Why the phoenix isnt a fire bird.

Arkantos

Arkantos

The Greatest

Join Date: Feb 2006

W/

Ive seen many people wondering why the phoenix isnt on fire? Myths say the phoenix as an immortal fire bird. This is true, but the phoenix ANet has given us is actually the Fenghuang, the Chineese Phoenix. Now, why arent they on fire, you ask? Because according to chineese myths this bird was the bird that reigned over other birds. Why are its feathers so colourful? Well, the chineese said that the fenghuang contained the 5 fundamental colours: black, white, red, green and yellow. If you look at the phoenix on GW, it has all that, and blue, which I do not know why.

Some chineese myths for ya there

bam23

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Feb 2006

But a fire bird is so much cooler!

Arkantos

Arkantos

The Greatest

Join Date: Feb 2006

W/

Quote:
Originally Posted by bam23
But a fire bird is so much cooler!
Most say a fire bird looks better, but since Cantha is a Chinese based country ANet made the phoenix according to Chinese myths.

EternalTempest

EternalTempest

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jun 2005

United States

Dark Side Ofthe Moon [DSM]

E/

As being a member of the "Reign Of The Phoenix"
I do find this very instresting and didn't know that.
Great Find.

Bit I do love that GW pulls from more obscure source's with there own personal creation thrown in.

DJ Josh

DJ Josh

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Aug 2005

thanks for the myth info on my new pet.also like to add that the main phoenix myth that people get the fire bird thing from is confused data,why?,because the phoenix is not a fire bird.the myth states that upon its death the phoenix bursts into flames and is reborn in its own ash.but yes a movie style phoenix would be cool,if a little cheesy(moltres ftw ),but personely i'm happy with my phoenix + as stated by the op it fits in with the asain theme of factions.

Arkantos

Arkantos

The Greatest

Join Date: Feb 2006

W/

Quote:
Originally Posted by DJ Josh
thanks for the myth info on my new pet.also like to add that the main phoenix myth that people get the fire bird thing from is confused data,why?,because the phoenix is not a fire bird. the myth states that upon its death the phoenix bursts into flames and is reborn in its own ash.but yes a movie style phoenix would be cool,if a little cheesy(moltres ftw ),but personely i'm happy with my phoenix + as stated by the op it fits in with the asain theme of factions.
True. According to egyptians the phoenix had gold and red feathers, and it represented fire and divinity. And ya when it died it would burn up and ressurect from its ashes.

PS: Zapdos > Moltres.

raven214

raven214

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: May 2005

R/

Good info!

Stockholm

Stockholm

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Feb 2006

Censored

Censored

R/

Would be cool if the phoenix did fire damage, the deep fry bird

tick tack toe

tick tack toe

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2006

swords of night and day

N/Me

i enjoy the bird in the game!

also my pet moa bird of deth!!!! fear it lol

Trylo

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jan 2006

[Here] | CKOD

E/R

It reminded me of a Quetzequatyl (sp?), an ancient Mayan bird.

*Chinese*

MaglorD

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2005

Well Chapter 3 is supposedly based on Africa, so maybe the new phoenix will be a firebird.

VGJustice

VGJustice

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jul 2005

Tyria, cappin' ur bosses

Boston Guild [BG]

R/W

Ah, I was wondering about that. Good find.

M C H A M M E R

M C H A M M E R

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2005

Drunken Rangers [DR], Sig of Ultimate Doom [SiG]

W/

Would be cool if it was all fiery and stuff..lol

Lateralus

Lateralus

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Oct 2005

W/Mo

Another Chinese rip off...

Ention

Ention

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Apr 2006

Sitting on a throne in the mansion of torment.

D/Mo

^... Oh well. If they have Asian Architecture and German language roots why not throw in a Chinese Pheonix just for giggles!

Gmr Leon

Gmr Leon

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Apr 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by Trylo
It reminded me of a Quetzequatyl (sp?), an ancient Mayan bird.

