An Ifrit (Model: Marita Tathariel, Photo by Hans Petter Vassgård)
Also referred to as Afrit, Afreet, Ifreet, Yfrit and Efreet, this is an enormous winged demonic creature of fire from the Middle Eastern and African culture.
Either male or female, it lives underground and frequents ruins. They are said to prey on people, especially children from Islamic belief. When a child of wealthy future and evil character is born, an Afrit spirit comes and takes the place of the child's soul. The Ifrits have a human form with goat’s legs and horns on their heads, much like the Devil in Christianity.
They live in a society structured along ancient Arab tribal lines, complete with kings, tribes, and clans. They 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 - and it is important to say that Afrits are one of the classes of Djinns -, 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.
In early folklore it was believed that the Afrit spirit was created by the formation of the blood spilt by a murder victim. To prevent an Afrit from being created, then, it was advised to drive a special nail into the blood. In fact, when British soldiers arrived in Egypt during the Second World War, the locals warned them of the Afrits that lived nearby. They said that the Demons could appear in the form of an astray dog and that they had the power to turn humans into animals. Because, apparently, bombs and angry Nazi's aren't scary enough in a war!
Either male or female, it lives underground and frequents ruins. They are said to prey on people, especially children from Islamic belief. When a child of wealthy future and evil character is born, an Afrit spirit comes and takes the place of the child's soul. The Ifrits have a human form with goat’s legs and horns on their heads, much like the Devil in Christianity.
They live in a society structured along ancient Arab tribal lines, complete with kings, tribes, and clans. They 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 - and it is important to say that Afrits are one of the classes of Djinns -, 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.
In early folklore it was believed that the Afrit spirit was created by the formation of the blood spilt by a murder victim. To prevent an Afrit from being created, then, it was advised to drive a special nail into the blood. In fact, when British soldiers arrived in Egypt during the Second World War, the locals warned them of the Afrits that lived nearby. They said that the Demons could appear in the form of an astray dog and that they had the power to turn humans into animals. Because, apparently, bombs and angry Nazi's aren't scary enough in a war!
~Ally
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