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The Phoenix was a spectacular bird about the size of an eagle, with red and gold plumage that gave it a fiery appearance. It was said to live for 500 years, after which it would die and be reborn.
In the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, for example, there is a single Stymphalian Bird, a giant winged creature similar to a pterodactyl. In the Percy Jackson and the Olympians novels, on the other hand, the Stymphalian Birds are described as small and pigeon-like.
The half-bird, half-lion Griffin came from somewhere in the Near East. Archaeological evidence points to an origin in Elam—a civilization that thrived in ancient Iran—as early as the fourth millennium BCE. From Elam the creature spread across the Mediterranean, arriving in predynastic Egypt by around 3000 BCE.
Quetzalcoatl’s name, which means “Feathered Serpent,” was derived from the Nahuatl words for the quetzal bird and “coatl,” meaning serpent. Unlike the newer gods of the Aztec pantheon, Quetzalcoatl shared his namesake with the feathered serpent deities of the K’iche’ Maya and the Yucatec Maya.
Amaterasu (天照) is the Japanese sun goddess, daughter of creator deities Izanagi and Izanami, and central to the Shinto religion. It is from her the Japanese nobility claims descent and their divine right to rule.
Cangjie (倉頡) is the legendary Chinese cultural hero credited with inventing the Chinese writing system. The official historian of the Yellow Emperor, he took inspiration from nature in devising his new method of recording informat
Continuing his travels, Oedipus crossed paths with the Sphinx, a creature usually represented with the head of a woman, the body of a lion, and bird’s wings. Ever since Laius’ death (by Oedipus), the Sphinx had been terrorizing Thebes by sitting on a cliff outside the city and putting a riddle to any Theban who passed by.
Greek. The Romans conceived of their Juno as a manifestation and continuation of the Greek goddess Hera. Hera was an important figure in Greek literature from the very beginning; already in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey (eighth century BCE), she appears as the wife of Zeus (Jupiter) and the queen of the gods.
Phineus was a king of Thrace, famous for his skill as a prophet. He was blinded, however, for angering the gods. Phineus is best remembered for his role in the myth of the Argonauts: he gave them life-saving counsel in exchange for their help in defeating the Harpies.
Lu Ban (魯班) is the Chinese god of carpentry and the patron of builders and contractors. He is the inventor of many useful tools, including the saw, shovel, carpenter’s square, grappling hook, and umbrella.