The Phoenix from the Flames The Legend he phoenix is a bird of ancient legend that is fabled for its extraordinary lifespan and its method of regeneration. It is also mentioned in the Talmud, Midrash, and arguably even in Scripture itself. In order to understand the varied descriptions given in these sources, itis helpful to first explore the ancient legends of the phoenix. ‘The earliest detailed account of the phoenix comes from the Greek traveler and historian Herodotus, who lived in the fifth century BCE. He writes about the tales and illustrations of the phoenix that were circulating in Egypt: ‘They have also another sacred bird called the phoenix, which I myself have never seen, except in pictures. Indeed it is a great rarity, even in Egypt, only coming there — according to the accounts of the people of Heliopolis — once in five hundred years, when the old phoenix dies. Its size and appearance, if it is like the pictures, are as follows: The plumage is partly red, partly golden, while the general make and size are almost exactly that of the eagle. They tell a story of what this bird does, which does not seem to me to be credible; that he comes all the way from Arabia, and brings the parent bird, all plastered over with myrrh, to the temple of the Sun, and there buries the body. In order to bring him, they say, he first forms a ball of myrrh as big as he finds that he can carry; then he hollows out the ball, and puts his parent inside, after which he covers over the opening with fresh myrrh, and the ball is then of exactly the same weight as at first; so he brings it to Egypt, plastered over as I have 225Sacred Monsters oe said, and deposits it in the temple of the Sun. Such is the story they tell of the doings of this bird. The History of Herodotus Here we are told that the phoenix, a bird resembling the eagle in form but with beautiful plumage, lives for five hundred years, after which itis buried in a strange manner by its child. But in later accounts, such as that of Pliny the Elder, the story undergoes a transformation. Instead of the phoenix being buried by its child after being encapsulated by myrrh, the child itself is born from the remains of the dead parent bird: Ethiopia and India, more especially, produce birds of diversified plumage, and such as quite surpass all description. In the front rank of theses the phoenix, that famous bird of Arabia; though I am not quite sure that its existence is not all a fable. It is said that there is only one in existence in the whole world, and that that one has not been seen very often. We are told that this bird is of the size of an eagle, and has a brilliant golden plumage around the neck, while the rest of the body is of a purple color; except the tail, which is azure, with long feathers intermingled of a roseate hue; the throat is adorned with a crest, and the head with a tuft of feathers. The first Roman who described this bird, and who has done so with the greatest exactness, was the senator Manilius, so famous for his learning; which he owed, too, to the instructions of no teacher. He tells us that no person has ever seen this bird eat, that in Arabia it is looked upon as sacred to the sun, that it lives five hundred and forty years, that when it becomes old it builds a nest of cassia and sprigs of incense, which it fills with perfumes, and then lays its body down upon them to die; that from its bones and marrow there springs at first a sort of small worm, which in time changes into a little bird: that the first thing that it does is to perform the obsequies of its predecessor, and to carry the nest entire to the city of the Sun near Panchaia, and there deposit it upon the altar of that divinity. Pliny, Natural History, 102 : ee accounts portrayed the birth of the phoenix differently. In 2 ourth-century Latin poem by the Christian teacher Lactantius, the older hoeni: i ath see into flame and burns to ashes in its nest of spices. Itis from € ashes that the next generation is born. 226Chapter Nine: The Phoenix from the Flames a OED As MOM ea Zoological Possibilities While for millennia, most of the world believed that the phoenix was a real bird, there were always those who expressed skepticism as to whether the accounts of it method of regeneration were accurate. As we saw above, even Pliny the Elder — someone usually considered fairly credulous ~ expressed doubt as to whether these tales were true. But many others firmly believed in it. Sir Thomas Browne, in