Definition: The Phoenix symbolizes rebirth, especially of the sun, and has variants in European, Central American, Egyptian and Asian cultures. In the 19th century, Hans Christian Anderson wrote a story about the phoenix. Edith Nesbit used a phoenix in one of her children's stories, The Phoenix and the Carpet, as does J.K. Rowling in the 'Harry Potter' series. In one volume of Harry Potter, the phoenix does its resurrecting routine.
The most popular variant of the phoenix has the bird living in Arabia for 500 years at the end of which era it burns itself and its nest. In the version of the phoenix described by Clement, an ante-Nicene father, the phoenix' nest is made of frankincense, myrrh and other spices. A new phoenix always rises from the ashes. Ancient sources on the mythological bird, include Clement, Ovid, Pliny, Tacitus, and Herodotus.
Alternate Spellings: Phoinix
Examples: Harry Potter's magic wand has a feather from the same phoenix that gave a feather for the wand of Voldemort.
