The Feng-Huang English 1 McGehee school 2004

1. The Feng-HuangEnglish 1 McGehee school 2004

2. What is Mythology? • Mythology is a tradition in which stories are orally passed down. • Myths have been used since the time of Aeschylus. • Roman, ancient Greek and Jewish myths are the best known myths throughout all mythologies.

3. Description • The Feng-Huang is the phoenix of Chinese Mythology, often called “‘the Chinese phoenix,’” the “‘August Rooster,’” and the “‘Fire Bird’” (“From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”). • Nesting in the K’uniun mountains in wu t’ung trees, the Feng-Huang has the head of a pheasant and the tail of a peacock and has three legs. • It is a very colorful bird and its tail is colored in the five sacred colors: red, blue, yellow, white and black.

4. Continued • The Feng-Huang actually stands for two birds- Feng is the male bird, the yang, representing the solar cycle and summer, and Huang is the female bird, the yin, representing the lunar cycle and the Chinese empresses. • The distinct genders of the Feng-Huang are often referred to as a single female entity, together symbolizing everlasting love. (“Feng Huang, Emperor of the Birds.”)

5. Special Powers • The Feng-Huang is the ruler of all birds and represents the elements of fire and drought. • Unlike the Western phoenix, the Feng-Huang is immortal and cannot grow old or die. • It blesses those who play musical instruments under its wu t’ung tree with its own song. (“Feng Huang, Emperor of the Birds.”)

6. Origin • It originated from the phoenix who, unlike the immortal Feng-Huang, burst into flames at the end of its life and in its ashes a new phoenix would appear. The new phoenix would then make an egg out of its predecessor’s ashes and fly it to Heliopolis and deposit it on the sun god’s altar. (“Feng Huang, Emperor of the Birds”)

7. How the Chinese regard the Feng-Huang • To the Chinese the Feng-Huang is the emperor of birds, whom all other birds would follow in flight. • The Feng-Huang rules over the southern part of heaven, representing summer and the sun. • This bird “only appears in time of peace and prosperity, usually when a new benign emperor ascends the throne” (“Feng Huang, Emperor of the Birds”). • In ancient China, the Feng-Huang and the dragon were usually found in the decorations of weddings or royalty. Together the dragon and the Feng-Huang symbolize relationships between husband and wife.

8. Continued . . . “Once in the Phoenix Tower the phoenix made her nest. Now the phoenix has gone the tower empty, only the river flowing on” (Daffydil) • Li Bai wrote this peom a thousand years ago about the Feng-Huang leaving his city.

9. The General Myth and the Feng-Huang in the Modern World • According to legends, there was once a forsaken village that the Feng-Huang visited and blessed. In honor of the phoenix the city was renamed “FengHuang” in commemoration of the bird that saved their city. • The Feng-Huang invented the 5 Chinese harmonic notes, which are still used in China today and are the basis for the Chinese musical scale. (Shengnan, Hu)

10. Work Citied Daffydil. “Feng Huang or the Boarder of the Town.” A Phoenix in the Land of the Dragon. 1993. The Mandarinv. <http://sg.geocities.com/daffydil_33/travel/fengh.html >. “Feng Huang, Emperor of the Birds.” Avians.net. 2000. Avians.net. 13 January 2004 <http://www.avians.net/paragon/fenghuang.htm>. “From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.” Wikipedia:Feng Huang. 13 January 2004. <http://en2.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenghuang>. Hu Shengnan. “A beautiful Chinese City---Feng Huang.”  Worldisround.com. 2002. World is Round. 12 January 2004. <http://www.worldisround.com/articles/16489/ >. Wang, Kevin. “Phoenix.” Pictures. 1998. 13 January 2004. <http://monsters.monstrous.com/phoenix.htm>.