#genies

[prokopetz]

Wish-granting genie that isn't actually bound to do it and just grants wishes as a hobby, but like in the specific way that model train enthusiasts play with toy trains as a hobby.

[thefugitivesaint]

Willy Pogány (1882-1955), “Tales of the Persian Genii” by Frances Jenkins Olcott, 1919

[akemi2003]

Fic prompt #9

Dpxdc

Danny had realized that while he loves being a hero and helping people, there was no way for him to find a job without stopping his fights and there was just no way of stopping them.

He couldn’t close the portal(he needed the ectoplasm), he couldn’t stop his rogues from attacking him or the city(fighting was an essential part of ghosts culture), he couldn’t literally stop helping people (it was part of his obsession), essentially he was screwed

He was at the point of considering asking Sam to use the family money to help him.

Instead he found out that even ghosts works, they don’t really needed the money but if they wanted or have the need of blend in the human realm then they could find a job for the fund

In a strange turns of events he ended up with a stage under Desiree for learning the way of genies

His first customer? Jason Tood, before being adopted

[bestiarium]

The Shiqq, the goul, and related monsters [Arab folklore]!

(Image source: ‘Nasnas’ by Niko Boiko)

Ghouls play a large role in Arab and Bedouin folklore, usually as a devil, genie or undead monster that eats people. Before the creature was incorporated into Islamic belief and legends, the Ghoul was usually a shapeshifting female demon that inhabited the desert and preyed on travelers. The later Islamic ghoul was a demon or a type of genie that either attacked travelers in deserted areas, or destroyed stored food by eating or corrupting it (which made it spoil). One can banish them by citing a verse from the Holy Quran. Some medieval texts also mention that ghouls set fires at night, so that travelers would get lost.

Different versions exist, however, and there are stories in which ghouls are always female and seduce men before hurting them. Interestingly, some Islamic scholars believed that ghouls did indeed exist in the distant past, but were destroyed by God to protect humanity.

One very peculiar version was mentioned by 12th century author Muhammad al-A’drīsī, who claimed that Ghouls originate from an island. Both the males and females have a very feminine appearances, their eyes are bright like lightning, and they have long fangs. Some other popularly recurring traits of ghouls are a taste for human flesh, a weakness to rabbit foot charms (you are supposed to hang one around your neck to ward off the ghouls) and the ability to possess human bodies and render them insane. In fact, it is believed that the Bedouin people considered rabies to be caused by a Ghúl inhabiting the body.

The ghoul as it currently exists in the popular perception, is largely influenced by the Arabian Nights (and further by Galland’s translation). This version is usually male and tend to inhabit graveyards. They feed primarily on corpses, and dig up bodies from graves to feast, which was apparently all added by Galland.

(Image source: ‘Shiqq’ by ALiteralCar)

There is also a peculiar pre-Islamic creature called a Shiqq, which is considered a type of ghoul. These strange beings resemble half a human, as in a human who was bisected longitudinally, though the extent to which this resemblance is portrayed varies. They famously have one leg, one arm, and one eye, and often appear before travelers to frighten them to death. Alternatively, they sometimes bludgeon victims to death as well.  One story tells of a hero who travelled to Mecca on a donkey and met a Shiqq. The monster fought him with a sword, and in the end, both combatants succumbed to their wounds.

It is related to, and often conflated with, the Nasnas, a similar creature that resembles half a human, but lives in the woods. In fact, Nasnas are sometimes said to be the offspring of a human and a Shiqq.

In 1888, Charles Doughty mentioned in his ‘Travels in Arabia Deserta’ that the desert wasteland was inhabited by a creature the locals called a Ghrôl: it had a long neck with a humanoid head equipped with a singular eye in the middle and a beak with one or two tusks. It had two arms, unlike the traditional Shiqq, but both arms resembled the fledgling wings of a chicken, except they ended in hands with undivided fingers. It had two legs, one of which ended in an ostrich foot and the other had the hoof of an ass. These creatures are exclusively female and would call people by their names, to make them believe a family member was calling them, and so lure them into the desert.

Sources: Al-Rawi, A., 2009, The Mythical Ghoul in Arabic Culture, Cultural Analysis 8: 45-69. Alsowaifan, S. H., 2001, Qasim’s Short Stories: An Example of Arabic Supernatural/Ghost/Horror Story, thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of philosophy, University of Alberta, 283 pp., p. 36-37.

[oo-taffydraws-oo]

Bald Roøster @dingodoodles

[hafuhime]

Calling out to the Tumblr community!

I have a special interest in mythological humanoids, just wanting people to give me their favourite mythological humanoids from their own countries.

I'm interested in hearing from everyone, but I am British/European, so would love to hear from others who's culture exists outside my own identity.

Just really want to learn, also it's for my uni degree too but it's a self-written brief and this is what I'm choosing to do.

Please respond. 🙏🏻

[theleftwindow]

i love how the world of VIP becomes more convoluted and weird every episode

[mold-wizard]

Protip: If a genie invites you over to their place for dinner, it may be a good idea to politely decline. Took me forever to figure out how to get out of that damn lamp.