Phoenix in popular culture

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The phoenix has proved an enduring allegorical symbol, symbolising rebirth, renewal or uniqueness 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
  • J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels feature a phoenix, named Fawkes (after Guy Fawkes.[4]) In Harry Potter's world, phoenixes can carry enormous weights, their tears have extraordinary healing powers, they never die because they eventually burst into flames and are reborn from their ashes, and their song is said to strike fear into the hearts of the impure and courage into those who are pure of heart. The presence of a phoenix reinforces the underlying theme of overcoming death by embracing life found throughout the series.
  • 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 lying in bed, and one time or two the main character questions Trent about the Phoenix and its background.
  • Neil Gaiman's comic book "Ramadan" in the collection Fables and Reflections features two phoenix eggs, a white one which that will hatch a phoenix, and a black one which is a mystery. At the end of the story, the child that the story was told to questions this.
  • In Final Fantasy the Phoenix is used as a summoning power, usually deals a small amount of damage while ressurecting any dead characters. Phoenix Down is an item in Final Fantasy which is used to ressurect a dead character. Phoenix Pinion is an item used in Final Fantasy which is used for various reasons in many different final fantasy games.

[edit] In music

  • Phoenix was the intended title of The Byrds's 1970 album (Untitled).
  • 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 twice in 1836 and in 1996 only to be rebuilt, likening it more closely to its mythical namesake.
  • 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 progressive 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 phoenix in the song "Dream Birth."
  • The band AFI (band) has a song and EP titled The Days of the Phoenix.
  • Christian rock band Kids in the Way has a song "Phoenix with a Heartache" on their Safe from the Losing Fight album.
  • On the album I've Been Expecting You by Robbie Williams, a song called "Phoenix From The Flames" is the fourth track.
  • Linkin Park's bassist Dave Farell has the nickname "Phoenix"
  • The Christian rock band Ace Troubleshooter has a song called "Phoenix".
  • DJ Tiësto uses a phoenix as his logo.
  • Phoenix is the title song of a 1979 double-platinum album by American singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg; the cover features a representation of a phoenix bird.
  • The Dropper, an album by the experimental jazz-fusion trio Medeski, Martin & Wood, features a phoenix as part of the cover art.
  • The metal band Trivium mention 'Pheonix' and 'ascending above the ashes of the world I once knew' in the song Asendancy and a reference to Judas is also made in the same song.
  • In the Video Game Warcraft 3, Prince Keal'thas summons a phoenix which reverts into an egg and is reborn every few minutes. His phoenix is also a boss in Tempest keep in World of Warcraft.
  • In the Girls Aloud song Call the Shots the phoenix and it's powers of recreation is mentioned: "Out of the fire that burns inside me / A phoenix is rising".
  • Finnish power metal band Stratovarius has a song called Phoenix from their album Infinite.

[edit] In art

The Phoenix represented in the 60 years of peace coin.
The Phoenix represented in the 60 years of peace coin.
  • The Phoenix has been in a numerous times the main motive for collectors’ coins and medals, one of the most recent one is the famous Belgian 10 euro silver coin 60 years of peace. The obverse depicts the Phoenix as a representation of a new Europe, post 1945.
  • 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.
  • In the taprestry in the Chamber of the United Nations Security Council, the Phoenix represents the world being reborn from the ashes of World War II

[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 short-lived (4 episodes) 1982 sci-fi television series The Phoenix, Judson Scott played a fugitive ancient astronaut named Bennu (the Egyptian name for the Phoenix) who used the sun's rays to charge a phoenix-emblazoned medallion that provided special powers he used to save those he befriended on his journeys.
  • 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 all 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. Aside from the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, there is also Cyber Phoenix, which grants power after its destruction in battle by way of an extra card draw. Many other Phoenix cards also have a similar birth of either power after death, or recursion after being destroyed. The Winged Dragon of Ra, one of the Egyptian God Cards illegal in normal play, was used in the anime/manga to transform into its "Phoenix" mode. The Harpy Lady cards used a "Phoenix Formation" magic card in the anime/manga as well.
  • 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 Super Sentai and Power Rangers franchises, there have been many mecha and Zords based on the phoenix. In Gosei Sentai Dairanger (footage used in the second season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), the HououRanger controlled Legendary Chi Beast Star Phoenix, which became the Pink Power Ranger's Firebird Thunderzord was based upon the phoenix. However, both of these are based on the Chinese phoenix. In Chouriki Sentai Ohranger (footage used in Power Rangers: Zeo), OhRed piloted the SkyPhoenix, which became Zeo Ranger V – Red's Zeozord V. In Seijuu Sentai Gingaman (footage used in Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy), the mecha GigaPhoenix was at one time StarBeast GigaPhoenix a blue phoenix before it was mechanized. This became the Stratoforce Megazord which was formally the Phoenix Galactabeast before it became a zord. In Mahou Sentai Magiranger (footage used in Power Rangers: Mystic Force) MagiRed's power comes from the Phoenix and had both a Majin (humanoid) and Majuu (animal) Phoenix form, entitled MagiPhoenix and MagiFirebird (the latter is based on the Chinese phoenix). These forms became the Red Mystic Ranger's Mystic Phoenix and Mystic Firebird Mystic Titan forms. In Jyuken Sentai Gekiranger, Confrontation Fist Chameleon Fist User Mele is reborn as a Phantom General and gained Phantom Beast Phoenix Fist after Long infused her with Gengi. After certain events, she voluntarily expelled her Gengi and lost her Phoenix Fist form permanently.
  • 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 strength in being the same as a phoenix, always reborning from her ashes.
  • In the anime series Bleach, the Soul Society uses a weapon called the Sōkyoku for execution, which is a halberd that when released takes the shape of a phoenix (Kikōō) used to destroy a soul on contact. Also, in the spin-off game, Shattered Blade, the main antagonist uses a weapon called Fénix, which is Spanish for phoenix.
  • The British television series Phoenix Nights part-written by and starring comedian Peter Kay centres around a Northern club called The Phoenix which is rebuilt after a fire.
  • On the show John Doe, John sees a lot of phoenix images & a statuette in red and someone tells him that he is the phoenix.
  • In the animated series, Storm Hawks, the phoenix is portrayed as a giant flaming bird capable of breathing fire.
  • In the animated series Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers, the pilot episode (even though it aired third) was named "Phoenix", as was the doomed ship of the episode's protagonist, Zachary Foxx. Appropriately, the character's life as an ordinary Ranger and family man was destroyed by an attack from his nemesis. At the end, he is "reborn" as a cyborg leading an experimental team.
  • The Pokemon known as Ho-Oh has an appearance very similar to a phoenix. its signature move is called Sacred Fire, which does intense damage to the foe. likewise, Moltres is very similar to the pheonix due to its feathers, which are always burning with smoldering hot flames.
  • In Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore owns a pet Phoenix named Fawkes. This phoenix gave two single feathers to Ollivander the wandmaker, which were the cores for Voldemort's and Harry Potter's wands. It also healed the wound Harry acquired after being bit by the Basilisk in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by crying on the wound, as Phoenix tears are the only known anti-venom for Basilisk venom.
  • In the anime Flame of Recca, Recca's twin brother Kurei possesses the black flame in the original form of a phoenix which is considered as a sacred flame.
  • The Phoenix is the symbol for the Twelve Colonies of Kobol in the Reimagined Battlestar Galactica
  • In the anime One Piece, Usopp has an attack called "Hissatsu Hi no Tori Boshi" (必殺火の鳥星(ファイアーバードスター), Sure-Kill Fire Bird Star) that, when fired, takes the form of a bird comprised of fire.

