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The Firebird’s Bright Outfit
An elusive, mythical creature whose feathers light up the night
© Tom Hartley
You might have heard of the Phoenix, the legendary bird who bursts into flames and is reborn from its ashes. Well, its literary cousin is the Slavic myth of the Firebird, an elusive creature whose feathers burn and light up the night. Stories about Phoenix-like birds have spread all over, and Firebird legends are found in most Slavic cultures. These stories, like connective tissue, help unite people throughout the world.
BirdNote®
The Firebird’s Bright Outfit
Written by Camilo Garzón
This is BirdNote.
You might have heard of the Phoenix, the legendary bird who bursts into flames and is reborn from its ashes. The story may have its roots in ancient Egypt. Well, its literary cousin is the Slavic myth of the Firebird, an elusive creature whose feathers burn and light up the night. One of the most common versions of the folk tale was written by Alexander Afanasyev, “Tsarevich Ivan, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf.”
In the folktale, the Firebird steals the tsar’s golden apples. The hero, Ivan Tsarevich, goes on a quest for the Firebird, and along the way finds a horse and a princess thanks to an unlikely ally: a gray wolf.
[music: "The Firebird Suite"]
He returns with the magical bird and becomes the tsar’s heir.
[Golden Pheasant calls]
Myths about fiery birds may have been inspired partly by the Golden Pheasant, a bird native to China. It’s a magnificent gamebird with a golden crest — a worthy quest for a birder. The mythical Chinese Phoenix is known as the fenghuang. Stories about Phoenix-like birds have spread all over, and Firebird legends are found in most Slavic cultures. These stories, like connective tissue, help unite people throughout the world.
[music: "The Firebird Suite"]
This show is also available en español — visit our website, BirdNote dot org, to learn more. I'm Camilo Garzón.
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Senior Producer: John Kessler
Content Director: Allison Wilson
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Managing Producer: Conor Gearin
Script Editor: Camila Kerwin from the Rough Cut Collective
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Golden Pheasant ML 328988531 recorded by Jhih-Wei Tsai.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2022 BirdNote October 2022
Narrator: Camilo Garzón
ID# firebird-01-2022-10-21 firebird-01
References
The Phoenix: An Unnatural Biography of a Mythical Beast
Avian Illuminations: A Cultural History of Birds
Pliny: Natural History
