1 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:05,040 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Hidden Gin, a production of I Heart 2 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 1: Radio and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Minkey. Some of 3 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:32,840 Speaker 1: you may know that I am an attorney by profession 4 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:36,000 Speaker 1: and spent most of my legal career doing immigration and 5 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: civil rights work. Well you may not know is that 6 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:41,840 Speaker 1: my legal work eventually led to working briefly for about 7 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:45,560 Speaker 1: six years in national security policy. Now that's another story 8 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: to tell, but suffice it to say that work connected 9 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 1: me to experts across the field, military and defense folks, 10 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:56,520 Speaker 1: policy walks, and government and think tanks, homeland security officials, diplomats, 11 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 1: social media executives, researchers, academics, commune and social workers. Let's 12 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:06,320 Speaker 1: just say it was a broad reaching and deeply interesting work. Now, 13 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: many of these connections were virtual, which is pretty common 14 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 1: these days. So I was excited at one point to 15 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:13,400 Speaker 1: be invited to present at a conference where I would 16 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 1: meet some of these folks in person finally, and one 17 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:18,680 Speaker 1: of those people I was looking forward to meeting was 18 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: a national security expert and former intelligence operative from another country, 19 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: someone who was pretty well respected in industry circles by 20 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,920 Speaker 1: all indications online. He was a fairly serious guy with 21 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:33,200 Speaker 1: some intense experience in the field, and he was often 22 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:35,960 Speaker 1: called upon to testify in high level hearings on national 23 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:39,319 Speaker 1: security matters. I have been following him online for a 24 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:42,399 Speaker 1: few years and vice versa, and I was pleased when 25 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:44,480 Speaker 1: we met to find him to be pretty laid back 26 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: and friendly, and on the first evening of the conference, 27 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 1: as we mingled after dinner, I began gently asking this 28 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:54,360 Speaker 1: gentleman about something I had been curious about for a while. 29 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 1: Years earlier, he had been involved in a controversy that 30 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: involved a criminal proceeding, and it seemed to still haunt 31 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 1: his social media mentions every so often. I remember I 32 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 1: was holding a soda taking SIPs as he began telling 33 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:11,360 Speaker 1: me about what had happened and how he and his 34 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 1: family had gotten through it. But nothing could have prepared 35 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: me for what he was going to say. He told 36 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 1: me that for a very long time, for years, he 37 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:26,640 Speaker 1: had a group of gin, his own gin that protected him. 38 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:28,799 Speaker 1: The details on how he got ahold of these gin 39 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 1: and got them to do his bidding is fuzzy now, 40 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 1: probably because I was trying to process a whole lot 41 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:37,639 Speaker 1: going on in my head. As I listened, he explained 42 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:39,600 Speaker 1: that on the day he was to testify in his 43 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:43,720 Speaker 1: highly publicized and controversial case. He was sequestered in a 44 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:46,919 Speaker 1: witness waiting room, but his GIN were able to show 45 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 1: him what was happening in the court room, almost as 46 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:53,360 Speaker 1: if the walls between him and the room where the judge, jury, 47 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: and lawyers were doing their duties had disappeared. The gin 48 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 1: had lifted the veils of the material world in order 49 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:04,280 Speaker 1: to calm him down, to reassure him that they were 50 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: with him. And so he sat in the witness room 51 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 1: down multiple halls, able to see the proceedings before he 52 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:15,639 Speaker 1: was even called, and when the bailiff came to get him, 53 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 1: he didn't need to be guided into the courtroom. He 54 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: knew every turn down the hallway, and he knew who 55 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 1: was who before he stepped in front of the judge. 56 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: These jen he said, had been with him for a 57 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:30,520 Speaker 1: few years before all of this had gone down, and 58 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 1: they protected his life after the trial too, But eventually 59 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 1: he had dismissed them, no longer needing their services. Now, 60 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: as I was standing there taking this in, you have 61 00:03:42,040 --> 00:03:46,680 Speaker 1: to understand I had no reason not to believe this man. First, 62 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 1: Why would he a professional with a solid reputation share 63 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:54,960 Speaker 1: a story that could so undermine him. Second, I had 64 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:57,760 Speaker 1: seen or heard nothing about him or from him, Otherwise 65 00:03:57,760 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 1: that would make me wonder about the state of his 66 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: mind or his credibility, and believe me I had asked around. Finally, 67 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 1: I know I have my own inexplicable experiences and which 68 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:10,480 Speaker 1: I've been convinced a jin was at the root of 69 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 1: my troubles. So if I believe that, why wouldn't I 70 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 1: believe this guy? Where exactly do you draw the line 71 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: on what Gin stories are too fantastical to be true? 72 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 1: I mean, really, it's like being a little bit pregnant. 