In Rome, the phoenix was a symbol of the perpetual continuation of the Roman Empire, and the bird was featured on Roman coins as a reminder of the indomitable strength of the Empire. Herodotus may have borrowed some of his impressions about the meaning of the phoenix from the Greek poet, Hesiod, (b: 700 BC) who proclaims the phoenix as a brilliant bird who could outlive nine generations of ravens. After three days, the phoenix emerged from its own ashes – reborn and released from the sentence of death, able to live on forever. While sitting in the nest, the bird created a great deal of heat, and set itself on fire from its own heat with the cypress serving as kindling. But not in preparation to lay eggs the phoenix was preparing to die. The historian also reported that the phoenix made a nest cypress branches. It was spectacularly large, beautiful and adorned with mind-blowing plumage.

With each rendition, the themes are pretty consistent: Transformation, Longevity and Renewal – just to mention a few meanings.Īccording to the Greek historian Herodotus (b: 484 BC), the phoenix was a mythical bird from Ethiopia. Symbolic Meaning of the Phoenix in Myth and LegendĪlmost every culture has a version of the phoenix.

Here is a quick-list of meaningful highlights… Symbolic Meaning of the Phoenix Keywords Whichever cultural myth you’re consulting, there are some common symbolic themes of the phoenix. This bird burns brightly in a myriad of cultures, with each one having their own spin on the meaning of the phoenix. This is all about the myth, the legend and the symbolism surrounding an unforgettable symbol of power, strength and renewal. This post isn’t about me, or my phoenix tattoo. I talk about that tattoo and the associated memory here, if you’re interested in reading it.īut I digress. Those are the very best kinds of tattoos in my opinion – the ones that are emblazoned upon more facets of ourselves than just the physical. My tattoo not only embodies the phoenix theme of rebirth, it has profound memory attached to it. I appreciate their symbolic implications so much, I adopted a Japanese phoenix tattoo some years ago. I totally dig the meaning of the phoenix.

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