Reading Notes: Voyages of Sindbad Part A

(Illustration by H.J. Ford)

Sindbad, the sailor who just doesn't learn to quit. I mean come on man. I haven't read part B yet but there is no way you make it out of this alive, buddy. Hang it up, Sindbad. Anyway, I focused on Sindbad's second voyage for these notes.

Plot

    Sindbad decides life is dull and he wants to go out and be a merchant again. He heads out and ends up on an uninhabited island. While his companions gather fruit and flowers, Sindbad chills in some shade and falls asleep. His shipmates forget about him and leave him stranded there. Realizing they're not coming back for him, he gets to work on trying to get home.

    He climbs a big tree and spots a dazzling white object in the distance. He goes to it and finds it is a giant Roc's egg. The bird descends down onto its egg to keep it warm. Sindbad hides and ties himself to the bird's leg. In the morning, the bird flies off into the sky, high above the clouds. The bird dives down into a ravine and Sindbad unties himself. The bird kills a giant snake and takes off.

    Sindbad is in a diamond and snake filled ravine. He hides in a cave at night while the snakes are out. When day breaks and he's sure the snakes are gone, he walks the ravine. Exhausted, Sindbad sits to rest. A huge piece of meat falls beside him. Sindbad remembers legends about merchants that come here and throw meat into the ravine. The meat is supposed to stick diamonds and when a bird takes the meat out of the ravine, the merchants scare it off and pick out their diamonds. Sindbad grabs a bag full of diamonds and ties himself to the meat. A bird comes by and picks him up.

    The merchants scare off the bird and Sindbad is free. They're pissed at him for cheating them out of their treasure. Sindbad appeases them by giving them big diamonds from his bag. He travels and trades with them. He sees fantastic animals and plants on his voyage. He eventually returns home. He gives a bunch of money to the poor and returns to his life of comfort.

Character

Sindbad is a resourceful, cunning man. He's strong willed. He does what needs to be done in order to survive. He's also very human. In each story, he breaks at the beginning. He laments his position and cries for salvation. He's stupid too. Seriously, give up the life of adventure. You nearly die every time. He always escapes and doesn't really learn that lesson. He's a fool doomed to repeat his hero's journey until the lesson sticks or he dies.

Bibliography. Second Voyage from The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang