The Rocs were creatures who appeared in the 1958 mythological fantasy movie The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad.
Description[]
Rocs were colossal avian creatures large enough to carry off a human. With bodies similar to that of an eagle or vulture, they sported black feathers across their wings and torso and a pair of vicious three-toed claws. Their most unusual feature however, was that they possessed not one but two heads, each equipped with a sharp snapping beak. Much like other raptors, Rocs made their nests high on mountaintops, where predators would find it difficult to reach their young.
History[]
When Sinbad and his crew reached the island of Colossa in search of a magical lamp and ingredients for a potion to restore Princess Parise to her normal size, the sorceror Sokurah told them that they would need the ground shell of the egg of a Roc. Scaling a mountain in search of this, Sinbad and several of his men discovered an eyrie complete with egg. As they approached the egg, the chick within began to peck its way out and the men, half starved from their long journey, killed the emerging hatchling for food and taking a portion of its shell with them.
Later, whilst the men were enjoying their meal, the enraged parent returned home and killed the crew before carrying off Sinbad and dropping him in its nest, presumably intending to eat him later. The Roc then flew off never to be seen again, but Sinbad was able to climb down the mountain and make his good escape.
Trivia[]
- The Rocs were animated by stop-motion legend Ray Harryhausen.