he Arabian Nights: One Thousand and One Nights Summary and Analysis of "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor:

One day, in the midst of some grueling labor, an impoverished porter (named Sinbad, though he is not the story's namesake) decides to rest outside a grand palace in Baghdad. Curious about the building's luxury, he asks one of its servants about the owner, and learns that it is inhabited by a rich, noble sailor who who was extremely famous for his incredible travels. 
Jealous, the impoverished porter exclaims that the world is unjust, since some could be given such prosperity while he has to work so hard every day. A moment later, a palace servant summons him inside; the sailor wishes to speak with him. 
nside, the porter meets the owner: Sinbad the sailor. He is surrounded by several friends. The sailor wishes to defend his wealth by telling the stories of his seven voyages. He insists that his good fortune came only at the cost of severe hardship and struggles. He then begins by relating the first of his voyages to the assembled 

Sinbad's first voyage

Sinbad had inherited much wealth from his parents, but he spent it quickly due to poor, youthful decisions. Without any money, he set off to sea as a merchant sailor. He quickly grew accustomed to the sea, and began to make money at various ports.
One day, the ship docked on an island, and the sailors made a fire, only to discover that they were actually on the back of a whale. As the fire started burning, the whale dove deep into the ocean, leaving Sinbad floundering on a piece of wood as his ship fled without him. He was stranded in the middle of the sea.
Eventually, he drifted onto an island. There, he helped a horsegroom to save a mare from being drowned by a mystical, powerful sea horse. He then learned that the horsegroom served King Mihrage, who ruled the island. The horsegroom gladly brought the sailor to meet Mihrage.
The king graciously received Sinbad, giving him everything he needed. Sinbad befriended other merchants and sailors on the island, so he was in a position to recognize a chest with his name on it when a ship docked on the island one day. He quickly realized that this was the very ship that had left him. Sinbad's captain initially doubted the sailor's claim - they all believed Sinbad had drowned - but was eventually convinced.
Before leaving the island, Sinbad gave King Mihrage some of his rediscovered belongings as gifts, and the king bestowed him with valuable gifts in return. During the ship's return to Baghdad, Sinbad progressively traded these gifts for items of more value, so that he was incredibly wealthy when he arrived home.
After finishing the story of his first voyage, Sinbad gives the porter some money to take back to his family, and bids him return the following night to hear more.

Sinbad's second voyage

The next night, the porter indeed returns, to find the company gathered again to hear of Sinbad's second voyage.
Though wealthy after his first voyage, Sinbad eventually became restless of staying in one place. Longing again for the sea, he set sail.
The ship docked one day at a seemingly uninhabited island, and the sailors went out to explore. It being a lovely day, Sinbad fell into a nap. Unfortunately, he awoke to find he had been accidentally left behind (again).
On the island, he discovered a massive white orb, and realized it was the egg of giant, mythical, dangerous bird called the roc. Determined to get off the island, he hid amongst the nest until the roc landed, and then strapped himself to the bird's leg. When it took flight again, it carried Sinbad to a valley far away. Unfortunately, this valley was not only impossible to climb out of, but it was also full of the roc's natural prey: huge snakes that could swallow an elephant. Worst of all, Sinbad was running out of provisions. The valley floor was also covered with beautiful diamonds, though their value offered Sinbad nothing in his predicament.
Luckily, he surmised that the snakes hibernated during daytime to avoid the roc, so he hid away at night. Growing weary, he tried to nap one day, but was awoken by huge slabs of meat which were being thrown down from above. He suddenly remembered hearing stories of this place. Merchants would come to the valley when eagles were hatching their young, and throw meat to the valley floor hoping diamonds would stick to it and the eagles would carry the meat to their nests. The merchants were then in position to raid the nests and collect the diamonds.
Sinbad then devised a plan - he collected several diamonds and strapped himself to a piece of meat. After an eagle carried the meat to its nest, he was rescued by a merchant, whom he thanked with several diamonds.
He then joined those merchants on their ship, trading the diamonds for progressively more valuable items during his journey home. When he reached Baghdad, he was even richer than before.
His second story completed, Sinbad gives the porter more money, and then bids him return on the following evening to hear of his third voyage.

Sinbad's third voyage

Once again, Sinbad the impoverished porter joins other company to hear of Sinbad's journeys. After dinner, he tells of the third voyage.

