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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. 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 phoenix continues to live for a hundred years, or could succumb to an injury or disease. At this juncture in its lifespan, it gathers twigs, braches and woods not to create a nest, but an ancient funeral pyre. This pyre was used in ancient cultures to dispose of the dead, and some cultures continue the practice even today. In some cultures, personal artifacts are also burned with the dead body and some require that the spouses burn themselves at the pyre of 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. According to the traditional story, the phoenix burns to ashes, and then rises again from the ashes to live another thousand years. This aspect of the story that demonstrates the triumph over adversity has become the symbol of eternity or the ability to rise from the dead. No wonder many groups and organizations use the phoenix as their mascot. Another variation on this story is that the fire consumes the bird, which has time to lay an egg in the ashes before being completely consumed. This egg hatches a new phoenix, who will live to be a thousand years old before having an offspring in the same method, thus continuing the life cycle of the bird. No one is sure which version of the story is true, but the gist of triumph over adversity is the same. There are a great many versions of how this story began. Some believe a fire colored bird was captured and the story was created about his origins. Others think the phoenix was actually a raven who was “dancing” in the embers of a dying fire, a behavior known as “anting.”
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