GINN. - An Arabic collective noun denoting a category of beings, spirits or goblins, forming part of the belief of pre-Islamic paganism, later adopted by Muhammad and thus remaining in Islamic dogma and folklore. Etymologically, the noun is connected by some to the root gnn ("to cover", "to hide"), by others, though more rarely in recent times, to the Latin genius.

According to the Qur'an, the g. were created from fire (15, 27; 55, 14); some are wicked and will be condemned to Hell (6, 128; 11, 120); others are good and Muslim: see in this regard the sūrah of the Qur'an dedicated to them (72), in which it is related that a group of g. were converted upon hearing Muhammad's preaching. In sūrah 27 (v. 17 ff.) it is said that the g. formed part of Solomon's army. Satan is called a g. (18, 48); but elsewhere (2, 32) he is presented as an angel.

The g. are in general anonymous. Nevertheless, some are known by name; the most famous in popular belief, since pre-Islamic times, is the gūl (of the female sex), a devourer of Bedouins in the desert.

Bibliography

BIBL.: D. B. Macdonald, Djin, in Encyclopédie de l'Islam, I, pp. 1076-77. Cf. also the parts relating to the g. in general works on Islam and its dogma (v. the bibliography on this subject s. v. ISLAM). For the Qur'anic passages and their commentaries, v. the bibliography s. v. CORANO.

Sabatino Moscati

@incollection{ec6_ginn, author = {Moscati, Sabatino}, title = {Ginn}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VI}, pages = {398}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1951}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/ginn} }

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