined powers}}. The being declares that he had waited too long, and would grant no wishes, and asks him how he wishes to die. The dentist says, "Of old age, of course." For the rest of the book, he has a faithful [[Deus Ex Machina|Deus Ex Machine]] who protects him from all harm, declaring "None but I shall do him die!", and even goes to the point of helping him get together with his lady-love because humans tend to have a better chance of reaching old age when partnered, or something like that.
* Malik ibn Ibrahim, the main character of the anthology ''[[Wandering Djinn]]'' pretty much [[Walking the Earth]], has the ability to disguise himself in a myriad of human forms, knows a lot of different folklore creatures because he's met a lot of them, and has the creepy appearance of skin that's so dark blue it borders on black, golden cat eyes, and instead of hair a scalp covered with flame. If he wasn't such a goofball, he might be frightening.
* Sandy Frances Duncan's ''The Toothpaste Genie'' is about an unskilled young genie bound to a tube of toothpaste. He explains to the protagonist that the more successful and esteemed a genie is, the better the container they're assigned to by their superiors. Toothpaste tubes and boxes of laundry detergent are apparently the bottom of the totem pole, with fancy bottles being near the top.
* In L. Jagi Lamplighter's ''[[
* The Portuguese translation of ''[[His Dark Materials]]'' literally translates "daemon" as "genie" ("génio"). In this case, "daemon" is derived from a Greek term defining any lesser supernatural entity, and it was under that definition that jinns originally fell; in other words, those are essentially the Greek and Islamic analogues of [[The Fair Folk]]. In the context of the books, daemons/genies are your soul walking around as a sentient, talking animal, whose species reflects your personality.
* The White Witch from ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'' is half Jinn and [[Our Giants Are Bigger|half Giant]].
* In her ''[[Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms|500 Kingdoms]]'' novel ''Fortune's Fool'', [[Mercedes Lackey]] used an ifrit as the villain. {{spoiler|At the end, he is sealed into his bottle "until you repent of your evil ways, and are ready to join your lawful kin in the City of Brass." Djinn do have free will, so it's a valid condition.}}
* In the ''[[Supernatural]]'' episode "What Is and What Should Never Be", the Winchester brothers track down a djinni that appears to grant whatever its victim wishes for, altering the world around them. But Dean learns first hand that the djinni just puts his victims in an acid-trip-like state, hooks them up to an IV, and drinks their blood for a few days until they die (but it feels like years in the djinni-induced-acid-trip). The victims do occasionally get flashes of reality, though, which is what helps Dean figure it out and get out of Wishland.
* ''The Genie from Down Under'' deals with the adventures of the very Australian genie Bruce and his son Baz who live in an opal pendant and are forced to obey the commands of whoever holds the opal.
* Four words, ''[[I
* ''[[
* Imagin, the [[Monster of the Week]] race from ''[[Kamen Rider Den-O]]'', are an odd variation of genie: they claim to grant wishes, [[Jackass Genie|typically twisting them horribly]], and once the contract is complete they use their contractor's memories to create a portal to the past so they can alter history for their benefit. Of course, while there is an overall leader, every Imagin has its own personality and can choose whether or not it wants to obey him. The protagonists include several Imagin that decided there were other things they wanted to do (like [[Handsome Lech|chase skirt]] or [[To Be a Master|become the strongest karateka]]) and partnered up with the kind-hearted protagonist to protect people from their malevolent brethren.
* In the Enchanted Ralm in ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'' there is the Genie of Agrabah who becomes Regina's {{spoiler|[[Unwitting Pawn]] in her plot to kill her husband the king and is transformed into her Mirror}}
* An episode of ''[[Wizards of Waverly Place]]'' featured a [[Jackass Genie]]
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
▲=== Card Games ===
▲* ''[[Magic:
=== Tabletop
* In ''[[Dungeons
** The ''Al-Qadim'' setting clarifies this. Genies are more or less widespread there, but treated as powerful, whimsical and extremely dangerous, albeit honorable, beings. Most people avoid any contact closer than hearing tales about them. All genies can grant wishes in proper circumstances, but usually bend any request toward their own desires; when pressed into service they are just as inventive with vengeance later, and while individual genies can be trapped or killed, this tends to upset their pals and rulers. There's also Jann ("composite" genies living in mortal worlds) and Great Ghuls (undead genies). Gen are minor genie-kin implied to be kids of the main elemental types and contracted out as servants to sha'ir wizards. Again, gen may serve faithfully, but people unwise enough to mistreat one are [[Mama Bear|in for a big surprise]].
