rokhs

Rokhs are legendary avian giants found in Persian, Indian, and Arab folklore. The name rok̄h appears in medieval Arabic and Persian texts and is closely related to the better-known roc of Western literature, with various transliterations such as rokhs, rokh, rukkh, and rukh. In many Appalachian and South Asian traditions, rokhs are presented as colossal birds that loom as symbols of awe and danger, sometimes treated as a regional variant of the roc rather than a distinct creature.

Descriptions of rokhs consistently portray them as extraordinarily large birds with the strength to seize substantial prey. They are commonly associated with remote mountain ranges or storm-scarred shores, where they are said to nest on high cliffs or in inaccessible ledges. Their size, power, and solitary nature contribute to their role as formidable obstacles or tests for travelers and heroes in folklore.

Cultural appearances of rokhs appear in travelogues, epic poetry, and the body of stories collected in the broader roc tradition. In these narratives, encounters with rokhs often serve to illustrate the scale of nature and the peril of distant lands. The motif has influenced later fantasy literature and popular culture, where variants of the giant bird appear in games, films, and novels under the names roc, rukkh, or rokhs.

Today, rokhs remain primarily a literary and mythological topic. They are not supported by scientific evidence as real animals, and in modern usage the term is encountered mainly in discussions of folklore, classic adventure tales, and comparative mythology. See also: Roc; Rukh; Giant birds in myth.