Thread by @aaolomi

The djinn/jinn are a race of invisible beings in Middle Eastern and Islamic folklore. While there isn’t a lot written about them, they are said to live in tribes and nations with their own rulers.

A thread on the djinn kings:

There are the 4 cardinal djinn kings, elemental beings who command hosts of spirits.

Mazir is King of the East, is reputed to wear a turban of precious gems.

Kamtam, the King of the West has a retinue of fearsome djinn shrouded in fire.

Taykal is the King of North and master of the sea. His voice burns through all barriers, partitions, and veils.

Finally, Qaswarah is the King of the South whose very movement can make hills and mountains quake.

Then there are the Seven Djinn Kings associated with planets and the days of the week.

Al Mudhib is the ruler of Sunday. Associated with the Sun, he’s decked out in gold and silks and so is called the golden king. He’s a devourer of snakes and master of alchemy.

Murah al Abyad is the djinn king of Monday & the Moon. A gnarled old ruler, he wears silver & white. Some stories claim he is the djinn who tempted the ascetic Barṣīṣā into seducing and killing a woman under his charge.

It is said the angel Jibra’il keeps a close eye on him

Al Ahmar is the djinn king of Tuesday and Mars. His color is red and he wields a mighty sword. He is ruler of the Qarins, the djinn counterpart and companion that each human is assigned.

Barqan is the djinn king of Wednesday and monarch of Mercury. Though associated with the color blue, he’s often called the Black King and is a teacher of magic. He’s said to have a palace of carnelian.

It is believed the angel Mika’il keeps an eye on Barqan.

The djinn king of Thursday and Jupiter is Shamhurish. In the Marabout tradition he’s believed to be a saint-like figure whose blessing can be absorbed through bread.

Other traditions name him as the Qarin of Prophet Muhammad and so he’s a djinn who converted to Islam.

Shamhurish’s son Dahnash appears in A Thousand and One Nights as an Ifrit

Some accounts claim Shamhurish actually died in the early modern era.

Zawbah is the djinn king of Friday and Venus. His color is green and copper. He appears as whirlwinds.

He is said to try to eavesdrop on the angels discussing fate and is one of the djinn who listened to Muhammad recite the Qur’an.

Then there is Maymun, djinn king of Saturday and Saturn. His color is black and he is a winged djinn. He has some association with plagues and astrology.

He’s mentioned in A Thousand and One Nights in conversation with Dahnash.

Then there are a host of other rulers, like Tarish, king of the djinn who dwell with humans or Malik al Azraq, the blue djinn king in Thousand and One Nights whose story tells of revenge and war.

Malik Gatshan is a djinn king who resides on the mountains of Qaf with tens of thousands of servants.

The djinn king, Mura’ash, ruler of the Jann, is described in A Thousand and One Nights as large as a mountain with four heads: that of a lion, an elephant, a panther, & a lynx.

Naqtas is the djinn king of the djinn of India while Masidu is king of Christian djinn and Tututash is monarch of Jewish djinn.

Then we have Sakhr, who is associated with the Persian dev, Aeshma and the Hebrew Ashmedai, who attempted to usurp King Solomon by impersonating him. He was punished by being sealed in a box and thrown into the sea.

The story of imprisoned djinn that are released as clouds of blue smoke is found in this legend related in the Story of the City of Brass in A Thousand and One Nights

Another story tells of Sakhr as a king of the djinn ruling over a mystical island in the Adventures of Bulukiya

The djinn sultan, Fuqtus, reputed to have taught King Solomon the names of all the djinn, rules over 70/72 djinn who cause illness and disease.

These djinn have some counterpart in the European Solomonic grimoire tradition

There are also djinn queens like Umm al Subyan the queen of the Qarinah, female djinn who seduce humans. Umm al Subyan is said to cause bareness and the sudden death of infants. She’s reputed to have been rebuked by King Solomon.

In India, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia, Umm al Subyan is related to the churel or Petni / Shakchunni spirits

And of course Aicha Qandisha who we talked about last week, a famous African djinn, is the Queen of the ghula, female ghuls.

And finally, Iblis, not always referred to as a king among djinn, but occasionally as the father of the shaitan or evil djinn. Originally a righteous one, he was elevated to heaven, but refused to bow before Adam and for his defiance was cast out.

It is believed Iblis' original name was Al Harith

As the Islamic devil, though not in a dualistic fashion, he’s traditionally viewed as a tempter. He is called the Father of Bitterness & in various lore has had multiple sons, some of who have become djinn kings on their own.

He is also the father of ghuls, serpents, & scorpions

Some of his children include Wasin, who causes anxiety and grief, Zalambur who causes dishonest business, the one-eyed Awar who causes adultery and tires to make adultery seem like a good and empowering thing.