this post was submitted on 19 Feb 2024
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In Islamic/pre-Islamic mythology (over simplifying greatly) genies are actually trapped demons forced into servitude long ago by human sorcerers. They must comply with your wish but use any ambiguity they can as a form of malicious compliance. It's also worth noting that the idea of genies granting 3 wishes is mostly a western invention and is also likely influenced by Christian ideas of "deals with the devil" (see Foust for how that usually works out for the wisher)
I thought the 3 wishes came from the story of the Monkey's Paw
The monkey's paw comes from a short story of the same name by W.W. Jacobs back in 1902. It seems the genie that grants three wishes dates all the way back to 1697 in "The Ridicuolous Wishes" by Charles Perrault.