History Main / RocBirds

* In Literature/TolkiensLegendarium, the Giant Eagles are colossal, [[TheAgeless ageless]], benevolent agents of the chief PhysicalGod on Middle-Earth. Their leader Thorondor was described as 180 feet tall and powerful enough to scar [[GodOfEvil Morgoth]] himself. Although their true nature was left ambiguous, Tolkien speculated that they could be [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angelic Maiar]] in animal form.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS8E11MoltDown Molt Down]]", while in [[TheLostWoods the Everfree Forest]], the smell Spike is emitting as part of his molt attracts a roc; it promptly tries to eat him and the ponies he's with, strafing its ground-bound targets and trying to carry them off in its talons. It's stated that rocs, alongside hydras and [[SandWorm tatzlwurms]], are the biggest danger faced by young, molting dragons newly kicked out of their homes, tracking them down through the smell they produce and stopping at nearly nothing to devour them. There's also a moment of confusion early on when Smolder is explaining this to Spike, and he thinks she's talking about rocks instead.

The rocs' mind-boggling dimensions are sometimes used to emphasize the strangeness, wonder and exoticness of the areas they are found in -- something so huge, such as vast and exaggerated version of a common animal, is so unlike anything one could find in a normal, familiar setting that the presence of a roc leaves no doubt that the story has crossed into somewhere strange and wondrous. As such, rocs are often placed in unexplored areas ripe for adventure stories -- the IslandOfMystery is a particularly common nesting spot -- especially ones tied to ArabianNightsDays, SimSimSalabim and neighboring locations in the HollywoodAtlas.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Obviously, no flying bird in real life approaches the size of the mythical Roc. However, there is a theory that the myth was inspired by sightings of the extinct [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_bird elephant bird]] of Madagascar, which died out around the year 1200. The name "elephant bird" even comes from Marco Polo's description of a giant bird on Madagascar big enough to carry off an elephant. Elephant birds, of course, could not fly, but they could have been mistaken for the babies of a much larger bird.
* Another extinct Madagascan bird, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malagasy_crowned_eagle Malagasy crowned eagle]], may have also inspired the Roc myth, not unlike the Poukai noted under '''Myths & Religion''' being inspired by the Haast's eagle. This large bird of prey had a wingspan of up to six feet, and was one of the chief apex predators of the island until going extinct by around 1500. They may have been mixed up with accounts of the aforementioned elephant birds, which over time, would have resulted in rumors of gargantuan eagle-like birds living on Madagascar.
* Historically, supposed roc feathers were often given as gifts to kings. Marco Polo claimed to have seen one given to Kublai Khan and describes them in his accounts as being twice the width of a man's hand. Many believe that these were probably actually the leaves of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raffia_palm the raffia palm]].
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* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', a drunken wizard [[TeleportationMisfire teleports the Order into a roc's nest]]. Fortunately, the roc eats the wizard first, becomes drunk itself, and passes out. In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1049.html a later strip]], when the characters are on an airship going through a high mountain pass, hazard signs are visible warning of falling rocks and falling rocs. [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0755.html An in-universe version]] of ''Series/SesameStreet has a Big Bird-like full-body puppet called Little Roc.

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', a drunken wizard [[TeleportationMisfire teleports the Order into a roc's nest]]. Fortunately, the roc eats the wizard first, becomes drunk itself, and passes out. In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1049.html a later strip]], when the characters are on an airship going through a high mountain pass, hazard signs are visible warning of falling rocks and falling rocs.

* ''Pinball/TalesOfTheArabianNights'': The table's seven game modes are referred to as seven "Tales," each with a different set of objectives. Rocs show up in the "[[Literature/SinbadTheSailor Sinbad]]" tale.

* Chinese folklore gives us the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peng_(mythology) Peng]], which has been regarded as a synonym of the Roc by some translators of its original description in the Daoist classic ''Zhuangzi''. According to this account, it has a back which "measures I don't know how many thousand ''li'' across" and wings "like clouds all over the sky", and transforms from a fish called the ''Kun''. The original account heavily contrasts the Peng with the dramatically smaller dove and quail, the latter of which sees the Peng flying south and is so awed by its immense size and ability to traverse great distances so quickly that it can't help but wonder where it is going.

* Polynesian lore has the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poukai Poukai]], a massive eagle sometimes capable of preying on humans, which is depicted in early rock-shelter paintings in South Canterbury. Unlike most of the above examples, it actually does have a real-world precedent in the form of the now-extinct [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haast%27s_eagle Haast's eagle]], which did not become extinct until around two hundred years after the arrival of the native Māori and, being built for taking down 500-pound moa birds, could easily add small children to its menu.

%%[[folder:Pinballs]]
%%* ''Pinball/TalesOfTheArabianNights'': They appear as one of the Tales.
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** Rocs are also found on the plane of Kaladesh, where [[https://scryfall.com/card/kld/3 at least some have four wings]].
** Tarkir has [[https://scryfall.com/card/ktk/31 its own native rocs]], which after the altering of the timeline [[https://scryfall.com/card/dtk/43 become competitors to the dragons]].

