Peri
Peri (Fairy), according to the mythical lore of the East, a being begotten by fallen spirits, which spends its life in all imaginable delights, is immortal, but is forever excluded from the joys of Paradise. It takes an intermediate place between angels and demons and is either male or female. So far from there being only female Peris, as is supposed by some, and these the wives of the Devs, the Peris live, on the contrary, in constant warfare with these Devs. Otherwise they are of the most innocuous character to mankind, and, exactly as the fairies, with whom our own popular mythology has made us familiar, are, when female, of surpassing beauty. One of the finest compliments to be paid to a Persian lady is to speak of her as Perizadeh (born of a Peri; Greek, Parisatis). They belong to the great family of genii, or Jin: a belief in whom is enjoined in the Koran, and for whose conversion, as well as for that of man, Mohammed was sent (comp. Koran, ch. 55, 72, and 74).