** In 4th edition, Efreeti (Fire Element Genies) are all slave-trading bastards who consider [[
** On the other hand, Djinni (Air Element Genies) are magical craftsmen and engineers, most of whom have been sealed away. Their primary goal is reclaiming the lost creations of their "golden age" and freeing their allies and family while ensuring their enemies remain imprisoned forever.
* In the ''[[
* In ''[[Rifts]]'', Jinn are elemental demons that, if captured, can be compelled to grant a wish. However, they aren't nearly all-powerful, so if you were to wish for a million dollars from one, for example, it can't just make it appear out of mid-air, but will have to go and ''get'' it... and won't be particularly picky about where it comes from, or what he does in the process. Ever seen a Jinni rob a bank? You're about to.
* One of the [[Alternate History|Infinite Worlds]] in the ''[[GURPS]]'' setting is Caliph, a scientifically advanced Arab-dominant timeline, where references to djinn in the Qu'ran are [[The Genie in
* In ''[[Warhammer]]'' and ''[[Warhammer 40000]]'', some Keepers of Secrets grant wishes in the fashion of Genies in exchange for your soul. Then you die. Keepers of secrets aren't known for being truthful.▼
▲* ''[[Old World of Darkness (Tabletop Game)|Old World of Darkness]]'':
** In the fan forum [http://www.shadownessence.com/forums Shadow n Essence], a member once proposed a fanwork called ''Djinn: Of Smokeless Fire'' that imagined them as Middle Eastern [[Changeling: The Dreaming|fae]]. An interesting idea, but nothing really came of it.
** "Lost Paths", the ''[[
*** The djinn have subraces as varied as those of humanity, and range in personality from [[Jackass Genie]] to [[Literal Genie]] to almost every variation in between ''except'' [[Benevolent Genie]]. Again, about the only thing the djinn have in common other than their basic composition and access to unimaginable power is their desire for vengeance upon the arrogant human insects that dare command them—so any mage dealing with them must have varying amounts of foolishness, intelligence, boldness and charisma.
* In ''[[
=== War Games ===
▲* In ''[[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]'' and ''[[Warhammer
== [[Video Games]] ==
* ''[[
* ''[[Sonic Storybook Series|Sonic and the Secret Rings]]'' is based on the ''[[
* The Djinn in ''[[Tibia]]'' are divided in two races of Green and Blue Djinn, that don't get along well. They are powerful magicians and work as [[Vendor Trash|buyers for more expensive loot]].
* The strategy game ''[[Rise of Legends]]'' featured genies prominently among the Alin race, which takes virtually all of its cues from ''Arabian Nights'' and Arabic folklore, with genies coming in fire, sand, and glass varieties. Some are simple units, but the three Alin hero units are particularly powerful genies, each representing one of the Alin elements.
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** They reappear in [[Age of Wonders]]: Shadow magic, filling a similar role for the nomads.
* ''[[King's Quest]]''
** In ''[[King's Quest VI]]'' a genie by the name of Shamir Shamazzle causes trouble for the protagonist. Working for the [[Big Bad]], Shamir shapeshifts into various people and animals, but is always identifiable by his glinting gold eyes, and seems unable to do the hero direct physical harm (instead coercing him into dangerous situations if he is foolish enough to listen to him). Whoever had possession of the lamp had control
** In ''[[King's Quest II]]'', Graham acquires a lamp, out of which a genie appears to grant him a flying carpet, a sword and a bridle before disappearing.
** In ''[[King's Quest V]]'', Graham gets a brass bottle that also contains a genie. However, if he opens it {{spoiler|[[Jackass Genie|the genie simply traps him in his place and disappears,]] thereby ending the game.}}
* ''[[Quest for Glory II]]: Trial by Fire'' has two varieties. The [[Sealed Evil in
* ''[[Arcana]]'' for the Super NES had the hero Rooks coming into ownership of four genie-like spirits: Sylph, Efrite, Marid and Dao, representing wind, fire, water and earth, respectively. Their levels are tied to Rooks' and are mostly there to supplement the party's attacks with magical support.
* The Bajarls from ''[[Monster Rancher]]'' 2 resembled genies.
* Genies in the original ''[[Might and Magic]]'' setting were fairly standard, apart from being the complete opposite and sworn enemy to the Efreet, a Inferno creature. Their magic in both the old world and Ashan tends to produce random effects and they seem to have a touch of [[Literal Genie]] as well.
** The second case is the most evident in ''[[Heroes of Might and Magic]] 5: Tribes of the East''. Zehir asks them to create a flying city, which they do, but unfortunately they [[You Didn't Ask|didn't tell him the price of moving it beforehand]]: a large amount of experience, justifying the [[Bag of Spilling]] effect of the expansions in this particular case.