his Vulgar Errors (Pseudodoxia Epidemica), published in 1646, declared that there were so many versions of the phoenix story, so many different numbers for its life span, and so many different details of its death and rebirth, that no one could believe any of them; besides, science had proven that no animal could be immortal. A few years later, Alexander Ross replied to Sir Thomas Browne, and responded to the objection of the phoenix so seldom making his appearance: “His instinct teaches him to keep out of the way of the tyrant of the creation, man, for if he were to be got at, some wealthy glutton would surely devour him, though there were no more in the world.” Shortly afterwards, however, a German scholar, George Caspard Kirchmayer, wrote: ‘This creature is quite a myth, and has never been seen except in pictures (Luse the words of Herodotus). No man has ever seen it in true reality. Except a “ ‘tis said,” “ ‘tis reported,” “ ‘tis a tale,” or “so they say,” no one can bring forward a clear statement in regard to the matter. I regard as impossible, absurd, and openly ridiculous whatever, except in the way of a fiction, has been told of this creature. Such a belief as that in the phoenix is a slander against Holy Writ, nature, and sound reason. George Caspard Kirchmayer, “On the Phoenix,” in Hexas Disputationum Zoologicarum (Wittemberg 1661) It goes without saying that a bird that lives forever via rejuvenating itself ina fire goes against everything that we know about the natural world. In conjunction with the noticeable lack of evidence for its existence, the reasonable conclusion is that the phoenix does not exist. Yet we cannot simply dismiss the phoenix myth as sheer fantasy. There is no smoke Without fire — what is the fire from which the legend of the phoenix was born? 227Sacred Monsters eee ‘The nineteenth century anatomist Georges Cuvier suggested that on remote occasions a golden pheasant from China may have strayed across Asia into Arabia or Egypt; others point out that it is more likely that golden pheasants were brought there by traders or travelers.' Yet although pheasants can be fiery in appearance, it seems doubtful that this alone could have been the source of the idea that they are reborn amidst fire. A suggested root for this aspect of the legend comes from a real aspect of bird behavior that is only slightly less remarkable. Several types of birds engage in behavior known as “anting.” They pick up ants in their beaks and rub them over their feathers. It seems that the birds derive some sort of pleasure from the formic acid (contained in ants) on their bodies. It was then discovered that it is not only ants that birds use for pleasure: In May, 1957, a tame rook named Niger, living in an aviary in my garden at East Horsley, in Surrey, disported himself on a heap of burning straw. With flames enveloping the lower part of his body and smoke drifting all around him, he flapped his wings, snatched at burning embers with his beak and appeared to be trying to put them under his wings. ‘The sight of this was breathtaking, but there was still more to come. Every now The spectacular Rheinart’s crested argus (Rheinartia ocellata) is suggested by some to have contributed to the legend of the phoenix 1 Peter Costello, The Magic Zoo, p. 69. 228Chapter Nine: The Phoenix from the Flames i s, and then he would pose amid the flames with his wings outstretched and his head turned to one side, looking exactly like the traditional picture of the phoenix. Maurice Burton, Phoenix Reborn Perhaps this behavior, even if not solely responsible for the phoenix legend, was contributory towards it. Job’s Phoenix Before discussing the Torah sources concerning the phoenix, it is important to first rule out one verse that is not a source. Several old Christian versions of the Bible translate the phrase tzaddik katamar yifrach (Psalms 92:13) as “the righteous shall bloom as the phoenix.” But the verse actually means, “the righteous shall bloom as the date palm.” The mistake stems from the fact that the Greek word for date palm is similar to the Greek word for phoenix. There are three primary sources of discussion concerning the phoenix in Torah literature. The first is based on a verse in Job (Iyov). Torn by his suffering, Job reminisces about his former days of happiness. He remembers how he had expected his life to turn out: I would say, in my nest I shall expire, and as the chol increase my days. Job 29:18 Job hoped to die in his