Roc Yokai

**Roc Yokai** are a variation of Bird Yokai who are known for eating full grown elephants.

## Physical Appearance

Roc Yokai are large bird-like creatures. Usually described as a white colored bird, its wingspan was reported to be an amazing 48 feet in length complete with feathers as big as palm leaves. Their appearance is similar to raptors like the eagle. They also have sharp talons and tufts of feathers on their heads.

## Description

Roc Yokai was an enormous bird of prey reportedly large enough to carry off and eat full grown elephants. They're so big that its eggs were said to be over 150 feet in circumference and according to Arabic Tradition the creature would only land on the mountain Qaf, the center of the world. There are many stories about these yokai. Including those involving Sinbad. Other yokai both respected and feared Roc Yokai due to their immense size and strength.

## Abilities

Here are the abilities that Roc Yokai have in their arsenal:

* Environmental Adaptation
	+ Aerial Adaptation
	+ Atmospheric Adaptation
* Raptor Physiology or Corvid Physiology
* Supernatural Condition
* Unnatural Size

### Associations

* Anqa Physiology
* Genie Manipulation - Hinted that Rocs are the masters of Genies as to the great respect Genies hold for the Roc.
* Giant Monster Physiology
* Mythical Bestiary
	+ Mythical Avian Physiology
* Ziz Physiology

## Pop Culture

Both Marco Polo’s Book of Travels and the Arabian Nights described the Roc, the mythological bird of Arabia. Marco Polo describes rocs living in Madagascar, and envoys from Madagascar present the great Khan of Cathay with a roc feather.

Marco Polo sighted the creature and recorded it in his Book of Travels:

"A bird of enormous size, bulky body and wide wings, flying in the air; and it was this that concealed the body of the sun and veiled it from the sun."

In the account of Marco Polo the wingspan of the roc was 16 yards and the feathers 8 yards, its feathers were as big as palm leaves. The wind was the rush of its wings and its flight was lightning. The bird is usually described as being white. The egg of the roc is said to be over 50 yards in circumference. The Roc could carry an elephant in its claws which it would kill by flying to a great height then dropping the unfortunate creature to crash to its death on the rocks below.

According to Arabic tradition, the Roc never lands on earth, only on the mountain Qaf, the center of the world.

There are four sightings about the roc in the Arabian Nights, two involving Abd al-Rahman, and two involving Sinbad.

In one story involving Sinbad, the roc unknowingly carries Sinbad to safety after a shipwreck. Sinbad was then stranded in a Roc’s nest on top of a mountain where he found an egg as large as 148 hen’s eggs. When the adult bird returned to its nest, Sinbad left his confinement by lashing himself to the Roc’s leg with his turban, without the bird even noticing him. He flew with it so high into the sky that he lost sight of earth. Eventually, he was able to escape when the Roc flew near another island.

In the other story involving Sinbad, and in one of the Abd al-Rahman stories rocs destroy ships by dropping boulders on them.

## Variations

### Mythical Bird Yokai

Roc is a type of mythical bird who have appeared in many stories including Sinbad.

## Life in the Hidden World

Roc Yokai usually have genies as their assistants. This is because these yokai are well respected by the Genie Yokai. The latter often helping the Roc Yokai with anything they want them to do including wishes. They live in the Madasgacar Region of the Hidden City in which they live on top of mountains. They usually live in solitude. But they rarely land there as they would never land on earth. Instead, they like to land on the mountain of Qaf, the center of the Hidden World. In human history, there were four sightings about the roc in the Arabian Nights, two involving Abd al-Rahman, and two involving Sinbad.

## Symbolism

The roc is an enormous legendary bird of prey in the popular mythology of the Middle East. The roc appears in Arab geographies and natural history, popularized in Arabian fairy tales and sailors' folklore. Ibn Battuta tells of a mountain hovering in the air over the China Seas, which was the roc. The story collection One Thousand and One Nights includes tales of Abd al-Rahman and Sinbad the Sailor, both of which include the roc.