[edit] As mascot / symbol

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 symbol of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Reich was the phoenix.
  • The City of Phoenix, Arizona, USA, uses its namesake creature in the city's flag, and as the city's logo.
  • The phoenix figures as a supporter on the coat of arms of Coventry, signifying its rise from the ashes after heavy bombing in World War II. It is also the logo of Coventry University. Similarly, the phoenix is the symbol of Caen University, symbolizing its revival after its complete destruction in 1944. Exeter, England, also has this connection with the phoenix after the Exeter Blitz on 4 May 1942.
  • 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.

A phoenix is also the unofficial mascot of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. The first connection between the College and the Phoenix occurred in 1705 after the Wren Building, the oldest academic building in continuous use in America, first burned to the ground. Professor james Blair, the founder of the College, promised that William and Mary would be like a phoenix, something beautiful rising from the charred shell of the old Wren Building. His portrait at the College has a phoenix rising from the base of the Wren in the background. Since then, the Phoenix has been connected with numerous clubs and organizations on campus, ranging from a 19th century debate club to a modern partnership with middle school aged kids to even the English Department’s alumni newsletter. There is a large seal stamp of a Phoenix memorial at the College. The Queen’s Guard at the college has a phoenix on a field of ermine their insignia. The phoenix, modified in the insignia to suggest the American eagle, rises from its own ashes, a symbol of rebirth from destruction employed in literary allusion to the College of William and Mary. It is based on this idea of immortality that many identify the College with a Phoenix. When the Wren and the President’s house burned, they were rebuilt. When the school was closed in the late 1800’s, President Ewell rang the bell every year at the start of the term to remind Williamsburg that the school was still alive. Every time it seemed to be the end of the College, the school rose from the ashes even greater than before. The Phoenix is seen to represent the spirit of the school; the will to keep on even at the darkest hour, to rise up out of destruction and failure and keep going, to go from a pile of ashes to the king of the air. The phoenix is a symbol of the interminable sprit of William and Mary. There has been a strong push from both alumni and students to make the phoenix the official mascot of the school. Currently, the College lacks a mascot.

  • Following a fire that destroyed the Paddington tram depot in 1962, the Brisbane City Council constructed eight trams from material salvaged from the ruins of the depot. The livery of these trams featured a small picture of a phoenix underneath the motorman's windows, to signify that these trams had "risen from the ashes".
  • Grey College of the University of Durham has adopted the Phoenix as its unofficial mascot since its founding in 1959. This was due to the devastation by fire of the then main building of the college, Elvet, just months before the opening.
  • The RAAF's 79 squadron, flying hawk 127 aircraft in the lead in fighter trainer role, has a phoenix on its crest, symbolising the squadrons many re-incarnations
  • Cypriot football team of Anorthosis Famagusta has Phoenix as its sign along with part of the Greek flag. Both symbolize Greek ethnicity in the island.

[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] 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.

[edit] In games

In the popular MMORPG World of Warcraft there is a flying mount named Peep the Phoenix.

In the MMORPG Guild Wars, you can tame a Phoenix inspired by Chinese mythology in the Factions Campaign. You can also tame a Rainbow Phoenix after accumulating a certain amount of titles.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Herodotus, Histories, volume 2
  2. ^ Tacitus, Annals,
  3. ^ The Mediadrome - Poems of the Week: The Phoenix
  4. ^ Phoenixes - Fawkes. Harry Potter Lexicon. Retrieved on 2007-06-20.