73 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:26,640 Speaker 1: You're either all in or not. Anyhow, it did get 74 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:29,560 Speaker 1: me thinking though about the very nature of gin. Up 75 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:32,280 Speaker 1: until that point, most of the firsthand stories I had 76 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:35,600 Speaker 1: heard from people who had Gin experiences were either outright 77 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 1: frightening or at least kind of spooky. Even the stories 78 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:42,000 Speaker 1: of the far far past, like the gin that built 79 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:45,480 Speaker 1: Solomon's first temple, were only helpful to humans when they 80 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:49,119 Speaker 1: were being controlled against their will. But this man's story 81 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:52,479 Speaker 1: shifted my perception a little bit about the Gin, Putting 82 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: aside the fact that it was a little problematic as 83 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:57,600 Speaker 1: a lawyer that they rendered the sequestration of a witness 84 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:02,120 Speaker 1: completely meaningless. These gin were protective of their human They 85 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:04,600 Speaker 1: were not just there to guard him physically, but to 86 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:07,240 Speaker 1: calm him down, to take care of his emotional and 87 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:11,440 Speaker 1: mental state. The question then becomes what to make up 88 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:14,400 Speaker 1: a gin. What we know is that while they may 89 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:17,640 Speaker 1: be everywhere surrounding us at this very moment, and that 90 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: they're powerful and able to wreak all kinds of havoc 91 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:24,520 Speaker 1: on us if they want to, they mostly don't. They 92 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 1: just go about their business while doing their best to 93 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 1: steer clear of humans, and they don't even like human 94 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:34,719 Speaker 1: beings entering their space. So are they good? Are they evil? 95 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:39,400 Speaker 1: Are they our friends or our foes? If you recall 96 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 1: the legend of King Solomon's Jinn's when they were eventually 97 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:45,599 Speaker 1: released from their bondage, they vow to be an enemy 98 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:49,920 Speaker 1: to mankind forever. But most scholars and experts say that 99 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:52,760 Speaker 1: you can't broadly label the gin as good or bad 100 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:56,960 Speaker 1: anymore than you can with people. According to a scholar 101 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:02,240 Speaker 1: of Arabic literature, so Nila Mubai, orthodox traditionalists say that 102 00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:06,280 Speaker 1: people cannot understand the gin. We're either not capable of 103 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:10,200 Speaker 1: it or we're not meant to, but why not? It 104 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:12,960 Speaker 1: would seem they're not too much different than us. They 105 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:17,040 Speaker 1: feel anger, rage, happiness, lust, love, They have free will, 106 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:20,279 Speaker 1: they marry and have children, and they are countless stories 107 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:24,680 Speaker 1: of Gin studying alongside humans and earthly educational institutes, so 108 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:26,760 Speaker 1: it seems like they like to learn and grow just 109 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:30,600 Speaker 1: like us too. They live in families and tribes and societies, 110 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:34,360 Speaker 1: and their leaders governed peacefully, but will also wage war 111 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:39,200 Speaker 1: when necessary. The Gin characters found in Old Arab folklore 112 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:43,320 Speaker 1: are almost unnervingly human, facing the same kinds of troubles 113 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:46,480 Speaker 1: and issues we all do. I imagine Jin spouse is 114 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:49,480 Speaker 1: arguing over the bills, and Jin kids pouting over bedtime, 115 00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:54,960 Speaker 1: and Jin grandparents spoiling their Jin grand babies. I think that, 116 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:57,279 Speaker 1: just like people, we tend not to hear about the 117 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:00,800 Speaker 1: silent majority of the Gin just living their lives. The 118 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:03,200 Speaker 1: stories we know about the Jin come from the opposite 119 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:07,640 Speaker 1: ends of the spectrum, the good ones, the helpers, or 120 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:12,040 Speaker 1: the very very bad ones. My name is Robbia Chadar, 121 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:14,160 Speaker 1: and I'll be your guide into the world of the 122 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:30,600 Speaker 1: hidden Gin. Welcome. While the universe may be full of Gin, 123 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 1: most of them will live their lives completely unknown to us. Some, however, 124 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 1: we know by name because of their power, or their 125 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:42,160 Speaker 1: stature in the Gin realm, or their impact on human lives. 126 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:44,720 Speaker 1: And one of the most famous of the ones that 127 00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 1: are named is a Jin whose life story reflects the 128 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 1: complicated nature of these creatures. That Jin is King Schamharush, 129 00:07:53,840 --> 00:07:59,120 Speaker 1: both demon and saint, feared and loved. The story of 130 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:02,160 Speaker 1: Chamharush is thousands of years old. He's one of the 131 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:06,320 Speaker 1: seven Jin kings who originally ruled the Jin kingdoms called 132 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:10,600 Speaker 1: alta Jar. The Flyer. King Chamharoush was known to be 133 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:14,880 Speaker 1: the fastest Jin, able to fly between physical places and dimensions, 134 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:18,960 Speaker 1: faster than any unit of measurement our feeble mortal minds 135 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:21,720 Speaker 1: could ever come up with. But there may be another 136 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: reason he's called the flyer. It could be because of 137 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: the speed of his vast communications network. King Chamharoush was 138 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:31,960 Speaker 1: way ahead of the social media and e messaging game, 139 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 1: with a network that's been compared to a river with 140 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 1: thousands of tributaries and each tributary branching into tens of 141 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:43,599 Speaker 1: thousands of smaller ones. The river itself a legion of 142 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:46,280 Speaker 1: Jin that report back to him, and each of these 143 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:48,720 Speaker 1: gin with the legion of their own, and those jin 144 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:51,680 Speaker 1: with allegiance of their own, all set up so that 145 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:54,560 Speaker 1: Schamharush not only knows what is happening in every part 146 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:58,280 Speaker 1: of the world, his world and ours, but he knows 147 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:03,120 Speaker 1: it virtually instantly. How's that for a grape vine. The 148 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:07,240 Speaker 1: name Shamharush itself means the usher a moniker he may 149 00:09:07,280 --> 00:09:10,080 Speaker 1: have gotten because it's believed that while he might have 150 00:09:10,160 --> 00:09:14,000 Speaker 1: been a king, he still did serve more powerful masters, 151 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:18,319 Speaker 1: and so the usher at King Shamharush stood guard at 152 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:22,199 Speaker 1: one of the entrances to Satan's palace and was directly 153 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:26,880 Speaker 1: in the service of the son of Satan, Prince Mora. Clearly, 154 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:30,360 Speaker 1: this king had allegiances to dark forces, I mean like 155 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:32,720 Speaker 1: he was tight with the worst of them, but it 156 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:36,840 Speaker 1: seems like he eventually saw the light. His legend predates 157 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:41,120 Speaker 1: Islam and Christianity, but it said that once Jesus came along, 158 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:46,000 Speaker 1: Shamharush apparently became a Christian, and six centuries later he 159 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:50,320 Speaker 1: met the prophet Mohammed, prompting him to then become a Muslim. 160 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 1: Not only did he become a Muslim, though he became 161 00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:57,280 Speaker 1: a GODDI a judge of Islamic law, presumably presiding over 162 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:01,000 Speaker 1: matters of religion in the Jinn world. That's what ultimately 163 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:05,559 Speaker 1: landed him the reputation of being a saint, long before 164 00:10:05,559 --> 00:10:08,040 Speaker 1: he became a Christian or a Muslim, even before these 165 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:12,600 Speaker 1: religions existed. Actually, sham Haush was revered. We know this 166 00:10:12,679 --> 00:10:16,199 Speaker 1: because almost two thousand four high up in the Atlas 167 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:20,720 Speaker 1: Mountains in Morocco, there stands a massive rock painted white 168 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:23,640 Speaker 1: with a green and white flag flying from its summit. 169 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:26,839 Speaker 1: It's not just any old rock. It's a shrine to 170 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:31,840 Speaker 1: King sham Haroush dating back thousands of years, and throughout 171 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:34,400 Speaker 1: the history of that shrine, seekers in need of help 172 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:38,000 Speaker 1: have flocked to it, making pilgrimages to ask the Jin's 173 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:41,040 Speaker 1: favor in granting their wishes, and they still do by 174 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:45,080 Speaker 1: the way. Eventually, though, when Islam did spread to the 175 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:48,960 Speaker 1: region about years ago, a mosque was installed next to 176 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:52,040 Speaker 1: the shrine. But the rock that forms a shrine is 177 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:56,120 Speaker 1: so big that it dwarfs the humble little mosque. The 178 00:10:56,160 --> 00:10:59,319 Speaker 1: earth itself is hollowed out beneath the rock, and some 179 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:02,199 Speaker 1: say it's a zo liam that once held the remains 180 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:06,440 Speaker 1: of the Great Jin king himself. Now, it's not clear 181 00:11:06,559 --> 00:11:09,720 Speaker 1: when or how cham Harous went from guarding Satan's palace 182 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:12,800 Speaker 1: to being venerated at a shrine, and it's also not 183 00:11:12,920 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 1: clear if he's dead or alive. As I mentioned, some 184 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:18,679 Speaker 1: think the shrine is where the king is laid to rest, 185 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:22,280 Speaker 1: but others believe he's still very much alive and takes 186 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 1: care of those who seek him out. One of the 187 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:27,560 Speaker 1: signs that he's still around is that food and water 188 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:30,959 Speaker 1: magically appear to pilgrims as they journey to his shrine, 189 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 1: as befits his reputation for hospitality and benevolence. Cha Haroush's 190 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:40,400 Speaker 1: story is remarkable in that it means Gin, very much 191 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:44,480 Speaker 1: like humans, have a capacity for new beginnings. Even the 192 00:11:44,559 --> 00:11:47,319 Speaker 1: most evil of them can turn their lives around. It's 193 00:11:47,400 --> 00:11:49,839 Speaker 1: quite a redemption story, if you ask me, and it 194 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:54,040 Speaker 1: confirms the theory that Jin aren't fundamentally good or bad. Most, 195 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:56,640 Speaker 1: as I said earlier, just quietly stay in their lanes, 196 00:11:57,160 --> 00:12:00,560 Speaker 1: living their lives and leaving us alone. But there are 197 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:02,920 Speaker 1: many stories of Gin entering our world when they want 198 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:05,760 Speaker 1: something from it. And no, I don't mean to haunt 199 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:08,840 Speaker 1: and possess and torture us. In fact, you'd be surprised 200 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:18,920 Speaker 1: at how ordinary their interests are. In the book Legends 201 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:22,679 Speaker 1: of the Fire Spirits, author Robert Lebling relays a contemporary 202 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:25,800 Speaker 1: story from a young Bangladeshi woman about her time as 203 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:29,320 Speaker 1: a college student at the University of Taka. The woman 204 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:31,840 Speaker 1: isn't named, but for the