Phoenix (mythology) Phoenix (mythology) In Greek mythology, a phoenix (; , "phoînix") is a long-lived bird that cyclically regenerates or is otherwise born again. Associated with the Sun, a phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor. According to some sources, the phoenix dies in a show of flames and combustion, although there are other sources that claim that the legendary bird dies and simply decomposes before being born again. There are different traditions concerning the lifespan of the phoenix, but by most accounts the phoenix lived for 500 years before rebirth. Herodotus, Lucan, Pliny the Elder, Pope
Peng (mythology) Peng (mythology) Peng () or Dapeng (大鵬) is a giant bird that transforms from a Kun () giant fish in Chinese mythology. In comparative mythology of giant creatures, Peng is likened to the Roc or Garuda and Kun to the Leviathan. The Chinese logograms for "peng" and "kun" exemplify common radical-phonetic characters. "Peng" (鵬) combines the "bird radical" (鳥) with a "peng" (朋 "friend") phonetic, and "kun" combines the "fish radical" (魚) with a "kun" (昆 "progeny; insect") phonetic. Both the mythic Chinese "Peng" and "Kun" names involve word play. "Peng" () was anciently a variant Chinese character for "feng"