*Chinese*

Actually Quetzalcoatl was thought to be either a plumed serpent, in some depictions, or a great dragon, in other depictions. As a Mayan God he had the ability to change forms. He was the plumed serpent God of wisdom, wind, and life.

dreamhunk

Banned

Join Date: Mar 2006

:P

E/Me

yea i love my new pet I am going beast master now

The Lich Ranger

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Feb 2006

Home

Children Of Orion

Mo/Me

My pheonix is haxxors... they rock

ange1

ange1

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Aug 2005

Mo/

it looks more like a peaRED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GO to me

Markaedw

Markaedw

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Nov 2005

N/

Quote:
Originally Posted by ange1
it looks more like a peaRED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GO to me
LOL... got to love those filters

Sagaris

Sagaris

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Aug 2005

Netherlands.

Does the horn belong on the head of the phoenix? Because that is the only bit I don't like about it.

Raiin Maker

Raiin Maker

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Oct 2005

England

Blood On The Worlds Hands

W/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bloody Death
True. According to egyptians the phoenix had gold and red feathers, and it represented fire and divinity. And ya when it died it would burn up and ressurect from its ashes.

PS: Zapdos > Moltres.
pokemon

i admit that the phoenix dosent look 100% right, but it is still the coolest pet in the game.

Huge Hearty Phoenix FTW!

Trylo

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jan 2006

[Here] | CKOD

E/R

sorry for that, but i was still thinking of the phoenix as it does have a serpentish tail and horns, close enough

Canadian Bacon

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jan 2006

Ontario, Canada

Kingdom of Tyria [KoT]

Quote:
PS: Zapdos > Moltres.
For the love of Grenth, please tell me you aren't into Pokemon. I dropped that crap 6 years ago (I'm only 15, so that's a big chunk of my life). Oddly, I still remember pretty much every one of the original 150...I guess my memory just works that way. I bet 10 years from now I will still remember all the Guild Wars professions.

NinjaKai

Forge Runner

Join Date: Feb 2006

UK

Duality Of The Dragon

You can't possibly fault ANet for the research it does.

NinjaKai

Forge Runner

Join Date: Feb 2006

UK

Duality Of The Dragon

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bloody Death
True. According to egyptians the phoenix had gold and red feathers, and it represented fire and divinity. And ya when it died it would burn up and ressurect from its ashes.
Bennu in Egptian mythology was the phoenix or liberally translated as Rising One. Bennu is an incarnation of Osiris in the form of a heron as he's depicted. However, your not entirely wrong. One of Bennu's forms is also depicted as a magpie. Some often associate Bennu with Ra because Ra is the symbol of the sun. But Ra is simply a form of Horus later depicted as two separate entities. And I think I went a bit far on this topic. XD

Arkantos

Arkantos

The Greatest

Join Date: Feb 2006

W/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Canadian Bacon
For the love of Grenth, please tell me you aren't into Pokemon. I dropped that crap 6 years ago (I'm only 15, so that's a big chunk of my life). Oddly, I still remember pretty much every one of the original 150...I guess my memory just works that way. I bet 10 years from now I will still remember all the Guild Wars professions.
No, I'm a 14 year old who plays pokemon lol jk....I just remember all the leet pokemans

prodigy ming

prodigy ming

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: May 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sagaris
Does the horn belong on the head of the phoenix? Because that is the only bit I don't like about it.
Fenghuang is actually 2 birds, the male is Feng and female is Huang. It was used to symbolize the Emperess (the dragon for the emperor).
in reply to your question, i don't think that stupid horn is suppose to be there... sometimes i really like Anet's takes on things... but they totally messed up the phoneix and even the dragon > <
I mean... thats a pretty ugly bird to symboize the empress (the one GW has), it looks like someone painted a really ugly falcon and put horn on his head... thus losing all the elegance the phoenix suppose to have.
Its ok if Anet use things from other people's culture, but it really piss us off when we see they disfigure the phoenix like that.
on a side note... the dragon... Trogdor anyone??

