Phoenix (mythology)
The phoenix ( Ancient Greek Φοίνιξ, phoinix, benu of ancient Egyptian, "The Born-Again / The newborn son "; Latin phoenix ) is a mythical bird that burns to rise again from its ashes again.
This idea can be found today in the idiom "Like a phoenix from the ashes" for something that was already believed lost, but reappears in a new light.
Ancient myth
Already in Egyptian mythology there is Benu, usually presented in the form of a heron which appears at a distance of several hundred years, burned at sunrise in the glow of dawn and rejuvenated from its ashes rises. In Ancient Greece it was handed down as a phoenix.
In the Hellenistic period Greek and Roman authors spread the idea that a phoenix from the ashes of the Osiris or his remains had emerged and a great age of about 300-500 years reach. To this end, he builds at the end of his life a nest, sets into it and burns. After extinction of the flame remains an egg, from which hatches after a short time a new phoenix. A second variant of this legend has it that the red and gold colored bird comes once every 500 years to Heliopolis, each day of the decease of his father. From incense he then forms an egg that can accommodate the size of her the corpse of his father. This egg then enters the Benu in the temple of Heliopolis, where it is buried solemnly.
In late antiquity, the Phoenix then became the symbol of immortality, since he had the ability to regenerate itself when enemies had wounded him. Among Christians it was the symbol of the resurrection. Egyptian sources can not confirm launched by the Greeks and Romans, myths and legends, as there has been no evidence for this.
Use of the name today
"Phoenix" is and was a frequently used name for products and companies. Also places are named after the Phoenix ( see Phoenix ), who also found as a symbol in the heraldry input.
The most important opera house in Venice, which was rebuilt after a fire in the years 1790-1792, since named " La Fenice ".
In the fantasy literature and games of this genre, the phoenix appear or this mythical creature ajar figures in their various forms. Thus appears a phoenix in the Harry Potter novels by JK Rowling. In the video game series Final Fantasy, the phoenix appears as a creature that can be summoned by the player and engage in various places throughout the game; also in the games Age of Mythology and Warcraft 3, a phoenix be summoned, dealing by its own heat damage and turned upon his death in an egg, from which he rises again. In the manga Yu -Gi -Oh! he is the " true form of the winged dragon of Ra". In the manga / anime One Piece, the character Marco can transform into a phoenix and it has the ability to heal itself after injury, or death immediately. In the video game series Pokemon, there is a character named Ho -oh - actually the Japanese name of Fenghuang - that is visually similar to the phoenix and its specific object that can revive " magic bag ", already defeated Pokemon. In Dragon Quest Monsters, there is also a monster by the name of Phoenix.
The title of the film The Flight of the Phoenix ( 1965) also refers to the ability of the Phoenix to rise from its own ashes. In the movie Star Trek: First Contact ( 1996), " Phoenix " is the name of the first FTL capable spaceship of mankind.
In the Star Wars universe, the phoenix also appeared as an emblem in a stylized form: To the arms of the Rebel Alliance is a stylized phoenix, as the emblem of the Jedi Order and the Old Republic. In the further course of history within the " Expanded Universe ", ie the books that play time after the movies, the phoenix appeared repeatedly as an emblem in organizations of the New Republic, the Jedi Order or the Galactic Alliance.
The main character of the Japanese game Phoenix Wright bears in the U.S. and European version of the name Phoenix.
The well-known, free web browser Firefox wore at the beginning of its development (2002 ) the name Phoenix. For licensing reasons, took place in 2003 renamed to Firebird ( Firebird ). Finally, in 2004 only the latest name change took place in Firefox.