house — his “nest” — rather than have it destroyed before he died. Furthermore, he hoped that he would increase his days like the chol. What is the chol? Some translate this word in the same way as other places where it appears in Scripture: as “sand.” “I shall expire” — I believe that I will die in my house with my sons and my daughters, after I shall increase my days like the sand of the sea. Ramban, commentary ad loc. Welikewise find elsewhere that the metaphor of sand is used to describe Something very large in number: For shall surely bless you, and I shall greatly increase your seed li stars of the heavens and like the sand that is by the sea. ike the Genesis 22:17 229Sacred Monsters a — Other commentaries give the same explanation, noting that the phrase is used as an exaggeration: “[ would say...” — I said that due to the honesty of my ways, when I will expire and die, I shall be with my nest — meaning to say, my house shall not be destroyed until I die; I even said that I will increase my days like that number of the sand of the sea — which is a term of exaggeration. Metzudas David to Job 29:18 But several commentators explain that chol in this case does not refer to sand, but rather to a fabled bird: “As the chol” — the name of a bird about which the sages said that it lives forever, and that every thousand years it is incinerated in its nest and returns to life. Likewise, the poets of the nations mention this bird ina similar fashion. Malbim ad loc. This explanation is also mentioned by Rashi, who explains why the phoenix lives forever: Iv is a bird called chok and mortality was not inflicted upon it, because it did not taste from the Tree of Knowledge. At the end of a thousand years, it is rejuvenated and returns to its youth. Rashi ad loc. ‘We may wonder why the chol would be translated as the phoenix rather than as sand. Rabbi Zev Wolf Einhorn (Maharzav), a nineteenth century commentator on the Midrash, provides an explanation: “And as the chol increase my days” — the first part of the verse, “and | said, I shall expire with my nest, and as the chol increase my days’ - what does sand have to do with a nest? Furthermore, how can he say that his days shall increase like the sand, which cannot be measured or counted — how can he live longer than anyone who has lived on the face of the earth? Therefore, they expounded that that which it says “as the col does not refer to the sand of the sea, but instead to the bird which is called chol. The adjacent part at the beginning of the verse makes this ae ‘And I said, with my nest I shall expire” — namely the nest ofa ird. And which nest? It comes and explains, “As the chol I shall increase my days ~ the nest of the chol bird. And since it is not relevant t0 8 regarding Job, “my nest,” which is not at all relevant to a human being: 230Chapter Nine: The Phoenix from the Flames a it expounds via the twentieth method of exegesis that if it is not relevant to Job, it is relevant to the nest of the aforementioned chol bird. Maharzav, commentary ad loc. Maharzav argues that Job could not have said that his days will be as numerous as the sand of the sea. Yet, as Metzudas David noted, it could well be used as a simple term of exaggeration. Indeed, it is also an exaggeration when used in the verse that describes the abundance of Abraham's descendants. Likewise, we can also understand that Job would poetically refer to his home as his nest, as indeed we do today with our homes; Jewish mothers bemoan of their children “leaving the nest.” Still, the juxtaposition of chol with a nest does suggest that there is some sort of connection between the two, which supports the idea that chol is a bird. ‘The Septuagint translates this verse in Job as, “and I shall live as long as the trunk of the palm tree.” This is due to the aforementioned confusion between the similar Greek words for “date palm” and “phoenix.” Clearly, the word had originally been translated as phoenix, and then subsequently changed to the date palm. Eve’s Phoenix The original discussion of the Sages about the phoenix is to be found in the Midrash: {Eve] fed the domesticated and wild animals and birds from it (the Tree of Knowledge); they all listened to her, aside from one bird, called the chol, as referred to in, “and as the chol I shall increase my days” (Job 29:18). The school of Rabbi Yannai said: It lives for a thousand years, and at the end of these thousand years, a fire emerges from its nest and incinerates