Phoenix in popular culture

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The phoenix has proved an enduring allegorical symbol, and often appears in modern popular culture.

The Phoenix and the silhouette of the soldier bearing a bayonet rifle was the emblem of the Junta. On the header the word Greece and on the footer the words 21 April can be seen in Greek.
The Phoenix and the silhouette of the soldier bearing a bayonet rifle was the emblem of the Junta. On the header the word Greece and on the footer the words 21 April can be seen in Greek.

Contents

[edit] In literature

[edit] Antiquity

[edit] The Renaissance

Now I will believe
That there are unicorns; that in Arabia
There is one tree, the phoenix' throne; one phoenix
At this hour reigning there.
(Act III, scene 3)

He also wrote the poem The Phoenix and the Turtle.

  • In certain works of Renaissance literature, the phoenix is said to have been eaten as the rarest of dishes – for only one was alive at any one time. Jonson, in Volpone (1605), III, vii. 204-5 writes: 'could we get the phœnix, though nature lost her kind, shee were our dish.' Another mention of the phoenix as a culinary delicacy occurs in John Webster's The White Devil (1612):
Those noblemen, / Which were invited to your prodigal feasts, / Wherein the phoenix scarce could scrape your throats, / Laugh at your misery, as fore-deeming you / An idle meteor which drawn forth the earth / Would be lost in the air. (Act I, scene i, 23-25)
  • Some literary critics believe the conclusion of Andrew Marvell's 1681 poem "To His Coy Mistress" may allude to the phoenix, given its references to birds and fire.

[edit] 20th Century

  • In Robert E. Howard's tale of King Conan of Aquilonia, The Phoenix on the Sword, the supernatural scribe Epimetreus inscribes a mystical Phoenix symbol on the blade of Conan's broadsword, to aid against a supernatural enemy. This works against dark forces which not only may have cost Conan the Cimmerian his life, but would have destroyed the nation of Aquilonia and probably ended the civilization of the Hyborian Age. The symbolism of the phoenix as a symbol of civilization is put to effective use.
  • Sylvia Townsend Warner's 1940 short story The Phoenix satirized the exploitation of nature using a phoenix maltreated in a carnival sideshow, revealing the modern preference for violence and sensationalism over beauty and dignity.
  • Eudora Welty's 1941 short story A Worn Path employs the phoenix as the name of the major and virtually sole character of a sparsely written yet rich story of regeneration and the South.
  • The phoenix was also famed for being a symbol of the rise and fall of society, Montag and Faber in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. The pattern of an over complacent and abusive society's destruction yielding a fresh new start was compared to the Phoenix's mythological pattern of consumption by flame, then resurrection out of ashes.

There was a silly damn bird called a phoenix back before Christ, every few hundred years he built a pyre and burnt himself up. He must have been first cousin to Man. But every time he burnt himself up he sprang out of the ashes, he got himself born all over again (163).

  • Sylvia Plath also alludes to the phoenix in the end of her famous poem "Lady Lazarus." The speaker of this poem describes her unsuccessful attempts at committing suicide not as failures, but as successful resurrections, like those described in the tales of the biblical character Lazarus and the Phoenix. By the end of the poem, the speaker has transformed into a firebird, effectively marking her rebirth, which some critics liken to a demonic transformation. The poem ends: "Out of the ash / I rise with my red hair / And I eat men like air."
British edition of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
British edition of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
  • More recently, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels feature a phoenix, named Fawkes (after Guy Fawkes[citation needed]). He is the pet of Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, whose Patronus is also a phoenix. The life span of this bird is unknown, though it is less than 500 years. In Harry Potter's world, phoenixes can carry enormous weights, their tears have extraordinary healing powers, and their song is said to strike fear into the hearts of the impure and courage into those who are pure of heart. Moreover, in the wizarding world, magic wands all contain a special element (i.e. a phoenix feather, a unicorn hair, dragon heartstring, or something similar) at the core. The wands of both Harry Potter and the villain, Lord Voldemort, contain feathers from Fawkes, which is said to be the reason why they locked in Priori Incantatem when the two characters attempted to engage in a magical battle.
  • In Neil Gaiman's short story 'Firebird', a party of Epicureans finally answer the question of what happens when a Phoenix is roasted and eaten; you burst into flames, and 'the years burn off you'. This can kill those who are unexperienced, but those who have swallowed fire and practised with glow-worms can achieve an immensely satisfying eternal youth.
  • In Alan Gibbons' 'Legendeer' series the main character is called phoenix and is a rebirth of his great uncle Andreas and his destiny as the Legendeer. Phoenix then completes his great uncle's destiny travelling through 3 worlds of ancients myths ; Ancient Greece; Vampyrs; Norse myths. He then appears to die but it is revealed he chose a new life/birth patrolling these myth worlds and keeping them safe.
  • In Phoenix Rising, by Karen Hesse, Trent mentions the Phoenix several times while he's laying in bed, and one time or two the main character questions Trent about the Phoenix and it's background.