sake of the story will 205 00:12:31,960 --> 00:12:36,320 Speaker 1: call her Maria. In the fall of Maria had moved 206 00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:38,559 Speaker 1: out of the campus and into a dorm where she 207 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:42,600 Speaker 1: was assigned a roommate named Lucy. There is something, however, 208 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:46,559 Speaker 1: about Lucy that wasn't quite right. Lucy was beautiful in 209 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:50,760 Speaker 1: an extraordinary way. She had exceedingly bright eyes, a big, 210 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:54,480 Speaker 1: welcoming smile, a dimple and a mole on her left cheek, 211 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:58,400 Speaker 1: and she was tall with long, dark hair. Her beauty, 212 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:02,439 Speaker 1: said Maria, was unpaired. Allowed She wasn't just lovely on 213 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:06,240 Speaker 1: the outside, though she was incredibly kind, loving, amiable, and 214 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:10,760 Speaker 1: simply good. The two young women quickly became close friends, 215 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:14,440 Speaker 1: sharing secrets and confiding in each other, and said Maria, 216 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:16,760 Speaker 1: I could not but love her, and I am sure 217 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:19,679 Speaker 1: that she loved me the same. Over the course of 218 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:22,520 Speaker 1: the next few months, Maria noticed that Lucy would do 219 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:27,680 Speaker 1: inexplicable things like finished tasks and work faster than humanly possible. 220 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:31,679 Speaker 1: One night, Lucy went to visit another student and Maria 221 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:33,480 Speaker 1: waited up for her, knowing that she didn't have a 222 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:36,839 Speaker 1: key to the room. But eventually Maria got sleepy, so 223 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:39,559 Speaker 1: she decided she would just lock the dorm door and 224 00:13:39,679 --> 00:13:42,120 Speaker 1: get up to open it when Lucy returned and knocked, 225 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:45,280 Speaker 1: so she fell asleep, but when she woke up a 226 00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:48,600 Speaker 1: few hours later, she found Lucy in the room with her. 227 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:51,920 Speaker 1: Maria demanded to know how she got into the room, 228 00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:54,360 Speaker 1: because she knew without a doubt that she had locked it, 229 00:13:55,160 --> 00:13:57,560 Speaker 1: but Lucy assured her that no, the door was open 230 00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:00,920 Speaker 1: when she got back. Maybe, she said, Maria was so 231 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:04,760 Speaker 1: drowsy that she imagined she had locked the door. Maria 232 00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:07,960 Speaker 1: was sure that was not possible, and yet she had 233 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:11,719 Speaker 1: no other explanation for what had happened. The next day, though, 234 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:16,840 Speaker 1: everything became clear. It was Lucy's birthday on December thirteenth, 235 00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:20,360 Speaker 1: so on the night of the summer twelve, Maria wanted 236 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:23,600 Speaker 1: to surprise her exactly at midnight with a necklace she 237 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:27,480 Speaker 1: had bought for her friend. As the clock approached twelve am, 238 00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:30,640 Speaker 1: Lucy sat down in front of their shared dresser, brushing 239 00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:34,040 Speaker 1: her hair, preparing for bed. Maria pulled out the gift 240 00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:36,720 Speaker 1: and stood behind her roommate, wishing her a happy birthday. 241 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:41,640 Speaker 1: As she latched the necklace around Lucy's neck, Maria looked 242 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:43,320 Speaker 1: up into the mirror to see how the neck was 243 00:14:43,360 --> 00:14:45,920 Speaker 1: looked on her friend, and to her shock and horror, 244 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:50,480 Speaker 1: the mirror held no reflection of Lucy at all. There 245 00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 1: was just a necklace suspended by itself an air Maria 246 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:57,240 Speaker 1: screamed and fainted, and when she came to, she was 247 00:14:57,320 --> 00:14:59,680 Speaker 1: surrounded by other girls living in the dormitory who had 248 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:04,160 Speaker 1: heard scream. Lucy, however, was nowhere to be seen, and 249 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:08,960 Speaker 1: in fact, she would never be seen again. Maria was 250 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:11,000 Speaker 1: so shaken by all of this that she left school 251 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:13,160 Speaker 1: and returned home for a few months, not wanting to 252 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:17,080 Speaker 1: return to the university. Over time, though she felt guilt 253 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:20,560 Speaker 1: and regret, she remembered how wonderful Lucy was and what 254 00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:23,400 Speaker 1: a great friend she had been, and realized that her 255 00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:28,040 Speaker 1: terrified reaction had driven Lucy away because others told her 256 00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:31,720 Speaker 1: that Lucy was probably a ginn who had taken human form. 257 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:35,160 Speaker 1: To study at the university, and it could have been that. 258 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 1: After a few months with Maria, Lucy thought they were 259 00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:41,840 Speaker 1: close enough to reveal her secret to her roommate, but 260 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:45,560 Speaker 1: instead it had backfired and Lucy had to quickly disappear. 261 00:15:46,800 --> 00:15:49,760 Speaker 1: Maria eventually returned to the campus and was assigned a 262 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:55,000 Speaker 1: new roommate, a girl named Mini. Mini was like Lucy beautiful, 263 00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:59,760 Speaker 1: although she didn't exactly look like her until she smiled. 