1000+ images about Roc - Titan of Avians on Pinterest | Sinbad the sailor, Arabian nights and Mythology Forward "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 Marko Polo the wingspan of the roc was 16 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. "According to Arabic tradition, the Roc never lands on earth, only on the mountain Qaf, the center of the world. See More Arabian Nights | A Book of Creatures A Book of Creatures Rukh Variations: Rokh, Rukhkh, Roc, Ruc; Griffon, Griffin, Gryphon The lineage of the Rukh (or, less correctly, Roc) is an ancient and venerable one, with tales of enormous birds stretching back into ancient Egypt.

Generally believed to live in Madagascar (or possibly at the top of Mount Qaf), it is another iteration of the Arabian ‘Anqa, the Persian Simurgh, and the Indian Garuda and Cyena. The name rukh itself may have come about by a corruption of simurgh, which in turn came from cyena. There is little defining the appearance of the rukh; it is a gigantic bird of prey, but what exactly that entails has varied from artist to artist. The only indisputable feature is that it is enormous. A rukh is as big as the storyteller needs it to be, leading to accounts of a hatchling rukh with wings a thousand fathoms (over 1800 meters) in length! Rukhs are uncontested predators capable of feeding on the largest and most dangerous land animals. They have a particular fondness for giant serpents, elephants, and karkadanns or rhinoceroses.

Sindbad observed that when a karkadann spears an elephant on its horn, the elephant’s fat runs into the rhino’s eyes and blinds it; a rukh will then swoop down and carry both combatants off to feed its chicks. Rukhs also appear to have some degree of intelligence, using boulders to smash prey. The best-known interactions with rukhs were those of Sindbad the Sailor, who encountered them on his second and fifth voyages. The first time around, Sindbad found himself alone on a deserted island – not an uncommon occurrence in his life – and discovered a strange white dome, some fifty paces in circumference. As he pondered what the structure might be, the sky darkened as a huge rukh appeared. The dome was none other than its egg. Fortunately for Sindbad, it showed no interest in him as it sat on the egg and dozed off, and Sindbad tied himself to its leg with his turban, figuring that it might fly him to more civilized lands. In time the rukh awoke, screeched, and took off on the most terrifying ride of Sindbad’s life.

When it finally landed he untied himself as fast as he could and ran for cover, while the rukh busied itself seizing a giant serpent in its talons and flying off with its prey. Sindbad’s fifth voyage was even more catastrophic. This time, Sindbad’s crew went ashore without him and found the white dome of a rukh’s egg. Despite Sindbad’s warnings, they broke the egg and killed the chick inside. As they butchered the chick, the two parent rukhs appeared, their angry calls louder than thunder. When the sailors tried to flee in their ship, the birds returned with enormous boulders in their talons. The male’s rock narrowly missed the ship, but the female scored a direct hit, sinking the vessel. All sailors on board died with the exception of Sindbad, who drifted off towards further adventures. In the tale of Aladdin, the evil necromancer attempts to convince Aladdin to demand a rukh egg to hang from the ceiling, a request which infuriates the genie. “You want me to hang our Liege Lady for your pleasure?” he roared, before informing them that such a wicked request could only have come from their enemy.

In this case the author combined the rukh with the ineffably pure and holy simurgh. Abd al-Rahman the Maghrebi, who had travelled far and wide across the world, obtained a rukh chick’s feather quill capable of holding a goatskin’s worth of water. He and his companions obtained it from a rukh chick that they cut out of an egg a hundred cubits long. The parent rukh flew after them and dropped a rock on their ship, but unlike Sindbad’s crew they successfully avoided it and went on their way. All those who had eaten the baby rukh’s flesh remained youthful and never grew old. Ibn Battuta saw a rukh soaring over the China Seas. It was sufficiently far away to be mistaken for a flying mountain, and he and his companions were thankful that it did not notice them. Marco Polo had the opportunity to observe rukhs on Madagascar; he believed them to be griffons, and specified that they were not half lion and half bird as he was led to believe, but simply enormous eagles.

They had wings 30 paces long with feathers 12 paces long, and would pick up elephants and carry them into the air, dropping them onto the ground from great heights and feeding on the pulverized remains. A rukh feather was brought as a gift to the Great Khan, who was greatly pleased with it. The rukh is not to be confused with al-Marwazi’s camel-like urine-spouting animal of the same name, described as zabraq by al-Mas’udi and as phalmant by Bochart. This grounded rukh may also be related to the rook chess piece, but both are far removed from the giant raptor. The giant elephant bird Aepyornis of Madagascar, or its remains, was feasibly the origin of the rukh. It was, however, flightless, harmless, and non-elephantivorous. The rukh feathers that circulated as curiosities during the Middle Ages were fronds from the Madagascan Raphia vinifera palms. References Adler, M. N. (1907) The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela. Oxford University Press, London. Bianconi, G. G.

