PHOENIX
The phoenix, or phenix (Greek: Φοίνιξ Greek pronunciation:
[ˈfiniks], Persian: ققنوس, Arabic: العنقاء أو طائر الفينيق, Chinese: 鳳凰 or 不死鳥, Hebrew: פניקס), is a mythical sacred fire bird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians,
Chinese, Indians and (according to Sanchuniathon) Phoenicians/Canaanites.[1]
It is described as a bird with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and
scarlet (or purple, blue, and green according to some legends). It has a 500 to
1000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs
that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes,
from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live
again. The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self. In some
stories, the new phoenix embalms the ashes of its old self in an egg made of
myrrh and deposits it in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis
(literally "sun-city" in Greek). It is said that the bird's cry is that of a
beautiful song. The Phoenix's ability to be reborn from its own ashes implies
that it is immortal, though in some stories the new Phoenix is merely the
offspring of the older one. In very few stories they are able to change into
people.
The ancient Greek historian Herodotus gave the following account of the
phoenix in the fifth century BC while describing the animals of Egypt:
Another sacred bird is the one called the phoenix. Now, I have not actually
seen a phoenix, except in a painting, because they are quite infrequent visitors
to the country; in fact, I was told in Heliopolis that they appear only at
500-year intervals. They say that it is the death of a phoenix's father which
prompts its visit to Egypt. Anyway, if the painting was reliable, I can tell you
something about the phoenix's size and qualities, namely that its feathers are
partly gold but mostly red, and that in appearance and size it is most like an
eagle. There is a particular feat they say the phoenix performs; I do not
believe it myself, but they say that the bird sets out from its homeland in
Arabia on a journey to the sanctuary of the sun, bringing its father sealed in
myrrh, and buries its father there.[2]
The Roman poet Ovid wrote the following about the phoenix:
Most beings spring from other individuals; but there is a certain kind which
reproduces itself. The Assyrians call it the Phoenix. It does not live on fruit
or flowers, but on frankincense and odoriferous gums. When it has lived five
hundred years, it builds itself a nest in the branches of an oak, or on the top
of a palm tree. In this it collects cinnamon, and spikenard, and myrrh, and of
these materials builds a pile on which it deposits itself, and dying, breathes
out its last breath amidst odors. From the body of the parent bird, a young
Phoenix issues forth, destined to live as long a life as its predecessor. When
this has grown up and gained sufficient strength, it lifts its nest from the
tree (its own cradle and its parent's sepulchre), and carries it to the city of
Heliopolis in Egypt, and deposits it in the temple of the Sun.[3]
The phoenix or firebird originated in ancient mythology and has gone through
a variety of representations in art/literature, ranging from being fully
birdlike to having the head of a dog and suckling its young. Typically, it is
considered benevolent, but some tales suggest that humans are not always safe
around it.
The Bennu-bird
Flavius Philostratus (c. AD 170), who wrote the biography Life
of Apollonius of Tyana, refers to the phoenix as a bird
living in India, but sometimes migrating to Egypt every five hundred years. His
account is clearly inspired by Garuda, the bird of the Hindu god Vishnu. He considered the bird as an emanation of
sunlight, being in appearance and size much like an eagle. His contemporary Lactantius is probably the author who wrote the
longest poem on the famous bird. Although descriptions (and life-span) vary, the
Egyptian 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. One of the Early Church
Fathers, Clement, related the following regarding the
Phoenix in chapter 25 of the First Epistle of Clement:
Let us consider that wonderful sign [of the resurrection] which takes place
in Eastern lands, that is, in Arabia and the countries round about. There is a
certain bird which is called a phoenix. This is the only one of its kind, and
lives five hundred years. And when the time of its dissolution draws near that
it must die, it builds itself a nest of frankincense, and myrrh, and other spices, into
which, when the time is fulfilled, it enters and dies. But as the flesh decays a
certain kind of worm is produced, which, being nourished by the juices of the
dead bird, brings forth feathers. Then, when it has acquired strength, it takes
up that nest in which are the bones of its parent, and bearing these it passes
from the land of Arabia into Egypt, to the city called Heliopolis. And, in open
day, flying in the sight of all men, it places them on the altar of the sun, and
having done this, hastens back to its former abode. The priests then inspect the
registers of the dates, and find that it has returned exactly as the five
hundredth year was completed.
