Gentle man
Shah Zaman was imagined as being much crueler than his brother. It is said that he began killing young virgins before his brother did and was more ruthless than his brother. Because of this, he was imagined as a monster, not caring for the lives of those around him. The reality however was completely different as he later revealed his true self to his new wife. In reality, Shah Zaman was a gentle man who never killed any of the women he slept with after his wife cheated on him. After his revelation, Dunyazade’s perception of him and the reader’s perception changes drastically and Shah Zaman is no longer the killer portrayed in the beginning but rather a tragic character.
Not so magical
When the genie first appeared before the two sisters, they were dissatisfied with how he looked. His appearance was strange for them but there was nothing magical about him. The genie didn’t scare the girls away, nor was he cruel and deceiving. In fact, the genie was more scared of the girl’s appearance than the girls were when the genie first appeared. He is described as being geeky, with glasses, a bald head, tall and yet very slim in his forties and rather good looking. His physical appearance put the girls at ease and made them trust him more.
Graeae
When Perseid describes his epic journey, he also remembers the time when he had to face the Graeae to tell him the whereabouts of the items needed to kill Medusa. Perseid recalls the way the three sisters looked like and he painted through his description a gruesome picture. Despite their power, the three sisters were limited because they depended on one tooth and one eye to see and communicate. Despite being portrayed in the Greek mythology as being creatures that should be feared, Perseid describes them rather ironically and in a humorous way, as being three creatures depending on one another and tripping over the other when something or someone entered their layer. When Perseid entered their cave, the Graeae became disoriented and so Perseid was able to steal their eye and exchange it for information.
Normal couple
Perseid talks often about his wife, Andromeda, and describes their relationship. Perseid pains their relationship as being normal, quarreling with one another more than often and with Andromeda becoming jealous often and causing scenes. What we see here is the humanization of the ancient Gods. They are not portrayed as being emotionless beings, distant from the human world. The Gods in the story have feelings and are compassionate and have the ability to get angry and experience human emotions. While this also makes them seem unstable, it also makes them be more human than transcendental beings.