(1862) Degli scritti di Marco Polo e dell’uccello ruc da lui menzionato. Tipi Gamberini e Parmeggiani, Bologna. Burton, R. F. (1885) The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol. V. Burton Club, London. Burton, R. F. (1887) Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, vol. III. Kamashastra Society, London. Casartelli, L. C. (1891) Cyena-Simurgh-Roc: Un Chapitre d’Evolution Mythologique et Philologique. Compte Rendu du Congres Scientifique International des Catholiques, Alphonse Picard, Paris. al-Damiri, K. (1891) Hayat al-hayawan al-kubra. Al-Matba’ah al-Khayriyah, Cairo. Golénischeff, W. (1906) Le Papyrus No. 1115 de l’Ermitage Impérial.

Recueil de Travaux Relatifs a la Philologie et a l’Archéologie Egyptiennes et Assyriennes, v. 12, pp. 73-112. Kruk, R. (2001) Of Rukhs and Rooks, Camels and Castles. Oriens, vol. 36, pp. 288-298. Payne, J. (1901) The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, vol. V. Herat, London. Yule, C. B. (1875) The Book of Ser Marco Polo. John Murray, London. The Arabian Nights: One Thousand and One Nights “The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor: Voyages 1 and 2” Summary and Analysis | GradeSaver Summary Introduction One day, in the midst of some grueling labor, an impoverished porter (named Sinbad , though he is not the story's namesake) decides to rest outside a grand palace in Baghdad.

Curious about the building's luxury, he asks one of its servants about the owner, and learns that it is inhabited by a rich, noble sailor who who was extremely famous for his incredible travels. Jealous, the impoverished porter exclaims that the world is unjust, since some could be given such prosperity while he has to work so hard every day. A moment later, a palace servant summons him inside; the sailor wishes to speak with him. Inside, the porter meets the owner: Sinbad the sailor. He is surrounded by several friends. The sailor wishes to defend his wealth by telling the stories of his seven voyages. He insists that his good fortune came only at the cost of severe hardship and struggles. He then begins by relating the first of his voyages to the assembled company. Sinbad's first voyage Sinbad had inherited much wealth from his parents, but he spent it quickly due to poor, youthful decisions. Without any money, he set off to sea as a merchant sailor. He quickly grew accustomed to the sea, and began to make money at various ports. One day, the ship docked on an island, and the sailors made a fire, only to discover that they were actually on the back of a whale.

As the fire started burning, the whale dove deep into the ocean, leaving Sinbad floundering on a piece of wood as his ship fled without him. He was stranded in the middle of the sea. Eventually, he drifted onto an island. There, he helped a horsegroom to save a mare from being drowned by a mystical, powerful sea horse. He then learned that the horsegroom served King Mihrage , who ruled the island. The horsegroom gladly brought the sailor to meet Mihrage. The king graciously received Sinbad, giving him everything he needed. Sinbad befriended other merchants and sailors on the island, so he was in a position to recognize a chest with his name on it when a ship docked on the island one day. He quickly realized that this was the very ship that had left him. Sinbad's captain initially doubted the sailor's claim - they all believed Sinbad had drowned - but was eventually convinced. Before leaving the island, Sinbad gave King Mihrage some of his rediscovered belongings as gifts, and the king bestowed him with valuable gifts in return.

During the ship's return to Baghdad, Sinbad progressively traded these gifts for items of more value, so that he was incredibly wealthy when he arrived home. After finishing the story of his first voyage, Sinbad gives the porter some money to take back to his family, and bids him return the following night to hear more. Sinbad's second voyage The next night, the porter indeed returns, to find the company gathered again to hear of Sinbad's second voyage. Though wealthy after his first voyage, Sinbad eventually became restless of staying in one place. Longing again for the sea, he set sail. The ship docked one day at a seemingly uninhabited island, and the sailors went out to explore. It being a lovely day, Sinbad fell into a nap. Unfortunately, he awoke to find he had been accidentally left behind (again). On the island, he discovered a massive white orb, and realized it was the egg of giant, mythical, dangerous bird called the roc. Determined to get off the island, he hid amongst the nest until the roc landed, and then strapped himself to the bird's leg. When it took flight again, it carried Sinbad to a valley far away.

