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. Since the story has come down to us through the oral tradition, there is no single version of it. It varies from teller to teller – each adding something of their own and changing tiny aspects of it. How the story originated in the first place is also widely debated. It’s impossible to put down a specific place or time to its origin. Over the centuries not only the story has changed, but also the origination of the story. 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. The legend goes on to say that when a phoenix has either lived for a thousand years or becomes sick or injured, it begins to gather twigs, branches, and wood. This resembles a traditional funeral pyre instead of the usual nest. This was the way bodies were disposed off in the ancient times. Some ancient cultures have even included personal artifacts to be burned with their owner, while others have a tradition where the spouses also sacrifice themselves along with their mate. After the pyre has been built, the phoenix ignites and begins to burn. This part of the story has changed and some believe the bird does not need to gather items to create a pyre, but rather self ignites and the flames burn without any fuel. The alteration to the story is not the only one, as there is great debate 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. No one knows how this story began in the first place. Some believe that a story was created around a fire-colored bird that was captured long ago, while others say the phoenix was actually a raven that used to dance in the embers of a dying fire.
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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.
Silvio Ibanez is the chief editor for F phoenix, the web's premier resource for information about phoenix, For more articles on phoenix visit: http://www.findnphoenix.com/articles Get your own completely unique content version of this article.
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