264 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:03,400 Speaker 1: As smile that seemed oddly familiar, and that's when Maria 265 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:07,960 Speaker 1: noticed on Many's left cheek a dimple and a mole. 266 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:16,200 Speaker 1: Lucy story doesn't come as much of a surprise to me. 267 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:19,840 Speaker 1: I've actually heard firsthand accounts by people people I trust 268 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:23,240 Speaker 1: who are certain that some student or another they studied 269 00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:26,720 Speaker 1: with years earlier was a gin. It seems to be 270 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:29,880 Speaker 1: a rather common theme the gin entering the human realm 271 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:32,800 Speaker 1: to study, though to be honest, I do have questions 272 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:37,560 Speaker 1: about their registration process, transcripts and finances, parent teacher conferences 273 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:40,080 Speaker 1: at all, but maybe I'm thinking too much into it. 274 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:42,960 Speaker 1: It may seem odd that the gin would want to 275 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,800 Speaker 1: go to human schools, but it's said that one of 276 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:48,560 Speaker 1: the ways a gin can increase their rank or power 277 00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:52,160 Speaker 1: is through more knowledge. I mean, even we know that 278 00:16:52,280 --> 00:16:56,160 Speaker 1: knowledge is power, and gaining knowledge is so important to 279 00:16:56,280 --> 00:16:59,200 Speaker 1: some Gin. They not only enter our worlds to study 280 00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:02,800 Speaker 1: alongside us, they also study the ancient texts of the 281 00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:07,240 Speaker 1: past to grow ever more powerful. A legend relayed by 282 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:11,520 Speaker 1: the nineteenth century mystic Madame Helena Bolovatsky and her occult 283 00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:16,240 Speaker 1: classic Isis Unveiled, tells of an ancient, petrified and buried 284 00:17:16,320 --> 00:17:20,399 Speaker 1: city where the Jin pursue their studies. The city referred 285 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:23,680 Speaker 1: to is the three thousand, five hundred year old Ishmania, 286 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:29,240 Speaker 1: today known as Al Ashmunain, located in Middle Egypt and 287 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:33,040 Speaker 1: rumored to once be filled with the petrified bodies of men, women, 288 00:17:33,119 --> 00:17:36,320 Speaker 1: and children. Ishmonia is found near the ruins of a 289 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:40,160 Speaker 1: vast and well known necropolis. This city of the dead 290 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:43,960 Speaker 1: is Hermopolis, which was once the opulent center of the 291 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:47,440 Speaker 1: cult of the pagan deity of Learning and Scribes, both 292 00:17:48,119 --> 00:17:52,760 Speaker 1: known to the Greeks as Ermez. Archaeologists have uncovered a 293 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:56,520 Speaker 1: labyrinth of streets and catacombs and ruins related to the 294 00:17:56,600 --> 00:18:00,480 Speaker 1: temple of both. But here the ground underneath your feet 295 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:04,480 Speaker 1: contains not only thousands of catacombs holding the mummified bodies 296 00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:09,040 Speaker 1: of people and animals. According to Madame Blavatsky, there are 297 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:14,720 Speaker 1: also vast subterranean galleries filled with millions of manuscripts and scrolls, 298 00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:19,120 Speaker 1: hidden archives holding the ancient writings of thought, the god 299 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:22,920 Speaker 1: believed to be the inventor of writing itself. And while 300 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:26,640 Speaker 1: the ruins stand lonely and unoccupied during the day, according 301 00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:33,320 Speaker 1: to Madame Blavatsky, everything changes at night. For no amount 302 00:18:33,359 --> 00:18:35,680 Speaker 1: of money would the Arabs go near it at night? 303 00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:39,000 Speaker 1: They say, from the crevices of the desolate ruins, sunk 304 00:18:39,119 --> 00:18:42,240 Speaker 1: deep in the unwatered sands of the desert stream, the 305 00:18:42,359 --> 00:18:45,800 Speaker 1: rays of lights carried to and fro in the galleries 306 00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:50,240 Speaker 1: by no human hands. The afrite Jin study the literature 307 00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:53,840 Speaker 1: of the Andaluvian ages, and the Jin learns from the 308 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:59,720 Speaker 1: magic rolls the lesson of the following day. So yeah, 309 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:03,160 Speaker 1: the Gin definitely know the value of education and knowledge. 310 00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:07,360 Speaker 1: These tales also provide us with a different and fascinating 311 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:10,600 Speaker 1: insight when it comes to how the Gin see themselves 312 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:14,480 Speaker 1: in relation to humans. And that's this. They may be 313 00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:17,480 Speaker 1: so much more powerful than us in many ways, with 314 00:19:17,640 --> 00:19:21,680 Speaker 1: supernatural abilities. We don't have, but we know things they don't. 315 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:24,960 Speaker 1: They may lift thousands of years more than us and 316 00:19:25,119 --> 00:19:29,200 Speaker 1: witness events that we never could, and yet they lack 317 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:33,200 Speaker 1: something we have and they know it, which might be why, 318 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:36,200 Speaker 1: according to all of the Abrahamic faith traditions, at least 319 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:40,720 Speaker 1: mankind made of mere flesh and blood, is God's most 320 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:43,959 Speaker 1: superior creation. And that's not just me saying it, that's 321 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:48,280 Speaker 1: according to God himself. Human beings are superior to the angels, 322 00:19:48,359 --> 00:19:52,240 Speaker 1: and yes to the Gin for sure. That could rub 323 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:55,439 Speaker 1: some gin the wrong way. And then, of course, remember, 324 00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:58,119 Speaker 1: the Gin were here before us, thousands of years at 325 00:19:58,160 --> 00:20:01,400 Speaker 1: least before then. We came along and took over the earth, 326 00:20:01,720 --> 00:20:05,399 Speaker 1: God's new favorite children early on, though it might not 327 00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:08,679 Speaker 1: have bothered them too much, because well before the advent 328 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:12,360 Speaker 1: of the Abrahamic religions, people not only believed in the Gin, 329 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:21,960 Speaker 1: but they worshiped them in ancient times. Scholars believe that 330 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:26,160 Speaker 1: the early divinities worshiped by the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Akkadians 331 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:30,400 Speaker 1: thousands of years ago were Gin deities, but the advent 332 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:35,120 Speaker 1: of monotheism turned people away from gin idolatry, further enraging 333 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:38,840 Speaker 1: them tolerating humans wasn't so bad as long as a 334 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:42,120 Speaker 1: Gin felt in some way superior to them, and then 335 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:45,760 Speaker 1: even that was taken away from them. According to the 336 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 1: authors of the book The Vengeful Gin, here's a long 337 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:53,239 Speaker 