The 'phoenix' is a
mythical sacred
firebird in ancient Phoenicia mythology, and in
myths derived from it.
Description
Said to live for 500 or 1461 years (depending on the source), the phoenix is a
bird with beautiful gold and red
plumage. At the end of its life-cycle the phoenix builds itself a nest of
cinnamon twigs that it then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix arises. The new phoenix is destined to live, usually, as long as the old one. In some stories, the new phoenix
embalms the ashes of the old phoenix in an egg made of
myrrh and deposits it in the
Egyptian city of
Heliopolis ("the city of the sun" in
Greek). The bird was also said to regenerate when hurt or wounded by a foe, thus being almost immortal and invincible — a symbol of
fire and
divinity.
Although descriptions (and life-span) vary, the phoenix (
Bennu bird) became popular in early
Christian art, literature and
Christian symbolism, as a symbol of Christ representing his
resurrection,
immortality, and
life-after-death (
1 Clement 25). Michael W. Holmes points out that early Christian writers justified their use of this myth because the word appears in Psalm 92:12 [LXX Psalm 91:13], but in that passage it actually refers to a palm tree, not a mythological bird,
[1] however, it was the "flourishing of Christian Hebraist interpretations of Job 29:18 that brought the Joban phoenix to life for Christian readers of the seventeenth century. At the heart of these interpretations is the proliferation of richly complementary meanings that turn upon three translations of the word chol -- as phoenix, palm tree, or sand -- in Job 29:18."
[1]
Originally, the phoenix was identified by the Egyptians as a
stork or
heron-like bird called a ''
benu'', known from the ''
Book of the Dead'' and other Egyptian texts as one of the sacred symbols of worship at Heliopolis, closely associated with the rising
sun and the
Egyptian sun-god Ra.
Myth origins
The
Greeks adapted the word ''bennu'' (and also took over its further Egyptian meaning of
date palm tree), and identified it with their own word ''phoenix'' 'φοινιξ', meaning the color purple-red or
crimson (cf. ''
Phoenicia''). They and the
Romans subsequently pictured the bird more like a
peacock or an
eagle. According to the
Greeks the phoenix lived in
Arabia next to a well. At dawn, it bathed in the water of the well, and the Greek sun-god
Apollo stopped his chariot (the sun) in order to listen to its song.
One inspiration that has been suggested for the Egyptian phoenix is
flamingo of
East Africa. This bird nests on
salt flats that are too hot for its
eggs or chicks to survive; it builds a mound several inches tall and large enough to support its egg, which it lays in that marginally cooler location. The convection currents around these mounds resembles the
turbulence of a
flame.
Some medieval Jewish commentators comment upon the Hebrew word Hol (חול) in the biblical book of Job
("...Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand (Hol)...", Job 29:18, the King James translation) as referring to phoenix.
Related usage
The phoenix is a central figure in
Lebanese ancient and modern cultures, as Lebanese are descendants of the Phoenicians and often claim themselves sons of the Phoenix. Lebanon, and Beirut particularly, is often depicted symbolically as a phoenix bird having been destroyed and rebuilt 7 times during its long history.
In China, the phoenix is called
Fenghuang ("鳳凰"), and is the second most-respected legendary creature (second to the
dragon), mostly used to represent the empress. The phoenix is the leader of birds. In Japan, the phoenix is called hō-ō(kanji:"鳳凰") or ; "Immortal Bird".
In
Russian folklore, the phoenix appears as the
Zhar-Ptitsa (Жар-Птица), or firebird, subject of the famous
1910 ballet score by
Igor Stravinsky.
The phoenix was featured in the flags of
Alexander Ypsilantis and of many other captains during the
Greek Revolution, symbolizing Greece's rebirth, and was chosen by
John Capodistria as the first Coat of Arms of the Greek State (1828-1832). In addition, the first modern Greek currency bore the name of ''
phoenix''. Despite being replaced by a royal Coat of Arms, it remained a popular symbol, and was used again in the 1930s by the
Second Hellenic Republic. However, its use by the
military junta of 1967-1974 made it extremely unpopular, and it has almost disappeared from use after 1974, with the notable exception of the Greek
Order of the Phoenix).
In
Jewish folklore, it is said that the phoenix was the only animal not to join
Adam in his banishment from the
Garden of Eden.
The phoenix is also a prominent symbol on the flag and seal of the
City and County of San Francisco, symbolizing the city rising from the ashes of the devastation caused by the
1906 earthquake. Similarly, the phoenix is also the central feature of the
seal and
flag of the City of
Atlanta, along with the word ''Resurgens'' (Latin for having been restored/rebuilt, revived, rose up/appeared again; rared up again, lifted oneself), symbolizing the seemingly continual rebirth of the city after several devastating fires, most notable of which are
General Sherman's burning of the city during the
American Civil War on November 15, 1864 and the
Great Atlanta fire of 1917.
Phoenix, Arizona was so named due to the town's usage of old
Hohokam (
Native American) canal paths, and the fact that the area contained the remains of various Hohokam settlements. It is believed that this group migrated out of the area due to devastating floods and droughts between 1300-1450 AD. The establishment of modern Phoenix was seen as a rebirth of this older civilization. The new city itself suffered damage from several large floods in its early years, such as in
1900, but eventually grew into one of the US's largest metropolitan areas as of the
21st century. The mythological bird is present on the city's flag and logo.
In
Taiwan the phoenix provides a popular nickname for the coastal city of
Tainan, called "the Phoenix city" because of its history of transformations and renewals. Three of the birds, flying clockwise in a circle, appear on the
flag and
logo of the
Tainan University of Technology.
[2]
The Phoenix is used to symbolize the physical tests in
Kyokushin Karate and is the mascot of the Phoenix Karatedo Association.
See also
★
Fenghuang, commonly referred to as the Chinese phoenix.
★
Bennu, Egyptian correspondence to the phoenix.
★
Angha,
Huma,
Simurgh, Persian phoenixes.
★
Phoenix in popular culture
External links
★
Entry for the Phoenix in The Aberdeen Bes
★
Mythical Phoenix History
★
General description, with Ancient References
★ Mythological Creatures - The Phoenix at Helium.com
[2]
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