The mythical animals

Press, 9 May 1978, Page 33

The mythical animals

No. 3 — PHOENIX

Pictures of this mysterious bird often show it surrounded by leaping flames. Do you know why? There are many stories about the phoenix, or the Bird of the Sun, as it is sometimes called. It leads a strange life and always suffers the same strange death. You will find out about it in the following legend. The phoenix is a most lovely bird. It is larger than an eagle and has feathers of gold and red, and shining wings. There is no other bird as rare — and never will be. For the phoenix is the only one of its kind anywhere. The home of the phoenix is Paradise, a land without summer or winter, sadness or death. This country lies beyond India

and is the place where the sun rises. The phoenix lives in a quiet and sacred wood by itself, and feeds, not on insects or grass, but on pure air. For a thousand years the phoenix remains in the wood and then, at the end of this time it senses that it is going to die and flies away from its home, passing beyond the borders or Paradise, and turning west into the path of the sun. It flies on and on until at last it reaches Arabia. It stops there and collects sweet smelling gums and spices. Then it builds a nest out of them, having chosen a branch on the tallest palm tree. At dawn, the phoenix stands in its nest and sings a beautiful song to

the rising sun. The god of the sun is delighted, reins in his golden horses, and pauses to listen. For an instant, the sun and the world stand still. Then, as the sun god reluctantly journeys on, sparks from his fiery hair set the bird’s nest alight. The phoenix does not flinch. It welcomes the hot flames and fans them with its wings. In this way, the phoenix, the only one in the world, burns to death. Almost at once, however , a new pheonix springs to life from the ashes of the old one. It lifts up the burnt nest and ashes and carries them all the way to Egypt. (Some writers say that the phoe l nix carries its dead parent enclosed in a lump of myrrh). The young phoenix alights at Heliopolis, the City of the Sun, and places its burden on the altar of the sun temple. Now the young phoenix flies east towards Paradise and hundreds of birds of all kinds follow it. They say goodbye on the borders of Paradise and the phoenix enters alone to spend the next thousand years in the sacred wood before it, too, will die in the same way as its parent.

A particularly enjoyable and amusing storybook describing the adventures of some children and a phoenix is called “The Phoenix and the Carpet” by E. Nesbit. It is read as a rule by those from Standard 3 to Form 3. (Next week: the basilisk)