Redjal el Marja
Redjal el Marja are a class of Moroccan jnun said to inhabit the canals and fountains of Marrakech, whose good will keeps the city's water clean and whose neglect was blamed for its fouling.
At a glance
- Tradition
- Moroccan folkloreIslamic mythology
- Region
- Morocco (place of origin)
- Kind
- Arabian jinn
- Trait family
- The Water-Beckoners
Near this figure
Traits
Read from the figure's description, which a model wrote. Open "why" for the sentence a trait came from.
Behaviour
- Punishes those who pollute or overharvest water
why
Failure to observe the courtesy, or open disrespect toward the water sources, was blamed for water turning foul, running short, or otherwise failing, and for the misfortune or illness that followed from using it.
Defensive powers
- Water guardianship
why
The behavior recorded for them centers on an exchange: residents who drew on the canals and fountains were expected to propitiate the Redjal el Marja, chiefly by lighting candles at the water's edge, in order to keep the water flowing clean and to avoid giving offense.
Roles
Judged from the works' own entries, not from the description. Carries: the figure holds the role. Meets: the role is in its stories, held by something it meets.
- Water meets
3 citations
- Carol Rose, Giants, Monsters, and Dragons, s.v. "Redjal El Marja."
- Carol Rose, Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins, s.v. "Redjal El Marja."
- Theresa Bane, Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore, s.v. "Redjal El Marja."