Unfortunately, this valley was not only impossible to climb out of, but it was also full of the roc's natural prey: huge snakes that could swallow an elephant. Worst of all, Sinbad was running out of provisions. The valley floor was also covered with beautiful diamonds, though their value offered Sinbad nothing in his predicament. Luckily, he surmised that the snakes hibernated during daytime to avoid the roc, so he hid away at night. Growing weary, he tried to nap one day, but was awoken by huge slabs of meat which were being thrown down from above. He suddenly remembered hearing stories of this place. Merchants would come to the valley when eagles were hatching their young, and throw meat to the valley floor hoping diamonds would stick to it and the eagles would carry the meat to their nests. The merchants were then in position to raid the nests and collect the diamonds. Sinbad then devised a plan - he collected several diamonds and strapped himself to a piece of meat. After an eagle carried the meat to its nest, he was rescued by a merchant, whom he thanked with several diamonds. He then joined those merchants on their ship, trading the diamonds for progressively more valuable items during his journey home.

When he reached Baghdad, he was even richer than before. His second story completed, Sinbad gives the porter more money, and then bids him return on the following evening to hear of his third voyage. Analysis As is the case with several other stories, the Sinbad tales were first included in the Arabian Nights collection by translator Antoine Galland. And yet they are natural fits. Not only do the tales of Sinbad fit well within Scheherazade 's frame story, but they also employ the frame structure, thereby continuing to comment on the art of storytelling as do many other Arabian Nights tales. In fact, Sinbad's tales offer an interesting to parallel to Scheherazade's. Much as she does, Sinbad tells a different story every night. And yet his motives are quite distinct from hers - while Scheherazade tells stories primarily to save lives, Sinbad more explicitly wishes to change his listener. He not only wants the porter to understand that he deserves his wealth, but moreover wants to encourage a greater understanding of hardship and fortune in his listener. In other words, Sinbad wishes his stories to be not only entertaining, but also didactic. He hopes to impart some level of virtue.

Of course, as is the case with all the collection's stories, the greater purpose is contingent on the story's entertainment value. Implicitly, the Arabian Nights reminds us time and again that stories can produce amazing results, but they must first and foremost be fun to listen to. Sinbad (the sailor) is definitely an interesting character. For someone with so much wealth, he is notably generous and compassionate. He could have merely ignored the porter's lament, but instead takes pity on the man and attempts to enlighten him. Further, the fact that he gives the porter money each night after the stories suggests his own understanding of the world's unfairness. At the same time that he feels entitled to his wealth, he recognizes the travails of the poor. Perhaps Sinbad is aware that not every man is born with such resourcefulness and talent. His own stories reveal these qualities. He is always able to concoct an escape plan, even in the grips of fatigue or hunger. One could argue that luck is too often on his side - appearing in the guise of the falling meat or the returning ship, for instance - but Sinbad is only in position to capitalize on this luck because he perseveres.

Instead of falling into despair, he always remains observant, devoted towards getting back home, so that when the opportunity presents itself, he is in position to take advantage of it. Sinbad's stories also provide much insight into the values of his time. First, they express the importance of sea trade during this period of history. Many people made their livelihood as merchants, and would spend months away from home in order to support their families. Some of the important trading materials of this time were diamonds, other precious stones, sandalwood, camphor, coconuts, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, aloes, ambergris, and ivory, all of which Sinbad obtains at some point during his quests. The ability of this Islamic empire to capitalize on trade was essential for supporting large parts of its population which would otherwise be indigent. King Mihrage's willingness to help Sinbad when he is a castaway also speaks volumes of the importance of hospitality in cultures around this time. Turning away a guest, particularly one in need, was considered the height of dishonor. This was particularly true for nobles who had a lot to offer. In return, the guest was expected to show his gratitude in whatever way possible.

Sinbad conforms to this expectation by presenting the king with gifts before he sets sail once more. Hospitality and cordiality was expected in this society, even towards merchants trading at sea. Finally, these stories are unique in the collection because they most closely align with the epic tradition. While many of the Arabian Nights stories are concerned with human nature, the Sinbad stories are most explicitly adventure stories. Epics were produced during antiquity in many of the ancient cultures, including the Greeks, Romans, early Indian civilizations, early China, and more. Sinbad is arguably the best known of the Islamic empire's epics. Typically, these narratives feature a powerful figure who represents the values of his culture, and travels amongst large swaths of humanity (and otherwise), encountering a variety of adventures along the way. These stories could have been a conscious attempt to write in that vein, since Greek epics like The Odyssey and The Iliad had been around for several centuries, or may have been an unconscious reflection of the oral tradition that had preserved those type of tales. Either way, it is clear from even the first two voyage stories that they employ a remarkable amount of inventiveness and imagination.

