Ifrit
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Ifrit, also spelled efreet, also ifreet, afrit, afreet (Arabic: ʻIfrīt: عفريت, pl ʻAfārīt: عفاريت) are a class of infernal jinn, spirits below the level of angels and devils, noted for their strength and cunning. An ifrit is an enormous winged creature of fire, either female or male, who lives underground and frequents ruins. According to some, Ifrits live in a society structured along ancient Arab tribal lines, complete with kings, tribes, and clans.
Ifrits generally marry one another, but they can also marry humans. While ordinary weapons and forces have no power over them, they are susceptible to magic, which humans can use to kill them or to capture and enslave them. As with the jinn, an ifrit may be either a believer or an unbeliever, good or evil, but he is most often depicted as a wicked and ruthless being.
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[edit] Ifrit in Islamic scripture
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Ifrit is mentioned in the Qur'an, Sura An-Naml (27:39-40)
- An ‘Ifrit (strong one) from the jinn said: "I will bring it to you before you rise from your place. And verily, I am indeed strong, and trustworthy for such work. One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: "I will bring it to you within the twinkling of an eye!" Then when Solomon saw it placed before him, he said: "This is by the Grace of my Lord - to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful! And whoever is grateful, truly, his gratitude is for (the good of) his ownself; and whoever is ungrateful, (he is ungrateful only for the loss of his ownself). Certainly my Lord is Rich (Free of all needs), Bountiful. Sura An-Naml:40. (27:40)
Ifrit's mention in the Qur'an and the Hadith, the eyewitness narratives of Muhammad's words and actions, is always in the phrase “the ifrit of the jinn”. Ifrit has come to refer to an entire class of formidable, rebellious beings, but in the confused world of underworld spirits.
[edit] Ifrit in Arabic literature
In The Thousand and One Nights, in a tale called The Porter and the Young Girls, there is a narrative about a prince who is attacked by pirates and takes refuge with a woodcutter. The prince finds an underground chamber in the forest leading to a beautiful woman who has been kidnapped by an ifrit. The prince sleeps with the woman and both are attacked by the jealous ifrit, who changes the prince into an ape. Later a princess restores the prince and fights a pitched battle with the ifrit, who changes shape into various animals, fruit, and fire until being reduced to cinders.
[edit] Ifrit in contemporary literature
The term ifrit is used to describe the small animal familiars who seek out humans with magical powers in John Levitt's "Dog Days" and "New Tricks." In the series, ifrits are creatures that take the shape of small animals and protect their human counterparts. No one understands where they come from or where they go when they leave.
In Neil Gaiman's novel American Gods there is a downtrodden ifrit that drives a cab in New York City.
In Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus Trilogy, afrits are spirits of the 4th level: more powerful than djinni but less powerful than marids (the most powerful spirits commonly summoned).
In Walt Disney's Aladdin, ifrits were spirits associated with elements. At least two ifrits were mentioned in the TV series, the rock ifrit that could petrify any being by the spray of its toxin (it was a small dinosaur-like animal with claws and bat-like wings) and the ice ifrit, who was a humanoid, could talk, yet was very naive, although he could create ice, he could not turn living beings to ice like the rock ifrit.
Ifrits have also been used in several mangas such as Mahou No Iroha and Bastard!! as great infernal beings who are either summonded or who reside within magical objects such as swords.
In the anime/manga Bakukyu HIT! Crash B-Daman, the main character's B-Daman is named after the Ifrit.
In most games of the computer game series Final Fantasy Ifrit is a summonable creature, though it has also been used as a name for an airship in Final Fantasy XII. In another Square game, Vagrant Story, Ifrit is the most powerful fire elemental to be defeated near the end, at the Great Cathedral.
In the first Devil May Cry Ifrit takes the form of gauntlets which give Dante the power of fire and enhanced strength.
In Dungeons and Dragons, efreet are a type of genie.
Some people have noted a slight, but suggestive similarity between the Ifrit's overall characteristcs - a a large, winged, fiery creature that dwells near ruins and John A. Keel's description of a similar entity in his now legendary book , "The Mothman Prophecies". In his book, Keel claims that the Mothman was first encountered by a man who was driving on a deserted road one night , and whose car was intercepted by a strange vehicle looking like a kerosene lamp, out of which came a tall, strange individual who introduced himself simply as "Cold".Later on, as other encounters with either the same or a very similar creatures began to take place, the aforementioned entity or entities would introduce themselves as "Indrid Cold".Of note is the fact that Keel's book claims that at least two sighting of the Mothman happened on the vicinity of an abandoned TNT factory.Hence,It is not far-fetched to speculated as well on the possibility that Indrid cold was a type of Ifrit, and that the changes in spelling were due to phonetic differences between English and Arabic.
