''Marid'' ( ar, مارد ') is a type of
devil
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...
in
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic traditions. The
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
word meaning ''rebellious'' is applied to such supernatural beings.
In Arabic sources
Etymology
The word ''mārid'' is an
active participle of the root ''m-r-d'' (مرد), whose primary meaning is ''recalcitrant, rebellious''. ''Lisān al-`arab'', the encyclopedic dictionary of classical Arabic compiled by
Ibn Manzur
Muhammad ibn Mukarram ibn Alī ibn Ahmad ibn Manzūr al-Ansārī al-Ifrīqī al-Misrī al-Khazrajī () also known as Ibn Manẓūr () (June–July 1233 – December 1311/January 1312) was an Arab lexicographer of the Arabic language and author of ...
, reports only forms of this general meaning. It is found as an attribute of evil spirits in the
Qur'an
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...
(aṣ-Ṣāffāt, 37:7), which speaks of a "safeguard against every rebellious devil" (شَيْطَانٍ مَارِدٍ, ''shaitān mārid''). From the same Semitic root come the
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
words "Mered" (מרד "rebellion") and "Mored" (מורד "rebel").
The
Wehr-Cowan dictionary of modern written Arabic also gives secondary meanings of ''demon'' and ''giant'' (
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
: ': ). Lane's ''
Arabic-English Lexicon'' cites a source where it "is said to be applied to an evil jinnee of the most powerful class", but this distinction is not universal. For example, in the standard MacNaghten edition of ''
One Thousand and One Nights
''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...
'' one finds the words ''marid'' and ''
ifrit
Ifrit, also spelled as efreet, afrit, and afreet (Arabic alphabet, Arabic: ': , plural ': ), is a powerful type of demon in Islamic mythology. The afarit are often associated with the underworld and identified with the spirits of the dead, and ...
'' used interchangeably (e.g., in ''The Story of the Fisherman'').
Konstantin Jireček
Konstantin Josef Jireček (24 July 1854 10 January 1918) was an Austro-Hungarian Czech historian, politician, diplomat, and Slavist. He was the founder of Bohemian Balkanology (or Balkan Studies) and Byzantine studies, and wrote extensively o ...
believed that ''mārid'' refers to the gr, Μαρδαϊται, Mardaitai, marauder mercenaries in the
Arab–Byzantine wars
The Arab–Byzantine wars were a series of wars between a number of Muslim Arab dynasties and the Byzantine Empire between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. Conflict started during the initial Muslim conquests, under the expansionist Rashidun an ...
, eponymous to the Albanian tribe of
Mirdita
Mirdita is a region of northern Albania whose territory is synonymous with the historic Albanian tribe of the same name.
Etymology
The name Mirdita derives from a legendary ancestor named Mir Diti from whom the tribe claims descent. Other ...
.
Features
Amira El Zein describes the ''marid'' as a creature who is striving to predict the future by ascending to the heavens and spy on the angels.
According to the
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
, the lower heavens are equipped with stars to protect against the rebellious devils (''shaytan marid'').
Ali Ibn Ibrahim Qomi Abu al-Hasan Ali Ibn Ibrāhim al-Qummi was a 10th century Shi'a commentator and jurist of Persian origin. He lived during the time of the eleventh Shi'a Imam Hasan al-Askari. Many traditions in the famous book Al-Kafi were transmitted by him. Ibrāh ...
recorded a narration attributed to
Ali
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...
that, when God intended to create
Adam
Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...
he decided to punish human's predecessors. God obliterates the ''
Nasnas'', creates a veil between
jinn
Jinn ( ar, , ') – also Romanization of Arabic, romanized as djinn or Anglicization, anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources)
– are Invisibility, invisible creatures in early Arabian mytho ...
and humans, and makes "the rebellious giants" (''maradah'') inhabiting the atmosphere.
A ''mārid'' is explicitly mentioned in
Sirat Sayf ibn Dhi-Yazan
''Sīrat Sayf ibn Dhī Yazan'' ( ar, سيرة سيف بن ذي يزن, "The Biography of Sayf ibn Dhī Yazan") is a popular Arab romance dating to somewhere between the 15th and 16th century CE. A mixture of epic and pure fantasy, it is inspired by ...
. Accordingly,
Sayf demands from the ''marid'' to lead him to
Solomon
Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Modern Hebrew, Modern: , Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yahweh, Yah"), ...
's hoard. But following their nature, the demon does the exact opposite of that he was commanded. Later he learned from
Khidr
Al-Khidr () ( ar, ٱلْخَضِر, al-Khaḍir), also transcribed as al-Khadir, Khader, Khidr, Khizr, Khazer, Khadr, Khedher, Khizir, Khizar, is a figure described but not mentioned by name in the Quran as a righteous servant of God possessing g ...
, he must command the opposite of that he desires him to do.
Both ''marids'' and ''ifrits'' are often considered as powerful devils. But the ''marid'' is the opposite of the cunning ''ifrit'': While the ''ifrit'' is treacherous and deceitful, the ''marid'' is usually easily tricked by humans.
In modern fantasy genres
In Jonathan Stroud's ''
Bartimaeus Sequence
The ''Bartimaeus Sequence'' is a series of young adult novels of alternate history, fantasy and magic. It was written by British writer Jonathan Stroud and consists of a trilogy published from 2003 to 2005 and a prequel novel published in 2010 ...
'' novel series, marids are the most powerful type of demons summoned by magicians.
In
S. A. Chakraborty
Shannon A. Chakraborty (born December 7, 1985) is an American historical fantasy and speculative fiction writer based in Queens, best known for The Daevabad Trilogy.
Literary career
Chakraborty's debut novel, '' The City of Brass'', was h ...
's ''Daevabad Trilogy,'' the marid are elemental creatures created from water. These creatures are said to be extremely powerful and had not been seen for centuries at the time of the first book in the series, ''
The City of Brass
''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...
''.
In the ''
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...
'' tabletop game,
marids are genies from the Elemental Plane of Water.
In the ''
Fairyland
Fairyland (''Faerie'', Scottish ''Elfame'', c.f. Old Norse '' Álfheimr'') in English and Scottish folklore is the fabulous land or abode of fairies or ''fays''. Old French (Early Modern English ) referred to an illusion or enchantment, the land ...
'' stories by
Catherynne M. Valente
Catherynne M. Valente (born May 5, 1979) is an American fiction writer, poet, and literary critic. For her speculative fiction novels she has won the annual James Tiptree, Andre Norton, and Mythopoeic Fantasy awards. Her short fiction has a ...
, marids are sea beings who eat rocks and salt and who have the power to grant wishes, but only to someone who can wrestle them to submission.
In Season 15, Episode 7 of the TV series ''
Supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
'', the character Lee Webb keeps a marid trapped and fed in exchange for good fortune.
See also
References
Arabian legendary creatures
Demons in Islam
Devils
Giants in Islam
Jinn
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