THE PHOENIX BIRD: What is it?, meaning, symbol and more

In Greek mythology The Phoenix, is one of the most recognized beings, as it was burned with fire and rose from its ashes every 500 years. In this article we will tell you everything about him, and you will discover how he managed to rise from his own ashes.

Introduction

Greek mythology is made up of a whole series of wonderful stories, through which episodes of the life of the Greek people in ancient times are told, with the presence of fantastic beings endowed with incredible qualities, which is why they were considered gods, heroes. or simply elements of nature to which life was given.

All of these stories are mostly the product of the literary imagination of many writers, who, through their books, wanted to leave messages to feed all the knowledge of humanity; They are, to a large extent, so magical that it is impossible to believe in them as a product of the reality of the world, but on the other hand they are fascinating.

The Phoenix is ​​one of these stories, where a beautiful and large bird is presented that is enveloped in flames, every 500 years, and whose plumage is as red as the color of fire; considered the only animal that, within Eden, resisted temptation, which is why it became immortal.

This is a being considered magical and whose existence is fabulous, so much so that it has been described in various mythologies, but for almost all of them, it has the same meaning; since he is considered a being that represents, with his life, immortality and resurrection.

Ancient Egypt called it Bennu and for them it was the symbol of the Sun; because it is the one who dies during the nights and is reborn with each dawn. He is considered within Greek and Egyptian mythologies as a demigod, who after completing his life cycle, is reborn with his own creation, since from his own ashes, his new life emerges.

The Chinese have also considered this bird within their mythology, but for them they do not associate it with a large bird, but on the contrary consider it to be a combination of fish, snake and turtle. All this leads us to demonstrate that mythologies are always endowed with a lot of fantasy, but that through them, many cultural teachings are acquired.

We have dedicated our article to knowing the Phoenix Bird, since we consider that it is a bird that represents great mythological symbolism, and about which many people do not yet have knowledge, especially because it is considered, within some cultures, a protective and good symbol. luck.

This bird is a myth that has been inspiration for well-known writings such as Dante and Quevedo; who with their literary works have helped give life to this mythological animal, which even within alchemy is symbolic, as it represents the rebirth of fire, for all this we invite you to continue reading to learn everything about the Phoenix Bird.

What is the Phoenix Bird?

It is a fabulous mythological creature, which has been considered the symbol of death and resurrection; a very long-lived being that at the moment when its life cycle is completed, prepares its own mortuary ritual, where after self-incineration, it rises from its own ashes, giving rise to another new bird, which will be equally long-lived.

When it is physically represented, it is said to be a large bird that appears to be a fusion between the eagle and the peacock; However, the Chinese consider that for them it is an animal with the body of a fish, the neck of a snake and the rear of a turtle.

The phoenix is ​​legendarily represented in red, with many golden reflections, and with a body capable of emitting light, which is why the Egyptians compare it to the sun. The stories tell of her that she fed on incense and balms, which is why her tears used to be healing.

It was long-lived because it could live for about 500 years, and some also considered it immortal, because after being consumed by flames, a new bird emerged from its ashes, all of which is part of a myth that has spread throughout history. history of humanity.

Origin

This large bird originated in the regions of Libya and Ethiopia, its name being Greek and its meaning being red. Considered a demigod because after lighting up in flames, he is reborn in a new body, which arises from his own ashes. The Greeks named it Phoenicoperus, and with this name it spread throughout Europe.

Being considered a sacred animal, whose plumage was scented. But as we have commented, it not only existed for the Greeks, since in historical accounts by Herodotus and Epiphanius of Salamis; He considered that this bird was Egyptian, and that it used to fly to the altar of Heliopolis every 500 years, which is why it was called Bennu and for them it represented the floods of the Nile River, and itself, due to the fact that it was born and died every day.

This is a story that has been widely disseminated, and each culture has adapted it to its own environment, since for example for the Chinese, this is a bird whose name is Feng, and is the representation of the empress, being an inseparable companion. from the Dragon.

In India, the Phoenix is ​​considered a being that immolates itself on an altar consecrated for it by a priest. But where it is the bird itself that lights its fire; The next day, a larva is found among her ashes, which transforms into a small bird.

When looking for this bird in medieval legend, it is found living in Arabia, but from there it flies until it reaches Egypt, the home of the alchemist. Being in this version considered as a bird that is purple or red, which ages, builds a wooden altar to perch on; and with the rays of the sun the fire is lit, which is fanned by the wings of the bird itself, until it is completely ashes. But from which a new Phoenix emerges.

