Phoenix

Nationality/Culture

Greek, Roman, Egyptian

Pronunciation

FEE-niks

Alternate Names

Bennu (Egyptian)

Appears In

Ovid's Metamorphoses, Herodotus's Histories

Lineage

Unknown

Character Overview

The phoenix is a legendary bird mentioned in Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology. According to ancient writers, the phoenix lived for five hundred years, then died and was reborn. It had brilliant golden and scarlet feathers and grew to the size of an eagle.

Just before dying, the phoenix built a nest of fragrant herbs and spices, including cinnamon and myrrh. Then it set the nest on fire and died in the flames. A new phoenix then arose from the ashes. According to Egyptian myth, when the young bird was strong enough, it placed the ashes of the dead phoenix in an egg made of myrrh. Then the young phoenix carried the egg to Heliopolis (pronounced hee-lee-OP-uh-luhs), the Egyptian city of the sun , and placed it on the altar of the sun god Ra.

The Phoenix in Context

The myth of the phoenix may reflect ancient observations of nature, particularly in areas of fire. When many types of hardwood trees are burned to ash in a fire, they return important minerals such as potassium to the soil. This fertilizes the soil to help more trees and vegetation grow. In this way, fire destroys the existing trees, and their ashes provide a way for new trees to appear—much like the myth of the phoenix. Indeed, the creation of the fertilizing compound potash from the ashes of trees was a lucrative business in Europe for centuries, and continues even today.

Key Themes and Symbols

The phoenix was associated with immortality—the ability to live forever—and rebirth. Early Christians saw the phoenix as a symbol of resurrection, or the act of rising from the dead. The main theme of the myth of the phoenix is the eternal or everlasting nature of the spirit, with the phoenix symbolizing that spirit. In the myth, fire represents death as the bird is consumed in flames.

The Phoenix in Art, Literature, and Everyday Life

The phoenix was a popular figure in many cultures beyond Egypt. Romans used it on coins to symbolize Rome, the Eternal City. The bird also appears as a sacred figure in both Chinese and Japanese mythology , and was the subject of Japanese comic creator Osamu Tezuka's masterwork, a twelve-book series titled simply Phoenix. More than one American comic book character has gone by the identity of Phoenix, most notably several characters in the Marvel Comic Universe. Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, has a phoenix named Fawkes. The name has also been used by a number of cities and places around the world that have been “reborn” from previous settlements, most notably Phoenix, Arizona.

Read, Write, Think, Discuss

The idea of something new rising from the ashes of something older is taken from the myth of the phoenix. In modern times, this idea is often used when referring to rebuilding in the wake of tragedies or disasters, such as the destruction of the World Trade Center or the flooding of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. In what ways do these events function as modern versions of the myth of the phoenix? Can you think of other examples?