** The first roc, [[https://scryfall.com/card/me4/132 Roc of Kher Ridges]], was released in the very first set ever printed.
** Two cards, [[https://scryfall.com/card/9ed/214/rukh-egg Rukh Egg]] and [[https://scryfall.com/card/m12/32/roc-egg Roc Egg]], depicted inert eggs (weak, 0/3 creatures in-game) that on dying "break" open to create a much larger bird (a 4/4 and 3/3 creature with flying). The rukhs, also called "stonefeathers" and resembling bat-winged rocs, are supposed in-universe to descend from "a phoenix that sacrificed its flame for a body of stone".
** On Ravnica, rocs were among the creatures that managed to endure the plane becoming covered by [[CityPlanet a single, endless city]] far in the past. In the modern day [[https://scryfall.com/card/dgm/8 they perch on the world-city's spires instead]], occasionally tearing off whole roofs when they forget to loosen their claws when taking off; many are also used by the Boros Legion as [[HorseOfADifferentColor flying mounts]] and as a way of apprehending criminals by the simple means of [[https://scryfall.com/card/rtr/196 snatching them up in their talons and carrying them off into the sky]].

While this trope most often refers to the roc bird itself, other mythical giant birds of prey of a similar nature from other nationalities may also fall under this trope, with examples including the Native American {{Thunderbird}}, the Jewish [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziz Ziz]], the Hindu [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garuda Garuda]], or the Chinese [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peng_(mythology) Peng]].

* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'': ''Digimon Adventure 02'' has [[https://digimon.fandom.com/wiki/Aquilamon Aquilamon]], the digivolved form of Hawkmon, who takes the form of a massive bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') with red feathers and a ruff of brown feathers at the base of its neck. Its head is adorned with two large horns and a single long feather as a crest.

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', a drunken wizard teleports the Order into a roc's nest. Fortunately, the roc eats the wizard first, becomes drunk itself, and passes out. In [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1049.html a later strip]], when the characters are passing by airship through a high mountain pass, hazard signs are visible warning of falling rocks and falling rocs.

[[folder:Pinballs]]
* They appear as one of the Tales in ''Pinball/TalesOfTheArabianNights''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/PopeyeTheSailorMeetsSindbadTheSailor'', Sindbad has a roc bird that he commands to sink Popeye's ship and bring Olive Oyl to him. Later, he commands it to kill Popeye, so the roc takes him to a volcano. Popeye returns with the roc on a giant plate, roasted with gravy.

* ''Fanfic/ThePalaververse'': Rocs, in the tradition of the show's pun-based creatures, are [[PunBasedCreature: literally made of living rock]]. They live in the Africa-like continent of Dactylia, where tribes of Diamond Jackals hollow them out into living, flying fortresses.

* ''Fanfic/ThePalaververse'': Rocs, in the tradition of the show's pun-based creatures, are literally made of living rock. Some tribes of Diamond Jackals hollow them out into living, flying fortresses.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

[[caption-width-right:350:"[[SacredCow Cow]]." "[[Webcomic/BugMartini Got it]]."]]

* ''Film/{{Aladdin|2019}}'': Towards the movie's climax, Jafar turns his parrot henchman Iago into a rukh that chases after Aladdin and Jasmine through Agrabah to retrieve the lamp.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ''Film/Aladdin2019'': Towards the movie's climax, Jafar turns his parrot henchman Iago into a rukh that chases after Aladdin and Jasmine through Agrabah to retrieve the lamp.

* The {{Thunderbird}}, as seen in various Native American mythologies, is similar in nature to the Roc, but also carries supernatural power often related to storms. So massive is it that it is said to create thunder by flapping its wings, and some accounts depict them hunting whales, which try to drown the birds by diving once they've been grabbed. In cryptozoology, the Thunderbird has since been appropriated to refer to rumored sightings of giant flying birds in the skies above North America, with theories ranging from misinterpretations of existing birds of prey to late-surviving [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teratornithidae teratorns]] and even [[PteroSoarer pterosaurs]] that have somehow escaped extinction. Generally, though, the notion of a giant undiscovered bird of prey has been dismissed as unlikely - with so many birdwatchers in the U.S., one would think they'd have found out about such a bird by now if it actually existed.

[[folder:Pinball]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': In the Impossible Tales ComicBook/WonderGirl story in #107 Ronno the merboy gets grabbed by the giant Roc that lives on a spire near Paradise Island and Diana has to rescue him from the bird.

** In 4th Edition, ThePhoenix and {{Thunderbird}} (or Thunderhawk in the implied setting) are considered species of rocs native to [[ElementalPlane the Elemental Chaos]] (and possessing the elemental powers that come with such an origin).

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'':
** Rocs have appeared since the game's first edition as birds of prey large enough to carry off elephants in their claws. They are often associated with [[OurGiantsAreBigger giants]], who tame them as aerial mounts, although wild rocs will hunt giants. In fact, 5th edition lore says the giants' chief god Annam created rocs as air support in the giants' ancient war against the dragons.

* LetsPlay/{{Chuggaaconroy}}: Invoked in the ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' playthrough, where Chugga named his Archeops after this bird. It doubles as a pun, since Archaeops is a ''rock-type''.
* ''LetsPlay/Kruggsmash'': Rocs are a major force in the world of Scorchfountain, and the fort has one captured as a trophy.