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.[4]
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 (חול)
– as phoenix, palm tree, or sand – in Job 29:18.[5]
The phoenix on top of Kinkaku-ji temple, Kyoto, Japan
[edit] Origins
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.
The Greeks subsequently pictured the bird more like a peacock or an eagle and identified it with their own word
phoenix (Φοίνιξ), meaning the color purple-red or crimson (cf. Phoenicia) or a palm tree. According to the
Greek mythology the phoenix lived in Phoenicia (Lebanon) next to a well. At dawn, it bathed in
the water of the well, and the Greek sun-god Helios stopped his chariot (the sun) in order to
listen to its song.
[edit] Correspondent and similar mythical creatures
Phoenix on the portal of Nadir Divan-Beghi
madrasah, Bukhara, Uzbekistan (part of Lyab-i Hauz complex)
The Fenghuang (Chinese Phoenix) at the Summer Palace, Beijing, China
Terracotta Phoenix head used as architectural
decoration, from the 14th-15th century Trần-Hồ dynasty in Vietnam
In Persian mythology, Simurgh (Persian: سيمرغ, Middle Persian: senmurv) was a winged creature in
the basic shape of a peacock, gigantic enough to carry off an elephant or a
whale, but also endued with the head of a dog and the claws of a lion. The
Simurgh appears in Iranian literary classics such as Farid ud-Din Attar's Conference of the Birds as instructor and
birds leader, and in Ferdowsi's epic Shahnameh (The Book of Kings), in which also
the Huma bird appears as the presumed "bird of
paradise".
Indian mythology tells of Garuda, a large mythical bird or bird-like
creature and lesser Hindu divinity, usually forming the mount of the God Vishnu.
Avalerion is an Indian magic bird that drowns
itself once it has laid its eggs.
In China,
the phoenix is called the businiao (不死鳥; literally "immortal bird"),
whereas the fenghuang (鳳凰) is a mythical bird of local
Chinese origin, similar to the phoenix.[6] It is
imagined as a composite of many birds, or even as comprising some body part of a
snake, a fish etc. It is one of the most-respected legendary creatures in China
and the feminine counterpart to the dragon.[7] Its
rare appearance is said to foreshadow a great event or bear testimony to the
greatness of a ruler.[7]
In Japan,
the phoenix is called fushichō (不死鳥?), literally "immortal
bird", and the local parallel is called hō-ō (kanji: 鳳凰).
In Korea,
the phoenix is called bulsajo (Hanja:不死鳥 Hangul:불사조) literally meaning
"immortal bird", and the East Asian variant is called bonghwangsae
(Hangul:봉황새 Hanja:鳳凰새).
In Hebrew traditions Ziz is a legendary pure bird, the protector of
all birds.
In ancient Arabic tradition the Ghoghnus
or Ghoghnous is a bird having some mythical relation with the date
palm. The Ghoghnus is said to have laid only one egg. It lived in
the Arabian Desert many thousands of years ago.[8]
Zumrud-u Anka (Zümrüdüanka), Tuğrul or Devekuşu, is a
Turkish version of the phoenix. The word Anka comes from the word for
"necklace", for the bird's neck is covered with white feathers forming like a
necklace.
In Russian folklore, the phoenix appears as the Zhar-Ptitsa (Жар-Птица), or firebird, subject of
the famous 1910 ballet score by Igor Stravinsky.
Kokko
is a mythical bird of iron and fire from Finnish folklore, Turul is the correspondent in the myths of the Magyars. Adarna may be considered a Philippine version of
the phoenix.
