Phoenix (mythology)

[[File:Phoenix-Fabelwesen.jpg|thumb|A depiction of a phoenix by [[Friedrich Justin Bertuch]] (1806)]]

[[File:Phoenix-Fabelwesen.jpg|thumb|A depiction of a phoenix by [[Friedrich Justin Bertuch]] (1806)]]

The '''phoenix''' (sometimes spelled '''phenix''' in [[American English]]{{cite web |title=Phenix |work=Collins English Dictionary |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/phenix}}; see [[American and British English spelling differences#æ|spelling differences]]) is a [[Legendary creature|legendary]] immortal bird that cyclically regenerates or is otherwise born again. Originating in [[Greek mythology]], it has analogs in many cultures, such as [[Egyptian mythology|Egyptian]] and [[Persian mythology]]. Associated with the Sun, a phoenix obtains new life by rising from the [[ash]]es of its predecessor. Some legends say it dies in a show of flames and combustion, while others say that it simply burns to death and decomposes before being born again.{{Sfn | Van den Broek | 1972 | p = [https://books.google.com/books?id=jwIVAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA146 146]}} In the ''[[Motif-Index of Folk-Literature]]'', a tool used by [[folklore studies|folklorists]], the phoenix is classified as motif B32.Thompson. (2001: 581).

The '''phoenix''' (sometimes spelled '''phenix''' in [[American English]]{{cite web |title=Phenix |work=Collins English Dictionary |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/phenix}}; see [[American and British English spelling differences#æ|spelling differences]]) is a [[Legendary creature|legendary]] immortal bird that cyclically regenerates or is otherwise born again. Originating in Arabic mythology, it has analogs in many cultures, such as [[Egyptian mythology|Egyptian]] and [[Persian mythology]]. Associated with the Sun, a phoenix obtains new life by rising from the [[ash]]es of its predecessor. Some legends say it dies in a show of flames and combustion, while others say that it simply burns to death and decomposes before being born again.{{Sfn | Van den Broek | 1972 | p = [https://books.google.com/books?id=jwIVAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA146 146]}} In the ''[[Motif-Index of Folk-Literature]]'', a tool used by [[folklore studies|folklorists]], the phoenix is classified as motif B32.Thompson. (2001: 581).

The origin of the phoenix has been attributed to [[Ancient Egypt]] by [[Herodotus]] and later 19th-century scholars, but other scholars think the Egyptian texts may have been influenced by classical folklore. Over time, the phoenix motif spread and gained a variety of new associations; [[Herodotus]], [[Lucan]], [[Pliny the Elder]], [[Pope Clement I]], [[Lactantius]], [[Ovid]], and [[Isidore of Seville]] are among those who have contributed to the retelling and transmission of the phoenix motif. Over time, extending beyond its origins, the phoenix could variously "symbolize renewal in general as well as the sun, time, [[Roman Empire|the Roman Empire]], [[metempsychosis]], [[consecration]], [[resurrection]], life in the heavenly [[Paradise]], [[Christ (title)|Christ]], [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Mary]], [[virginity]], the exceptional man, and certain aspects of Christian life".{{Sfn | Van den Broek | 1972 | p = [https://books.google.com/books?id=jwIVAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA9 9]}} Some scholars have claimed that the poem ''[[De ave phoenice]]'' may present the mythological phoenix motif as a symbol of [[Resurrection of Jesus|Christ's resurrection]].{{cite book |last1=White |first1=Carolinne |title=Early Christian Latin Poets |year=2000 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0415187824 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EhMD9xL4I98C}}

The origin of the phoenix has been attributed to [[Ancient Egypt]] by [[Herodotus]] and later 19th-century scholars, but other scholars think the Egyptian texts may have been influenced by classical folklore. Over time, the phoenix motif spread and gained a variety of new associations; [[Herodotus]], [[Lucan]], [[Pliny the Elder]], [[Pope Clement I]], [[Lactantius]], [[Ovid]], and [[Isidore of Seville]] are among those who have contributed to the retelling and transmission of the phoenix motif. Over time, extending beyond its origins, the phoenix could variously "symbolize renewal in general as well as the sun, time, [[Roman Empire|the Roman Empire]], [[metempsychosis]], [[consecration]], [[resurrection]], life in the heavenly [[Paradise]], [[Christ (title)|Christ]], [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Mary]], [[virginity]], the exceptional man, and certain aspects of Christian life".{{Sfn | Van den Broek | 1972 | p = [https://books.google.com/books?id=jwIVAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA9 9]}} Some scholars have claimed that the poem ''[[De ave phoenice]]'' may present the mythological phoenix motif as a symbol of [[Resurrection of Jesus|Christ's resurrection]].{{cite book |last1=White |first1=Carolinne |title=Early Christian Latin Poets |year=2000 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0415187824 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EhMD9xL4I98C}}