Exactly what the title says it is.
This is adapted from Monsters and Villains of the Movies and Literature by Gerrie McCall, Dragons: Fearsome Monsters from Myth and Fiction by Gerrie McCall, and Mythical Monsters by Chris McNab.
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WINGS: His wingspan is so great that it slowly covers the Sun every evening. The immense wings enable him to flap quickly and quietly across the world. BODY: When the huge Ziz stands, his feet rest on Earth and his head touches the sky. CLAWS: The Ziz can seize an ox in his massive claws and carry in great distances EYES: The Ziz's eyes glow like lanterns, making the bird look as if he is lit from within.
On the fifth day of creation, God makes the gigantic Ziz bird and orders him to use his tremendous wings to shade the earth and protect it from storms. The Ziz's enormous size is such a hazard that God instructs him to fly high above the earth. As the king of birds, he is responsible for protecting all flying, feathered creatures. A group of people spot the Ziz standing in water up to its ankles with its head touching the sky. The people do not understand how large the Ziz is and assume it is safe to swim there. They are warned that the water the Ziz stands in is so deep that an ax dropped in it seven days ago still has not reached the bottom.
The Ziz swoops down on a shepherds livestock one day and sinks his mighty claws into the back of an ox. As the Ziz lifts the ox off the ground, the shepherd grabs the ox's leg and is carried away. The Ziz transports the ox and shepherd far away and drops them on top of a tower high above the sea. Later, when the Ziz returns to feast upon the ox, the shepherd cleverly ties ropes to the birds legs so that he can hitch a ride away from the isolated tower.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Ziz was fashioned out of marshy ground by God along with all the other birds of the earth.
Once , a Ziz egg fell to the ground and broke. The fluid from the egg flooded several cities and crushed 300 cedar trees.
The Ziz bird's presence reminds everyone to handle the forces of Earth with respect and care.
