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| − | [[Category:Politics and social sciences]]
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| − | [[Image:Phoenix detail from Aberdeen Bestiary.jpg|thumb|275px|The phoenix from the Aberdeen Bestiary.]]
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| − | The '''phoenix,''' or '''phœnix''' as it is sometimes spelled, has been an enduring [[myth|mythological]] symbol for millennia and across vastly different [[culture]]s. Despite such varieties of societies and times, the phoenix is consistently characterized as a bird with brightly colored plumage, which, after a long life, dies in a fire of its own making only to rise again from the ashes. From [[religion|religious]] and naturalistic [[symbol]]ism in [[ancient Egypt]], to a secular symbol for armies, communities, and even societies, as well as an often-used [[literature|literary]] symbol, this mythical bird's representation of death and rebirth seems to resonate with humankind's aspirations.
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| − | ==General Description==
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| − | [[Image:Phoenix rising from its ashes.jpg|thumb|left|A reborn Phoenix, rising from its ashes.]]
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| − | Although many [[culture]]s have their own interpretation of the phoenix, the differences in nuance are overshadowed by the [[mythical creature]]'s more homogeneous characteristics. The phoenix is always a [[bird]], usually having plumage of colors corresponding to [[fire]]: yellow, orange, red, and gold. The most universal characteristic is the bird's ability to [[resurrection|resurrect]]. Living a long life (the exact age can vary from five hundred to over a thousand years), the bird dies in a self-created fire, burning into a pile of ashes, from which a phoenix chick is born, representing a cyclical process of life from death. Because it is reborn from its own death, the phoenix also took on the characteristics of regeneration and [[immortality]].
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| − | ==Mythical Origins==
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| − | ===Egyptian===
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| − | {{Hiero|Bennu –or Heron<br>Phoenix|<hiero>G31-.-G32</hiero>|align=right|era=egypt}}
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| − | The earliest representation of the phoenix is found in the [[ancient Egypt]]ian '''Bennu''' bird, the name relating to the verb “weben,” meaning “to rise brilliantly,” or “to shine.” Some researchers believe that a now extinct large [[heron]] was a possible real life inspiration for the Bennu. However, since the Bennu, like all the other versions of the phoenix, is primarily a [[symbol]]ic icon, the many mythical sources of the Bennu in ancient Egyptian culture reveal more about the [[civilization]] than the existence of a real bird.
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| − | One version of the myth says that the Bennu bird burst forth from the heart of [[Osiris]]. In the more prevalent [[myth]]s, the Bennu created itself from a fire that was burned on a holy tree in one of the sacred precincts of the temple of Ra. The Bennu was supposed to have rested on a sacred pillar that was known as the benben-stone. At the end of its life-cycle, the phoenix would build itself a nest of [[cinnamon]] twigs that it then ignited; both nest and bird burned fiercely and would be reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix arose. The new phoenix embalmed the ashes of the old phoenix in an egg made of [[myrrh]] and deposited it in the Egyptian city of [[Heliopolis (ancient)|Heliopolis]] ("the city of the sun" in [[Greek language|Greek]]).
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| − | The Bennu was pictured as a grey, purple, blue, or white heron with a long beak and a two-feathered crest. Occasionally it was depicted as a yellow [[wagtail]], or as an [[eagle]] with feathers of red and gold. In rare instances the Bennu was pictured as a man with the head of a heron, wearing a white or blue mummy dress under a transparent long coat. Because of its connection to Egyptian [[religion]], the Bennu was considered the “soul” of the god Atum, Ra, or Osiris, and was sometimes called “He Who Came Into Being by Himself,” “Ascending One,” and “Lord of Jubilees.” These names and the connection with Ra, the sun god, reflected not just the ancient Egyptian belief in a spiritual continuation of life after physical death, but also reflected the natural process of the [[Nile River]]'s rising and falling, which the Egyptians depended upon for survival. The Bennu also became closely connected to the [[Egyptian calendar]], and the Egyptians kept intricate time measuring devices in the Bennu Temple.
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| − | ===Persian===
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| − | The '''Huma,''' also known as the "bird of paradise," is a [[Persia]]n mythological bird, similar to the [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] phoenix. It consumes itself in fire every few hundred years, only to rise anew from the ashes. The Huma is considered to be a compassionate bird and its touch is said to bring great fortune.
