Is Bartimaeus what would be known today as a genie? I wikied djinni, and it automatically forwarded me to genie. However, when I looked in dictionary.com, it gave me this definition:

any of a class of spirits, lower than the angels, capable of appearing in human and animal forms and influencing humankind for either good or evil.

Does anyone know which is right? I seriously hope its the second one, because picturing Barty as that blue thing from Aladdin would just totally ruin it.

Theresa

"Genie" is an Anglicisation of the original Arabic word jinni or djinni.

Translation: It's the same thing.

You know things are bad when you need a translator. :P

wrote:...because picturing Barty as that blue thing from Aladdin would just totally ruin it.

Heh.

Edit: Oh and

dance4ever51 wrote:Does anyone know which is right? I seriously hope its the second one, because picturing Barty as that blue thing from Aladdin would just totally ruin it.

Theresa

Yes it would.

Welcome Theresa.

It certainly fits the first category better. Because 'lower than the angels' & ' influencing humankind for either good or evil' isn't characteristic of the djinn we read about in the books. The latter part sounds as if the djinn are their own masters.

That's why Stroud's so cool, he took the traditional stuff and made it better.
The commoners believe the evil spirit definition, while the Magicians know the truth: they're just slaves.

And yeah, good as Robin Williams is, Aladdin's Genie just doesn't work.

I think that in this present-day world, the terms "genie" and "djinni" have two totally different meanings.

Today, the word "Genie" basically almost always implies a floaty blue spirit summoned by a lamp. I actually quite liked the character of the Genie in Aladdin.

The term "Djinni" also implies a spirit, but a powerful one that does not have to be summoned by a lamp.

Of course, the best spirits of all are the Afrits, and the best Afrit of all is Honorius.