Once again, Sinbad grew bored with life on land in Baghdad, and so set out to sea. After a terrible storm, his ship ended up just off the shore of a strange island. The ship captain warned them against docking there, which proved good advice since a pack of two-foot tall, hairy savages soon waded out towards the ship to attack it.
When the hairy men stole the vessel, they left the crew on another, nearby island. There, their luck was even worse. They discovered a beautiful palace, which they explored until they arrived in a chamber covered with human bones. Before they could escape, a cannibal giant burst through the door. He had sharp teeth and only one eye. After eating the fat captain, the cannibal giant left the men there.
The following day, the men were free to wander the island, but could find no other place for shelter. That night, the giant ate another of the crewman, and Sinbad devised an escape plan. The men built rafts from driftwood, and then returned to the giant's lair, where he was sleeping. They stabbed him in the eye with a flaming stick, and were able to escape on their rafts while he was in pain and disarray.
But they were not safe yet - the giant's mate began throwing boulders at the rafts, sinking all but the one on which Sinbad rode, and drowning most of the crew. Sinbad's raft eventually ran ashore on another island, but this one was just as dangerous. Soon after they landed, a giant snake attacked, swallowing one crew member. The next day, it swallowed another, leaving Sinbad alone.
Luckily, a ship sailed by, and sent a vessel to rescue the lone sailor. Coincidentally, this was the very ship that had abandoned him on his second voyage. He set off for home, again trading along the way to arrive in Baghdad wealthier than ever.
His story complete, Sinbad yet again gives money to the porter and invites him and his other company back the next night to learn of the fourth journey.

Sinbad's fourth journey

The next day, Sinbad continues his story.
He again grew tired of idleness in Baghdad, and set off again at sea. As per usual, his boat was shipwrecked on an island, this time following a hurricane.
On the island, he and his crew discovered several naked savages, who gave them strange herbs to eat. Sinbad noticed that the naked savages did not eat the herbs themselves, and therefore abstained. Soon enough, all the other crewmen went mad from the drugs, chattering nonsensically.
The savages then fattened up the mad crew members, preparing to eat them. Sinbad refused any food, and was allowed to wander the island somewhat since his thinness was not appetizing to them.
One day, Sinbad escaped his guard, and lived off the land for seven days in the wilderness. Eventually, he came across merchants who were collecting pepper on the beach. They took him back to their homeland, an island where a wealthy king befriended him. Impressed with Sinbad, the wealthy king begged Sinbad to stay with them forever, and offered him a beautiful bride as enticement.
But after getting married, Sinbad learned of the island's horrifying custom: if your spouse dies, you are buried alive with her and the family's riches. Soon enough, Sinbad's island wife died, and despite his protests, he was buried with her in a communal tomb, with enough provisions only to last him a few days.
He was on the verge of starving when another couple was lowered into the ground: a dead husband and a living wife. Sinbad clubbed the wife to death, keeping her provisions for himself. He continued this practice for a while, until he one day spotted a small animal tunneling in the tomb. He followed the animal's path, eventually discovering a way out to the shoreline, from which he was rescued by a passing ship.
Since he had taken all the precious jewels from the tomb, he was again wealthier when he returned to Baghdad. He donated much of his new wealth to mosques and the poor, and kept some to subsidize his life of pleasure.
After Sinbad finishes, the guests - the porter included - announce that this has been the most thrilling of Sinbad's tales yet.