[edit] In music

Four members of Transsylvania-Phoenix in 1976
Four members of Transsylvania-Phoenix in 1976
  • Transsylvania Phoenix is the name of a Romanian rock band with folkloric lyrics.
  • The Christian rock band Pillar has a phoenix as part of their logo.
  • The British band Queen's logo has a picture of a Phoenix on the top part. The logo was designed by their singer, Freddie Mercury.
  • In the Elton John song Grey Seal a phoenix bird is mentioned: "If the phoenix bird can cry than so can I"
  • Rock group 30 Seconds to Mars's official logo is the phoenix.
  • Rock group lostprophets's official logo is the phoenix.
  • Phoenix is the name of a French soft pop/rock band.
  • La Fenice ("The Phoenix") is a famous Opera house in Venice, Italy which burned down in 1996 only to be rebuilt, likening it more closely to its mythical namesake.
  • Bassist Dave Farrell of Linkin Park is also known as Phoenix.
  • The alternative rock band Live makes reference in the song The Dolphin's Cry saying "this phoenix rises up from the ground, and all these wars are over". The Phoenix is used in this context to help symbolize the cycles of love and sexual union being reborn over and over again.
  • The American white power hard metal band Bound for Glory in the chorus of The Iron Eagle Flies Again sings " From the fire the winged one emerges/Into the endless night/The rubbles of old/Turns to streets of gold ..."
  • Fusion rock group Sol Spectre (translated "sun spirit") uses a flaming phoenix rising from from a fire as one of its emblems
  • The Band Senses Fail has at the end of their song (Bite To Break Skin) the Verse. "The phoenix will die inside the firestorm"
  • One of progresive rock band Wishbone Ash's most famous songs is entitled Phoenix, which tells of a Phoenix being reborn from the ashes.
  • Greek movie composer Vangelis wrote a piece called" chariots of fire" describing with his music the rebirth of the phoenix.
  • The underground hip hop group the Unspoken Heard mentions the pheonix in the song "Dream Birth."

[edit] In art

  • Sculptor Theodore Roszak used the phoenix as inspiration for his 1958 "Night Flight." The phoenix can be found in much of ancient Eastern artwork from Sung Dynasty vases to greek coloseums.

[edit] In film and TV

  • In the daytime soap opera Dark Shadows, the character of Laura Murdoch Collins returns to Collinsport, Maine after a ten-year absence to gain custody of her son from her estranged husband, Roger. It is revealed that Laura is an "immortal phoenix" in human form and is nearly at the end of her 100-year lifespan, as she is granted in this storyline. To make a successful completion of the reincarnation process, she must bring another person - her son - into the fire with her. The character of Laura the phoenix is reincarnated a few times into the plotlines of the show, with later episodes showing her to be a worshipper of the god Ra, which may explain the lack of survivors of those she brings into the fire with her, reframing her victims as a divine sacrifice for favor and power rather than as companions for eternity.
  • In the Star Trek universe, Phoenix is the name given to the first man-made spacecraft to travel faster than light. It is named Phoenix because in the Star Trek timeline, the Earth was still recovering from the ravages of World War Three, and represents a reborn and bright future for humanity. There was also a Federation Starship called the U.S.S. Phoenix.
Needle from Conan the Adventurer
Needle from Conan the Adventurer
  • In the animated series Conan the Adventurer Needle is Conan's fledgling phoenix sidekick. He possesses the ability to enter flat surfaces and magically transforms into a phoenix design (although he needs his magical tail feathers to accomplish this feat, and loses this power if he loses one of them.) He spent most of his time inside Conan's shield. Needle speaks in the third person giving others nicknames (i.e. he calls Conan "big dumb barbarian") and loves to eat pomegranates. He eventually learns how to harness his full power and aid Conan in battle. When in public Needle, who has the ability to speak, is often asked to impersonate a parrot in order to not arouse suspicion, an act which he greatly resents.
  • In the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, one of the more popular cards is called Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, and has what is fundamentally a phoenix-like "rebirth" power-whenever it is destroyed by some sort of card effect, it is revived from the Graveyard (discard pile). It is worth noting that Nephthys is an Egyptian goddess, drawing on the Egyptian symbolism and theme of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. It is one of the rare 2-Tribute monsters restricted to one per deck, and veterans consider it (alongside the other restricted Tribute) to be one of the few 2-Tribute monsters worth playing competitively. Also in Yu-Gi-Oh!, the Egyptian God card, The Winged Dragon of Ra, has the power to transform into a Phoenix. In its Phoenix form, Ra can destroy all enemy monsters at the cost of 1000 Life Points. However, this power can only be used if Ra is first revived from the Graveyard. Another Yugioh card in the series that features a phoenix are the Harpie Ladies of Mai Valentine. The Harpies were a set and one of the many cards belonging to that family was Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation. This magical spell card worked by destroying up to same number of monsters as Harpies on the opposong players side of the field. Plus the sum of the monsters attack points would get subtracted from the opposing player's lifepoints. This card was a key in her deck towards the end of the series when she was controlled by the Orichalcos.
  • In the anime series Beyblade, characters battle using a form of spinning top, many of which contain "bit-beasts" which are based on animals including mythological creatures. One such bit-beast is named Dranzer and is based on the Phoenix.
  • In the X-Men series, the character Jean Grey, who was thought to have perished, eventually resurfaces as the new character Phoenix. In the film series, the second movie ends with Jean Grey's apparent death, followed by the third film resurrecting her as Phoenix (see also Comics, below)
  • In the anime series Mobile Fighter G Gundam there is a Gundam piloted by Michelo Chariot called Gundam Heaven's Sword which is in the form of a giant bird somewhat resembling a Phoenix. During the battle against Domon, the Gundam displays various Phoenix-like abilities, such as being able to attack with fire from its wings, absorbing the fire attacks of others (the Gundam absorbs the energy from Domon's God Finger attack), and regenerating damage it has sustained through the help of the Devil Gundam Cells (DG Cells).
  • In Kamen Rider Ryuki, a Rider by the name of Kamen Rider Odin has a phoenix Contract Monster named Goldphoenix. Even his weapon, the GoldVisor, carries the design of a phoenix.
  • In the manga and anime series Fushigi Yugi, the main character is drawn towards a historic fairy tale book which is ruled by four gods; the god that lured her to the book (and the god that seems to inundate the side of good in the series) is a phoenix named Suzaku that the main character is destined to summon primarily to save its land from war.
  • In the anime series Kaleido Star, the second OVA is named "The legend of Phoenix". One of the characters, Layla Hamilton, talks about her past, and then about her present life, mentioning that her mother, which died, used to read her "The legend of Phoenix" when she was little. Relying on this, she discovers true strenght in being the same as a phoenix, always reborning from her ashes.