1: history of perceived indignities and injustices the Gin have had 338 00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:56,200 Speaker 1: to bear because of humans, and many of them have 339 00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:58,879 Speaker 1: felt deeply wronged ever since we arrived on the scene 340 00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:02,440 Speaker 1: and took it over. The Jin who once occupied this 341 00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:06,399 Speaker 1: world now seek to reclaim it back from us, and 342 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:09,399 Speaker 1: if they can't have it back, they'll at least make 343 00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:13,560 Speaker 1: our lives miserable for it. Some Jin get their kicks 344 00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:17,240 Speaker 1: by playing harmless pranks on people, disappearing objects, moving things around, 345 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:21,160 Speaker 1: playing with our heads, nothing malicious, but sometimes a way 346 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:24,159 Speaker 1: to let a person know that they're around. But one 347 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:27,840 Speaker 1: of the ways they exert actual power over people, power 348 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:30,920 Speaker 1: that can be used to harm is through shape shifting, 349 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:36,160 Speaker 1: continuously deceiving our eyes while at the same time enticing 350 00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:40,760 Speaker 1: us to them. There's a fascinating ancient story relaid by 351 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:44,920 Speaker 1: the scholar Amira al Zane in her book Islam, Arabs 352 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:48,239 Speaker 1: and the Intelligent World of the Gin that illustrates how 353 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:52,399 Speaker 1: the Gin go about their vengeance. In the story, a 354 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:55,920 Speaker 1: gin named Abu Hadraj recounts his days on earth to 355 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:59,760 Speaker 1: a man who was interrogating him about his life. Hadraj 356 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:02,719 Speaker 1: gains by explaining how the gin and mankind have been 357 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:07,600 Speaker 1: gifted different things. Man, he says, has the gift of stratagem, 358 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:13,320 Speaker 1: and the gin have the gift of power. I have 359 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:17,159 Speaker 1: suffered evil from men, and they from me. The children 360 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:19,760 Speaker 1: of Adam were evil to me, and I likewise treated them. 361 00:22:20,560 --> 00:22:22,760 Speaker 1: Once I entered into their world, wanting to sleep with 362 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:25,760 Speaker 1: one of their maids, and I changed my shape into 363 00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:28,639 Speaker 1: the form of a field rat, and the cats chased me. 364 00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:31,240 Speaker 1: And when they got me, I shaped shifted into a 365 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:34,879 Speaker 1: striped serpent and slinked into a tree stump, but they 366 00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:39,080 Speaker 1: uncovered me. I followed along the timbers plank, and while 367 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:41,919 Speaker 1: they were wondering where I was, I went to the Virgin, 368 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:45,159 Speaker 1: who was under a mosquito net. And when she saw me, 369 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:49,399 Speaker 1: the fear hit her that her family gathered around her 370 00:22:49,480 --> 00:22:52,720 Speaker 1: from all sides and brought exorcists that called doctors, and 371 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:56,280 Speaker 1: they made every effort to revive her, but I did 372 00:22:56,320 --> 00:22:59,920 Speaker 1: not respond. I clutched to her tightly, and when death 373 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:04,359 Speaker 1: hit her. I sought to replace her by another, then another, 374 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:11,439 Speaker 1: then another. Abu Hadraj killed the woman that he sought, 375 00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:15,320 Speaker 1: the virgin. Yes, I know, it's always a virgin somehow. 376 00:23:16,320 --> 00:23:19,639 Speaker 1: But he wasn't satisfied. His rage against mankind was so 377 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:23,600 Speaker 1: deep that he killed another, and another and another. The 378 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:26,920 Speaker 1: story ends in an interesting way, though the Jin confesses 379 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:29,040 Speaker 1: that he stopped killing young women when he saw the 380 00:23:29,119 --> 00:23:33,040 Speaker 1: light of God and repented his sins, he says were 381 00:23:33,119 --> 00:23:37,359 Speaker 1: now forgiven. This story was originally penned by the blind 382 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:42,000 Speaker 1: tenth century Syrian poet and philosopher Abu Almari, who wrote 383 00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:44,280 Speaker 1: it in response to a topic of hot debate in 384 00:23:44,320 --> 00:23:47,400 Speaker 1: that era, whether jin were good or evil, and whether 385 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:50,560 Speaker 1: they could make it to paradise after dying. The way 386 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:53,680 Speaker 1: that Almari wrote it, the jinn Abu Hadraj was telling 387 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:57,119 Speaker 1: his story from where he sat for eternity at the 388 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:01,080 Speaker 1: mouth of a cave in Paradise. So it seems the 389 00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:04,560 Speaker 1: gin like man can find their way to heaven. A 390 00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:08,360 Speaker 1: rather powerful redemption story. Given them many lives. This gin 391 00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:11,920 Speaker 1: had taken lies of young women that apparently had done 392 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:15,440 Speaker 1: nothing to deserve the ire of this gin. But that's 393 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:18,240 Speaker 1: not always the case, though. While there are times a 394 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:21,800 Speaker 1: gin may choose their victim arbitrarily, more often than not 395 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:24,920 Speaker 1: there is some specific reason a gin will attack a person. 