Jinn to genie
erhaps the most famous image of a genie is Disney’s blue-skinned, wise cracking entity voiced by Robin. This version of a jinn, living inside a magical lamp and granting three wishes, sums up some of the most commonly understood attributes and behaviours of jinn for most in the West. While two stories in pertain to a jinn being trapped inside a brass container and feature wishes (not to mention tales of King Solomon trapping jinn to harness their power) it is the story of Aladdin that truly formulates the modern concept of the genie. Not part of the original manuscript, it was French translator Antoine Galland who added the story, along with the tales of Ali Baba and Sinbad. Galland was originally told the story by a Syrian storyteller, Hanna Diyab. However, where Diyab originally heard the tale – or if he invented it himself – is a mystery.
