| Roc | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Roc |
|
First Appearance |
Arabian Myth |
|
Created by |
Arabian Myth |
Origin[]
The Roc as seen in Popeye meets Sinbad the Sailor (Fleischer, 1936).
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 "Abd al-Rahman the Maghribi's Story of the Rukh" and "Sinbad the Sailor", both of which include the roc.
In the 13th century, Marco Polo stated: It was for all the world like an eagle, but one indeed of enormous size; so big in fact that its quills were twelve paces long and thick in proportion. And it is so strong that it will seize an elephant in its talons and carry him high into the air and drop him so that he is smashed to pieces; having so killed him, the bird swoops down on him and eats him at leisure.
Polo claimed that the roc flew to Madagascar "from the southern regions", and that the Great Khan sent messengers to the island who returned with a feather (likely a Raphia frond). He explicitly distinguishes the bird from a griffin.
Public Domain Appearances[]
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Ornithologia (1599)
- One Thousand and One Nights
- Abd al-Rahman the Maghribi's Story of the Rukh
- Sinbad the Sailor
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Blue Beetle #20: Sinbad is shipwrecked on a lonely island where he finds a Roc's egg, and two evil genies.
- Fairy Tale Parade #2: A twelve page adaptation of the story of Sinbad the Sailor which features the Roc.
- Meteor Comics #1: Race Wilkins encounters numerous mythical creatures at the center of the Earth including the Sphinx, Pan, Saytrs, Mermaids, Centaurs, and more. While trying to escape the centaurs and satyrs, He grabs unto the nest of a Roc who tries to feed Race to her chick. He falls out the nest and is rescued by a Phoenix.
- Forbidden Worlds #98:In Spawn of the Unknown, A hunter discovers a giant egg on a tropical island that hatches a baby Roc which he captures. Its parent comes from space to save the chick.
Public Domain Cartoon Appearances[]
- Sinbad the Sailor (UB Iwerks, 1935)
- Popeye meets Sinbad the Sailor (Fleischer, 1936)
- Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (Fleischer, 1939) (cameo)