by
Robert Lebling
(New York: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd., 2010)
eBook, 272 Pages, 2364 KB, Nonfiction
When
Westerners think of a genie, the first image that comes to mind may be Barbara
Eden in her pink harem pants or the illuminated blue buffoon from the animated
Disney film Aladdin. But to the people of the Arab and Islamic
worlds, the picture is dramatically different. Legends of the Fire Spirits looks beyond Westernized caricatures to
immerse the readers in the vibrant lore of the jinn—the wondrous, often
troublesome, and sometimes terrifying spirit beings of ancient Arab and Islamic
tradition. Robert Lebling delves into long-lost accounts, medieval histories, colonial
records, anthropologists’ reports, and travelers’ tales to explore the origin
and evolution of legends that continue to thrive in the Middle East and beyond.
He cuts through centuries of Orientalists’ cultural presumptions to craft a
study that stands apart from the overwhelming body of literature concerned with
religion in the Middle East. A captivating synthesis of history and folklore,
this is the most diverse collection of jinn lore ever assembled in one volume.
From ancient scriptures to The Arabian Nights and beyond, and with a foreword by acclaimed filmmaker Tahir Shah,
Lebling has constructed a comprehensive account that not only transcends
geographical borders and also spans some four millennia.
I first heard about this book listening to the Monster Talk podcast (a podcast which
I highly recommend, by the way, as it
is a scientific, rational skeptic and generally fun look at monsters and other
paranormal, supernatural, cryptozoological phenomena). They interviewed Lebling
on their December
7, 2011 episode (I only discovered and started listening to the podcast last
year), and it was fascinating so I decided to pick up Lebling’s book and learn more
about Jinn. I also learned that there are really only two books out there on
the topic of Jinn, this one and The
Vengeful Djinn: Unveiling the Hidden Agenda of Genies by Rosemary Ellen
Guiley and Philip J. Imbrogno and I can only endorse one of them and Lebling’s
book. Guiley and Imbrogno’s book is a collection of half-truths, new age
mysticism, unsourced claims, and misinterpretations with a healthy dose of
racism and xenophobia. Lebling’s book, on the other hand, is an academic look
at the world of Jinn that relies on primary documents, researched sources and
first-hand accounts of dealings with the jinn.
What unfolds in Legends of the Fire Spirits is a fascinating look at the world of
jinn and all their many variations and permutations, and how each of these
types of Jinn fit into the Arabic and Islamic worlds. It covers the history of
jinn, as well as the demons and spirituality that predates Islam and how those
ideas and beliefs were then, possibly, folded into the beliefs of Islam, as
well as surveying Muhammad’s own dealings with Jinn as detailed in the Quran
and other contemporary writings of the Prophet’s companions.
Given the tensions surrounding Islam in
the world today, Lebling handles
this potentially sensitive topic very well. He grounds his book in evidence (as
I stated above) and cites his sources extensively and does both of these very
well spanning across the millennia and looking at cultures from North Africa,
into the Middle East and reaching further into Malaysia. He quotes Arabian,
Islamic, and even Western studies that have come before him all the while
claiming that he merely hopes this will help others continue research. That claims serves him well
since he has no degree in any academic field we'd expect of such a study, only
a career as a journalist that gives him the ability to research and to write in
an engaging fashion.
I
went into this book just looking for an interesting read, and ended up finding inspiration
for my own horror novel, which was a very pleasant surprise. Whether you want
to research jinn academically and need a starting point, or if you just want to
learn more about a little-known topic, or if you just need something to fill
the time, I can recommend this book to you without reservations.
No comments:
Post a Comment