In Greek, 'phoenix' means 'palm tree' but to most of us we know the phoenix as the mythological bird of fire. Many ancient cultures contain stories about the phoenix which, like the sun, dies in flames and rises each morning.
Christians came to see this as a metaphor for resurrection and Jewish legends talk about the Phoenix as the one creature that didn't leave paradise with Adam (and so wasn't tempted by 'forbidden fruit'). To the Chinese, the phoenix represents virtue and grace and in Japan the Phoenix is often combined with the dragon. Also, don't forget that the North American Indians have the Thunderbird which is a take on the Phoenix legend.
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