---
title: Roc
description: Mythological bird of prey of extraordinary size.
author:
  name: Graciela Paula Caldeiro
  url: http://graciela-caldeiro.idoneos.com
canonical: https://mitosyleyendas.idoneos.com/en/bestiario_mitologico/roc/
source: en/bestiario_mitologico/roc/index.md
---

**Roc**

The Roc is a legendary bird that appears in the tales of _One Thousand and One Nights_ and in _The Travels of Marco Polo_, around which several hypotheses are woven.

It could be considered a fictional character that later acquired the dimension of a myth, but it is also possible that it was a large bird of prey whose size was exaggerated, or even a now-extinct bird. Others observe that it would be the Arabic equivalent of the simurgh. In any case, the legends place this bird somewhere between Madagascar and the islands of the Indian Ocean.

In the tales of _One Thousand and One Nights_, Sinbad recounts the passage of a bird of imposing size capable of blotting out the sun. Marco Polo, in turn, states that the inhabitants of Madagascar speak of an extraordinary bird resembling an eagle, but capable of lifting an elephant in its own talons, carrying it through the air and dropping it, before devouring it.