New Page Books: Creature of the Month: Thunderbirds, Rocs, and Other Awesome Avians by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart Thursday, January 30, 2014 Creature of the Month: Thunderbirds, Rocs, and Other Awesome Avians by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart The people of the island [of Madagascar] report that at a certain season of the year, an extraordinary kind of bird which they call a Rukh, makes its appearance from the southern region. In form it is said to resemble the eagle but it is incomparably greater in size; being so large and strong as to seize an elephant with its talons, and to lift it into the air, from whence it lets it fall to the ground, in order that when dead it may prey upon the carcass. Persons who have seen this bird assert that when the wings are spread they measure sixteen paces in extent, from point to point; and that the feathers are eight paces in length, and thick in proportion. —Marco Polo, Travels (III, 36) Roc carrying off elephants The sky darkens suddenly, the shadow of huge wings sweeping the ground.

A crack of thunder as the Roc dives, then it is gone again, an elephant clutched in massive claws. Giant birds have held sway over our imaginations since perhaps as long as humanity has existed—perhaps longer. In his book, An Instinct for Dragons, author David Jones proposes that Dragons are an amalgamation of the three great predators of our earliest ancestors: the big cats, the serpents, and the raptors—the birds of prey. He suggests that our earliest primate ancestors were hunted by these predators and, through what Jung might call the “world mind,” we have retained these memories even until today.1 If this be true, such memories might account for many of our mythic creatures, be they Dragon, Gryphon, or giant birds. Even so, the Roc and the Thunderbird are awe-inspiring figures, symbolically representing storms, wind, thunder, and lightning. Watch out for falling Rocs The Roc (Persian, Rukh or Rucke) is a bird of immense size found in Persian and Indian myth. It lived on the island of Madagascar, and was said to be large enough to carry off elephants to feed its gigantic chicks.

In the “Voyages of Sinbad,” found within the famous Arabian Thousand Nights and a Night, or Arabian Nights (compiled ca. 800–900 ce), a Roc attacks Sinbad and destroys some of his ships in retaliation for the destruction of one of its eggs. In another story out of the same book, Rocs drop boulders upon the ships of Abd al-Rahman in retaliation for his sailors killing a Roc chick. Fig. 1. Roc attacking Sinbad’s ship Stories of the Roc can be traced back to the Greek Historian Herodotus (484–424 bce), who was told by Egyptian priests of birds so huge they could carry off a person. The story recounted in the Arabian Nights first appeared in the Jatakas of India, a great compendium of folktales dating from at least the 4th century bce. However, the great bird is not named as a Roc. Crusaders brought the story back to Europe in the Middle Ages, and in the 13th century, Marco Polo described the Roc in some detail.2 Fig. 2.

Two-headed Roc from 7th Voyage of Sinbad movie, 1958 Early accounts do not specify if the Roc is actually a raptor or not, but today it is universally regarded as such. Some myths say that the Roc never lands on Earth but only on the mountain known as Qaf, in the center of the world. The Roc was said to have a wingspan of some 48 feet and its feathers alone could measure up to 24 feet long. In the mid-1200s, gigantic feathers said to be from the Roc were presented to Kublai Khan, grandson of Emperor Genghis Khan. These, however, were actually dried fronds of the Raffia Palm (Raphia), the longest leaves in the plant kingdom, reaching an impressive length of eighty feet. Fig. 3. The gigantic egg of the Roc The origin of the legend of the Roc may be found in Madagascar’s enormous, flightless Elephant Bird or Vouron Patra (Aepyornis maximus), which reached eleven feet in height and weighed 1,100 pounds. Its three-foot-circumference eggs had a liquid capacity of 2.35 gallons.

Bigger than any dinosaur eggs, these were the largest single cells to have ever existed on Earth. This awesome avian was exterminated by humans in the 16th century. Fig. 4. Elephant Bird or Vouron Patra Because Vourons had insignificant wings, and black, down-like pilli rather than true feathers, they were thought to be only the chicks of truly colossal flying adults. Consider that two of the four Arabian Nights tales involving the Roc focus on sailors destroying its enormous eggs and chicks. Sinbad found a Roc’s egg to be as large as 148 hen’s eggs; the egg of Aepyornis maximus actually had a volume about 160 times greater than that of a chicken.3 Even today, preserved or fossilized specimens of these immense eggs occasionally turn up in the marketplaces of Madagascar, where they fetch high prices. Fig. 5. Elephant Bird egg for sale in Madagascar marketplace Malcolm South has suggested that tales of the Roc may have been created to explain meteorites, as several of the stories have the giant birds dropping huge stones, particularly on ships. This would also seem to be a possible origin for the tale of the Ababil.

