Dendan
Dendan In Arabic legend, a monstrous fish that dies when it eats human flesh or hears a human voice. In the tale âAbdallah the Fisherman and Abdallah the Mermanâ in The Thousand and One Nights (nights 940â946), the fat from a dendan is made into an ointment to cover Abdallah the Fishermanâs body so he can live under the water when he visits his friend Abdallah the Merman. While they are undersea, a black dendan, bigger than a camel, comes near Abdallah the Fisherman, whose immediate shout in his human voice causes the monstrous fish to die instantly.
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow– Copyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante