December 28, 2016
Since ancient times, there has been much fascination with bird-like creatures because of their ability to fly and their freedom to go where mere mortals cannot, at least until the advent of modern technology. Their mystery and seasonal disappearances also add to their allure. It is no wonder then that the Firebird continues to be an enigma to many mythology and folklore enthusiasts. In fact, many are divided as to the actual nature of the Firebird. Some reference it interchangeably with the Phoenix whilst others maintain the Firebird as being distinct from the Phoenix. This article will focus more on the latter theory.
There are two recorded sources that refer to the Firebird as a mystical being of its own standing. One is from the records of Russian or Slavic folklore while the other is found in the narratives of Native American tribes. Of the two, more exposure is given to the Firebird of Russian/Slavic origin.
The Firebird in Russian/Slavic Mythology
According to Russian or Slavic folklore, the Firebird is the bringer of either blessings or doom to those who encounter it. Records differ as to the appearance of the Firebird. It has been described as a very rare and beautiful bird whose plumage glows red, orange and yellow like the flames of a flickering fire. Some have described the Firebird as a gigantic and magnificent hawk whose wings appear to be made of flame whilst others say the Firebird is smaller than a peacock, with a crest, tail feathers and fiery glowing eyes. However, all tend to agree that the Firebird’s feathers continue to glow and shimmer with brilliant colour even when removed from its body. It is even said that one feather is brilliant enough to light a large room.
As tales of the Firebird were primarily told orally, quite a few versions abound but such stories usually follow the classical scheme of a fairy tale. The following are some of the more popular folktales relating to the mythical Firebird.
Prince Ivan, the Firebird, and the Grey Wolf
In this tale, the Firebird was a highly-desired prize to be captured more for its habit of stealing golden apples from a king’s garden rather than for its mythical properties i.e., its magical feathers were more of a bonus! Considering that the golden apples gave youth as well as strength to all who ate them, the king was naturally upset when he discovered the Firebird’s thieving ways and ordered his sons to capture the Firebird.
The youngest prince, Prince Ivan, decided to embark on a quest to bring the Firebird culprit to the king after his two elder brothers had failed to capture the elusive creature. Along the way, he met a mystical grey wolf which provided Prince Ivan with much support and helpful advice throughout the journey. Not only was the grey wolf instrumental in Prince Ivan’s success in tackling the numerous dangers and obstacles along the way, it was also responsible for bringing Prince Ivan back to life after he was brutally murdered by his two jealous elder brothers. They had intercepted him before he could present to the king his prize of the Firebird, his treasures accumulated from his heroic quest and his beautiful bride-to-be.
The grey wolf revived Prince Ivan in the nick of time, who went on to expose the heinous crimes of the other princes, ensuring that they were dealt proper punishments. Prince Ivan then rescued his bride and succeeded his father’s throne to the kingdom.
Prince Ivan and the Firebird
This is a variation of the aforementioned tale with a few differing elements.
The tale takes place in an enchanted garden that Prince Ivan stumbled upon during one of his hunting expeditions. Having caught sight of a mesmerising bird with dazzling plumage plucking a golden fruit from a silver tree, Prince Ivan utilised his hunting skills and successfully captured it. The Firebird pled for mercy and for its freedom and eventually convinced Prince Ivan to release it. In gratitude, the Firebird gave Prince Ivan a magic feather.
In the same enchanted garden, Prince Ivan subsequently encountered thirteen enchanted princesses who came to dance and play with the golden apples. Upon revealing himself to the princesses, Prince Ivan discovered that the princesses were actually prisoners of an evil sorcerer, Kastchei. They were usually locked in a nearby castle only to be released to the enchanted garden during a certain time of the day. The princesses also warned him that Kastchei would turn any captive travellers into stone and advised him to leave immediately before he was discovered. However, cupid’s arrow had struck swiftly and Prince Ivan had fallen head over heels in love with one of the princesses, prompting him to heroically vow to save all of them from the evil sorcerer.
Thus, Prince Ivan boldly stormed the castle by himself and faced off with Kastchei and his goons. Kastchei tried to cast his evil spells on Prince Ivan, but as luck would have it, the prince was protected by the Firebird’s feather. Prince Ivan’s victory was then secured when the Firebird appeared suddenly to lend him a hand by bewitching Kastchei’s goons with its wild dancing. The goons were distracted long enough for Prince Ivan to locate and destroy a magical egg that contained Kastchei’s soul, thus killing him. The story ends with the liberation of the princesses upon Kastchei’s death and a happily ever after for the prince.