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| − | The Huma bird joins both the male and female natures together in one body, each sharing a wing and a leg. It avoids killing for food, rather preferring to feed on carrion. The Persians teach that great blessings come to that person on whom the Huma's shadow falls.<ref> Naosherwan Anzar. 1981. ''The Master Sings, Meher Baba's Ghazals.'' Zeno Publishing Services.</ref>
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| − | According to [[Sufism|Sufi]] master Inayat Khan,
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| − | <blockquote>The word ''huma'' in the Persian language stands for a fabulous bird. There is a belief that if the ''huma'' bird sits for a moment on someone's head it is a sign that he will become a king. Its true meaning is that when a person's thoughts evolve so that they break all limitation, he then becomes a king. It is the limitation of language that it can only describe the Most High as something like a king.<ref>Hazrat Khan. 1988. ''Music of Life.'' New York: Omega Publications. ISBN 093087238X</ref></blockquote>
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| − | ===Greek===
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| − | The [[ancient Greece|Greeks]] adapted the word ''bennu'' and identified it with their own word ''phoenix'' '''φοινιξ','' meaning the color purple-red or crimson. They and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]] subsequently pictured the bird more like a [[peacock]] or an [[eagle]]. According to [[Greek mythology]], 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.
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| − | [[Image:Mosaïque Phénix 01.JPG|thumb|250 px|left| Detail from mosaic ''Semis de roses et phénix'' [[Louvre Museum]], [[Paris]], [[France]]]]
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| − | ===Oriental===
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| − | The phoenix (known as ''Garuda'' in [[Sanskrit]]) is the mystical fire bird which is considered as the chariot of the [[Hindu]] god [[Vishnu]]. Its reference can be found in the Hindu epic [[Ramayana]].
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| − | In [[Tibet]], the phoenix is also called ''Garuda,'' which means "the bird of life" and is depicted as a conglomerate of the typical brightly colored bird, eagle, and human.<ref> Emanuel Rose. 1995. [http://www.polarissite.net/Phoenix%20Mythology.htm Phoenix Mythology.] ''Polaris.'' Retrieved January 22, 2007.</ref>
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| − | In [[China]], the phoenix is called [[Feng-huang]] and symbolizes completeness, incorporating the basic elements of [[music]], [[color]]s, nature, as well as the joining of [[yin and yang]]. The Chinese believed that the Feng-huang lived in a mythical realm, heralding peace and harmony in the world.<ref> [http://www.monstrous.com/monsters/phoenix.htm Phoenix.] ''Monstrous.'' Retrieved January 22, 2007.</ref>
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| − | ===Christianity===
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| − | The phoenix became a symbol of [[Christianity]] in early literature, either from ancient [[Hebrew]] legend regarding a phoenix in the [[Garden of Eden]], or from the incorporation of Greek and Roman culture, or from a combination of both. In either case, the ideology of the phoenix fit perfectly with the story of [[Christ]]. The phoenix's [[resurrection]] from death as new and pure can be viewed as a metaphor for Christ's resurrection, central to Christian belief. The phoenix is referenced by the early Christian [[Apostolic Father]] [[Clement I|Clement]] in ''The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians.'' Most of the Christian-based phoenix symbolism appears within works of literature, especially in [[Middle Ages|Medieval]] and [[Renaissance]] Christian literature that combined classical and regional [[myth]] and [[folklore]] with more mainstream doctrine.
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| − | ==Heraldry==
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| − | [[Image:Rinasce piu gloriosa.png|thumb|right|''Rinasce piu gloriosa'' ("It rises again more glorious").]]
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| − | The phoenix does not appear as a [[heraldry|heraldic]] figure as often as other [[mythical creature]]s. However, it has appeared on family crests and shields throughout time, usually depicted as an [[eagle]] surrounded, but not hurt, by flames. [[Elizabeth I]] used the phoenix as a royal badge, while some cities in [[Europe]] use the phoenix in their municipal emblem to denote the one-time destruction and consequent rebuilding of the city, connecting to the image of [[resurrection]] inherent in the phoenix.<ref> [http://heraldry.lordkyl.net/glossary/glossary_p.html Lord Kyl's Heraldry.] Retrieved February 9, 2006.</ref>
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| − | Phoenix, [[Arizona]] was named such because it was a frontier station settled upon the ruins of a [[Native American]] site. The first [[Europe]]an inhabitants decided to name their city in concurrence with the idea that from the ruins of one city, another was created.
