Many versions of the myth of the Phoenix exist. Each story has some of the same parts, and some different parts. The stories change due to peoples belief's and their culture.
The phoenix is depicted in many different ways. It is a bird that can be reborn from ashes. Its tears can heal you. The phoenix is very different in some cultures. Many people think it was a bird in flames, while others thought it was a bird of shining colors. The Egyptians depicted it as a bird of brilliant shades of red, which made the Phoenix look like it was wrapped in fire. It was thought to be the size of an eagle, a peacock or a heron.
The phoenix symbolized death and rebirth. When it was about to die, it would build a nest, then set it aflame. Then a baby would come forth from the ashes. Only one phoenix was said to live at a time. Phoenixes were said to live for five hundred to one thousand four hundred sixty one years. The ancient Greeks thought it lived in Arabia, near a well. When it was daybreak, the Sun God would stop his chariot to listen to the Phoenix sing its majestic song, when the bird bathed in the well. In China, it was called the Feng. In bad times, it would help make fruits and vegetables grow. In Egypt, after the bird sprang forth from the ashes of its ancestor, it would sacrifice an egg at the altar of Ra. Then it was offered in sacrifice to the God of the Sun. The Phoenix was very important, because it symbolized death and rebirth, which the Egyptians were obsessed with.