The Phoenix
eBook - ePub

The Phoenix

An Unnatural Biography of a Mythical Beast

  1. 496 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

The Phoenix

An Unnatural Biography of a Mythical Beast

About this book

An "insightful cultural history of the mythical, self-immolating bird" from Ancient Egypt to contemporary pop culture by the author of The Book of Gryphons (Library Journal). The phoenix, which rises again and again from its own ashes, has been a symbol of resilience and renewal for thousands of years. But how did this mythical bird come to play a part in cultures around the world and throughout human history? Here, mythologist Joseph Nigg presents a comprehensive biography of this legendary creature. Beginning in ancient Egypt, Nigg's sweeping narrative discusses the many myths and representations of the phoenix, including legends of the Chinese, where it was considered a sacred creature that presided over China's destiny; classical Greece and Rome, where it appears in the writings of Herodotus and Ovid; medieval Christianity, in which it came to embody the resurrection; and in Europe during the Renaissance, when it was a popular emblem of royals. Nigg examines the various phoenix traditions, the beliefs and tales associated with them, their symbolic and metaphoric use, and their appearance in religion, bestiaries, and even contemporary popular culture, in which the ageless bird of renewal is employed as a mascot and logo. "An exceptional work of scholarship."— Publishers Weekly

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Yes, you can access The Phoenix by Joseph Nigg in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & Social History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. CONTENTS
  6. Preface
  7. Introduction: Cultural Transformations of the Phoenix
  8. Prologue: Sacred to the Sun
  9. Part I.  Classical Marvel
  10. Part II.  Bird of God
  11. Part III.  Renaissance Transformations
  12. Part IV.  Challenged and Discredited
  13. Part V.  Modern Rebirth
  14. Acknowledgments
  15. Notes
  16. Selected Bibliography
  17. Index