Jinn

The Jinn (singular: Jinni) were part of pre-Islamic Arabia's mythology which were later incorporated into Islamic theology.
R. H. Barlow wrote an anthology called Annals of the Jinns about a humanoid species of ancient times. He suggested that they came from Antanôk, a planet now blown to asteroids, and Yaksh could not be habitable by them. (: Clark Ashton Smith letter to R. H. Barlow, 10 September 1934)
Ludvig Prinn encountered "djinns and efreets" in the years he spent as a captive in Syria, having been captured during the Ninth Crusade. (: "The Shambler from the Stars")
According to occultist Edward Barnes Halpin, the Jinn are alien creatures that ruled the Earth before humanity. On Earth, they became nearly extinct during the ice ages, in part due to the adverse conditions, combined with fighting among themselves. However, some Jinn remained active on the planet until the time of King Solomon, who found a way to magically imprison them in objects, such as jars. Due to fundamental differences in metabolism, it's not possible for a human to actually kill a jinni, so imprisoning them is the only way to defeat them. (: "Out of the Jar")
According to some accounts, the howling daemons from which the Kitab al Azif was named are Jinns.
==In the Call of Cthulhu RPG==
In 2009, they were introduced by Chaosium as a fictional race for the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game.
According to Chaosium's Cthulhu Invictus sourcebook, the Jinn are a race of beings from another dimension who were brought to Earth by Taranushi, an Outer God. For a while they treated Earth as a playground, tormenting humans. Upon the death of the sorcerer who summoned Taranushi, they found themselves trapped on Earth, unable to return back home. Enraged, they rebelled against Taranushi, and though their attacks were repelled, he was unable to reestablish his control over them.
Like Taranushi, the Jinn appear as insubstantial beings, as if made of smoke. No two jinn are alike, and the race consists of several sub-species, including the Marid, the Ifrit, the Dalham, the So'la, the Hofafa, and the Ghul. Like their former master, they sometimes take human forms. The various jinn factions claimed territory on Earth, establishing themselves in the ancient Middle East.
During the time of the Romans, the Marid, who were the most powerful of the jinns, claimed the oases, mountains, and seas of Arabia Magna (the Arabian Peninsula) and Cyrenaica (eastern Libya). Huge greyish creatures of great strength and short tempers, they are susceptible to flattery and therefore can be persuaded to show mercy if praised enough.
The Ifrit are the second-most powerful type of jinn. Incredibly cunning beings, they claimed the underground caverns, where they established a great kingdom, only going to the surface to capture human slaves who are lured to ruins.
The Dalham appear as handsome, camel-riding middle-aged men who prowl the desert islands. They use their powers they sink ships, devouring drowned sailors and sometimes even those who manage to make it to shore.
The So'la are the most vindictive of all the jinn, seeing humans as cattle to be hunted and devoured. When they attack humans, no one survives. The only witnesses have been those whom were well-hidden or saw the assault from a distance. 
The winged Hofafa rule the skies over Cyrenaica and Arabia Magna. Though not as vindictive as the So'la, they ravage the people and land, making them pay for the jinn being trapped on Earth. 
The Ghul are malicious jinn who claimed the night. Though less powerful than either the Marid or Ifrit, the shape-shifters are considered by many to be more dangerous.
Category:Extra-Dimensional Species
Category:Species Originating From Mythos-Adjacent Works
Category:Sapient Species
Category:Characters Incorporated From Folklore, Myth & Religion