* The Sandsea saga of ''[[
* [[Uncharted]] 3 has some of these guys in the Iram. However, it's possible that {{spoiler|they're a hallucination brought on by the spiked water and Nathan fixating on the legend of djinn being in the city. Therefore, it could be that one person had that hallucination, and everyone since him was just suggestible while drugged out.}}
* In [[Guild Wars]] Nightfall, djinn appear in a number of locations, some as allies, some as creatures to fight.
== [[Web Animation]] ==▼
▲== Web Animation ==
* Apparently, some genies [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGeIcFwG-j4 have] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEVjOudHHWk dirty] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpJjfJTwnhs minds].
* [http://nonadventures.com/2007/11/10/djinn-there-done-that/ This strip] of ''[[The Non
* ''[[Last
* In ''[[I Dream of a Jeanie Bottle]]'', a guy gets transformed into a ([[Gender Bender|female]]) Genie. A spoof of ''[[I
== [[Web
▲* [http://nonadventures.com/2007/11/10/djinn-there-done-that/ This strip] of ''[[The Non Adventures of Wonderella (Webcomic)|The Non Adventures of Wonderella]]'' parodies the disconnect between the original djinni myths and the American pop-culture genie.
▲* ''[[Last Resort]]'''s Djinn and Djinni-Si are so far off the myth they're practically [[In Name Only]]. Magical? sure. Long-lived? Well, they're undead, so we'll count it. Freaky colored skin? Yup. Wish-granting? No. Live in bottles/lamps? Well, Efreet CAN, but not the rest. [[Dark Is Not Evil|Evil? Mebbe.]] Oh, and this is without including the detail that the term "Djinni-Si" encompasses ALL undead creatures, including [[Our Vampires Are Different|Vampires]] (dubbed "Life Djinn") and Zombies. Efreet (one of the most powerful variants of Djinn) have recently been revealed to be capable of living in small glass balls.
▲* In ''[[I Dream of a Jeanie Bottle]]'', a guy gets transformed into a ([[Gender Bender|female]]) Genie. A spoof of ''[[I Dreamof Jeannie]]'' and parodying the tropes used there.
▲== Web Original ==
* The Djinn in ''[[New York Magician]]'', who works for Cthulhu and is forced to wander around New York, body to body until such a time as undisclosed.
* The spirits which act as the controlling intelligences for the Brother Gods' relics in ''[[RWBY]]'' are clearly inspired by original Arabian djinn folklore -- the first one the main characters meet even comes out of the Lamp of Knowledge, has chains dangling from cuffs on her wrists, and is called "Jin".
== [[Western Animation]] ==▼
* ''[[The Fairly
▲== Western Animation ==
* ''[[Danny Phantom]]'' had Desiree, an evil "[[Our Ghosts Are Different|ghost genie]]" who grew in power when she granted wishes. Unfortunately for her, [[Power Incontinence|she couldn't stop herself from granting wishes]], and that led to her defeat in both of her solo appearances.
▲* ''[[The Fairly Odd Parents]]'' had Norm (voiced by Norm Macdonald) who wants to be a fairy, since his powers are limited at three wishes, but fairies have unlimited power (though he claims it's because he wants to help children.) {{spoiler|He doesn't get it, however.}}
* ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]: The Series'' has the infamous blue Genie, but also introduces [[Shout
▲* ''[[Danny Phantom]]'' had Desiree, an evil "[[Our Ghosts Are Different|ghost genie]]" who grew in power when she granted wishes. Unfortunately for her, [[Power Incontinence|she couldn't stop herself from granting wishes]], and that led to her defeat in both of her solo appearances.
** They also have subtle references to traditional beliefs about Genies. Genie is blue, which is a reference to the Marid, which were believed to be blue djinn who were mostly goodish. Jafar on the other hand is red, which is a reference to the Ifrits who were associated with the color red and were [[
▲* ''[[Aladdin (Disney)|Aladdin]]: The Series'' has the infamous blue Genie, but also introduces [[Shout Out|Eden]], a green-skinned female. She gets romantically attached to the Genie, and is going to be set free with her master's third wish, until her master (who is a lonely little girl) accidentally says: "I just wish you could be with me forever." The couple is parted... but they realize that because they're immortal they can just meet up in a hundred years or so.
▲** They also have subtle references to traditional beliefs about Genies. Genie is blue, which is a reference to the Marid, which were believed to be blue djinn who were mostly goodish. Jafar on the other hand is red, which is a reference to the Ifrits who were associated with the color red and were [[Always Chaotic Evil]].
{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Our Monsters Are Different]]
[[Category:Our Tropes Are Different]]
[[Category:Older Than Print]]
[[Category:Index of Fictional Creatures]]
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