According to the Quran, these were huge birds that saved the city of Mecca in the year of Mohammed’s birth (571ce) by dropping bricks on an attacking army of elephants. Ababil is now a local name for the common Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica).4 And Peter Costello suggests that the huge Wandering Albatross (Diomeda exultans) could have also contributed to the legend of the Roc. It holds the record as having the largest wingspan of any living bird—some reported as large as 17.5 feet across. Fig. 6. Wandering albatross Thunderbirds The Native American equivalent of the Roc, the Thunderbird is said to carry off bison or even whales. Its feathers are as long as canoe paddles, and when it flaps its wings, thunder sounds, the wind roars, and lightning flashes from its eyes. The Thunderbird is often described as a giant, condor-like creature, though sometimes it resembles a more hawk-like raptor. They were said to have been sent from the gods to protect humanity from evil.

In other cases, they are regarded as shapeshifters, and are believed to take a human form at times and even intermarry with people. Fig. 7. Thunderbird by OZ In some Native American myths, the Thunderbird is the enemy of the killer whale. In others, it is the enemy of giant, horned Water-Dragons, the Unktehi (see the New Page book Dragonlore, by Ash DeKirk, for a recounting of this tale, called “The Tlanuhwa and the Uktena”). The Tlanuhwa resembles a Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) of gigantic proportions, and is believed to have been the progenitor of this magnificent predator. There are caves along the Tennessee River where the Tlanuhwa were said to have once dwelt. Thunderbirds are known by various local names among different tribes. In Iroquois tradition, the chief of the Thunderbirds is Keneun, the guardian of the sacred fire. To the Kwakiutl it is Jojo, its Nootka name is Kw-Uhnx-Wa, and the Ojibwa word for it is Animikii.

Its Alaskan Inuit name is Tinmiukpuk, an immense eagle that carries off caribou and lone humans in its mighty talons and takes them back to its mountain nest to be devoured. Fig. 8. Thunderbird (Joho) – Kwakiutl Wuchowsen is a colossal bird in the folklore of the Maliseet-Passamaquoddy of New England. It sits still on its rock at the northernmost point of the world, and the slightest rustling of its feathers sends winds across the entire Earth. The same bird is called Bmola in the mythology of the Western Abanaki. It is also known as the Wind Bird, as it is associated with the frigid winds that sweep down from the frozen North in winter. Kaneakeluh is a great cosmic bird in the mythology of the Kwakiutl of British Columbia, Canada; it brought fire to humanity. The Lakota call the Thunderbirds Wakinyan or Waukkeon, and identify four types that can be distinguished in part by the brilliant colors of their feathers: blue Wakinyan have no eyes or ears, black ones have huge beaks, and yellow ones have no beak at all.

Red Wakinyan are like great, scarlet eagles. Fig. 9. Wakinyan shield (Lakota) Oshädagea (“dew eagle” or “big eagle of the dew”) is a rather unusual Thunderbird in the mythology of the northeastern Woodlands Iroquois. He dwells in the western sky and carries a lake of dew in a hollow on his back, which he sprinkles over the land each morning to keep it fertile. When there is a forest fire caused by evil demons, he scoops water from the sea to douse the flames and routs the demons. Nihniknoovi is a monstrous predatory bird in the folklore of the Kawaiisu Tubatulabal of the Southwest. It hunts humans, carrying his victims in its great talons to a waterhole where it drains their blood before eating the corpses. Fig. 10. Nihniknoovi from Final Fantasy Thunderbirds have been sighted throughout the United States, but mostly in the West and Midwest. One of the most famous encounters was reported in 1890 in Arizona.

Two cowboys supposedly shot and killed an enormous, birdlike creature with a whopping 160-foot-wide wingspan, far outstripping the wingspans of more recent Thunderbird sightings and vastly outreaching the wingspans of any known bird species. Although that report is generally considered a hoax, a more modest, but still quite large, specimen of a condor-like bird with a 20- to 30-foot-wide wingspan was said to have been killed sometime in the late 1800s. Although a photo of the bird “strung up with outstretched wings against a barn, with six men with outstretched arms fingertip to fingertip, to show its size”5 was said to have been published in the Tombstone Epitaph, all trace of it has disappeared, though it has been redrawn from memory (see below). In all likelihood, this was a California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus), though this bird generally attains a wingspan no wider than nine feet. Fig. 11.

Thunderbird shot in late 1800s Thunderbirds are commonly identified with the California Condor or even the Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus), which is known to attain a wingspan of more than fifteen feet. Some cryptozoologists have proposed that the original Thunderbird may have been the giant Pleistocene raptor Aiolornis incredibilis, which had a wingspan of seventeen feet. This huge bird of prey has also been called a giant condor, though it is not related to modern condors. Even the smaller Ice-Age Teratornis merriami of California, with its twelve-foot wingspan, may have contributed to the legends. And recently, fossils have been found of an Argentine teratorn which stood five feet tall and had an astonishing wingspan of 24 feet! Fig. 12. Teratornis and Smilodon, by Charles Knight (Field Museum of Natural History) Though Thunderbirds are usually likened to condors or other raptor birds, there is some speculation that they may represent relic specimens of pterosaurs—a theory based either on fossils or on continuing reports of live sightings.

As Thunderbirds are often portrayed with long crests at the backs of their heads, they have often been equated with the great crested Pteranodon, which attained a wingspan of 27 feet. The largest of the known flying reptiles, however, was Quetzalcoatlus northropi, which boasted a wingspan of some 40-50 feet. Though it is now believed that many dinosaurs actually had feathers, pterosaurs were not dinosaurs, and were hairy, like bats. The 1890 Arizona specimen was said to be featherless, with skin wing flaps instead, and an elongated head and beak some eight feet in length. Was it a relic pterosaur or not? We may never know. (See my “Creature of the Month” article on “Living Pterosaurs.”) Fig. 13. Cowboys and Pteranodon from movie, Valley of the Gwangi (1958) There is also the possibility that the Thunderbird myth originated with North America’s only (thus far) recorded phorusrhacid, or “terror bird:” Diatryma or Titanis walleri.

Some sources say that Titanis died out at least 1.8 million years ago, but others believe it may have survived until as recently as 15,000 years ago. Fossil remains have been found in Texas and Florida, indicating the wide range of these awesome birds, and they would certainly have impressed any Indians who came upon them. All terror birds are giant, flightless, predatory birds with heavy, hooked beaks the size of a horse’s head. Most species have been discovered in South America and Mesoamerica. Titanis stood up to ten feet tall and may, like the elephant bird, have been regarded as the chick of a much larger raptor. Fig. 14. Titanis wallleri and other giant birds compared. In 1838, a 5-year-old girl named Marie Delex was playing with a friend on a mountainside in the Valais, Switzerland. Suddenly a gigantic eagle swooped out of the sky and carried her off, despite the screams of her companion. Searchers found only one of her shoes on the edge of a precipice.

The great bird’s nest was located, and inside it were two eaglets surrounded by heaps of goat and sheep remains; of little Marie there was no sign. Two months later a shepherd discovered her mutilated corpse laying on a rock a mile and a half from where she had been seized.6 Fig. 15. Marie Delex carried off by a Lammergeier in the Swiss Alps, 1838 The only known bird this could have been is the Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus). Also called lion eagle or bearded vulture, it is one of the bases of the legend of the Gryphon. The world’s mightiest raptor, its German name means “lamb stealer,” which is what it is known for. Evidently it is also capable of carrying off prey as large as a child. Fig. 16. Lammergeier In 1868, an 8-year-old boy named Jemmie Kenney was snatched from a schoolyard in Tippah County, Missouri, by an enormous eagle, which bore him aloft. In response to shouts, the monstrous bird dropped the boy, but he died from the cruel talons and the fall.

In July of 1977, a Thunderbird was sighted in Lawndale, Illinois. Around 9:00 PM on the 25th, three young boys were playing in their yard when they were attacked by a giant bird. One of the boys suffered scratches on his shoulder when the bird grabbed him and carried him for a distance of roughly two feet before dropping him. The boys said the bird was black with a white ruff, which fits the description of a condor.7 Many more avian abduction reports are compiled on Fig. 17. Child carried aloft by eagle. As recently as June and July of 2001, Thunderbird sightings were reported from Pennsylvania. Witnesses say the bird had a wingspan of about fifteen feet and a head roughly three feet in length. It was described as being grayish-black in color with a long, thin beak. More sightings occurred in late September of the same year. One of the most recent sightings occurred in 2002 off the coast of Alaska, but it is believed that this may have been a wayward Stellar’s Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus).

