The Latin word comes from Greek φοῖνιξ phoinīx. In time, the word developed specialized use in the English language: For example, the term could refer to an "excellent person" (12th century), a variety of heraldic emblem (15th century), and the name of a constellation (17th century). This borrowing was later reinforced by French influence, which had also borrowed the Latin noun. The word first entered the English language by way of a borrowing of Latin phoenīx into Old English ( fenix). The modern English word phoenix entered the English language from Latin, later reinforced by French. Some scholars have claimed that the poem De ave phoenice may present the mythological phoenix motif as a symbol of Christ's resurrection.
Over time, extending beyond its origins, the phoenix could variously "symbolize renewal in general as well as the sun, time, the Empire, metempsychosis, consecration, resurrection, life in the heavenly Paradise, Christ, Mary, virginity, the exceptional man, and certain aspects of Christian life". Over time the phoenix motif spread and gained a variety of new associations Herodotus, Lucan, Pliny the Elder, Pope Clement I, Lactantius, Ovid, and Isidore of Seville are among those who have contributed to the retelling and transmission of the phoenix motif. The origin of the phoenix has been attributed to Ancient Egypt by Herodotus and later 19th-century scholars, but other scholars think the Egyptian texts may have been influenced by classical folklore. In the Motif-Index of Folk-Literature, a tool used by folklorists, the phoenix is classified as motif B32. Some legends say it dies in a show of flames and combustion, others that it simply dies and decomposes before being born again.
Associated with the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by rising from the ashes of its predecessor. While it's part of Greek mythology, it has analogs in many cultures such as Egyptian and Persian. The phoenix is an immortal bird that cyclically regenerates or is otherwise born again. Greek mythology, Egyptian mythology and Persian mythologyĪncient Greece, Ancient Egypt and Ancient PersiaĪ depiction of a phoenix by Friedrich Justin Bertuch (1806) The phoenix, "unica semper avis" (ever-singular bird), 1583
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