Ralph's Dabble In Mythical Ornithology Quiz

Answer: Sinbad

The Roc (or the Rukh) is a huge, white, eagle-like bird and is usually depicted as destroying a boat with its giant talons. This image comes from a story from "Arabian Nights", where the boat of Sinbad is that which is destroyed. The literary sailor then becomes marooned on an island which contains a huge dome in the middle. It soon dawns on Sinbad that this dome is the Roc's egg and the island is its nest.

The Roc was one of the mystical creatures Marco Polo claimed to have seen during his travels.

Answer: Hindu

Jatayu flew too close to the sun when, in his youth, he competed with his brother, Sampati, to see who could fly the highest. Jatayu's own wings were only spared as he was sheltered by Sampati, who lost his wings as a result.

Jatayu grew to have "claws as large as an elephant's tusks and as sharp as steel" and he played an important role in the Ramayana, where he took a stand against the evil demon, Ravana.

Answer: Three legs

The Chinese Bird of Dawn is also known as the Celestial Cock or Cock of Dawn and its morning crow from atop an enormous tree is so loud that it is said to wake humankind each morning. Another three-legged bird found in Chinese mythology is the Sanzuniao, which appears on much pottery of the Yangshao culture.

The Korean Samjogo is held as one of the most powerful mythical creatures, higher even than the dragon.

The Japanese Yatagarasu, as well as being associated with the Sun goddess, Amaterasu, is now a symbol of Japanese football.

Answer: Golden apples

The Firebird's feathers are said to stun all who see them and they can light up even the darkest room. This, we are told, was demonstrated by the son of the tsar, who ripped off one of the great bird's feathers after catching it eating the golden apples in his father's orchard. The golden apples, like those spoken of in Norse mythology, are said to give youth to all who eat them.

The Firebird was also held in high regard by the peasants of Russia, who would hope for the bird to shed a tear, as the tears of the Firebird were pearls.

Answer: China

Whilst the Bird of Dawn, the Yatagarasu and the Samjogo all have three legs, the Shang Yang only has one.

The huge Rain Bird takes up massive amounts of water from nearby rivers and blows it out in the form of rain. This is seen by many in China as a positive action, watering their plants and allowing for a good harvest. However, the Shang Yang sometimes blows out too much water, causing floods. A famous Chinese tale tells of how Confucius predicted that the bird would cause a flood, and so defences were built to minimise the damage.

Answer: It can only be seen by women

Whilst women are able to see the Lightning Bird, men only see a lightning strike. The bird itself is usually depicted in southern African tales as quite a lanky bird, with long, legs, wings and a long hammer-shaped head.

Also, a Lightning Bird can only be captured at the exact moment when lightning strikes the ground, which, as you can understand, makes it pretty tricky to get hold of.

Finally, it is said that the destruction of a Lightning Bird's nest will bring a storm, but if the eggs are not disposed of, the entire surrounding area will be destroyed.

Answer: The Phoenix

The Phoenix is arguably the most famous bird in all mythology. Many have added to the description of the Phoenix over the years, but its origins lie in Egypt.

As the Phoenix comes to the end of its 500-year life cycle, it will build a nest of incense twigs and burst into flames. From the ashes, a new Phoenix will be born. This has given rise to the phrase "like a Phoenix from the ashes" to refer to something which has made a comeback. Some sources claim that a worm is born from the ashes, which is then transformed by the sun into a Phoenix.

Answer: The Simurgh

A huge and colourful bird, the Simurgh is said to resemble a peacock. However, this mythical bird is huge in size, capable of carrying elephants and whales in its talons. It is also incredibly old - so old that it has seen the destruction of the Universe three times over!

The story of the Simurgh is a rather philosophical one. After the huge bird lost one of its feathers, 1,000 other birds followed the floating feather through a dangerous journey, which only 30 completed. At the end of the journey they met the Simurgh, and upon looking at the great bird they realised that there was no individuality. They realised that they were all the Simurgh and the Simurgh was them.

Answer: Egyptian

Sometimes represented as a sparrow-hawk with the head of a human, the Ba-bird is usually depicted as hovering over the body whose soul it represents. (The Ba of a person is their non-physical being).

Each night, the Ba-bird would fly to the Underworld, where it would meet with the Ka, or life force, of the deceased person. This would ensure the soul's immortality for the following day.

Answer: Undying love

The male Feng was linked with the solar cycle and the female Huang with the lunar cycle. The loving relationship the two means that they are commonly used in wedding decorations. The two merged to form the female Feng Huang, which is a symbol of the Chinese empress and is often coupled with the Dragon, which represents the emperor.

As well as being a sign of love, the Feng Huang is a symbol of immortality.

The black tortoise (north), the green Dragon (east), the white tiger (west), and the Feng Huang (south) are said to make up the four quadrants of the heavens.