Hey everyone,
My writer's block is slowly starting to melt away and today I started to get a few ideas for an additional culture in my world. Though I've got plenty of humans and a liberal sprinkling of dwarves (I sound like a recipe... ) I don't have very many creatures...only two races of creatures, which can reason and think, but aren't exactly on a level with the humans/dwarves. I also have a race of talking eagles...and, well, they're boring. Unfortunately. Plus, I feel like they're a rip-off on C.S. Lewis' talking animals...I'd rather come up with a race of my own, just to distinguish Enderion from Earth.

So here's the deal. I spent the past hour scouring the internet for mythical bird-like creatures and there just aren't that many. Outside of all the Egyptian bird-gods and bird-sub-gods, I probably only found about three different mythical birds. One, of course, was the Gryphon, but I didn't want to use a creature based off of that. I also found some stuff (and more) about pheonix, and I started thinking about how they're rarely used in fantasy literature today.

But I don't want just plain old pheonix. I want something new. In my original idea the eagles play a part in the story as messengers, sort of like the glue that keeps all the forces of good communicating. But pheonix supposedly keep to themselves, and don't associate with others. Thus my problem.

I want to mix eagles and pheonix. I really like the idea of how pheonix can catch on fire and regenerate themselves, making them almost immortal, sort of. I'm just not sure how to incorporate all this into a race that was formerly messenger eagles. I also really like the idea the pheonix can represent the Ressurection and things like that, but don't want to incorporate that TOO obviously in my book just because I want to avoid cliches. The (meta?) essence of this new race I see as being somewhat like a middle eastern culture, with few words, but as messengers, like I said before. Anyways, I just need help figuring them out and developing them.

I really like this concept of a pheonix (done by a Germany guy) and I want to distinguish between this type of the bird and the eastern/ancient concept, which was more like a stork.

Anyways, I'll be thinking about this over the next few days but I just wanted to see if y'all had any thoughts/ideas about it. Thanks!

UPDATE: Crud. J.K. Rowling uses pheonix in Harry Potter, meaning that I really have to mix and match these two birds into an entire new race to remain original.

eruheran

Any progress on this? It sounded like you were going down an interesting path. What about adding in another mythical bird like the Stymphalian Birds (beaks of bronze and metallic feathers that they could launch as weapons)? Sometimes drawing from a number of different elements, out of which you can use those that best suit your world, helps.

I've come to a few conclusions about the birds, but I still need to sort it a bit. Here goes.

OK, I started out trying to create a creature, but these birds are more a race. So what I decided I'll do is have two types of this bird. There are the pheonix that have not given in to Srugoz, and the pheonix that have. Those that have are not sentient and are totally do his bidding (They are sentient in that they can obey orders, but they don't speak or think). The pheonix that remain free can think, reason, and speak.

Their body resembles an eagle, but the pheonix have the ability to turn into fire. The enslaved pheonix lack the ability to decide when they do this (Srugoz decides for them) but free pheonix can decide when they will combust.

I still need a name for these doohickeys. If I use something too complicated then people won't be able to remember what they are, but if I use pheonix than they'll have misconceptions about it. So I need a good, short name...only like four or five letters.

eruheran

I like where you are going with this. Are the free pheonix more powerful, or have the enslaved pheonix gained some extra power from Srugoz?

I won't venture to offer a name suggestion, not knowing the languages of your world. But simple and unique is good...also easier said than done!

The free pheonix have more reasoning abilities but not necessarily more raw force. And as to the enslaved pheonix, they have some extra power from Srugoz. Basically it just allows them to burn for longer.

Yes, I need to at least make my languages "naming class" before I can name these guys adequately. Basically I've got about ten languages/dialects in my world so I've got to develop those more. I've only got two half-done so far.

eruheran

Still working on these. Hopefully I'll have a full synopsis of them by later today, but no promises

eruheran

Yes, these things are prone to taking longer than planned...at least the process is fun! I'll keep an eye out for the full synopsis.

OK, everyone. Here's a complete synopsis on my phoenix, including why they burn and what structures in their body are adapted to that. Let me know your comments, thoughts, none of this is actually final.

The phoenix (Singular: phoenix; plural: phoenix) are a type of creature found throughout the world of Enderion. They are a mixture of eagles and mythological phoenix with aspects of both. They are extremely long-lived and can live for up to four hundred and fifty years. However, they have few young and as such are not very widespread in Enderion.

They tend to concentrate most frequently on the mountains, being naturally safe from predators there. Mating is for life and two phoenix will generally remain in the same nest for as long as they can. By nature a phoenix will keep to itself, and not normally associate with anyone else except for its mate. Some pheonix live in small colonies but these are not very common.