The Legend of Maryushka
This tale relates the origins of the Firebird, and suggests that this mythical creature was a mortal soul who was an unfortunate victim of evil sorcery.
In essence, it revolves around a modest and gentle orphan girl named Maryushka, who lived in a small village. Maryushka had exceptional embroidery skills and, as she could work with virtually any material, weaving coloured beads and soft silks into exquisite garments, people would come from all over to buy her pieces. Despite her incredible skills, she was always content with the money she received, however small.
One after another, merchants tried to persuade Maryushka to come away with them, promising her riches and glory. But she would always reject these offers, indicating her wish to never leave the village where she was born. The story of her talents spread far and wide, until one day it reached the ear of an evil sorcerer named Kastchei the Immortal, who was enraged to learn that a mere mortal could produce finer work than he himself could.
It is said that he took on the form of a handsome youth and flew over the deep oceans, the tall mountains and the impassable forests until he came to Maryushka’s cottage. He tried to tempt her by offering to make her Queen if she would exclusively only produce garments for him. He was, of course, rejected due to her resolve to never leave her village. Kaschei was so furious at her answer that he turned her into a Firebird declaring, “Because you are so loath to leave your kindred, a bird you shall be, and no more a maiden fair.”
He then turned himself into a great black falcon and picked her up in his talons to steal her away from her village. In her resolve to never leave the village, she shed her brilliant plumage onto the land below as she was being snatched away. Feather after feather floated down on the meadow and forest. As the feathers fell, Maryushka’s strength ebbed. When the last of her feathers were shed, she died while still in the form of a Firebird in the black falcon’s talons. Her rainbow feathers continued to live on and their glow remained undimmed. However, they would only be visible to those who genuinely loved beauty and sought to create beauty for others.
The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa
In this tale, the Firebird plays a supporting role serving only as a prized possession. It starts off with a king’s archer who chanced upon the Firebird’s magnificent feather during one of his hunts. He was warned by his horse not to touch it, as bad things would happen. Blinded by greed, the archer ignored the advice and took it back to be presented to the king in hopes of high praise and rewards.
To his dismay, upon presenting the single feather to the king, instead of praise or rewards the king decreed for the archer to bring him the entire Firebird, failing which he would be put to death. Deeply remorseful, the archer wept to his horse. Taking pity on the archer, the horse taught the archer to put corn in the fields in order to lure and capture the Firebird. The Firebird fell for the trick and was captured by the archer who swiftly presented it to the king in order to avoid death.
The king spared the archer’s life only to issue another onerous task, where death again awaited in the event of failure. The archer was ordered to bring Princess Vasilisa, a renowned beauty with very high demands, to him so the king could marry her.
Left with no choice, the archer ventured to the kingdom of the princess, cunningly drugged her with wine and brought her back to the king. The king was pleased and rewarded the archer accordingly. The relief of the archer was short lived however, when the king summoned him once again to fulfil a seemingly impossible task set by Princess Vasilisa. The situation arose because when the princess awoke from her drunken stupor, she wept uncontrollably causing the king much distress. He said that he would agree to any of her demands as long as she would become his queen. The princess insisted that if she was to be married, she wanted her wedding dress which was kept under a rock in the middle of the Blue Sea. Once again, the archer lamented to his horse who gave him the correct solution and the archer successfully brought the dress to the princess.
However, the princess reneged on her word and stubbornly refused to marry the king. She further demanded that the archer be dipped in boiling water. Unfortunately for the archer, the king opted to sacrifice him to satisfy the princess. The archer begged to see his horse one last time before he was to be boiled and the horse cast a spell on the archer to protect him from the scalding water. As a result, not only did the archer survive the hot water dipping, he came out more handsome than anyone had ever seen. Upon seeing this, the king jumped into the boiling water as well but was instead boiled alive. The archer was then chosen to be king. He married the princess and they lived happily ever after.
The Firebird in Native American Mythology
The Firebird is prominently featured in the folklore of the Indians of Puget Sound. With a name translated as “Pretty Bird” in English, it is portrayed as a magical, wise being with the ability to communicate in the human language. Pretty Bird is credited with bringing fire to the tribe.
The Firebird is said to have appeared to the tribe at a time when they had no fire. Fire was in existence then but for reasons unexplained, the ability to have or procure fire eluded this particular tribe. Hence, the Indians of Puget Sound had to suffer cold nights and eat raw meat.
One day, during one of the tribe’s communal gatherings to partake of food together, the Firebird appeared. It hovered over the heads of the people and flew in circles around them. When they asked what the Firebird’s intentions were, the Firebird explained that it originated from a beautiful country far away and came bearing the blessings of heat but with one catch – the people had to earn it.
The Firebird indicated that the blessing of fire could only be given to one who is kind. It then instructed the people to prepare some pitch pine before its return the next day, when it would bestow fire on the deserving person.
When the Firebird returned the next day, it explained that, “Whoever puts pitch pine on my tail shall get the fire to warm himself by, and cook his meals on, and will be a blessing to the Children of Puget Sound forever.” It then flew close to the ground and people started chasing it but no one was able to catch the Firebird.
Finally, the Firebird flew toward a lodge where a poor woman was taking care of a sick old man. The woman seized the opportunity and called out to the Firebird to request for the fire as she was unable to leave her home to pursue it. In response to the Firebird’s question as to what good she had done, the woman honestly replied that she didn’t see herself as having done any particular good as her time had mostly been used to care for her sick father and look after her little children.
Touched by her humility and kindness, the Firebird declared her to be a kind woman who did her duty, thus doing good and allowed her to take the fire from its tail. The woman hastened joyfully to fetch some wood, and when she laid it on the Firebird’s tail, flames blazed up. Then all the other women of the tribe brought wood and got fire from her, and ever after they were able to cook food and warm themselves. As for the Firebird, it flew away and they never saw it again.
Folklore describes the Firebird as being very impressive in terms of size and presence with shining feathers, bright eyes like jewels and a long, waving tail with tongues of flame giving out rays like the sun. Unfortunately, the records are not clear as to the exact origins of the Firebird.
The Firebird in Modern Times
Apart from diehard believers who continue searching for the elusive Firebird, the influence of such mystical creatures in this day and age is, by and large, limited to art and cultural aesthetic purposes. In essence, the Firebird serves as an inspiration to many fairy and folktales, literary works and works of art.
To name but a few;
- Composer Igor Stravinsky achieved early success with a large-scale ballet score inspired by Russian Firebird folklore. He composed his career defining work under commission from Sergei Diaghilev and his Ballets Russes L’Oiseau de feu, with choreography by the noted Russian Michel Fokine. It premiered with great success at the Paris Opera on June 25, 1910. Stravinsky continued with the working formula of using Firebird folktales as the inspiration for his composition of Petrushka, which was also well received by audiences. These two ballets were instrumental in spreading the awareness of Russia’s rich folk culture beyond its borders.
- There are many books and writings that make reference to the Firebird or the Phoenix, such as the record-breaking Harry Potter series.
- The use of Firebird imagery in fantasy-themed video games are common if not prevalent.
- Even Disney jumped onto the Firebird bandwagon. In fact, one of the most terrifying images ever produced by Disney was the depiction of the Firebird as a bird made entirely out of fire, lava and burning destruction in Fantasia 2000. A nature spirit’s curiosity caused her to stumble upon the Firebird in a volcanic crater. Disturbed from its slumber, the menacing Firebird terrorised the nature spirit. The climax of the scene is when the Firebird towers over the nature spirit in all its artistic glory, diving head on to the nature spirit hiding up a tree before vanishing without a trace in front of its terrified eyes.
Whether real or fictional, mythological creatures like the Firebird have captured and will continue to capture the imagination of many. There will inevitably also be cynics who dismiss it as a gimmick or myth. Regardless, examining such cryptic, bizarre and strange occurrences that surround our world serves not only to open up our perceptions but also trains us to be unbiased in our intake of information as there are just so many undiscovered and interesting phenomena out there to get us thinking.
- Guterman, Norbert, tr. (1973). Russian Fairy Tales, 2d ed. New York: Pantheon Books
- Taruskin, Richard. (1996). Stravinsky and the Russian Traditions: A Biography of the Works through Mavra. 2 vols. Berkeley: University of California Press
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