Reading Notes: Sindbad, Part A

First of all, Sindbad is a really interesting character. He starts out rather profligate with his wealth, but decides to invest it with a combination of thought and daring. But upon gaining wealth, he is very generously with it, donating charitably to the poor and the mosques of his homeland. Although his subsequent adventures serve to make him even wealthier, his motivation is adventure and wanderlust, not earning money. I am particuarly fond of his adventurous spirit combined with kindness and ingenuity. My favorite story was that of the roc and the valley of diamonds, because the dangers are magnificent animals and he does not have to kill them to escape.

Roc. Web Source: Wikipedia. 

I like the serial nature of Sindbad's story, which reminds me of modern storytelling, particularly in TV shows. Sindbad also seems to have somewhat of a superhero story arc, which could be enhanced. His origin story would be his realization about his poor spending habits which will leave him destitute, causing him to pursue a life of adventure and ultimately generosity. This would be more apparent if his motives were more deeply described. For example, what specifically prompted his realization that growing old in poverty would be a life of misery? What if his mission on his voyages was not just wanderlust, but specifically a desire to gain additional wealth for the poor in his hometown?

If someone were to turn the story of Sindbad into a superhero show, they would have a wealth of fantastic creatures and villains, from the roc to the giant snakes to the cannibals. It might be a bit of a challenge to integrate them into a real world universe. Perhaps the idea would be that these are islands that are somehow hidden from the rest of humanity, like the island of Themyscira in Wonder Woman.

Bibliography: Andrew Lang's Arabian Nights's Entertainments, link.