Der Vogel Roch ...
Bild: Rukh, Feghana 8./9. Jhdt.
Diese Figur aus Elfenbein wurde in Feghana, Kasachstan gefunden. Sie hat eine Größe von 5cm. Die Figuren stammt aus dem 8./9. Jhdt. nach Christi Geburt und symbolisiert den Rukh.
Dem Vogel Roch begegnen wir in den verschiedenen Mythologien immer wieder. Er wird beschrieben als ein Vogel, der so mächtig war, dass er sogar einen Elephanten tragen konnte. Woher stammt diese Mythologie? Einen Ansatz birgen eventuell folgende Ausführungen in sich:
The largest bird known to science, the Vorompatra (Aepyornis maximus) roamed the woodlands, marshes, and sand dunes of Madagascar until its relatively recent extinction. The bird laid the largest eggs known to have ever existed; these eggs may have inspired tales of the mythical elephant-lifting bird, the Roc (or Rukh) of the Arabian Nights. Man arrived on Madagascar about two millennia ago; hunting, egg predation, and gradual loss of habitat to agriculture all probably contributed to the demise of this ten foot tall, half-ton avian wonder.
Bild: Nachbildung des Vorompatra, der wohl die historische Vorlage für den Rukh gebildet hat
Vorompatra was a ratite, a bird which could not fly because its breast bone had no keel (the term derives from ratis, Latin for "raft"). This "keel" serves to anchor the strong musculature other birds need for powered flight. Flightless birds evolved early in the Cenozoic Era, when the departure of their dinosaur ancestors cleared the stage for the evolution of new megafauna--mammals and birds were free to move into the niches so long occupied by the "Terrible Lizards". Other ratites are still found throughout the southern hemisphere; this circumstance gave rise to the "traditional" theory that these birds originated on the former continent of Gondwana, but the lack of key supporting evidence for this idea calls it into question.
"Vorompatra" (VOO-room-patch: "marsh bird") is the modern Malagasy name for this bird; it was rendered vouronpatra by the French, since they called the shots on that island in the colonial period. The scientific name is Aepyornis maximus (ee-pee-OR-nis MAX-ih-muss: Græco-Latin for "largest tall bird"). However, some references list the bird as Aepyornis titan ("titanic tall bird"?) The source of the epithet "Elephant Bird" is uncertain, but appears to date from a mention by Marco Polo; it may derive from the large size of the bird, or from the partial skeletal remains which were erroneously identified as belonging to extinct pachyderms. Additionally, it suggests the fabled abilities of the Roc, although this may be entirely coincidental.
Noch heute werden von Zeit zu Zeit intakte Vorompatra Eier in Madagaskar gefunden.
Bild: Fund eines intakten Vorompatra Eies in Madagaskar
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