Everything You Need To Know About The Roc Bird

What is a rook bird?

The roc bird is a giant legendary bird that was said to be able to carry elephants and other large beasts and eat them as food. It was mentioned in a collection of famous Arabic tales, such as: One Thousand and One Nights, and by the Venetian traveler Marco Polo, who referred to it while describing Madagascar and other islands off the coast of East Africa.

The origin of the roc bird

The myth of the roc (which referred to what was said to be a giant bird large enough to catch elephants) has been present in the mythology of a variety of different cultures, but is said to have originated in Asia, specifically in and around India, but the origin of the roc myth is not well known; Although it is possible that this legend is taken from a real bird, this legend began to spread since the early eighth century by Middle Eastern authors, and it was said that this bird was seen in the sixteenth century by an English traveler who visited the Indian Ocean, and it could be the other source of this legend. It is the enormous Malagasy roc (Aepyornis), a giant extinct bird that once lived on the island of Madagascar. It is also a bird that does not fly like the ostrich.

In the countries of the West and East, the legend of the roc bird spread thanks to the tales of One Thousand and One Nights. In the tale of Sinbad the Sailor, the nest of this bird was searched for in the Madagascar region, and it was built of giant fronds of the raffia palm. Its shape is very similar to the shape of a feather, and then such a feather was brought to the Great Khan.

Rook bird food

One of the sayings about the rook is that its diet consisted of birds of prey, along with a group of large mammals, such as; Elephants and domestic animals. It was also said that it preyed on humans. According to Arab accounts, the roc bird would only land on Mount Qaf (a legendary mountain).

The external appearance of the roc bird

It was said in the description of the rook bird that it is very similar to the eagle in general appearance, except that it is much larger and stronger, as the rook was classified within the “Avian” type, and it has two huge wings measuring about 15 meters in length, and Arab tales also indicated that the rook’s wings were large. Extremely; So that it can prevent sunlight from reaching the ground, and although its exact weight has not been documented, the weight of its prey indicates that this bird was heavier than an elephant because it was large enough to carry an elephant to a far place, knowing that elephants weigh more than 3,000 kilograms. The rook is usually described as having a color similar to the eagle, meaning its basic color is brown with hints of light, and a long, thin, forked tongue like a snake. It was also said that its teeth were sharp and very pointed as well, extending across the lining of its huge beak.

Creatures similar to the roc

The rook was compared and likened to the bald eagle in terms of appearance and behavior, but according to the descriptions it is much larger, especially the wings. The comparison also included other similar bird creatures such as the Simurgh, which is one of the legendary birds, the fictional Phoenix, and the legendary thunderbird. (Thunderbird).

Famous myths and tales about the roc bird

The mysterious and legendary rook has been the subject of many stories of both Eastern and Western origin over the years, with one famous legend centering on the famous explorer Marco Polo. Marco Polo is actually credited with being the first Westerner to see the giant, legendary bird, and is said to have seen it during his travels to China in 13th century What he described as a bird of “impossible size” swooped down and captured exceptionally large animals in its path. Legend has it that Marco described the rook as being very similar to an eagle, but of much greater size and strength. He is rumored to have said that the bird “caught an elephant in the With his claws, he carries it high in the air and drops it until it is crushed; and after killing it, the bird pounces on it and eats it at leisure.”

Also prominent are the legends that center around Sinbad the Sailor and come from the novel One Thousand and One Nights, where rumor has it that the ships of Sinbad the Sailor and his crew were accidentally destroyed during one of their voyages, and a giant bird believed to be a roc carried him to safety and placed him in what appears to be the nest of the resting bird. At the top of the mountain, while in the nest, Sinbad may have stopped to eat a roc egg. This caused the parents to become angry and destroy the crew’s ship by dropping giant boulders on it from several feet in the air. This story has been told throughout history with many variations.

The most common story in discussions of the rook’s history originates in India and tells the story of a large bird that carried an elephant that was fighting a crocodile. This story has become well known throughout history as well as the theory that this giant bird made its home on the top of a gigantic mythical mountain; Which is likely in Madagascar.