it. A volume equivalent to an egg is left, which grows limbs and lives. Rabbi Yuden, son of Rabbi Shimon said: It lives for a thousand years, and at the end of this thousand years its body is consumed and its wings have fallen out, and a volume equivalent to an egg is left, which grows ue Midrash Bereishis Rabbah 19:5 Here we see both versions of the phoenix legend; both the older sen inwhich it is simply reborn from its putrefying corpse, and the relatively 231Sacred Monsters NN eee more modern version which involves a fire. Fascinatingly, Maharzav explains that all the aspects of the phoenix mentioned in the Midrash are derived from the verse in Job. He begins by showing the source for the idea that it regenerates from the nest and lives for a thousand years: And that which it says, “I shall expire with my nest,” refers to the thing thar is always found in the nest, namely, its eggs, as it is written, “When you happen across a bird’s nest... [whether they are young ones, or) eggs...” (Deuteronomy 22:6). And this phrase “I shall expire with my nest” alludes to the fact that an amount equivalent to the volume of an egg remains from it, just as when it was first born from the egg, so too does it return to grow again. And since it says, “As the chol I shall increase my days,” which compares the lengthening of his days to the chol — this comes to teach, and ends up being taught, via the twelfth method of exegesis that the chol has a long life. Since it comes to teach about man, and turns out to be learned from him, and it does not come to close matters but rather to explain them, and we cannot learn from it that it lives longer than a person, it transpires that this is one thousand years, for we do not find anyone that lived longer than Methuselah. And had it first said, “And as the chol, I shall increase my days,” and only afterwards, “and I shall expire with my nest,” then we would have said that it first lives and afterwards expires with its nest and lives no longer. But since it first says, “I shall expire with my nest,” and only afterwards, “And as the chol, I shall increase my days,” it is apparent that it increases its days after it expires with the nest. And how long does it live with its nest until expiring? We learn the unclear from the clear — for that which it says, “T shall expire with my nest,” is unclear, and that which it says, ‘And as the chol, I shall increase my days,” is clear that it cannot mean more than a thousand years, for we learn it from man, as explained above. Therefore, that which it says, “I shall expire with my nest,” also means after a thousand years. And so it goes perpetually; it lives for a thousand years, after which only the size equivalent to an egg remains — that is because due to its long life, it shrinks until it is the size of 0 gg, and it returns to live another thousand years, and shrinks to the size of an egg. Likewise, its expirati 7 iration al i vet a fire that kills it. pinion Sir Sea Mabarzav, commentary ad loc. 232Chapter Nine: The Phoenix from the Flames Maharzav then discusses how we derive that the regeneration occurs through fire: Itneeds investigation as to how we know that it is by fire. It seems that the reasoning for the argument is that according to Rabbi Yannai, “I shall expire with my nest” indicates that the nest helps it expire — that is to say, by way of the fire of the nest, as explained above. And according to Rabbi Yuden, it indicates that the expiry is from it itself, that it expires In its nest, Ibid. It must be noted, however, that although Job referred to the phoenix, this does not mean that the authority of Scripture is attesting to its existence, and it does not even mean that Job believed it to exist. Even if one understands the phoenix to be a mythical or metaphorical creature, it still makes sense to speak poetically of living as long as the phoenix. But what of the Midrash’s account of the phoenix in the Garden of Eden? Amongst the medieval authorities, there were those such as Rambam and Ralbag who were understood as interpreting the Biblical account of the Garden of Eden in an allegorical manner;? hence, this would certainly apply to the Midrashic account of the phoenix in the Garden of Eden. But such an approach to the phoenix is not necessarily limited to those authorities. Let us first explore another mention of the phoenix. Noah’s Phoenix ‘The phoenix is also known in Torah literature as the avrashna. ke is identified as being the same bird