Mythologis
The Phoenix: The Complete Guide to the Firebird in Myth and Legend

Mythical Creatures Mythology

The Phoenix: The Complete Guide to the Firebird in Myth and Legend

The Firebird of Resurrection, from Egypt to the Modern World

The complete guide to the phoenix: the firebird that dies and is reborn, the Egyptian Bennu and the Greek phoenix, the firebirds of world myth, and the long history of humanity's great symbol of resurrection.

150 pagesPDFEnglishMythologis Library

$14.99

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Inside this book

What you will read

  • 11 chapters, primary sources
  • Instant PDF download
  • Original ink illustrations
  • The firebird across many traditions
  • Designed for print quality
See all chapters  +
  1. 01The Bird of Hope
  2. 02The Bennu: The Firebird of Egypt
  3. 03The Greek Phoenix and the Five Hundred Years
  4. 04How the Phoenix Dies and Is Reborn
  5. 05The Christian Phoenix: A Proof of Resurrection
  6. 06The Simurgh of Persia
  7. 07The Fenghuang of China
  8. 08The Firebird of Russia
  9. 09The Anqa and the Birds of Arabia
  10. 10One Idea, Many Birds
  11. 11The Phoenix as a Modern Symbol

About this book

About this Mythical Creatures mythology guide

The bird that burns and is reborn carries the most hope of any creature in myth. This is the complete guide to the phoenix, from the Egyptian Bennu to the firebirds of the world.

Of all the creatures of myth, the phoenix carries the most hope. It is the bird that burns and is reborn, that lives for centuries, makes its own funeral pyre, and rises new from the ashes of its own death. No other mythical beast has been adopted by so many religions and causes as a symbol, and behind the symbol is a genuinely ancient and strange story.

This is the complete guide to the phoenix. The Bennu of Egypt, the heron of the rising sun and the oldest ancestor of the firebird; the Greek phoenix described by Herodotus, with its cycle of five hundred years; the Christian phoenix, taken up almost at once as a proof of the resurrection; and the great firebirds of other traditions, the Persian Simurgh, the Chinese Fenghuang, the Russian Firebird and the Arabian Anqa, each a cousin of the same blazing idea.

The book follows the firebird from the temple of the sun to the modern emblem, drawing on the classical sources, the sacred texts and the folklore, with every chapter citing its sources.

Delivered as a print-quality PDF within 24 hours of purchase.

What you will discover inside

  • The Egyptian Bennu, the heron of the sun and the oldest firebird
  • The Greek phoenix of Herodotus and its cycle of five hundred years
  • Why the early Christians seized on the phoenix as proof of resurrection
  • The Simurgh, the Fenghuang and the Firebird: the phoenix's cousins
  • How a single idea of death and rebirth took so many feathered forms
  • Why the phoenix became the world’s favorite symbol of renewal

Mythical Creatures mythology book at a glance

TraditionMythical Creatures mythology
Chapters11 chapters
Length150 pages
SourcesDrawn from the primary sources, cited inline
Reading levelBeginner-friendly. Every name and place is explained from scratch
FormatPrint-quality PDF
DeliveryPDF within 24 hours

Formats and editions

EditionWhat you getPrice
Instant PDFPrint-quality download, readable on any device. PDF within 24 hours.$7.99
PaperbackA paperback edition is on the way. Sign up on this page to hear when it lands on Amazon.Coming soon

About the author

Guillaume Henry, founder of Mythologis

Guillaume Henry

Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Mythologis

Guillaume Henry founded Mythologis to make the world's mythologies readable without losing what makes them strange. Every Mythologis book draws on the primary sources first, cross-references multiple translations, and avoids inventing details that aren't in the originals.

More about the author

Questions about the Mythical Creatures mythology book

When will I receive my PDF?

Within 24 hours of purchase. Your download link arrives in your inbox automatically.

Is the phoenix the same as the Chinese and Persian firebirds?

Not identical, but related as a family of ideas. The book gives the Egyptian and Greek phoenix in full and then explores the Simurgh, the Fenghuang and others as distinct birds that share the same blazing theme of renewal.

Is this book based on primary sources?

Yes. It draws on Herodotus, Ovid and the classical accounts, the Egyptian sources on the Bennu, the early Christian writers, and the Persian and Chinese texts on the Simurgh and Fenghuang, with references to the standard editions.

How long is the book?

Eleven chapters, around 150 pages depending on the final layout.

Will there be a paperback on Amazon?

The PDF is available immediately. A KDP paperback edition follows once the book has been validated by readers.

What formats is this book available in?

Every title is available as an instant PDF, downloaded the moment you buy it: the link appears on the confirmation page and lands in your inbox. Selected titles also have a paperback edition on Amazon. Where the paperback is not out yet, you can sign up to be notified the day it does.

What is the return policy?

The PDF is delivered instantly by Mythologis. If a download ever fails or a file looks wrong, get in touch and we will make it right. Paperbacks bought on Amazon are handled under Amazon's own returns and refund policy.

Can I order from outside the United States?

Yes. The PDF is a digital download, so it works instantly anywhere in the world, with nothing to ship. Where a paperback edition exists, it is sold across Amazon's international marketplaces, with shipping rates and delivery times depending on your country.

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