Sinbad sets sail again from Basra. But by ill chance, he and his companions are cast up on an island where they are captured by a “huge creature in the likeness of a man, black of colour, … with eyes like coals of fire and large canine teeth like boar’s tusks and a vast big gape like the mouth of a well. Moreover, he had long loose lips like camel’s, hanging down upon his breast, and ears like two Jarms falling over his shoulder-blades, and the nails of his hands were like the claws of a lion.” This monster begins eating the crew, beginning with the Reis (captain), who is the fattest. (Burton notes that the giant “is distinctly Polyphemus”.) Sinbad hatches a plan to blind the beast with the two red-hot iron spits with which the monster has been kebabbing and roasting the ship’s company. He and the remaining men escape on a raft they constructed the day before. However, the giant’s mate hits most of the escaping men with rocks and they are killed. After further adventures (including a gigantic python from which Sinbad escapes using his quick wits), he returns to Baghdad, wealthier than ever.
| Alias Giant |
| Real Names/Alt Names Unknown |
| Characteristics Arabian Nights, Giant, Medieval Age, Public Domain |
| Creators/Key Contributors Maxfield Parrish, Unknown |
| First Appearance Middle Eastern folklore |
| First Publisher ○ |
| Appearance List Literary: One Thousand and One Nights, or Arabian Nights with first English-language edition c. 1706–1721, The Arabian Nights: Their Best-known Tales by Smith, Wiggin, and Parrish (1909) [Library of Congress], et. al. |
| Sample Read The Arabian Nights: Their Best-known Tales by Smith, Wiggin, and Parrish [PG] |
| Description Sinbad sets sail again from Basra. But by ill chance, he and his companions are cast up on an island where they are captured by a “huge creature in the likeness of a man, black of colour, … with eyes like coals of fire and large canine teeth like boar’s tusks and a vast big gape like the mouth of a well. Moreover, he had long loose lips like camel’s, hanging down upon his breast, and ears like two Jarms falling over his shoulder-blades, and the nails of his hands were like the claws of a lion.” This monster begins eating the crew, beginning with the Reis (captain), who is the fattest. (Burton notes that the giant “is distinctly Polyphemus”.) Sinbad hatches a plan to blind the beast with the two red-hot iron spits with which the monster has been kebabbing and roasting the ship’s company. He and the remaining men escape on a raft they constructed the day before. However, the giant’s mate hits most of the escaping men with rocks and they are killed. After further adventures (including a gigantic python from which Sinbad escapes using his quick wits), he returns to Baghdad, wealthier than ever. |
| Source Sinbad the Sailor – Wikipedia |