[edit] Modern
symbolism
The Phoenix represented in the 60 years of peace coin of
Belgium
ACS Logo
Main article: Phoenix
in popular culture
The constellation Phoenix, was introduced in the late
16th century by sailors organized by Petrus Plancius, probably one of Keyser
or de Houtman and displayed on a globe from 1597
created by Hondius.
The phoenix has long been presented as a symbol of rebirth, immortality, and
renewal. In modern Greece, the phoenix became established as
a symbol of the nation's rebirth during the Greek
War of Independence. It was first used in the flags of Alexander Ypsilantis, and was chosen as the
official emblem of the Provisional Government (1828–1832) by Governor John Capodistria, who also named the first modern
Greek currency "phoenix". Despite being replaced by a
Germanic 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 Order of the Phoenix, the country's
second-highest award.
Likewise Lebanon, and Beirut in particular, is often depicted
symbolically as a phoenix bird having been destroyed and rebuilt 7 times during
its long history. The Belgian € 10 silver coin, commemorating sixty years of peace,
depicts the phoenix as a representation of a new Europe, post 1945. Also the
Iranian 500 rial coins issued since 2004 have an image of a phoenix on the reverse.
Provisional IRA badge
In the course of the colonization of Northern America a number of cities have
received the name of Phoenix or have been associated with its
symbolism. Phoenix, the capital of Arizona, was so named as
it was built on the ruins of the Hohokam civilization that had existed on the site
centuries before. The phoenix became the official symbol of Atlanta, Georgia in 1888 because it was "reborn"
from the ashes after it was burned down in the American Civil War.[9] The American Chemical Society uses a Phoenix rising
from its ashes as a logo. The logo is a symbolism for change, the essence of the
study of chemistry; the science of interactions and
changes.
In politics, the phoenix was sometimes used as a symbol of the Provisional IRA. The symbols of rebirth and
renewal referred to the Provisional IRA's formation "out of the ashes of
'69".[10]
[ˈfiniks], Persian: ققنوس, Arabic: العنقاء أو طائر الفينيق, Chinese: 鳳凰 or 不死鳥, Hebrew: פניקס), is a mythical sacred fire bird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians,
Chinese, Indians and (according to Sanchuniathon) Phoenicians/Canaanites.[1]
It is described as a bird with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and
scarlet (or purple, blue, and green according to some legends). It has a 500 to
1000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs
that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes,
from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live
again. The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self. In some
stories, the new phoenix embalms the ashes of its old self in an egg made of
myrrh and deposits it in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis
(literally "sun-city" in Greek). It is said that the bird's cry is that of a
beautiful song. The Phoenix's ability to be reborn from its own ashes implies
that it is immortal, though in some stories the new Phoenix is merely the
offspring of the older one. In very few stories they are able to change into
people.
The ancient Greek historian Herodotus gave the following account of the
phoenix in the fifth century BC while describing the animals of Egypt:
Another sacred bird is the one called the phoenix. Now, I have not actually
seen a phoenix, except in a painting, because they are quite infrequent visitors
to the country; in fact, I was told in Heliopolis that they appear only at
500-year intervals. They say that it is the death of a phoenix's father which
prompts its visit to Egypt. Anyway, if the painting was reliable, I can tell you
something about the phoenix's size and qualities, namely that its feathers are
partly gold but mostly red, and that in appearance and size it is most like an
eagle. There is a particular feat they say the phoenix performs; I do not
believe it myself, but they say that the bird sets out from its homeland in
Arabia on a journey to the sanctuary of the sun, bringing its father sealed in
myrrh, and buries its father there.[2]
The Roman poet Ovid wrote the following about the phoenix:
Most beings spring from other individuals; but there is a certain kind which
reproduces itself. The Assyrians call it the Phoenix. It does not live on fruit
or flowers, but on frankincense and odoriferous gums. When it has lived five
hundred years, it builds itself a nest in the branches of an oak, or on the top
of a palm tree. In this it collects cinnamon, and spikenard, and myrrh, and of
these materials builds a pile on which it deposits itself, and dying, breathes
out its last breath amidst odors. From the body of the parent bird, a young
Phoenix issues forth, destined to live as long a life as its predecessor. When
this has grown up and gained sufficient strength, it lifts its nest from the
tree (its own cradle and its parent's sepulchre), and carries it to the city of
Heliopolis in Egypt, and deposits it in the temple of the Sun.[3]
The phoenix or firebird originated in ancient mythology and has gone through
a variety of representations in art/literature, ranging from being fully
birdlike to having the head of a dog and suckling its young. Typically, it is
considered benevolent, but some tales suggest that humans are not always safe
around it.