At 26 pounds, and with a wingspan up to eight feet, this is the largest eagle in North America. Other Giant Birds of Note Ai Tojon—A great, two-headed eagle of Siberian myth, the Ai Tojon lives at the very top of the World Tree, from which he shines forth light over all the world. Fig. 18. Ai Tojon Angka—An enormous Arabian bird large enough to carry off an elephant. Much like the Phoenix, it lives 1,700 years, at the end of which time it burns itself to ashes and rises again. Because of its great size, it has also been associated with the Roc. The Arabs believed that they were originally created as perfect birds, but that, over time, they eventually devoured all the animals on Earth and started carrying off children. The people appealed to God, who prevented the Anka from multiplying; thus it eventually became extinct.8 Fig. 19. Angka Anzu (or Zû)—A gigantic storm-bird in ancient Mesopotamian mythology.

Like a Gryphon, it has a lion’s body and the head of an eagle with a saw-like beak, though it was sometimes said to have the body of an eagle and the head and torso of a bearded man. It is the attendant of Tiamet, the great, primordial serpent-Dragon. Fig. 20. Anzu Bar Juchne (or Bar Yacre)—In Talmudic Jewish legend, this is an enormous bird, similar to the Roc, whose wingspan can eclipse even the sun. It preys on cattle and even humans. It was said that, once upon a time, an egg fell from a Bar Juchne nest, shattering 300 trees and flooding 60 villages. Fig. 21. Bar Juchne Crocho—An immense bird said to dwell on Cape Daib (Cape Corrientes) at the tip of Africa. It was said to be 60 paces from wing tip to wing tip, and able to carry off elephants.

According to Fra Mauro (1459), in 1420, an Indian junk putting in at the coast discovered an egg of this bird that was “as big as a butt” (a butt is a large cask holding a volume of 126 gallons). Garuda (or Taraswin, “swift one”)—A gigantic, manlike bird of Hindu mythology who is the celestial mount of the god Vishnu. He has the body, wings, talons, and head of an eagle-vulture (lammergeier), but with a human face and limbs. His colors are gold, scarlet, and green. He is the sworn enemy of the snakelike Nagas. Emblemizing royalty throughout Southeast Asia, he is also the symbol of the Indonesian Garuda Airlines. In Thailand he is called Galon or Khrut.9 Fig. 22. Garuda Hraesvelg (“corpse-eater”; or Windmaker)—A vast, eagle-like bird of Norse mythology that nests upon the icy peaks of the frozen North. Her eaglets are the frigid winds blasted forth by the flapping of her mighty wings. Fig. 23.

Hraesvelg Kreutzet—A vast eagle of the folklore of northwestern Russia. Kusa Kap—A gigantic hornbill bird inhabiting one of the many tiny islands in the Torres Strait, which separates New Guinea from the northern tip of Queensland, Australia. With a 22-foot wingspan, this avian prodigy is said to carry dugongs aloft in its mighty claws, much as the fabled Roc is said to carry off elephants. The sound of its wings in flight is said to resemble the roar of a steam engine—a characteristic feature of the Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros), which attains a length of four feet and a wingspan of five feet.10 Fig. 24. Great Hornbill (Kusa Kap) Naui—A giant bird of Russian folklore resembling a Dragon, with the head and talons of an eagle. Ngani-vatu (or Ngutu-lei)—A gigantic predatory bird in the folklore of the island of Fiji. Its vast body eclipses the sun, and the flapping of its mighty wings causes great storms.

It preys upon the animals and people of the Pacific Islands until it is destroyed by the hero Okova and his brother-in-law, Kokoua. The Ngoima—An enormous eagle said by local natives to be dwelling in the forests of the African Congo. With a wingspan of 9–13 feet, it preys upon monkeys and goats. Its plumage is dark brown above and paler beneath. Its legs and talons are as large as a man’s forearms and hands. This is certainly an exaggerated description of the rarely seen Crowned Eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus), the most powerful eagle in Africa, whose diet consists of monkeys and even small antelopes. There have even been reports of the remains of a human child having been found in the nest of a crowned eagle, though the eagle may have found the child as carrion rather than actually having killed it. The Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus), Africa’s largest eagle species, is also known to attack impala and duikers. Fig. 25.

