Athyun is a mythical figure in Emirati and Gulf folk heritage, described as a jinn or small creature that sits on the chest of sleeping people, causing fear and nightmares and sometimes affecting their psychological and physical state. It is among the folk figures most closely associated with everyday human experience: many people believe in and fear its powers, while others regard it simply as a disturbing dream or psychological effect. It is unable to cause direct physical harm but disturbs sleep and makes the night an exhausting experience. Descriptions vary between narrators: some describe a small naked jinn with horns and a tail, while others describe an unseen, white, smoke-like creature that cannot be clearly seen. Historically, Athyun belongs to Arab folk traditions concerning jinn and their supposed harm to sleepers and reflects earlier communities’ interest in nightmares and their causes, whether psychological or supernatural. Its characteristics highlight the symbolic aspect of folk heritage: encouraging cleanliness and appropriate eating habits before sleep and recourse to supplications and remembrance of God as means of protection from unseen harm. Tangible and practical elements associated with it include purification practices, water, saffron, supplications and forms of dhikr (devotional recitations), which formed part of the practices and symbolic tools associated with the tale and with safeguarding physical and spiritual well-being.