as the chol, and grounds for its immortality are given: _ 2 See the commentaries of Crescas and Ephodi (Rav Yitzchak ben Moshe Halevi) tthe Guide for the Perplexed (Ibn Tibbon edition, 11:30, pp. 51-52). i ae planation of Rambam given by Ralbag, the commentary of Abarbanel, and I ei ‘osef Kapach, one of the greatest authorities on Rambam in modern times, gts commentary to Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Shabbos 5:3. For an extensive ie : in-Braslavy, Maimonides’ Interpretation of the Adam Stories in Genesis — oe Maimonides Anthropology. Ibn Ezra, in the alternate version of his cametet Pr ie inthe back of the Mossad HaRav Kook edition of Miknaos Gedolos, cites Solom irl as giving an allegorical interpretation of the Garden of Eden. 233Sacred Monsters LEE Noah found the avrashna hiding in the hold of the Ark. He said to it, “Do you not want food?” It replied, “I saw that you were busy, and I didn’t want to trouble you.” He said to it, “May it be His will that you never die, as it says, ‘I shall expire with my nest, and as the chol, I shall increase my days’.” Talmud, Sanhedrin 108b “Avrashna” —a type of bird, called chol in the language of Scripture, and it never dies. Rashi ad loc. One of the commentaries on the aforementioned Midrash deals with the problem of whether the phoenix’s immortality stems from Noah's blessing or from its refusal to eat from the Tree of Knowledge: And that which is written in Chelek 108b (in tractate Sanhedrin) that the chol merited immortality from the blessing of Noah — one can say that they are opposing Midrashim, or that Noah blessed it that it should not even die by way of an arrow. And that which it is burned after a thousand years is only so that it shall return to its youth, and the weakness and old age should depart from it; perhaps such would have been the case with Adam also, had he not sinned. Yefeh Toar to Midrash Bereishis Rabbah 19:5 The Nesher-Phoenix There is one more potential phoenix mentioned in Scripture: He satisfies your mouth with goodness, so that your youth is renewed as the nesher. Psalms 103:5 ae nesher is understood to refer to a normal bird (an eagle? ot ture). Rashi gives this as the simple explanation: Like the nesher, which renews its wings and feathers from year to year Rashi ad loc. But Rashi also gives another explanation: 3. See Sefer Ha-ltur and Chizkuni. 234Chapter Nine: The Phoenix from the Flames And there are Aggadic Midrashim that refer to a type of nesher which, when it grows old, returns to its youth. Ibid. Radak gives a more detailed explanation, which clearly refers to the phoenix: It is said that the nesher changes every ten years; it rises high over the atmosphere to the heavens, drawing close to the heat of the element of fire, and then falls into the sea from the extreme heat, and dies, and then is renewed, and grows wings, and returns to its youth. Likewise this happens every ten years, until a hundred; and when it reaches a hundred, it rises as usual, falls into the sea, and dies there. Radak ad loc. The same explanation of the nesher being a phoenix-type bird also occurs with a different verse: Make yourself bald like a nesher... Michah 1:16 What does it mean to be “bald like a nesher”? It is usually taken to be describing a characteristic of the ordinary mesher. Some think that this means that the nesher is the bald eagle, but this is in error. The bald eagle lives only in America, and would not be described in Torah literature. Furthermore, it is not actually bald; it merely has white feathers on its head.* Rather, nesher refers to the griffon vulture.° This bird feeds exclusively on carrion, which fits the description of the nesher given in Scripture,® and it is bald. “The griffon vulture ee 4 The bald eagle was originally known as the “balde-headed eagle”s English meant “white.” : oe 5 For extensive discussion as to the identity of the nesher, see “The Identity ol “balde” in old ” at www.zootorah.com/essays/vulture.htm. S See Proverbs 30:17 and Job 39:27-30. 235Sacred Monsters a ————————— However, once again, some of the commentators explain this account of the nesher being bald to refer to a nesher that flies up to the sun at the end of every ten years, such that its feathers fall out.’ Rabbeinu Bechaya also comments on the existence of such a phoenix-nesher, ...as is known from the nature of the nesher, that at the end of ten years, it flies up very high until it approaches the orb of fire, and due to the intense heat, it is struck down and falls into the sea, and there it falls apart, and after this it renews itself and raises its wings as at first. And so is its practice every ten years until a hundred years, and when it reaches its hundredth year, it draws closest to the orb of fire and flies high, as is its custom, and falls into the sea and dies. And thus writes Rav Saadia Gaon. Rabbeinu Bechaya, Commentary to Genesis 2:19 There are no ancient accounts of eagles with such phoenix-like characteristics. However the phoenix itself was often depicted as being eagle-like in form. This may lie behind the commentaries’ explanation of the nesher as being a phoenix. But in any case, as with Job, these verses do not state that the phoenix actually exists; they merely use it as a symbol of longevity and rejuvenation. Conclusion What are we to make of the various references to phoenixes? In the case of Job, it seems that even though, according to some interpretations, Job talks about the phoenix, this does not at all mean that it exists. Even if the Phoenix did not exist and was only a popular legend, ir is a valid metaphor for Job to use in describing his hopes. 4 The accounts of the phoenix in Noah's Ark and in the Garden of Eden d _ sound more as though they are describing an actual creature. It seems at some of the commentaries understood it to be a real bird, as 40 some people today.* But here, too, there were those who argued that itis intended to be a metaphor, as the Yefeh Toar explains: ee 7 Radak and Metzudas David. 8 M.R. Niehoff, « ; Review ee ee ‘The Phoenix in Rabbinic Literature” Harvard Theological Review ¢ Sages of the Talmud thought the phoenix to be a real creature. 236Chapter Nine: The Phoenix from the Flames Sv If the matters are not as their simple meaning, one can say that the chal bird alludes to the flight (ze'ufas) of the intellect, which is never consumed, and it is called cho/ because of the proliferation of its insights, like the sand of the sea. And even though the animal aspect inside man, and the animalistic energy, are consumed, such that he dies, his intellect nevertheless still flies and attains new insights after his death for all eternity... Yefeh Toar to Midrash Bereishis Rabbah 19:5 An alternative suggestion is that the Sages are using the phoenix as a metaphor for the rejuvenation of the Jewish People and our eventual redemption.” The name chol is perhaps related to the word ochil, “I shall hope.”"® The idea of the phoenix rising from the ashes of its own destruction means that the very exile and destruction that seems to cause the fall of the Jewish People is actually bringing us closer to redemption. Furthermore, both the story with Eve and the story concerning Noah emphasize the phoenix refraining from eating, i.e. refraining from a material existence. ‘This is the secret to eternal life, and to eventual redemption. ———_. . 9 Rabbi Mordecai Kornfeld, head of the Daf Yomi Advancement Forum, in ¢ With the author. {0 Lamentations 3:21. onversation 237SACRED MONSTERS Mysterious and Mythical Creatures of Scripture, Talmud and Midrash EM 909 AG S58 Mn Rabbi Natan Slifkin Zoo Torah/ Yashar BooksCopyright © 2007 by Natan Slifkin All rights reserved No part of this publication may be translated, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the publisher and the copyright holder. ISBN 978-1-933143-18-5 Published by: Zoo Torah hetp://www.zootorah.com Distributed by: Yashar Books/ Lambda Publishers 3709 13th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11218 Tel: (718) 972-5449 http://www.yasharbooks.com Distributed in Israel by: Judaica Book Centre 5 Even Israel Street Jerusalem 94228 Tel: (02) 622-3215 http://www. jbcbooks.comContents Preface Introduction: Confronting Monsters Chapter One: Unicorns of Different Colors Chapter Two: Mermaids, Krakens, & Wild Men Chapter Three: Gigantic Giants Chapter Four: Diminutive Dwarfs Chapter Five: Sea Monsters & Leviathan Chapter Six: Behold the Behemoth Chapter Seven: The Fabulous Shamir Chapter Eight: Two-Headed Men & Other Mutants Chapter Nine: The Phoenix from the Flames Chapter Ten: Royal Griffins Chapter Eleven: The Remarkable Roc Chapter Twelve: Dragons & Fiery Flying Serpents Chapter Thirteen: The Secret of the Salamander Chapter Fourteen: Vegetable-Men & Tree-Geese Chapter Fifteen: The Marvelous Mud-Mouse Chapter Sixteen: The Spontaneous Sweat-Louse Bibliography Index 11 17 4l 81 111 145 161 179 193 207 223 239 253 269 283 305 325 369 379