[edit] As mascot / symbol

Flag of the City of Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Flag of the City of Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Coat of Arms of Coventry.
Coat of Arms of Coventry.
Seal of the University of Chicago, bearing a phoenix, its official mascot
Seal of the University of Chicago, bearing a phoenix, its official mascot
  • The City of Phoenix, Arizona, USA, uses its namesake creature in the city's flag, and as the city's logo.
  • The Phoenix is the official mascot of Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering and the University of Chicago. An earlier institution by the same name had been founded (on a different site) by Stephen Douglas in 1859, but closed by 1889; the phoenix was chosen as a mascot of the new university to symbolize its rise from the ashes of the old. The phoenix also symbolized the city of Chicago's rebirth following the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. It has also been adopted as an athletics mascot by at least three other American colleges - Elon University in North Carolina, which changed its mascot to the Phoenix from the "Fighting Christians" upon changing its name from Elon College to Elon University in 1999, and Swarthmore College, which adopted the Phoenix as its first ever mascot in June 2006. In addition, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay named their mascot the "Fighting Phoenix" upon its founding in 1965.

[edit] Automotive

  • GM's Pontiac Firebird sported a huge phoenix on the hood of its car, although it came in vogue in the early seventies, it stayed as a cornerstone of the styling until the early eighties before it was phased out.

[edit] In video games

Many video games include the bird, or people and devices named after it.

The phoenix itself, or monsters going by the same name appear in:

Games which feature people named after the phoenix include:

Machinery named after it appears in:

  • In The Legend of Zelda series, a phoenix is the emblem representing the kingdom of Hyrule, and is seen in various locations throughout the games.

[edit] Comics

  • In the canon of comic author Osamu Tezuka the phoenix is often featured as both a literal and symbolic character. Most prominently in the 12 volume series Hi no Tori in which the phoenix is an all knowing cosmic force which connects the string of cultural, physical, and spiritual deaths, rebirths, reincarnations and transmigrations throughout the series.
  • The X-Men comics' most famous and successful story arc featured the fabled Phoenix Force merging with the dying X-Men mutant Jean Grey in order to pilot a shuttle down from space (originally, this was described as Jean herself being "reborn" with a new level of power, hence the name Phoenix). Through Jean's empathic abilities and highly-tuned senses the sentient Phoenix experienced incredible sensations and emotions never before felt, this caused it to become corrupt and refused to leave Jean's body. This heralded the Dark Phoenix Saga which saw the X-men battling the nearly limitless power of the Phoenix force. It led to Jean Grey sacrificing herself to save the world from destruction. Although not truly a phoenix, Jean Grey symbolized the essence of a phoenix when she rose from the ashes, or the dead, later on in the comics. The Phoenix Force later merged with Jean Grey's daughter (from an alternate future), Rachel Summers, who also died and later came back to life.
  • In the classic anime franchise, Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, the most spectacular power the superhero has is the ability to temporarily transform their aircraft, The God Phoenix in a massive phoenix-like bird of flame to escape danger.
  • The Pokémon franchise includes two Pokémon which are based on the Phoenix, named Moltres and Ho-Oh. The latter's name is a romanisation of the name for the Chinese Phoenix, Houou.

[edit] See also

Phoenix

[edit] References

  1. ^ Herodotus, Histories, volume 2
  2. ^ Tacitus, Annals,
  3. ^ http://www.themediadrome.com/content/articles/words_articles/poems_phoenix.htm
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