By nature, phoenix can think and reason, though not on the same level as a man. There are two types of phoenix: free and enslaved. The enslaved phoenix have been taken over by Srugoz and have forfeited their reasoning and minds; he controls them completely. In return, they are given some boosting in their natural abilities.

One more thing that Srugoz has done to the enslaved Pheonix, is through demonic arts has compressed several phoenix into arrows. These are set alight and fired from normal bows into the opposing armies, and as the arrow flies it transforms into a phoenix (Kind of like in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe movie). However, these pheonix have been inhabited by demons who are following Srugoz's orders, therefore they can think and reason like a man, unlike other enslaved phoenix. These demonic phoenix are also about twice as large as normal phoenix They are extremely dangerous and must be killed immediately because of their abnormal powers.

The free phoenix are still sentient, but being creatures, and not a race, they are not organized into any culture or anything. Decisions by free phoenix to help the Forces of Good have been on an individual basis (The species of phoenix could not any more all together decide to help the Forces of Good than a species of hummingbird could decide en masse to attack the Empire State Building). That being said, all free phoenix do hate Srugoz and his evil forces.

A few phoenix have agreed to assist the Forces of Good, and serve primarily as messengers, except in battle when they also fight. The flight of a phoenix is fast (not as fast as an eagle on earth, however) and it is aided by its large wings, which are very strong and have a wingspan of about 1.94 steps on average, which is approximately equal to 7.5 to 8 feet on Earth.

The phoenix's body has adapted naturally to best cope with the burning process that goes on in its body. A large sac of phosphorus-like fluid (henceforth referred to as phosphorus) is located just below the neck. The phoenix can secrete liquid from this sac through three glands on the body at will. The glands are located just below the neck and on the wings (The neck gland being the largest as it ignites the entire body)

On secretion of this phosphorus from these glands, six, smaller glands that surround the larger glands secrete an unknown substance automatically, that ignites the phosphorus, effectively setting the bird on fire. The bird can burn for about three hours, when the phosphorus begins to run out. The bird's body begins to renew the phosphorus as soon as it is first used but naturally in times of action (like battles) this replenishing will be slower. The method of replenishment is not known, but phoenix must eat large amounts of food for this to occur

There is a thick, rubbery substance on the wings and body of the bird. This, while not putting out the flames, will resist them and make the bird's body impervious to fire. It will, however, be burnt through very slowly (about three and a half hours to burn through the entire layer). When that occurs, sensors on the phoenix's skin, feeling outside air (normally they don't feel air because they are under the layer of rubbery stuff), automatically shut off the phosphorus glands, and removing the fire.

This rubbery layer can be reproduced by the bird's saliva, which is spread on its body by its thick, leathery tongue. A phoenix can re-coat itself in this substance in around ten minutes. This is not entirely effective in battle, but for the enslaved phoenix, Srugoz has devised a liquid that emulates the natural saliva of the bird, so that recoats can be done in as little as two minutes simply by pouring this liquid on the bird. However, this substitute is less effective so recoats must be done more often.

Killing a phoenix is very hard. One may kill a phoenix with a spear thrust but thrusting a spear towards a flaming bird with a wingspan of eight feet isn't everyone's cup of tea. The most effective way to kill one is with arrow shots to the eyes or nose, which is a sensitive cluster of cells on either side of the beak. But shots of that accuracy require very skilled archers, which are hard to find, usually.

Contrary to earth legends of phoenix (which filtered from Enderion to Ancient Greece by an unknown method) they cannot rejuvenate themselves. 'Rising from the ashes' and all that is a myth. However, their great resistance to fire can seem to give them strange powers, such as being able to fly through flame, and resist all normal types of flame.


eruheran

Names for inspiration:
Grak
Vraen
Wiend
WIndimir

How about Anar? It is a spin off of the Quenyan (elvish) word for sun.

I think you could get along just fine without changing the name.

I'm thinking that too, Seer. I'm just wanting to avoid the general stereotypes/misconceptions about phoenix, most of which my phoenix avoid.

By the way, if anyone's interested, there's a thread for these creatures in my subforum now.

eruheran

Yes, I'm not the best at the science/real-life side of things. I guess they're about the size of a bald eagle. They're definitely not the size of most phoenix in mythology/legends. (I think I posted somewhere their body was longer but not as 'chunky' as an eagle's. Anyways, we'll see. It'll all come out in the wash. (Or whenever I finish my book!)

eruheran