Rising Like The Phoenix

The legend of the phoenix has been in the popular imagination since ancient civilizations. This magical, mythical bird has been a part of the plot since time immemorial. Even today, you would find mention of the phoenix, in books, tales and movies. A city in the United States is named after this bird, which rises from its ashes and the "Harry Potter" movie series has it interwoven in many sub-plots.

Stories emanating from oral traditions have a habit of varying from storyteller to storyteller. A teller would put his version of the story and pass it to the next one who would some thought of his or her own and pass it on. Nobody has been able to pin point the myth to one area or time. Hence not only the myth has morphed into various versions, but even the origination of the story has changed.

The main facts of the legend of the Phoenix remain intact, even though history has adulterated the myth itself. The legend states that the Phoenix is a supernatural creature with an incredibly long life span. Some believe the bird is capable of living at least a thousand years and is unable to become sick or injured at any point in its lifetime. Others believe disease or drought can affect the bird, causing it to prematurely enter the next phase of its life.

The phoenix continues to live for a hundred years, or could succumb to an injury or disease. At this juncture in its lifespan, it gathers twigs, braches and woods not to create a nest, but an ancient funeral pyre. This pyre was used in ancient cultures to dispose of the dead, and some cultures continue the practice even today. In some cultures, personal artifacts are also burned with the dead body and some require that the spouses burn themselves at the pyre of their mate.

After building the pyre, the phoenix ignites and begins to burn. There is a variation in this part of the story as some believe the bird does not have to create a pyre, but burns itself without any fuel. There are many opinions about what happens after the bird is burned.

According to the traditional story, the phoenix burns to ashes, and then rises again from the ashes to live another thousand years. This aspect of the story that demonstrates the triumph over adversity has become the symbol of eternity or the ability to rise from the dead. No wonder many groups and organizations use the phoenix as their mascot.

Another variation on this story is that the fire consumes the bird, which has time to lay an egg in the ashes before being completely consumed. This egg hatches a new phoenix, who will live to be a thousand years old before having an offspring in the same method, thus continuing the life cycle of the bird. No one is sure which version of the story is true, but the gist of triumph over adversity is the same.

There are a great many versions of how this story began. Some believe a fire colored bird was captured and the story was created about his origins. Others think the phoenix was actually a raven who was “dancing” in the embers of a dying fire, a behavior known as “anting.”

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Silvio Ibanez is the owner and operator of F phoenix, the best place on the internet for information about phoenix, For questions or comments about this article why not visit: www.findnphoenix.com/articles
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