The phoenix from the Aberdeen Bestiary.

For other mythic firebirds, sometimes conflated with the phoenix, see Fire bird (mythology).

In ancient Egyptian mythology and in myths derived from it, the phoenix is a mythical sacred firebird. Image of Phoenix illumination from the Aberdeen Bestiary. ... Image of Phoenix illumination from the Aberdeen Bestiary. ... Categories: Art stubs | Literature stubs | Illuminated manuscripts ... Fire-bird myths include: Benu Fenghuang Garuda Hoo Oo Phoenix Categories: Mythology stubs ... Egyptian mythology or Egyptian religion is the succession of tentative beliefs held by the people of Egypt for over three thousand years, prior to major exposure to Christianity and Islam. ... In the academic fields of mythology, mythography, and folkloristics a myth is a sacred story concerning the origins of the world or how the world and the creatures in it came to have their present form. ... In the academic fields of mythology, mythography, and folkloristics a myth is a sacred story concerning the origins of the world or how the world and the creatures in it came to have their present form. ... Fire-bird myths include: Benu Fenghuang Garuda Hoo Oo Phoenix Categories: Mythology stubs ...

Said to live for 500, 1461 or for 12594 years (depending on the source), the phoenix is a male 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 embalms the ashes of the old phoenix in an egg made of myrrh and deposits it in Heliopolis ("the city of the sun" in Greek), located in Egypt. 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. Orders Many - see section below. ... Binomial name Cinnamomum verum J.Presl Cassia (Indonesian cinnamon) is also commonly called (and sometimes sold as) cinnamon. ... 100g of Myrrh. ... Heliopolis (Greek Ἡλίου πόλις) was one of the most ancient cities of Egypt, and capital of the 13th Lower Egyptian nome. ... Divinity has a number of related uses in the field of religious belief and study. ...

Although descriptions (and life-span) vary, the phoenix became popular in early Christian art and literature as a symbol of the resurrection, of immortality, and of life-after-death. Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life, teachings, and actions of Jesus, the Christ, as recounted in the New Testament. ... It has been suggested that Resurrection of the dead be merged into this article or section. ... Immortality (or eternal life) is the concept of existing for a potentially infinite, or indeterminate length, of time. ... The afterlife (or life after death) is a generic term referring to a continuation of existence, typically spiritual and experiential, beyond this world, or after death. ...

Originally, the phoenix was identified by the Egyptians as a stork or heron-like bird called a benu, (see Bennu), 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. Genera See text Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long stout bills, belonging to the family Ciconiidae. ... Genera See text. ... The Bennu bird serves as the egyptian correspondence to the phoenix, and is said to be the soul of the Sun-God Ra. ... Book of the Dead is the common name for ancient Egyptian funerary texts known as The Book of Coming [or Going] Forth By Day. ... The Sun is the star at the center of our Solar system. ... A solar deity is a deity who represents the Sun. ... , , or This article is about the Egyptian god. ...

As Britannica 1911 continues:

... whence it is represented as "self-generating" and called "the soul of Ra (the sun)," "the heart of the renewed Sun". All the mystic symbolism of the morning sun, especially in connection with the doctrine of the future life, could thus be transferred to the benu, and the language of the hymns in which the Egyptians praised the luminary of the dawn as he drew near from Arabia, delighting the gods with his fragrance and rising from the sinking flames of the morning glow, was enough to suggest most of the traits materialized in the classical pictures of the phoenix.

The Greeks adapted the word benu (and also took over its further Egyptian meaning of date palm tree), and identified it with their own word phoinix, meaning the colour 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. Binomial name Phoenix dactylifera L. The Date Palm Phoenix dactylifera is a palm, extensively cultivated for its edible fruit. ... Phoenicia was an ancient civilization in the north of ancient Canaan, with its heartland along the coastal plains of what are now Lebanon and Syria. ... Roman mythology, the mythological beliefs of the people of Ancient Rome, can be considered as having two parts. ... Peacock re-directs here; for alternate uses see Peacock (disambiguation). ... Genera Several, see below. ... The Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula is a mainly desert peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia and an important part of the greater Middle East. ... For other uses, see Apollo (disambiguation). ...

This myth is famously referred to in Shakespeare's play The Tempest, Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Miranda and Ferdinand, Angelica Kauffmann, 1782. ...

now I will believe

That there are unicorns; that in Arabia

There is one tree, the phoenix' throne; one phoenix

At this hour reigning there.

