Ifrit — fables

“	Though they were of my kind, they weren't the same as me--a pure and true d'jinn in the fullness of power. They resembled me in a way a newborn resembles a grown man. The same, after a fashion, and yet vastly deficient in strength and cunning.	„
	― The d'jinn to Baba Yaga, Fables #88 — "Totenkinder: Chapter Two of Witches"

The ifrit,^[1] also known as efrit^[3]^[4] and effrit,^[5]^[2] is a species first mentioned in Fables #44 — "Arabian Nights (and Days), Chapter Three: Back to Baghdad." They debut in Fables #88 — "Totenkinder: Chapter Two of Witches."

Physiology and traits

According to Yusuf, ifrits are not nearly as powerful as a d'jinn.^[5] The d'jinn later explains that they are of the same kind as him, but only resemble him in the way a newborn resembles a grown man, stating that they are vastly deficient in strength and cunning.^[1]

History

After the magic holding Fabletown together have been unraveled, Bufkin is stranded in the Business Office along with all the formerly imprisoned Fables. The flying monkey worries, stating that ifrits and all sorts of creatures have been freed and roaming the Business Office.^[3] Baba Yaga, another individual who has previously been imprisoned, is besieged by a group of ifrits, bottle demons and various weaker jinni. However, their menacing howls and growls prove ineffective against the witch's powerful magical defenses. She insists that they either submit to her authority or die. The creatures refuse to yield, so Baba Yaga defeats all of them, and dines on their guts and sinews, chews their bones and sucks the marrow. Afterward, she addresses the d'jinn, who explains that ifrits are of the same kind as him, but only resemble him, a pure and true d'jinn in the fullness of power, in the way a newborn resembles a grown man, and if she tries to battle him, she will find herself embroiled in a far deadlier contest.^[1]

Afterward, Bufkin makes a reference to "Burton's Comprehensive Treatise on D'jinns, Efrits and Bottle Demons, third edition";^[4] although the book is fictional, the author is presumably Richard Francis Burton, who is the one who translated One Thousand and One Nights into English.

Original source

They are based on the ifrit, a class of powerful malevolent supernatural beings from Islamic mythology and folklore.^[6] They are malevolent and diabolical spirits, who represent a distinct class of jinn.^[7]