Sinbad's fifth voyage

As before, Sinbad the impoverished porter joins other company to hear of Sinbad's journeys. After dinner, the sailor tells of his fifth voyage.
For the first time, Sinbad set sail on his own ship, staffed with a crew of merchants from other countries.
When passing an island, the crew saw a giant egg there, which Sinbad recognized as a roc's egg from his earlier adventures. They can already see a beak poking through. (Again, a roc is a gigantic bird.) Despite Sinbad's warnings, the crew hatcheted the egg, and roasted the young roc for meat.
Unfortunately, its parents soon returned, and dropped boulders on the fleeing ship. The vessel was destroyed, leaving only Sinbad alive, floating on a piece of driftwood.
Eventually, he drifted to another island, a lush paradise with fruit hanging everywhere and a crystal stream running through. Strangely, Sinbad spotted an old man at the edge of the stream. (It was the Old Man of the Sea, though Sinbad only learned that later.) The man did not speak, and only gestured to the fruit across the river, indicating his desire that Sinbad carry him through the stream and over to the fruit.
Sinbad complied, but the Old Man of the Sea did not let go once they reached the other side. Instead, he twisted his legs around the sailor's neck, forcing Sinbad to carry him around to trees, from which the old man would gather fruit. This went on for several days, during which time Sinbad grew progressively weaker.
At last, Sinbad stumbled on some luck. Using some grapes and a gourd, he prepared some wine for himself, and the intoxication made his task easier. Curious, the Old Man of the Sea drank some as well, and in his drunkenness relaxed his grip. Sinbad immediately freed himself, killed the Old Man, and fled to the shore, from which he was rescued by a passing ship. On board, he learned who the Old Man of the Sea was, and that the creature usually ends up strangling his victims.
The ship landed near a small town. There, its merchants, including Sinbad, gather coconuts from the tall palm trees. However, the trees are too tall, so merchants throw rocks at the monkeys, who retaliate by tossing down coconuts. The process is dangerous but lucrative. After gathering and selling many of these coconuts, Sinbad returns home rich once more.
Again, Sinbad ends his story, gives money to the impoverished porter, and bids his company return the next night for another story.

Sinbad's sixth voyage

After dinner the following night, he continues with the tale of his sixth voyage.
Despite protests from family and friends, Sinbad set out again after a while in Baghdad. This time, he travelled overland before setting sail from India.
Once again, Sinbad's ship ended up shipwrecked, this time on the mountainous side of an island, a place so dangerous that no sailor had ever returned from it. Indeed, bones littered the area.
Over time, Sinbad watched his companions starve, while he rationed his own meager provisions. Finally, on the edge of death, he decided on a plan. There was a strange river flowing out from the mountain, so he constructed a raft to float down it. The experience was miserable, lasting several days and offering no daylight. His only consolation was that there were countless precious jewels in the cave, which he gathered while passing.
The raft eventually emerged into a beautiful city called Serendib (in what is now present day Sri Lanka). There, Sinbad quickly befriended the King of Serendib, by telling of his adventures.
Sinbad spent some time exploring the land, even ascending to the top of what he calls the tallest mountain in the world, from which Adam was banished from paradise. When Sinbad was ready to return home, the King of Serendib gave him many gifts for Caliph Harun al-Rashid, as tokens of friendship. These included: a cup carved from a single ruby, a serpent skin that will prevent one from ever becoming sick, large quantities of natural resources from the island, and a beautiful slave girl.
Sinbad returned with these to the caliph, who was touched by the gifts. Though many of the caliph's attendants advised he attack Serendib to collect more riches, the caliph approved of the Indian king's generosity, and refused to take such action.
Back in the present, Sinbad then gifts another 100 sequins to the impoverished porter, and invites his guests to return the next night for the final story.

Sinbad's seventh voyage

Once again, Sinbad the impoverished porter joins other company to hear of Sinbad's journeys. After dinner, he tells of his seventh and final voyage.

Now content in Baghdad, Sinbad had no desire to return to sea. However, when Caliph Harun al-Rashid asked him to carry gifts back to the King of Serendib, he eventually agreed.
Sinbad managed to arrive at Serendib with no trouble, and the king received him graciously, thanking him for the gifts.
On the return voyage, however, Sinbad faced his usual issues. This time, his ship and crew were captured by pirates, who took Sinbad prisoner and sold him as a slave to a rich merchant.
After realizing his new slave was good with a bow, Sinbad's merchant master ordered Sinbad to hide in a tree and shoot an elephant as it stampeded by. After succeeding, Sinbad and the merchant buried the corpse, so that they could later gather its bones to sell for ivory. They continued to kill elephants in this way, until the animals figured out what was happening, and surrounded Sinbad's tree one day. Overpowering Sinbad, they carried him to an elephant graveyard, where there were huge piles of bones. Clearly, they wanted Sinbad and the merchant to collect ivory from here, rather than killing more elephants.
When Sinbad brought news to his master, the latter revealed how the elephants had killed many slaves in the past, meaning Sinbad was the first to survive. In gratitude, the master granted Sinbad his freedom, and gifted him an ivory ship on which to return home.
However, now wary of the sea, Sinbad only sailed to the nearest port, and then joined a merchant caravan that traveled overland until he returned Baghdad, now never to depart again.

Once Sinbad finishes his final story, the porter acknowledges that the sailor's hardships surpass his own. Sinbad the sailor gives Sinbad the porter more money, enough to ensure that he will never have to return to his job as a porter.

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