In The Great Khan’s Tent Episode XI: The Arabian Nights Part IX

In the Great Khan’s Tent

In this episode, we begin the story of “The Third Royal Dervish” with Night XV and Night XVI. Note that the Third Royal Dervish is the first instance we encounter of a hero who enjoys sailing, owns ships, and is subsequently shipwrecked. This clearly shows that the fundamental ideas that were to be found in orphan stories like Sindbad do have some basis in the One Thousand and One Nights. We also encounter, for the first time, the mythological bird called Rukh or Roc, again a staple in the Sindbad and other stories as well. Keep in mind here, what the Third Royal Dervish is attempting to convey and how it differs from the First and Second Royal Dervishes stories.