Why is Phoenix an immortal bird?

Phoenix (immortal bird)

In the legends of ancient Greece and Egypt, the phoenix is a legendary bird, which is closely related to the sun god in Egyptian mythology and Apollo in Greek mythology. According to Greek legend, the phoenix lives near a dry well in Arabian Peninsula.

The bird bathed in the clear morning sunshine and sang beautiful songs, while the sun god stopped his chariot and listened to the beautiful songs quietly. At this time, it seems that there is only Phoenix in the world. Whenever the phoenix knows that it is close to death (every 500 years or 146 1 year), it will build a nest with fragrant branches and then burn it in flames. When it is about to burn out, a newborn phoenix will fly out of the flame. It will smear the dead phoenix with the sap of myrrh tree, and then take it to Heliopolis, the city of the sun. It will put the egg in front of the altar of the sun god. In Egypt, it was described as a nest of herons, but in ancient books, it was described as a peacock or an eagle. However, in China, the Phoenix is regarded as a perfect match for dragons, symbolizing immortality, revival and rebirth. At that time, it was often placed in a sarcophagus, and it had some connections with Benu in Egypt, Gruda in India and Phoenix in China.

This is the description of the immortal bird by the Roman poet Ovid: "Most monsters are derived from other creatures, with one exception, they can regenerate, and Assyrians call them phoenixes." This immortal bird does not feed on flowers and fruits, but on frankincense. After 500 years of birth, it will fall on the oak branches at the top of palm trees to build its own nest, and then go out to collect spices such as cinnamon, Gan Song and myrrh, and put them in the nest and under its own body. When it breathes its last breath, it will die quietly. At this time, a new immortal bird will fly out, and its life span is also 500 years. When the immortal bird is strong enough, it will raise its parents' nest from the tree, take it to Heliopolis, Egypt, and put it in the temple of the sun. This nest is its cradle and the grave of its parents. "

As Ovid said, the records of fairy birds originated from Assyrians, but there are similar myths all over the world, such as Phoenix in China, Ho-oo in Japan, Firebird in Russia, Sunbird in Egypt (Benu), Yel in America and Anka in Arabia. These birds have the characteristics of coming back from the dead (life spans are 500 years, 540 years, 1000 years, 14 1 year, 1700 years and 12994), and they are closely related to the sun. The first person to mention the immortal bird was hesiod, a Greek poet in the 8th century BC, and the author of Divine Spectrum. The first person to describe the immortal bird in detail was the Greek historian Herodotus. He said: "I haven't seen it with my own eyes, but I have seen it in the painting. Its feathers are partly golden yellow and partly bright red, which looks like a giant eagle. It also has a beautiful singing voice.

After the 4th century AD, the image of fairy birds changed. It is said that the adult immortal bird whose life is about to expire will set itself on fire in its own nest, and will rise again three days later, like Christ. At this time, the immortal bird has the symbolic meaning of "eternal life" and "resurrection from the dead" Roman scientist Pliny once mentioned the rebirth of the immortal bird in a material written to Roman Senator Manillas. He said that a bug will be born in the bones of the dead immortal bird, and this bug will eventually grow into a new immortal bird.

Some people think that the immortal bird is actually a huge clean bird. In order to kill parasites, they put their wings on the smoke of fire, but people mistakenly think that they were born from fire.

There are many similarities between the Sunbird (Benu) in ancient Egyptian mythology and the fairy bird. Many scholars believe that all kinds of myths and legends about immortal birds are actually adaptations of Egyptian sunbird myths. The ancient Egyptians regarded the sunbird as a symbol of the sun god Ra. In Egyptian, "Benu" means "purple heron" and "palm tree", and there is the sign of this sunbird in the Sun Temple in Heliopolis. Because they will come back from the dead, they are often regarded as symbols of the Egyptian king and Osiris (see Ammut).

Anka in Arabic legend, like the immortal bird, will burn itself and be reborn when life approaches. Their life span is about 1700 years. Anka is big enough to carry an elephant. At first, it was considered as the perfect creation of God, but in later legends, it became an evil creature, preying on all life and sometimes even taking away children. So the Jews hunted Anka, making this giant bird finally extinct.

China Phoenix

Phoenix has a beautiful crest on its head and colorful feathers. It is an imaginary image that combines the characteristics of many birds and animals. Phoenix is the legendary "king of birds" in China, symbolizing auspiciousness, peace and political clarity. Phoenix, like dragon, is regarded as a symbol of power and dignity by emperors of past dynasties. Phoenix-related things, such as rockhopper and phoenix car, can only be used by royalty and immortals. However, later, Phoenix became the mascot of the people. Especially in the traditional wedding in China, the wind has become the decoration on the bride's dress and headdress, representing auspiciousness and celebration. Phoenix is also widely used in traditional folk patterns, meaning auspicious and safe. Phoenix is also often combined with other mascots to form patterns, such as "Dragon and Phoenix with the same design" and "Phoenix is auspicious", which is also a symbol of good luck.