Misplaced Pages

Sila (mythology)

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Supernatural creature
Illustration of a Sila seducing a man from a Persian miniature

Sila (Arabic: سعلى أو سعلا أو سعلاة alternatively spelled Si'la or called Si'lat literally: "Hag" or "treacherous spirits of invariable form" pl. Sa'aali adj: سعلوة su'luwwa) is a supernatural creature assigned to the jinn or ghouls in Arabian folklore. These spirits are classified as being one of the most malicious class of jinn. They are described as talented shapeshifters often appearing in human form and female. Despite their impressive shapeshifting abilities, they can be discovered by their hybrid appearances of animals.

Accordingly, Si'lat are said to live in the desolate parts of the desert where they lead travellers and nomads astray, leading them to their deaths. They are also said to seduce and marry men or even give birth to a child from a relationship between human and jinn.

Silas are usually female and aligned to intercourse and a type of magical jinn, not all of them are female or succubi.

"Banu Si'lat" (children of Si'lat myth)

In pre-Islamic Arab countries, there was said to be one man who fell in love with a si'lat and had children who are known as "Banu Si'lat" It was rumored that the Arab population was conceived from descendants of 'Amr ibn Yarbu's' children who were half-si'lat. Their mother was said to have left her family behind after seeing lightning in the sky, interpreting this as a sign to return to her clan. According to Iraqi historian, Mahmud Shukri al-Alusi, Arabs refer to si'lats as women who are said to be slim, witty, powerful and accused of being unloyal seductresses.

See also

  • Succubus - A similar being in European and Jewish mythology
  • Churel - A similar being in mythology from the Indian Subcontinent

References

  1. "Sílā | Arabian spirit". Encyclopedia Britannica.
  2. Al-Saleh, Khairat (1985). Fabled cities, princes & jinn from Arab myths and legends. New York : Schocken Books. pp. 100–101. ISBN 9780805239263.
  3. Patrick Hughes, Thomas Patrick Hughes Dictionary of Islam Asian Educational Services 1995 ISBN 978-8-120-60672-2 page 135
  4. ^ El-Zein, Amira (2009). "Islam, Arabs and the Intelligent World of the Jinn". Syracuse, N.Y. : Syracuse University Press. pp. 171–173. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
People and things in the Quran
Characters
Non-humans
Animals
Related
Non-related
Malāʾikah (Angels)
Muqarrabun
Jinn (Genies)
Shayāṭīn (Demons)
Others
Prophets
Mentioned
Ulul-ʿAzm
('Those of the
Perseverance
and Strong Will')
Debatable ones
Implied
People of Prophets
Good ones
People of
Joseph
People of
Aaron and Moses
Evil ones
Implied or
not specified
Groups
Mentioned
Tribes,
ethnicities
or families
Aʿrāb (Arabs
or Bedouins)
Ahl al-Bayt
('People of the
Household')
Implicitly
mentioned
Religious
groups
Locations
Mentioned
In the
Arabian Peninsula
(excluding Madyan)
Sinai Region
or Tīh Desert
In Mesopotamia
Religious
locations
Implied
Events, incidents, occasions or times
Battles or
military expeditions
Days
Months of the
Islamic calendar
Pilgrimages
  • Al-Ḥajj (literally 'The Pilgrimage', the Greater Pilgrimage)
  • Al-ʿUmrah (The Lesser Pilgrimage)
Times for prayer
or remembrance
Times for Duʿāʾ ('Invocation'), Ṣalāh and Dhikr ('Remembrance', including Taḥmīd ('Praising'), Takbīr and Tasbīḥ):
  • Al-ʿAshiyy (The Afternoon or the Night)
  • Al-Ghuduww ('The Mornings')
    • Al-Bukrah ('The Morning')
    • Aṣ-Ṣabāḥ ('The Morning')
  • Al-Layl ('The Night')
  • Aẓ-Ẓuhr ('The Noon')
  • Dulūk ash-Shams ('Decline of the Sun')
    • Al-Masāʾ ('The Evening')
    • Qabl al-Ghurūb ('Before the Setting (of the Sun)')
      • Al-Aṣīl ('The Afternoon')
      • Al-ʿAṣr ('The Afternoon')
  • Qabl ṭulūʿ ash-Shams ('Before the rising of the Sun')
    • Al-Fajr ('The Dawn')
Implied
  • Ghadir Khumm
  • Laylat al-Mabit
  • First Pilgrimage
  • Other
    Holy books
    Objects
    of people
    or beings
    Mentioned idols
    (cult images)
    Of Israelites
    Of Noah's people
    Of Quraysh
    Celestial
    bodies
    Maṣābīḥ (literally 'lamps'):
    • Al-Qamar (The Moon)
    • Kawākib (Planets)
      • Al-Arḍ (The Earth)
    • Nujūm (Stars)
      • Ash-Shams (The Sun)
    Plant matter
  • Baṣal (Onion)
  • Fūm (Garlic or wheat)
  • Shaṭʾ (Shoot)
  • Sūq (Plant stem)
  • Zarʿ (Seed)
  • Fruits
    Bushes, trees
    or plants
    Liquids
    • Māʾ (Water or fluid)
      • Nahr (River)
      • Yamm (River or sea)
    • Sharāb (Drink)
    Note: Names are sorted alphabetically. Standard form: Islamic name / Biblical name (title or relationship)
    Stub icon

    This article relating to a myth or legend from the ancient Middle East is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

    Categories: