Literary Monster

For the demon in the story of the Fisherman and the Demon, one detail is immediately made clear. The demon is massive, with its entrance preceded by a description of the smoke that poured out of the jar. The translation by Haddawy uses the rule of three in describing the size of the smoke column, saying that it grew so much it “spread over the face of the earth”, “covered the sea”, and “reached the clouds” (2018, pg. 624). These three descriptions emphasize the size of the demon and parallel descriptions of another demon in the earlier story of King Shahrayar and Shahrazad. This other demon makes its entrance as a “pillar” that stretched from the sea “until it touched the clouds” (Haddawy, 2018, pg. 605). Haddawy repeats the description of the demons as pillars or columns that reach the clouds from the sea in order to ensure the size of the demon as a monster is clear. This otherworldly physical size, and particularly the shapeshifting done to grow in size, is in contrast to other medieval monsters we’ve encountered. The monster Grendel in Beowulf is described as a “powerful demon” (Heaney, 2018, 86) who has the capability in one attack to “[grab] thirty men” (Heaney, 2018, 122). Nonetheless, Grendel is not of extraordinary size, at least not so much as to be larger than the hero Beowulf who is able to grapple with the monster in hand-to-hand combat (Heaney, 2018, 745-752) and ultimately rips off the monster’s arm, fatally wounding it in the process (Heaney, 2018, 815-820). The “man-eating dragon” in Kallimachos & Chrysorroi is another medieval monster that is described as strong with “boundless strength” yet is still reasonably sized (Betts, 1995, pg. 46). We know the size of the dragon is limited as it is described as sleeping on a “small bed” (Betts, 1995, pg. 47). These two powerful creatures are powerful in their own stories but are overshadowed by the otherworldly power the demon projects from its size.

Size is one way to convey power. Another way to convey power is the ability to change forms. The way the demon is described in the story of the Fisherman and the Demon suggests that it is has shapeshifting abilities with an incorporeal form. The demon shapeshifts and fits itself into the jar via a form described as a “column of smoke” (Haddawy, 2018, pg. 624) which invokes the idea that it is intangible. Shapeshifting is mentioned as an ability of demons in other texts, including the Shahnameh which potentially originates from similar areas and cultures as the Thousand and One Nights. In the tale of king Zahhak, the demon Eblis that is manipulating Zahhak is a shapeshifter but is only described as shapeshifting into human forms such as “an intelligent, talkative young man” (Firdawsī, 2016). The incorporeality of the demon in the story of the Fisherman and the Demon is another aspect of its abilities that make it more powerful than other monsters. The dragon in Kallimachos & Chrysorroi is also described as a shapeshifter with the line, “he became a dragon again as always” (Betts, 1995, pg. 50) suggesting that the dragon isn’t always a dragon. The dragon is still, however, defeated by Kallimachos with a sword so it still physical. The dragon in Kallimachos & Chrysorroi and Grendel in Beowulf both die at the physical hands of the human heroes whereas we aren’t even sure if the demon in the story of the Fisherman and the Demon is tangible.

This distinction in how the monsters are interacted with is what makes the demon in this tale unique. It is more powerful than the physical monsters of Grendel and the dragon, more incorporeal than the shape-shifting Eblis, and as such must be defeated with the religious power of Solomon's seal rather than physical domination.