History of the Phoenix

Deputy Editor Kayleigh Greig recaps the mythical origins of the phoenix.

A bird that bursts into flames and rises once more from the ashes: the phoenix is a ubiquitous symbol of rebirth, but how did it come to be?

Egypt

From the primordial abyss rose Benu, a self-created deity whose earliest mention in the Pyramid texts (the oldest Egyptian records) described him as a form of the creation god, Atum. Flying over the void, the bird issued the call that shaped creation (1). Ancient Egyptians believed the avian being had the ability to renew himself daily like the sun, making him a symbol of rebirth associated with Osiris, god of the afterlife, and of Ra, god of the sun (2). Most interpretations show Benu as a heron-like creature, but earlier hieroglyphs that refer to a smaller songbird suggest the yellow wagtail (Motacilla flava) may have been closer to the original form of Benu (1).

Greece

It was the Greek historian Herodotus who first used the term “phoenix” in 5th century BCE for a version of the Egyptian deity that supposedly died at the age of five hundred on a flaming pyre of its own making. After its death, a new phoenix is born from the ashes of its father, which it embalms in myrrh and flies from Arabia to the Temple of the Sun in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis (3). Herodotus portrayed the creature as eagle-shaped with red and gold plumage, as it is most often depicted in modern times, and claimed to have heard the myth from worshippers at Heliopolis. However, the considerable divergences from the classic myth of the Benu-bird (4), and debate as to whether he plagiarised an earlier historian (5) brings the credibility of his account into question.

China

The arrival of the Chinese phoenix or fenghuang was first recorded when a pair of phoenixes (male feng and female huang) were said to arrive in the courtyard of Emperor Hwang-te and subsequent emperors Yaou and Shun. While similar to the Benu, the fenghuang was an independent creation. Despite the original pair comprising a male and female, Chinese phoenixes became associated with femininity, in contrast to masculine dragons (5). In later dynasties, phoenix hairpins even became the formal headpieces for empresses, concubines and other high-class women, as well as for brides (6). The fenghuang is described as a mish-mash of birds and sometimes even other animals such as tortoises and fish, but is generally presented similarly to the modern phoenix with which we are familiar (5). 

Modern Day

In Modern times, the Phoenix is prevalent in pop culture from books to TV shows and even manga. In the book series Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling adds to the mythology of the phoenix with the healing tears cried by Fawkes. One Piece, a manga series by Eiichiro Oda, includes a character called Marco the Phoenix who is able to shift into the bird thanks to the consumption of a magical Devil Fruit. Marvel even features a power named the Phoenix Force which encompasses all energy, life and death in the universe. 

A symbol both ancient and with continuing present-day relevance, the Phoenix has cemented its place in everyday life and onwards into the future. Real or not, the Phoenix is indeed immortal. 

References

1. Wilkinson, R.H. The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson, 2003.

2. Hart, G. The Routledge Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. 2nd ed., Routledge, 2005. 

3. Suhr, E.G. “The Phoenix.” Folklore, vol. 87, no. 1, 2019, pp. 29-37. 

4. Amentet Neferet. ‘Benu’-Bird (the Phoenix). AMNTE NOFRE, 2014, https://amentetneferet.wordpress.com/gods/kheper-ra-atum/benu-bird-the-phoenix/. 

5. Nigg, J. The Phoenix: An Unnatural Biography of a Mythical Beast. The University of Chicago Press, 2015. 

6. Cai, Y. & Liu, A. “Research on the Evolution of Ancient Women’s Wedding Attire.” International Journal of Social Sciences and Public Administration, 2nd ed., no. 3, 2024, pp. 342-350.