396 00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:28,320 Speaker 1: Provoking them on purpose or not is one sure way 397 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:31,800 Speaker 1: to draw their vengeance. In traditional Arab culture, it was 398 00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:34,680 Speaker 1: forbidden to casually cast a stone or a fruit pit 399 00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:37,359 Speaker 1: into the open, or throw water out of a window, 400 00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:40,080 Speaker 1: or drive stakes into the ground for fear of hurting 401 00:24:40,119 --> 00:24:43,359 Speaker 1: a gin without meaning to, and particular care should be 402 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:46,200 Speaker 1: taken not to harm or encroach on places that the 403 00:24:46,320 --> 00:24:50,440 Speaker 1: gin might live, like forests and caves and lakes. Pre 404 00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:54,280 Speaker 1: modern Persian texts warned not to set wildfires or to 405 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:57,560 Speaker 1: throw waste into bodies of water or trash in the desert, 406 00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:00,920 Speaker 1: because you might inadvertently be di throwing a gin's home 407 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:03,960 Speaker 1: and I can't help. But note it's also some great 408 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:07,639 Speaker 1: advice to keep the planet green and clean, so the 409 00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:10,040 Speaker 1: next time you find yourself about to check some trash 410 00:25:10,119 --> 00:25:13,000 Speaker 1: in the woods, you might want to rethink it. Just 411 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:15,119 Speaker 1: because you think no one can see you and no 412 00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:18,960 Speaker 1: one lives there anyway doesn't mean it's true, and that's 413 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:22,359 Speaker 1: as good as any reason not to litter. You also 414 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:25,400 Speaker 1: never want to strike an animal, especially a black one, 415 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:29,000 Speaker 1: first because it's simply a terrible thing to do, but 416 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:32,400 Speaker 1: also because that could very well be agent in disguise, 417 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:35,399 Speaker 1: and doing something like that could very well turn and 418 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:40,320 Speaker 1: otherwise neutral Gin into your enemy, an enemy that is 419 00:25:40,359 --> 00:25:43,960 Speaker 1: able to mentally and physically torment you, make you sick, 420 00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:48,120 Speaker 1: possess you, even kill you. Although it's said that only 421 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:51,960 Speaker 1: the most evil of them go to those lengths. But 422 00:25:52,080 --> 00:25:54,239 Speaker 1: perhaps one of the most frightening things that gin can 423 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:57,880 Speaker 1: do to humans is abduct them and carry them off 424 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:02,120 Speaker 1: into their own world. Stories of gin abductions stretched back 425 00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:04,399 Speaker 1: to the Middle Ages, and there are a number of 426 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:08,400 Speaker 1: reasons people believe the abductions take place. Sometimes a gin 427 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:12,800 Speaker 1: will kidnap someone they've become obsessed with. Sometimes a person 428 00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:15,159 Speaker 1: is dragged into their world to stand trial for an 429 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:18,960 Speaker 1: offense they committed against a gin. And sometimes the jin 430 00:26:19,119 --> 00:26:23,800 Speaker 1: snatch up young children or babies, never to be seen again, unless, 431 00:26:23,840 --> 00:26:27,000 Speaker 1: of course, they leave a change link a gin baby 432 00:26:27,359 --> 00:26:31,600 Speaker 1: in exchange for a human baby. Not everyone disappears forever, 433 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:36,080 Speaker 1: though some return, and interestingly, the accounts of those who 434 00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:39,080 Speaker 1: claim to have been kidnapped by gin in the centuries 435 00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:42,480 Speaker 1: past are often very similar to moderate accounts of those 436 00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:46,800 Speaker 1: claiming to have been abducted by aliens. The reason I 437 00:26:46,920 --> 00:26:49,359 Speaker 1: think this is the most frightening possibility of all, and 438 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:51,560 Speaker 1: the worst thing a Jin could do to a human 439 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:54,840 Speaker 1: is because well, no one will ever know what happened 440 00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:58,240 Speaker 1: to their loved one. A missing person, a missing child 441 00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:02,480 Speaker 1: leaves open a gaping wound forever, a black hole of 442 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:07,320 Speaker 1: uncertainty and fear for those left behind death. In many ways, 443 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:22,399 Speaker 1: it's much easier to cope with now. The most common 444 00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:25,560 Speaker 1: gin human relationship that most of us have heard about 445 00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:29,359 Speaker 1: is the classic genie that grants three wishes scenario. Someone 446 00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:32,480 Speaker 1: finds an object imprisoning a gin, and the gin bargains 447 00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:35,560 Speaker 1: for their freedom or sometimes rewards it by granting a 448 00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:39,040 Speaker 1: series of wishes. It might seem like a pretty innocuous 449 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:42,000 Speaker 1: set up, a straight deal, something that seems pretty appealing. 450 00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:44,440 Speaker 1: In fact. I mean I know, as a kid, I 451 00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:46,640 Speaker 1: rubbed plenty of old bottles hoping to gin would pop 452 00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:49,639 Speaker 1: out and be under my command and control. What I 453 00:27:49,680 --> 00:27:52,560 Speaker 1: didn't know is that in most cases the Gin are 454 00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:57,480 Speaker 1: never under your command and control, not completely. Remember, they 455 00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:01,040 Speaker 1: have free will, and they use that to outwit even 456 00:28:01,080 --> 00:28:05,440 Speaker 1: their liberators. No story about a gin granting wishes ever 457 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:09,640 Speaker 1: ends happily. In the book The Vengeful Jin, the authors 458 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:12,280 Speaker 1: note that when asked to grant a wish, the Jin 459 00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:16,320 Speaker 1: themselves will often warn the unsuspecting human that they may 460 00:28:16,359 --> 00:28:19,880 Speaker 1: not be happy with the consequences of their wish. First 461 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:22,240 Speaker 1: of all, say the writers, the gin might be emerging 462 00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:26,840 Speaker 1: from their captivity after thousands of years bitter, resentful, full 463 00:28:26,880 --> 00:28:31,720 Speaker 1: of rage, rage against mankind for imprisoning them. And while 464 00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:34,920 Speaker 1: they may or may not be essentially evil, their experience 465 00:28:35,119 --> 00:28:38,880 Speaker 1: has made them so. That's why, no matter how carefully 466 00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:41,800 Speaker 1: a wish is worded, a gin will find a way 467 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:45,040 Speaker 1: to outwit their liberator by granting the wish in a 468 00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:50,120 Speaker 1: way that brings the person a lot of harm or pain. Oftentimes, 469 00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:52,520 Speaker 1: in these stories, the person will regret their wishes and 470 00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:54,960 Speaker 1: try to use the last of them to undo the 471 00:28:55,040 --> 00:29:00,440 Speaker 1: earlier ones. Interestingly, a similar dynamic exists in Irish folklore 