We explain what the Phoenix bird is in mythology, in which cultures it appeared and what its characteristics are. Also, the Chinese Phoenix.
What is the Phoenix bird?
The Phoenix bird or simply Phoenix It is a mythological creature to which a long life and the fantastic ability to rise from its own ashes were attributed. Its name comes from Greek phoinix“Phoenician”, due to the supposed purple color of its wings, and is mentioned in ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman texts, where a life of around 500 years is attributed to it.
The exact way in which its rebirth occurred can vary enormously in the Western tradition depending on which author is cited since both ancient religions and early Christianity considered it part of their symbols.
Characters as dissimilar as Herodotus of Halicarnassus (484-425 BC), Publius Ovid Nasón (43 BC-17 AD), Gaius Plinio Secundo “The Elder” (20-79 AD. ), Marcus Anneus Lucanus (39-65 AD), Pope Clement I of Rome (?-97 AD) or Isidore of Seville (c. 556-636), were sufficiently interested in this fantastic creature enough to dedicate many of his written pages to him.
According to some sources, the Phoenix bird died normally, after a long life, and after decomposing a new young specimen emerged from the remains of the previous one.
Other versions claim that just before dying, the bird built a nest from branches of spices and fragrant plants, such as cinnamon or myrrh, and there it died in a spectacular fire, from which only its ashes remained. Then a new specimen would emerge from them, which would place the ashes of the old phoenix in an egg made of myrrh and take it as an offering to the altar of the Egyptian sun god, Ra, in the ancient city of Heliopolis.
One way or another, the Phoenix always appears linked to fire and the sun. There are versions, such as that of Saint Ambrose, according to which the animal died consumed by the Sun and from its ashes a species of very white caterpillar was born that grows until it lodges in an egg, as if it imitated the life cycle of butterflies.
Despite its pagan origins, the myth of the Phoenix was well accepted by the first Christians, who saw in it an allegory of the death and resurrection of Christ.
There is even an equivalent in the Chinese imaginary tradition, the Fenghuang or Chinese phoenix, a creature that supposedly reigns over other birds and that he mated with the Chinese dragon. On his body the different celestial elements were symbolized: cock's beak, swallow's face, snake's neck, goose's chest, turtle's back, deer's hind legs and fish's tail: sky, sun, moon, wind, earth and the planets.
In general, the Phoenix It has been a symbol of immortality and renewal in general, of that which is capable of recreating itself. With that same meaning we can find it today in traditional buildings, statues, flags and illustrations, or as part of the fantastic imagery of numerous video games.
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References
- “Phoenix” on Wikipedia.
- “Fénix” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “The bestiary of the Bible: The richness of the myth of the phoenix” in Aleteia.
- “Phoenix” at Encyclopedia.com.
- “Phoenix (mythological bird)” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.
