Records are a bit fuzzy about the origins of the Djinn going back to (as far as I know) ~700 BC. Whether early pagan beliefs or general folklore, it’s hard to tell because there are little written records and the concept was so widespread across the Western Asian continent that it’s a bit of everything.
It’s noted in several different cultures from Canaanite to Zoroastrianism to Islam, all very similar but also with varying differences. For some cultures they were seen as evil while others were good, and the most recent (historically speaking) is that they had free will and had their own personality, so it varied.
For the fertile crescent cultures (Canaanites), they used the term “ilahi”,which means god, interchangeably with jinn. And they don’t mean capital G god, just a god (metaphysical creature with supernatural powers) that has power and should be revered as that.
If we want to look are your question specifically - when did they get their bad reputation?
The short answer is: largely during the 19th century through early Orientalist literature and cheap popular fiction.
Europeans first encountered jinn via translations of One Thousand and One Nights (notably Aladdin) in the late 18th century; the tales portray jinn ambivalently, not uniformly as evil.
During the 19th century, Orientalist literature and media presented exoticized, sensationalized depictions of Arab culture that emphasized the mysterious and dangerous—shaping Western perceptions of jinn.
After the 1001 Night’s translations, inexpensive popular formats (penny dreadfuls, shilling shockers, dime novels) borrowed Arabian Nights motifs and used genies/jinn as lurid, often villainous figures, reinforcing a “bad” reputation in mass culture.
It was only until later in the 20-21st century did “genies” start becoming “good”, and again, through popular media. Further adaptations and retelling of 1001 nights began showing different versions of Jinns. Primetime sitcom series like " I dream of a Jeannie" showing jinns in a more positive light, and we of course can’t overlook Disney’s retelling of Aladdin.
Sources (as well as modern references):
Lebling, Robert (2010). Legends of the Fire Spirits: Jinn and genies from Arabia to Zanzibar. New York, NY & London, UK: I.B. Tauris.
Magic and Divination in Early Islam. (2021). Vereinigtes Königreich: Taylor & Francis.
Fee, C.R.; Webb, Jeffrey B. (29 August 2016). American Myths, Legends, and Tall Tales: An encyclopedia of American folklore. ABC-CLIO. p. 527. ISBN 978-1-610-69568-8.
Records are a bit fuzzy about the origins of the Djinn going back to (as far as I know) ~700 BC. Whether early pagan beliefs or general folklore, it’s hard to tell because there are little written records and the concept was so widespread across the Western Asian continent that it’s a bit of everything.
It’s noted in several different cultures from Canaanite to Zoroastrianism to Islam, all very similar but also with varying differences. For some cultures they were seen as evil while others were good, and the most recent (historically speaking) is that they had free will and had their own personality, so it varied.
For the fertile crescent cultures (Canaanites), they used the term “ilahi”,which means god, interchangeably with jinn. And they don’t mean capital G god, just a god (metaphysical creature with supernatural powers) that has power and should be revered as that.
If we want to look are your question specifically - when did they get their bad reputation?
The short answer is: largely during the 19th century through early Orientalist literature and cheap popular fiction.
Europeans first encountered jinn via translations of One Thousand and One Nights (notably Aladdin) in the late 18th century; the tales portray jinn ambivalently, not uniformly as evil.
During the 19th century, Orientalist literature and media presented exoticized, sensationalized depictions of Arab culture that emphasized the mysterious and dangerous—shaping Western perceptions of jinn.
This is one publisher with several retellings https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Arabian_nights_entertainments_(Longman_1898)
Even Edgar Allen Poe jumped on the fad: https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Thousand-and-Second_Tale_of_Scheherazade
After the 1001 Night’s translations, inexpensive popular formats (penny dreadfuls, shilling shockers, dime novels) borrowed Arabian Nights motifs and used genies/jinn as lurid, often villainous figures, reinforcing a “bad” reputation in mass culture.
It was only until later in the 20-21st century did “genies” start becoming “good”, and again, through popular media. Further adaptations and retelling of 1001 nights began showing different versions of Jinns. Primetime sitcom series like " I dream of a Jeannie" showing jinns in a more positive light, and we of course can’t overlook Disney’s retelling of Aladdin.
Sources (as well as modern references): Lebling, Robert (2010). Legends of the Fire Spirits: Jinn and genies from Arabia to Zanzibar. New York, NY & London, UK: I.B. Tauris.
Magic and Divination in Early Islam. (2021). Vereinigtes Königreich: Taylor & Francis.
Fee, C.R.; Webb, Jeffrey B. (29 August 2016). American Myths, Legends, and Tall Tales: An encyclopedia of American folklore. ABC-CLIO. p. 527. ISBN 978-1-610-69568-8.