On the Phoenix in Islamic traditions

Abstract

In Western cultural milieus it has been customary to identify the Arabian legend of the giant bird ʻAnqāʼ Mugrib as a version of the mythical Phoenix known from Greco-Latin sources. Linking these two together is based almost exclusively on the Phoenix supposedly coming from Arabia. However, a detailed analysis of the sources clearly shows that the two myths are essentially different, and describe two birds that are completely divergent in shape, mythical development and textual significance. Although the ʻAnqāʼ has merged in some texts with the myth of the Phoenix, because of its long life, Arab and Persian literature also speak of a bird known as qaqnus which has essentially the same characteristics as the one in the Greco-Latin myth of the Phoenix. The qaqnus bird, in addition, is usually mentioned as another bird along with the ʻAnqāʼ, making clear that it is different and separate from this.