The Bennu-bird
Flavius Philostratus (c. AD 170), who wrote the biography Life
of Apollonius of Tyana, refers to the phoenix as a bird
living in India, but sometimes migrating to Egypt every five hundred years. His
account is clearly inspired by Garuda, the bird of the Hindu god Vishnu. He considered the bird as an emanation of
sunlight, being in appearance and size much like an eagle. His contemporary Lactantius is probably the author who wrote the
longest poem on the famous bird. Although descriptions (and life-span) vary, the
Egyptian 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. One of the Early Church
Fathers, Clement, related the following regarding the
Phoenix in chapter 25 of the First Epistle of Clement:
Let us consider that wonderful sign [of the resurrection] which takes place
in Eastern lands, that is, in Arabia and the countries round about. There is a
certain bird which is called a phoenix. This is the only one of its kind, and
lives five hundred years. And when the time of its dissolution draws near that
it must die, it builds itself a nest of frankincense, and myrrh, and other spices, into
which, when the time is fulfilled, it enters and dies. But as the flesh decays a
certain kind of worm is produced, which, being nourished by the juices of the
dead bird, brings forth feathers. Then, when it has acquired strength, it takes
up that nest in which are the bones of its parent, and bearing these it passes
from the land of Arabia into Egypt, to the city called Heliopolis. And, in open
day, flying in the sight of all men, it places them on the altar of the sun, and
having done this, hastens back to its former abode. The priests then inspect the
registers of the dates, and find that it has returned exactly as the five
hundredth year was completed.
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.[4]
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 (חול)
– as phoenix, palm tree, or sand – in Job 29:18.[5]
The phoenix on top of Kinkaku-ji temple, Kyoto, Japan
[edit] Origins
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.
The Greeks subsequently pictured the bird more like a peacock or an eagle and identified it with their own word
phoenix (Φοίνιξ), meaning the color purple-red or crimson (cf. Phoenicia) or a palm tree. According to the
Greek mythology the phoenix lived in Phoenicia (Lebanon) next to a well. At dawn, it bathed in
the water of the well, and the Greek sun-god Helios stopped his chariot (the sun) in order to
listen to its song.
[edit] Correspondent and similar mythical creatures
Phoenix on the portal of Nadir Divan-Beghi
madrasah, Bukhara, Uzbekistan (part of Lyab-i Hauz complex)
The Fenghuang (Chinese Phoenix) at the Summer Palace, Beijing, China
Terracotta Phoenix head used as architectural
decoration, from the 14th-15th century Trần-Hồ dynasty in Vietnam
In Persian mythology, Simurgh (Persian: سيمرغ, Middle Persian: senmurv) was a winged creature in
the basic shape of a peacock, gigantic enough to carry off an elephant or a
whale, but also endued with the head of a dog and the claws of a lion. The
Simurgh appears in Iranian literary classics such as Farid ud-Din Attar's Conference of the Birds as instructor and
birds leader, and in Ferdowsi's epic Shahnameh (The Book of Kings), in which also
the Huma bird appears as the presumed "bird of
paradise".