472 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:04,000 Speaker 1: with fairies, and as I've noted previously, many people consider 473 00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:07,080 Speaker 1: fairies to be a kind of gin. A common theme 474 00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:09,480 Speaker 1: in these stories is fairy brides who grant their human 475 00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:13,680 Speaker 1: husbands all sorts of wishes, but with conditions. If any 476 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:16,560 Speaker 1: of these conditions are broken, even if it's years and 477 00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:21,960 Speaker 1: decades later, everything will disappear into fairyland. The husband will 478 00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:24,760 Speaker 1: not just lose everything he gained through his wishes, but 479 00:29:24,920 --> 00:29:29,720 Speaker 1: he'll lose his fairy bride too. Another common theme in 480 00:29:29,840 --> 00:29:33,360 Speaker 1: fairy stories is that they'll put arbitrary conditions on someone 481 00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:36,960 Speaker 1: they've granted a wish to, for example, telling the human 482 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:39,560 Speaker 1: not to look back as they walk away, or not 483 00:29:39,720 --> 00:29:42,120 Speaker 1: to look at whatever object they were granted until they 484 00:29:42,160 --> 00:29:46,040 Speaker 1: get home. Of course, there's nothing like a restrictive condition 485 00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:49,200 Speaker 1: that compels the human being to do exactly what they 486 00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:51,600 Speaker 1: were told not to, and as soon as they break 487 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:56,320 Speaker 1: the condition, poof the prize disappears, Which brings us back 488 00:29:56,400 --> 00:29:59,600 Speaker 1: to our original question, what to make of the gin? 489 00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:04,080 Speaker 1: Are they our friends or our foes? Suffice it to 490 00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:08,080 Speaker 1: say that, according to the experts, including the famed century 491 00:30:08,120 --> 00:30:14,320 Speaker 1: theologian Ivantamia, the Jin are generally quote ignorant, untruthful, oppressive, 492 00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:18,880 Speaker 1: and treacherous. There never ever to be trusted. They lie, 493 00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:22,880 Speaker 1: make false promises, they break, are vindictive, and they are 494 00:30:23,040 --> 00:30:27,040 Speaker 1: master deceivers. Their power may have limits, but in many 495 00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:29,800 Speaker 1: ways we are no match for them. Even when we 496 00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:31,840 Speaker 1: think we can control them, it's only for a matter 497 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:36,200 Speaker 1: of time. And remember time is on their side, not ours. 498 00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:40,600 Speaker 1: If every ying has its yang, then the Jin are 499 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:44,480 Speaker 1: ours their fire to our earth, fighting for the same 500 00:30:44,560 --> 00:30:47,400 Speaker 1: space on this planet. It seems in many ways we 501 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:51,760 Speaker 1: are and will forever be pitted against each other, both 502 00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:55,960 Speaker 1: creatures wielding the most dangerous weapon of them all free will. 503 00:30:57,440 --> 00:30:59,760 Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us this week. Next week we'll be 504 00:30:59,800 --> 00:31:02,040 Speaker 1: bad to take you into another step into the world 505 00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:06,479 Speaker 1: of the Gin. Until then, remember we are not alone. 506 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:16,920 Speaker 1: If you loved today's episode, I'm gonna ask you a 507 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:19,760 Speaker 1: big favor. Please stop my iTunes and leave me a 508 00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:23,200 Speaker 1: rating and a review, even if it's just one short sentence. 509 00:31:23,720 --> 00:31:26,480 Speaker 1: Not only is that how other listeners discover the podcast, 510 00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:29,800 Speaker 1: but it's also what keeps the podcast going. And for 511 00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:33,520 Speaker 1: every thousand reviews that I get on iTunes, I'll release 512 00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:37,840 Speaker 1: another Patreon episode absolutely free. That's right, We're on Patreon, 513 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:40,840 Speaker 1: so if you're a Gin enthusiast, check out the Companion 514 00:31:40,920 --> 00:31:45,720 Speaker 1: Patreon series at patreon dot com slash Hidden Jin. Again, 515 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:48,800 Speaker 1: that's patreon dot com slash Hidden Gin, and remember Jin 516 00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:51,800 Speaker 1: is spelled d J I N N that's where you're 517 00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:57,480 Speaker 1: gonna find an amazing series of interviews between me, scholars, experts, artist, historians, 518 00:31:57,520 --> 00:32:01,760 Speaker 1: and every day lay people who have had extraordinary experiences 519 00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:04,880 Speaker 1: with Jin and everybody can check out the first episode 520 00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:08,000 Speaker 1: absolutely free. It's me and my husband sharing our Jen 521 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:10,680 Speaker 1: stories and it was a lot of fun. And if 522 00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:12,920 Speaker 1: you have any Gin stories, well, I'd love to hear 523 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:16,320 Speaker 1: from you. Email me at the Hidden Gin at gmail 524 00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:19,760 Speaker 1: dot com. Once again, it's The Hidden Gin Gin with 525 00:32:19,840 --> 00:32:22,600 Speaker 1: a D at gmail dot com and you might just 526 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:25,320 Speaker 1: hear back from me, or you might hear your story 527 00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:28,200 Speaker 1: on this show. And finally, don't forget to follow us 528 00:32:28,240 --> 00:32:31,680 Speaker 1: on social media. We're on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with 529 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:36,440 Speaker 1: the handle the Hidden Gin. There you can tweet, post, insta, 530 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:38,840 Speaker 1: dm me. I'd love to hear from all of you, 531 00:32:39,040 --> 00:32:45,360 Speaker 1: and believe me, I read every single message. The Hidden 532 00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:48,280 Speaker 1: Gin is a production of I Heart Radio and Grimm 533 00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:51,760 Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Mankey. The podcast is written and 534 00:32:51,880 --> 00:32:55,640 Speaker 1: hosted by Robbia Chaudry and produced by Miranda Hawkins and 535 00:32:55,720 --> 00:33:00,480 Speaker 1: Trevor Young, with executive producers Aaron Mankey, Alex Williams, and 536 00:33:00,640 --> 00:33:05,080 Speaker 1: Matt Frederick. Music for the show was provided by Smithsonian 537 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:09,560 Speaker 1: Folkways Recordings. Our theme song was created by Patrick Cortez. 538 00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:13,240 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the I 539 00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:17,800 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.