African Crowned Eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus) Not all that long ago, subfossils were found of the Crowned Hawk-Eagle (Stephanoaetus mahery), the largest and strongest bird of prey of prehistoric Madagascar, which only became extinct after people settled on the island. It was a giant variant within the Stephanoaetus raptor family, which also includes the crowned eagle. P’êng (or Pyong)—A vast bird of Chinese legend that is the metamorphosed form of the huge fish called Kw’ên. Its outspread wings cover the sky from horizon to horizon. It lives in the north, but each year it rises thousands of feet into the air and flies toward the south, bringing the typhoon season.11 Pheng—A bird from Japanese legend that is so gigantic it eclipses the sun and can carry off and eat a camel, much like the Roc of Arabian myth. Fig. 26. Pheng Pouakai (or Pouki)—A monstrous predatory bird of Maori legend. It hunted livestock and people until the last one was trapped in a great net and stabbed to death by the hero Hau-o-Tawera.

This was a real creature, the giant Haast’s or Harpagornis Eagle (Harpagornis moorei), that once lived on the South Island of New Zealand. Exterminated only 600 years ago, it was the largest eagle to have ever lived. A female weighed up to thirty pounds and stood four feet tall, with a wingspan of 8-10 feet. 12 Fig. 27. Pouakai Raichō (“thunder bird”)—A fabulous giant rook or crow-like bird in Japanese folklore. He lives in a tall pine tree, and his raucous calls summon the storms. This is also the name of a real bird, Lagopus mutus, a kind of ptarmigan or grouse. Sampati—A giant human-headed bird in Hindu mythology that was the offspring of the great Garuda. In the Rāmāyana, Hanuman, the monkey-god, asks Sampati to help find the goddess Sita, who has been abducted to Ravana by the demon king who killed Sampati’s brother, Jataya.

Sampati flies to Sri Lanka and locates Sita, returning to inform Hanuman and his army how to destroy Ravana and effect Sita’s rescue. And thus Sampati avenges his brother’s death.13 Fig. 28. Sampati Simurgh (or Sīna-Mrū, Simarghu, Simurg, Sumargh: “30 birds”)—The magnificent king of the birds in Arabian legend, representing divine unity. Its beautiful feathers are prized for their healing properties. Similar to the Roc, it is so huge that it can carry off an elephant or a camel, but it is also known to take human children into its nest to foster them. Derived from the Senmurv, it dwells in the mountains of Alberz in northern Persia. As the Phoenix does, this wise and peaceful bird lives for either 1,700 or 2,000 years. Some accounts claim it is immortal, nesting in the Tree of Knowledge. It is said to be so old that it has seen the destruction of the world three times over. A bird of the same name attended the queen of Sheba.

It had brass feathers, a silver head, a human face, four wings, a vulture’s talons, and a peacock’s tail.14 Fig. 29. Simurgh Vuokho—A monstrous, malevolent bird in the legends of the Lapps of Finland and Scandinavia. The beat of its vast wings creates thunder, and it inflicts misery upon humanity. Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote of the Vuokho in his poem, “The Destiny of Nations.” Xexeu—Gigantic birds in the mythology of the Cashmawa Indians of South America. Similar to the North American Thunderbirds, they are responsible for bringing the clouds together to create huge storms. Most likely these creatures derive from the magnificent Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus), with its 10-foot-wide wingspan. Fig. 30. Xexeu Yata Garasu—A three-legged crow of immense proportions. In Japanese mythology, the Yata Garasu serves as a divine messenger. It makes a more modern appearance in the popular card game Yu-Gi-Oh! Zägh—A gigantic bird of Islamic legend, it has a human head and the ability to understand and speak all human languages. Fig.

31. Zägh Ziz (also Renanim, “celestial singer”; Sekwi, “the seer”; “Son of the Nest”)—An enormous bird of Hebrew legend, much like the Roc. It is so huge that when it stands in the middle of the ocean, the water comes only to its knees. It can block out the sun with its vast wings and has incredible strength. Once upon a time an addled egg broke, washing away 300 cedar trees and drowning sixty villages. Equated with the Persian Chamrosh, the Ziz was said to have been created to protect all the small birds, which would have otherwise died out long ago. According to rabbinical tradition, the meat of this bird will be served, along with that of the Behemoth and the Leviathan, at a great victory feast at the end of the world. Corresponding to the giant archetypal creatures of Persian mythology, the trio of the Behemoth, Leviathan, and Ziz was traditionally a favorite decorative motif for rabbis living in Germany.15 Fig. 32. Ziz (in sky), Behemoth (on earth), and Leviathan (under sea) Monster Movies: giant birds

Question: In the Arabian Nights, what was the name of the giant bird of prey supposedly able to carry off elephants ?
Answer: ROC