The City of Phoenix

In the United States a major city has been named after the magical, mythical bird that was a part of legends of long ago. This city has kept alive the phoenix’s legend and a whole lot of popular books and movies have been made about this resurrecting bird. Even the phenomenally successful "Harry Potter" series includes the bird into characters and plots.

Just like any story that originated as an oral tradition, the context varied from teller to teller. Each story teller would put his or her own spin on the story, changing tiny aspects that influenced the next story teller. The origination of the myth is widely debated and the story cannot be nailed down to one specific place or time. The oral tradition has not only changed the story, but also the origination of the story as time has progressed.

Certain aspects of the myth have remained unchanged, though history has tampered the myth itself. The phoenix is believed to be a supernatural creature, capable of living a minimum of a thousand years without being sick or injured. Such an incredible lifespan! Some believe that disease and drought can affect the lifespan of the bird to the extent it would enter its life's next phase.

Once a phoenix has either lived for a thousand years or succumbed to some outside disease or injury, it begins to gather twigs, branches, and wood. This gathering process does not create a nest like other birds, but rather a traditional funeral pyre. A pyre was used in ancient cultures to dispose of a dead body, often including personal artifacts in the rubble that would be burned with their owner. Some cultures even instructed spouses to sacrifice themselves into the pyre upon the death 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.

There is unanimity that the phoenix burns it to ashes, and rises again to live another thousand years. This makes the phoenix the champion against all kinds of adversity and a symbol of hope for many organizations and groups. This cycle is repeated again and again by the phoenix.

Another take on the tale goes on like this. The fire burns the phoenix, but not before it lays an egg from which an offspring is born that lives for a thousand years and this cycle goes on. One cannot be sure of which version to believe, but the triumph over adversity is common in all versions.

There are many twists to the fact that how this myth began. A fire colored bird, they say was captured and around this, the myth of the phoenix was woven. Others say that this phoenix was actually a raven that was "anting", that is, dancing in the embers of a dying fire.

Article Source: http://www.article-voip.com

Silvio Ibanez is the owner and operator of F phoenix, the web's premier resource for information about Phoenix

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