-(III.III.27)

One inspiration that has been suggested for the Egyptian phoenix is a specific bird species 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 hot air rising around these mounds resembles the turbulence of a flame. The gentle and pensive virgin has the power to tame the unicorn, in this fresco in Palazzo Farnese, Rome, probably by Domenichino, ca 1602 The unicorn is a legendary creature embodied like a horse, but slender and with a single — usually spiral — horn growing out of its forehead (whence its... East Africa is a region generally considered to include: Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Kenya Somalia Tanzania Uganda Burundi, Rwanda, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, and Sudan are sometimes considered a part of East Africa. ... The playa and shore of Lake Hart, an endorheic desert lake in South Australia An alkali flat (known in US and Mexico as a playa) is a dry lakebed, generally the shore of, or remnant of, an endorheic lake. ... An average Whooping Crane egg is 102 mm long, and weighs 208 grams A baby tortoise emerges from a reptile egg. ... In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is a flow regime characterized by semi-random, stochastic property changes. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Fire. ...

In Russian folklore, the phoenix appears as the Firebird (Russian folklore) (Жар-Птица), or firebird, subject of the famous 1910 ballet score by Stravinsky. In Russian folklore, the Firebird (жар-птица, literally ember bird from жар ember, flameless fire) is a magical glowing bird from a faraway land, which is both blessing and doom of its captor. ... -1... LOiseau de feu (English: The Firebird; Russian: Жар-птица) is a 1910 ballet by Igor Stravinsky based on the Russian folk tales of the magical glowing bird (see Firebird) that is both a blessing and doom of its captor. ... Igor Fyodorovitch Stravinsky () (June 17, 1882 – April 6, 1971) was a composer of modern classical music. ...

The phoenix appears on the city flags and seals of both Atlanta (torched in the US Civil War) and San Francisco (destroyed by earthquake and fire in 1906) to symbolize their respective rebirths from the ashes. This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the northern states, popularly referred to as the U.S., the Union, the North, or the Yankees; and the seceding southern states, commonly referred to as the Confederate States of America, the CSA, the Confederacy... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

In popular culture

Literature

Some literary critics believe the conclusion of Andrew Marvell's 1681 poem "To His Coy Mistress" may allude to the Phoenix, given its references to birds and fire.

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.

The phoenix was also famed for being a symbol of the rise and fall of society, Montag and Faber 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. ... Ray Bradbury in 1945. ... Fahrenheit 451 book cover Fahrenheit 451 (1953) is a dystopian fiction novel by Ray Bradbury. ... This article is about a system of myths. ...

More recently, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels feature a phoenix, named Fawkes (after Guy Fawkes). He is Dumbledore's pet (Dumbledore's Patronus is speculated to be a phoenix). The life span of this bird is unknown, though it is less than 500 years. In Harry Potter's world, phoenixes can carry enormous weights, their tears have extraordinary healing powers and their song is said to strike fear into the hearts of the unpure and courage into those who are pure of heart. The wizards' wands in this world all have a magical element (i.e. a phoenix feather, a unicorn hair, dragon heartstring) at their core (surrounded by wood). Both Harry's and Lord Voldemort's wands contain a feather from Dumbledore's pet phoenix, Fawkes, hence why they locked in Priori_Incantatem. Joanne Rowling OBE (born July 31, 1965 in Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire), commonly known as J.K. Rowling (pronunciation: roll-ing; her former students used to joke with her name calling her the Rolling Stone), is a British fiction writer. ... This article is about the Harry Potter series. ... Fawkes with Harry and Ginny in the Chamber of Secrets In the fictional Harry Potter series of novels and films, Fawkes is Albus Dumbledores pet phoenix. ... Guy Fawkes signature before (bottom) torture and after (top). ... Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (born ca. ... Harry performing the Patronus Charm, from the movie version of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Patronus has a dual meaning in the world of the Harry Potter series of fantasy novels by J. K. Rowling. ... Lord Voldemort (born December 31, 1926) is the fictional arch-villain of the Harry Potter series. ... Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (born ca. ... Fawkes with Harry and Ginny in the Chamber of Secrets In the fictional Harry Potter series of novels and films, Fawkes is Albus Dumbledores pet phoenix. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into List of spells in Harry Potter. ...

Music

Transsylvania Phoenix is the name of a Romanian rock band with folkloric lyrics. It has been suggested that Pasarea Phoenix be merged into this article or section. ...

Phoenix is the name of a French pop band that performs songs in the English language.

La Fenice ("The Phoenix") is a famous Opera house in Venice, Italy. Also Stratovarius has a song named Phoenix. Teatro La Fenice (the phoenix) is an opera house in Venice, Italy. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Venice is known for its waterways and gondolas Gondola. ... Stratovarius is a Finnish power metal band, known for its symphonic approach to the genre. ...

Artwork

Queen's logo has a picture of a Phoenix on the top part. The logo was designed by their singer, Freddie Mercury. Queen is a British rock band that came to popularity during the mid-1970s, amassing an enormous worldwide fanbase that continues to exist to this day. ... Freddie Mercury - Live at Wembley 1986. ...

In the canon of comic author Osamu Tezuka the phoenix is often featured as both a literal and symbolic character. Most prominently in the 12 volume series Hi no Tori in which the phoenix is an all knowing cosmic force which connects the string of cultural, physical, and spiritual deaths, rebirths, reincarnations and transmigrations throughout the series. Osamu Tezuka and his creations commemorated on two stamps Dr. Osamu Tezuka (手塚 治虫 Tezuka Osamu, November 3, 1928 - February 9, 1989) was a Japanese manga artist and animator born in Ōsaka. ... Phoenix, originally Hi no Tori (火の鳥) in Japan, is a manga series made by Osamu Tezuka. ...

The X-Men comics most famous and successful story arc feautured the fabled Phoenix Force merging with the barely living X-Men mutant Jean Grey in order to pilot a shuttle down from space. Now possessing incredible sensations and emotions never before felt, the Phoenix Force became corrupt. This led to Jean Grey sacrificing herself to save the world from destruction. Although not truly a Phoenix, Jean Grey symbolized the essence of a Phoenix when she rose from the ashes, or the dead, later on in the comics. The Phoenix Force later merged with Jean Grey's daughter (from an alternate future), Rachel Summers, who also died and later came back to life. The X-Men are a group of comic book superheroes featured in Marvel Comics. ... Phoenix aka Jean Grey is a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. ... In psychology, sensation is the first stage in the chain of biochemical and neurologic events that begins with the impinging of a stimulus upon a sensory organ, and leads to perception, the sort of mental state that is reflected in statements like I see a uniformly blue wall. ... Marvel Girl aka Rachel Summers, now going by Rachel Grey, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero. ...

In the classic anime franchise, Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, the most spectacular power the superhero has is the ability to temporarily transform their aircraft, The God Phoenix in a massive phoenix like bird of flame to escape danger. Back to Animation Anime (アニメ) is a style of cartoon animation originating in Japan. ... Categories: Stub ... Superman and Batman, two of the most recognizable and iconic superheroes. ...

Phoenix trams in Brisbane, Australia

Following a disastrous fire that destroyed the paddington tram depot in 1962, the Brisbane City Council rebuilt eight trams from the wreckage of the trams burnt in the fire. These trams featured a small picture of a phoenix underneath the motorman's windows, to signify that these trams had "risen from the ashes". The Paddington tram depot in Brisbane, Australia was totally destroyed by fire on the night of 28 September 1962. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Flag of Brisbane City Council The Brisbane City Council is the governing council for Brisbane, which the capital of Queensland, Australia. ... A motorman is the person who operates an electrified trolley car, tram, light rail, or rapid transit train. ...

Video Games

In the Final Fantasy series, the Phoenix appears as a summon in Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, and Final Fantasy IX. Unlike most summons in the series, obtaining the Phoenix summon usually ties into the game's story in some way. In Final Fantasy V, the player can do a side-quest in which he or she finds King Tycoon's wyvern at the top of Phoenix Tower, barely alive. The Wyvern proceeds to sacrifice himself to Reina, King Tycoon's daughter, by diving from the tower and as he plummets toward the bottom, a phoenix rises up out of his body and grants the group his aide as a summon. In Final Fantasy VI, the character Locke, a noble thief, attempts to revive his long-lost lover Rachel, who he lost when she fell to her death in the chasm of a cave, by using the magicite in Phoenix Cave, which is said to possess the essence of the legendary bird. The Phoenix is a legendary bird but only one lived at a time. When it was about to die (it knew when it was about to) it would build a fire and kill itself but a new younger Phoenix would be born. The feathers (down) of the Phoenix is a common product in general stores and can be used to revive dead or mortally wounded party members. Final Fantasy (Japanese: Fainaru Fantajī) is a popular series of role playing games produced by Square Enix (originally Square Co. ... Final Fantasy V (ファイナルファンタジーV Fainaru Fantajī V) is a computer role-playing game developed and published by Square Co. ... Final Fantasy VI (ファイナルファンタジーVI Fainaru Fantajī VI) is a computer role-playing game developed and published by Square Co. ... Final Fantasy VII (ファイナルファンタジーVII Fainaru Fantajī VII), or Final Fantasy 7, is a console and computer role-playing game released by Square Co. ... Final Fantasy VIII (Japanese: Fainaru Fantajī VIII) is a computer role-playing game created by Square Co. ... Final Fantasy IX (Fainaru Fantajī IX) is a computer role-playing game developed by Square Co. ... A side-quest is an optional section of a computer or video game, usually a role-playing game. ... Bahamut from Final Fantasy X. In Square Enixs (formerly Square Co. ...

A phoenix plays an important role in Sega's game Shining Force II. / SEGA USA SEGA Europe=hiddenStructure Shining Force II is the sequel to the original Shining Force game. ...

In the Protoss Campaign found in StarCraft, a main hero figure is known as Fenix. Though the spelling is different, there is a point in the storyline where as a firey, passionate personality, he is killed in battle, but then comes back to life, thus creating the same kind of image. The Protoss The Protoss are a race in Blizzard Entertainments real-time strategy computer game, StarCraft. ... StarCraft (SC) is a real-time strategy computer game by Blizzard Entertainment. ... For Polish sf magazine, see Fenix (magazine) Fenix is a fictional character in the StarCraft universe. ...

Film and TV

In the daytime soap opera Dark Shadows, the character of Laura Murdoch Collins returns to Collinsport, Maine after a ten-year absence to gain custody of her son from her estranged husband, Roger. It is revealed that Laura is an "immortal phoenix" in human form and is nearly at the end of her 100-year lifespan, as she is granted in this storyline. To make a successful completion of the reincarnation process, she must bring another person - her son - into the fire with her. The character of Laura the phoenix is reincarnated a few times into the plotlines of the show, with later episodes showing her to be a worshipper of the god Ra, which may explain the lack of survivors of those she brings into the fire with her, reframing her victims as a divine sacrifice for favor and power rather than as companions for eternity. Dark Shadows is a cult TV soap opera that aired weekdays on the ABC television network from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971, produced by Dan Curtis. ... , , or This article is about the Egyptian god. ...

In the Star Trek universe, Phoenix is the name given to the first man-made spacecraft to travel faster than light. It is named Phoenix because in the Star Trek timeline, the Earth was still recovering from the ravages of World War Three, and represents a reborn and bright future for humanity. Star Trek collectively refers to a science-fiction franchise spanning six unique television series, 726 episodes and ten motion pictures in addition to hundreds of novels, video games, fan stories and other works of fiction all set within the same fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry in the mid-1960s. ... In the science fiction series, Star Trek, the Phoenix was the first man-made spacecraft to travel beyond the speed of light. ... This article is about a hypothetical global nuclear war. ...

In the movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, based on the book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis, a phoenix bursts into flame and flies low over the grass in front of the White Witch's lines, to make a wall of flame to guard Peter's retreat to safer ground. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. ... C.S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (22 November 1888 – 25 November 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis was an English author and scholar, born into a Protestant family in Belfast, though mostly resident in England. ...

In the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, one of the more popular cards is called Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, and has what is fundamentally a phoenix-like "rebirth" power-whenever it is destroyed by some sort of card effect, it is revived from the Graveyard (discard pile). It is worth noting that Nephthys is an Egyptian goddess, drawing on the Egyptian symbolism and theme of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... In Egyptian mythology, Nephthys (spelt Nebet-het, and Nebt-het, in transliteration from hieroglyphs) is one of the Ennead of Heliopolis, a daughter of Nuit and Geb, and the wife of Set. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Also in Yu-Gi-Oh!, the Egyptian God card, The Winged Dragon of Ra, has the power to transform into a Phoenix. In its Phoenix form, Ra can destroy all enemy monsters at the cost of 1000 Life Points. The Japanese Ra card In the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh!, The Winged Dragon of Ra (ラーの翼神竜 Rā no Yoku Shin Ryū, lit. ...

In the Warcraft III expansion, The Frozen Throne, the Blood Mage is able to summon a Phoenix as his Ultimate spell. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, released by Blizzard Entertainment in 2002, is a real-time strategy computer game and the second sequel to Warcraft. ... Two NPC Blood Elves as seen in World of Warcraft. ...

In the Harry Potter movies, Albus Dumbledore has a phoenix as a pet. This article is about the Harry Potter series. ...

See also

• Fenghuang, commonly referred to as the Chinese phoenix.

Fenghuang sculpture, Nanning city, Guangxi province. ...

External links

• Entry for the Phoenix in The Aberdeen Bestiary
• The phoenix as described by Tacitus