this post was submitted on 02 Nov 2023
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The oldest version I've read was a tale where a spirit capable of granting every wish of the heart of men (old fashioned, I know!) was confined to a golden bottle incrusted with jewels, cast into the darkest of caves to never be again found.
The setting alone hinted the spirit was, at best, malicious, if not downright evil, and thus the last owner of the bottle (supposedly a great and wise sultan), upon seeing what the spirit powers could bring upon men (sometimes I think the old tales like this one specifically targeted men as a cautionary warning, not out of pure sexism) had it hidden away so that others could not reach it again.
It was a nice book. Really old. Good read. I remember it was a recollection of tradicional tales from the middle east.
Sounds like one of the many translations of the story in 1001 Arabian Nights, although the original story had 2 Jinns, one trapped in a ring and the other in a lamp.
I know that story, with the ring, but in an Indian setting, and instead of a djinn it was a spirit of a serpent.