Indian mythology tells of Garuda, a large mythical bird or bird-like
creature and lesser Hindu divinity, usually forming the mount of the God Vishnu.
Avalerion is an Indian magic bird that drowns
itself once it has laid its eggs.
In China,
the phoenix is called the businiao (不死鳥; literally "immortal bird"),
whereas the fenghuang (鳳凰) is a mythical bird of local
Chinese origin, similar to the phoenix.[6] It is
imagined as a composite of many birds, or even as comprising some body part of a
snake, a fish etc. It is one of the most-respected legendary creatures in China
and the feminine counterpart to the dragon.[7] Its
rare appearance is said to foreshadow a great event or bear testimony to the
greatness of a ruler.[7]
In Japan,
the phoenix is called fushichō (不死鳥?), literally "immortal
bird", and the local parallel is called hō-ō (kanji: 鳳凰).
In Korea,
the phoenix is called bulsajo (Hanja:不死鳥 Hangul:불사조) literally meaning
"immortal bird", and the East Asian variant is called bonghwangsae
(Hangul:봉황새 Hanja:鳳凰새).
In Hebrew traditions Ziz is a legendary pure bird, the protector of
all birds.
In ancient Arabic tradition the Ghoghnus
or Ghoghnous is a bird having some mythical relation with the date
palm. The Ghoghnus is said to have laid only one egg. It lived in
the Arabian Desert many thousands of years ago.[8]
Zumrud-u Anka (Zümrüdüanka), Tuğrul or Devekuşu, is a
Turkish version of the phoenix. The word Anka comes from the word for
"necklace", for the bird's neck is covered with white feathers forming like a
necklace.
In Russian folklore, the phoenix appears as the Zhar-Ptitsa (Жар-Птица), or firebird, subject of
the famous 1910 ballet score by Igor Stravinsky.
Kokko
is a mythical bird of iron and fire from Finnish folklore, Turul is the correspondent in the myths of the Magyars. Adarna may be considered a Philippine version of
the phoenix.
[edit] Modern
symbolism
The Phoenix represented in the 60 years of peace coin of
Belgium
ACS Logo
Main article: Phoenix
in popular culture
The constellation Phoenix, was introduced in the late
16th century by sailors organized by Petrus Plancius, probably one of Keyser
or de Houtman and displayed on a globe from 1597
created by Hondius.
The phoenix has long been presented as a symbol of rebirth, immortality, and
renewal. In modern Greece, the phoenix became established as
a symbol of the nation's rebirth during the Greek
War of Independence. It was first used in the flags of Alexander Ypsilantis, and was chosen as the
official emblem of the Provisional Government (1828–1832) by Governor John Capodistria, who also named the first modern
Greek currency "phoenix". Despite being replaced by a
Germanic 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 Order of the Phoenix, the country's
second-highest award.
Likewise Lebanon, and Beirut in particular, is often depicted
symbolically as a phoenix bird having been destroyed and rebuilt 7 times during
its long history. The Belgian € 10 silver coin, commemorating sixty years of peace,
depicts the phoenix as a representation of a new Europe, post 1945. Also the
Iranian 500 rial coins issued since 2004 have an image of a phoenix on the reverse.
Provisional IRA badge
In the course of the colonization of Northern America a number of cities have
received the name of Phoenix or have been associated with its
symbolism. Phoenix, the capital of Arizona, was so named as
it was built on the ruins of the Hohokam civilization that had existed on the site
centuries before. The phoenix became the official symbol of Atlanta, Georgia in 1888 because it was "reborn"
from the ashes after it was burned down in the American Civil War.[9] The American Chemical Society uses a Phoenix rising
from its ashes as a logo. The logo is a symbolism for change, the essence of the
study of chemistry; the science of interactions and
changes.
In politics, the phoenix was sometimes used as a symbol of the Provisional IRA. The symbols of rebirth and
renewal referred to the Provisional IRA's formation "out of the ashes of
'69".[10]