The stories about the Phoenix Bird are so widespread that within the sciences of natural history, an attempt has been made to include it, this fact being evidenced in the descriptions made by Pliny, where he points out this animal as a large eagle, with a golden collar, purple body, blue tail, with pink feathers; being as long as about 540 years old.

And justifying his death by the fact that he suffered regeneration of his bones and his own marrow, because once he ceased to exist, the worms were the ones that helped him to be reborn. But in reality no one ever saw this bird fly or feed. The truth about all this is that The Phoenix Bird exists because it is part of many mythologies throughout the world.

Myth of the Phoenix Bird

This is a bird whose existence represents an entire myth, because it itself knew when it was going to die, which is why it began to prepare its nest with many herbs and aromatic species, in them and well buried, it laid an egg, which was hatched for about three days, the latter being when she herself started the fire in her body.

The bird was completely consumed and only the ashes remained in the nest, from which a new Phoenix appeared, which would last again for another 500 years, and this would occur in the same way for centuries and centuries. But this is not all, since it is a bird, which has been considered in many cultures, and is part of the myths of all of them.

When the myth of this bird is considered within Christianity, it is presented under the Tree of Good and Evil, next to a bush of roses, being born like the first flower, its plumage being very beautiful, with an incomparable song. . Being the only animal that did not eat the fruits of this tree.

Reason why, when Adam and Eve were expelled from paradise, a spark that came from the sword of a Cherub fell on the bird’s nest and for this reason the bird was burned; However, a new bird instantly emerged, which was called the Phoenix, with more beautiful plumage, scarlet wings and its entire body golden.

This myth reaches Arabia, where the bird is said to have lived, near a well with fresh water, where it used to bathe and sing a beautiful melody, which was admired by the Sun God, who stopped to listen to it.

The fact that the Phoenix Bird did not touch the tree of Eden led to it being rewarded with great gifts; one of them being immortality, the gift of knowledge and the healing ability of his tears, but also being gratified with the quality of possessing incredible strength.

The Phoenix Bird has the mission of transmitting to the whole world its great knowledge acquired over the many years it has lived, this being something that has been the cause of research by many seekers of knowledge, inspiration for artists and example for thinkers of all times and cultures.

That is why Ovid says:

“When the Phoenix reaches its end, it prepares its oak nest, decorates it with cinnamon, tuberose and myrrh, and at the top of a palm tree; I sing the most touching melody of his, and after three days he dies, but then he is reborn as a more beautiful Phoenix.

Meaning

To know the full meaning of the Phoenix Bird; It is initially necessary to know what this bird is called in different cultures, which we indicate below.

China (the Feng-Huang) Japanese (the Ho-oo) Russian (The Firebird, that would musically immortalize Stravinsky) Egyptian (the Benu) Hindu (the Garuda) North America (the And the) Aztecs, Mayans and Toltecs (the Quetzal). The representation given by this type of cultures is similar to the one shown in the following image, which corresponds to a sacred bird called quetzal, which is taken as its representation of the Phoenix Bird.

He was first cited by Hesiod in the 8th century BC and years later by the historian Herodotus.

Being thus widely considered in all these ancient cultures, the Phoenix has always been considered a symbol of death and resurrection. His death is the symbol of dying from fire, which consumes, devours and turns everything to ashes. But of which there is also rebirth or resurrection.

For this reason it also represents immortality, because it does not matter how many times you die, you will be born again, thanks to the resurrection. Being in many cultures, a symbol of the sun, in its way of being born in the mornings and dying in the evenings; but it also represents purification, since this is given through fire.

This bird also symbolizes delicacy, since it feeds only on Roscio, it is the representation of wisdom and knowledge through its longevity, a direct symbol of physical and spiritual rebirth. Also considered as the representation of the transformation of life.

Its symbology is so broad that in some cultures it is the representation of the ascension to heaven, purification and the cycle of life and death. Being the queen bird of the heavens, it knows when its present life comes to an end and therefore prepares its path to get rid of the current body and move on to a new stage of physical and spiritual renewal.

Spiritual

When we think about the spirituality represented by the Phoenix, this brings us to the point where it is necessary to carry out a careful analysis of it. Well this is a…