AI-generated illustration. Unofficial AI interpretation of Sindbad carrying the Old Man of the Sea as the captor reaches for the wine gourd. Captivity and the gourd follow Lang’s account; faces, dress and island scenery are imagined.
Unofficial AI interpretation of Sindbad carrying the Old Man of the Sea as the captor reaches for the wine gourd. Captivity and the gourd follow Lang’s account; faces, dress and island scenery are imagined.
Overview
Sindbad encounters this being after the destruction of his ship in the fifth voyage. On an unfamiliar island he finds an apparently frail old man beside a stream and assumes he may be another shipwrecked sailor. The stranger answers by nodding and gesturing rather than speaking. He seems to ask for help crossing the water to collect fruit, and Sindbad agrees to carry him. The initial appeal depends on a mistaken reading of helplessness.
At the opposite bank, the supposed passenger hooks his legs around Sindbad’s neck instead of stepping down. The pressure makes Sindbad lose consciousness. When he revives, his captor eases the grip enough to let him breathe, then drives him about with kicks so that he can gather fruit. He keeps his place through the night and wakes his exhausted carrier at daybreak. The encounter has become sustained captivity rather than an ordinary journey or a voluntary partnership.
Sindbad eventually fills a hollow gourd with grape juice and leaves it in a tree. After several days it has become wine. When he drinks, his improved spirits attract the old man’s attention; the captor takes the gourd and empties it. Intoxication relaxes the hold, allowing Sindbad to throw him off. Lang says that the fallen creature never moves again. The account does not add a further killing blow or show a second escape from him.
Mariners who subsequently rescue Sindbad identify the assailant as the Old Man of the Sea and say that he has strangled previous carriers. That history comes from their testimony within the tale. Sindbad continues through coconut gathering, trade and pearl fishing before returning wealthy to Bagdad and resuming his banquet narrative. The old man’s island receives no secure modern identification, and the tale gives him no personal name, lineage or explanation for his unusual strength.
Origins & earliest records
The retained Gutenberg witness identifies Lang’s selection after Longmans, Green and Co., 1918 (1898). Its preface declares translation through Antoine Galland’s French version, shortening and omissions. The collective Fairy Book translators are credited, but no individual translator for this tale is named. No independent Arabic manuscript or physical printed edition was collated.
Records & interpretation
Complete Fifth Voyage chapter20 read from its opening ship preparations through the roc attack, neck-riding captivity, wine escape, mariners’ identification, later trading stages and return/banquet ending. The roc material is frame context, not a second new Roc identity. Complete retained preface reused; no attached numbered footnotes occur in this chapter.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
The Arabian Nights Entertainments: Fifth Voyage of Sindbad
Complete voyage, including the aftermath of the captor’s fall.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical English literary adaptationLang, complete Fifth VoyageResearch access: 2026-10-27
Image credits
Unofficial modern AI interpretationAI-generated illustration. Unofficial AI interpretation of Sindbad carrying the Old Man of the Sea as the captor reaches for the wine gourd. Captivity and the gourd follow Lang’s account; faces, dress and island scenery are imagined.
Unofficial AI interpretation of Sindbad carrying the Old Man of the Sea as the captor reaches for the wine gourd. Captivity and the gourd follow Lang’s account; faces, dress and island scenery are imagined.