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| − | ==Literature==
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| − | The phoenix no longer appears significantly in any [[religion|religious]] or [[Culture|cultural]] truths. However, the image is still used in [[literature]], perhaps because of all the [[mythical creature]]s from antiquity, the phoenix is the one that frequently expresses an enduring sense of hope and redemption. Its beauty is not as otherworldly as most of the other creatures in [[myth]], and its [[symbol]]ism is conveyed with a profound subtlety when used in literature.
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| − | [[William Shakespeare]] made one of the most prominent references in both his plays ''The Tempest,'' incorporating a number of other [[mythical creature]]s but placing the phoenix separate and above the rest, and in ''Timon of Athens,'' when a senator metaphorically calls Timon "a naked gull, which flashes now a phoenix." In other works of [[Renaissance]] literature, the phoenix is said to have been eaten as the rarest of dishes—for only one was alive at any one time. [[Ben Jonson]], in ''Volpone'' (1605) writes: "could we get the phœnix, though nature lost her kind, shee were our dish."
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| − | Sylvia Townsend Warner's 1940 short story "The Phoenix" satirized the exploitation of nature using a phoenix maltreated in a carnival sideshow, revealing the modern preference for violence and sensationalism over beauty and dignity. The majesty of Eudora Welty's classic 1941 short story “A Worn Path” employs the phoenix as the name of the major and virtually sole character of a sparsely written, yet rich story of regeneration and the South.
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| − | [[Edith Nesbit]]'s famous children's novel, ''The Phoenix and the Carpet'' is based on this legendary creature and its quirky friendship with a family of children. The phoenix was also famed for being a symbol of the rise and fall of society in [[Ray Bradbury]]'s ''Fahrenheit 451.'' The pattern of an over complacent and abusive society's destruction yielding a fresh new start was compared to the phoenix's mythological pattern of consumption by flame, then resurrection out of ashes.
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| − | [[Sylvia Plath]] also alludes to the phoenix in the end of her famous poem ''Lady Lazarus.'' The speaker of this poem describes her unsuccessful attempts at committing [[suicide]] not as failures, but as successful [[resurrection]]s, like those described in the tales of the biblical character [[Lazarus]] and the phoenix. By the end of the poem, the speaker has transformed into a fire bird, effectively marking her rebirth, which some critics liken to a demonic transformation. The poem ends: "Out of the ash / I rise with my red hair / And I eat men like air."
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| − | More recently, ''Harry Potter'' series author J.K. Rowlings has used a phoenix as a central symbol in her stories. While the Harry Potter series has drawn some controversy from the Christian community, Rowling's use of other classical mythical beasts and her classical literature background suggests that she is using the phoenix as a Christian symbol of purification and resurrection.<ref> John Granger. 2006. ''Looking for God in Harry Potter.'' Saltriver. ISBN 1414306342</ref>
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| − | ==Footnotes==
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| − | <references/>
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| − | ==References==
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| − | * Conway, D. J. 2001. ''Magickal Mystical Creatures: Invite Their Powers Into Your Life.'' Llewellyn Publications. ISBN 156718149X
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| − | * Nigg, Joe. 1995. ''Wonder Beasts: Tales and Lore of the Phoenix, the Griffin, the Unicorn, and the Dragon.'' Libraries Unlimited. ISBN 156308242X
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| − | == External links==
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| − | *[http://www.egyptianmyths.net/phoenix.htm Ancient Egypt: The Mythology] Retrieved March 21, 2007.
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| − | *[http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/translat/55r.hti Phoenix] – Entry in ''The Aberdeen Bestiary'' Retrieved March 21, 2007.
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| − | *[http://www.eaudrey.com/myth/phoenix.htm General Description, with Ancient References] Retrieved March 21, 2007.
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| − | *[http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/eGallery/object.asp?searchText=paradise&object=48482&row=0 Image of the mythological Huma bird] Retrieved March 21, 2007.
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| − | *[http://www.pheonix-az.com/Pheonix_Bird.htm Mythical Phoenix History] Retrieved March 21, 2007.
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| − | *[http://www.polarissite.net/LegendPhoenix.htm The Legend of the Phoenix] from ''Magickal, Mystical Creatures'' by D. J. Conway. Retrieved March 21, 2007.
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| − | *[http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/II/II_8.htm ''The Mysticism of Sound,'' Hazrat Inayat Khan] (includes discussion of ''Huma'' myth) Retrieved March 21, 2007.
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| − | {{Credit3|Phoenix_(mythology)|93996420|Bennu|97848783|Huma_(mythology)|95163989|}}
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