Syncretic Spirits of Fire: Narratives of the jinn and related beings in Near Eastern religious corpora

Author: Vija Tessman

Advisor: Sean W. Anthony, PhD

Abstract: It is known that the belief in the jinn of Islamic cosmology did not arise upon the advent of Islam in the seventh century C.E. Rather, Islam adopted and modified the characteristics of the jinn as they were extant in the belief systems of the pre-Islamic pagan Arabs. What has not been studied in detail, however, is the impact other pre-Islamic religions and belief systems may have had on the portrayal of the jinn in the Islamic context. This ongoing undergraduate thesis project analyzes the jinn as they are characterized in the Qur’ān and the Ḥadīth and compares this characterization to that of the metaphysical beings portrayed in the religious corpora of Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism. Attention is given to shared or similar narratives in the corpora in which the jinn and other spirits play a significant role (e.g. Satan’s refusal to worship Adam, the construction of Solomon’s temple) as well as to linguistic similarities between the terms used to name said spirits (e.g. Iblīs and diabolos, jinn and genius). It is hoped that the results of this project address the apparent syncretism between the Islamic jinn and the Judeo-Christian and Zoroastrian spirits and provide a more complete understanding of the jinn’s pre-Islamic origins.

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Congratulations, Vija!