Genies

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This article belongs to the monster history category of pages, which detail the creatures of the Monster High franchise and do so in relation to the source context of those creatures. There is a likelihood that this article contains material not suited for young people and in general holds topics that are upsetting.

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Genies in Monster High

Genies, also known as djinn, are a type of monster with the power to grant wishes. Genies (or jinn, as they are better known in the Arabic world) are demons with roots in ancient Mesopotamian legends. Jinn, however, are not the lamp-dwelling, wish-granting benevolent servants that Westerners know from popular culture. The image that most Americans probably have of genies comes from the 1960s sitcom "I Dream of Jeannie" or the animated big blue Robin Williams-voiced wiseacre in Disney's "Aladdin". Considered wind and fire spirits by Muslims, jinn are invisible to humans in their pure form but can take any form they please to suit their needs. Jinn, just like people, can be good or evil; they are born, grow up, marry, have jobs, raise families, live in their own communities, and die, just like us.

Monster High[]

The 2013 TV special "13 Wishes" features a genie named Gigi Grant and her shadow sister Whisp. Rather than three wishes, Gigi grants thirteen of them, and she appears not to be malicious, while Whisp is what her name suggests: she whispers things into the ears of finders and tries to convince them to give her all power. She appears to be malicious, until the end where she became the new genie.

Description []

Genies in Monster High are shown to have pointy ears, scorpion leg-like fingers, and markings on their bodies. Genies can also have unusual skin tones, such as pale pink or pale purple. Their appearance is more inspired by the American interpretation of genies. Their lower bodies can look like a line of smoke when they come out of their lanterns, and they can form legs if they so choose to.

There are also shadow genies; they tend to wear darker colors and have red eyes. And unless they become stronger, they tend to not have legs.

Whisp and Gigi both have scorpion tattoos on their chests and on the back of their hands.

Abilities[]

Wish Granting: Genies have the power to grant the wishes of their Finder.
Teleportation: Genies can teleport from one place to another to their Finder.
Floating: Shadow genies or at least, Whisp can float which is her main way of transportation considering her lack of legs.
Shadow Morphing: Whisp can choose to either remain a shadow, only able to lurk around surfaces as walls and floors or, when she has enough power. She can also turn into a humanoid shadow that can make contact with the real world. In these forms she can travel unseen by everyone, except Gigi Grant and other shadow beings, like Twyla. However, during eclipses Whisp becomes real, with a real body and can change her size however she prefers. It's most likely other shadow genies have this power as well.
Lantern Retracting: Lantern genies, can travel in and out of their lanterns whenever they wish.

Known Genies []

Etymology[]

The English word "genie" comes from the Arabic word "djinni". "Djinn", spelled as "جن", is Arabic and means "hidden from sight". The word does not necessarily refer to the creatures but can also mean other things currently not visible. "Djinn" is the plural and core form of the word, whereas "djinni", spelled as "جني" in Arabic, is the singular form. The Arabic words "djun" (خن, "go mad") and "majnun" (مجنون, "mad, insane, literally - possessed or inhabited by djinns") are directly related to the word "djinn".

The reason the creatures are known as genies in Europe and America is due to the 1704 French translation and adaption of One Thousand and One Nights by Antoine Galland, which was the earliest modern European translation of the story collection. Rather than translating the words "جن" and "جني", Galland chose to translate them as words the European audience was familiar with. There were genii (singular: genius) in Roman religion, which were protector spirits that manifested from individual portions of divinity that living creatures and important locations possessed. The concept and word made it into various European languages, becoming "génie" in French. Due to the similar sounds of "djinni" and "génie", Galland was inspired to translate the former as the latter despite that the two types of creatures have very little in common. Galland's translation and adaption of One Thousand and One Nights formed the basis for all other translations; thus, the word "genie" became the translation of "djinni" in the Western world.

Gallery[]

Notes[]

Monster High regularly employs puns based on the word "ghoul", especially with the word "girl". In all these puns, a ghoul is understood to be an undead creature, but not a genie.