snikerz

snikerz

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Dec 2005

Rt/A

so like why is it the celestial phoenix represent fiery look, mind you the turtle looks fiery too hehe

Arkantos

Arkantos

The Greatest

Join Date: Feb 2006

W/

Quote:
Originally Posted by snikerz
so like why is it the celestial phoenix represent fiery look, mind you the turtle looks fiery too hehe
Actually, there made up of starts Makes sence, because if you kill them you become closer to the stars

miraaz

miraaz

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Nov 2005

Estonia

Spike In Three Two [Wee]

it would actually be cool if the phoenix would use elementalist's fire skills(a bit overpowered, i know but it would be cool )

arcady

arcady

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: May 2006

San Francisco native

Mo/P

Quote:
Originally Posted by EternalTempest
As being a member of the "Reign Of The Phoenix"
I do find this very instresting and didn't know that.
Great Find.

Bit I do love that GW pulls from more obscure source's with there own personal creation thrown in.
Given that anet is in Korea, using the Chinese myth for them is not at all obscure. It is possible the artist hired to do the phoenix did not even know the myth we in the west know, and simply looked up 'phoenix in her or his 'English-Korean dictionary then said 'Oh, they have that over there too!' and did something like what we see now.

Korean etymology is about 60% Chinese, but with a grammar structure more like Japan's. Koreans are loosely familiar with a lot of Chinese lore. If you know Korean, hearing a Chinese word is sometimes like hearing German is for English speakers - if you listen hard enough, you might guess the word correctly by what it sounds similar to (Korean is my second language, and I live in San francisco where Cantonese is one of the primary languages-took a semester of it as well).


It is interesting that the 'phoenix' is different from what users here expect, but not really suprising. In fact it may have been named 'phoenix' after it first had the other name, and got the name 'phoenix' from being translated after it was already fully designed and coded in (wild speculation on my part, but not illogical).

Stockholm

Stockholm

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Feb 2006

Censored

Censored

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by arcady
Given that anet is in Korea, using the Chinese myth for them is not at all obscure..
A-net is an American company in Seattle owned by NC-Soft witch is an Korean company

And regarding the Phoenix

Phoenix (mythology)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The phoenix from the Aberdeen Bestiary.For other mythic firebirds, sometimes conflated with the phoenix, see Fire bird (mythology).

In ancient Egyptian mythology and in myths derived from it, the phoenix is a mythical sacred firebird.

Said to live for 500 or 1461 years (depending on the source), the phoenix is a male bird with beautiful gold and red plumage. At the end of its life-cycle the phoenix builds itself a nest of cinnamon twigs that it then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix arises. The new phoenix embalms the ashes of the old phoenix in an egg made of myrrh and deposits it in Heliopolis ("the city of the sun" in Greek), located in Egypt. The bird was also said to regenerate when hurt or wounded by a foe, thus being almost immortal and invincible — a symbol of fire and divinity.

Although descriptions (and life-span) vary, the phoenix (Bennu bird) became popular in early Christian art, literature and Christian symbolism, as a symbol of Christ, and further, represented the resurrection, immortality, and the life-after-death of Jesus Christ.

Originally, the phoenix was identified by the Egyptians as a stork or heron-like bird called a benu, (see Bennu), known from the Book of the Dead and other Egyptian texts as one of the sacred symbols of worship at Heliopolis, closely associated with the rising sun and the Egyptian sun-god Ra.

arcady

arcady

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: May 2006

San Francisco native

Mo/P

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stockholm
A-net is an American company in Seattle owned by NC-Soft witch is an Korean company
Does not mean that work doesn't get at the source as well as the remote agency. In fact this may have a lot to do with why factions has a different 'play style' than 'prophesis' (not the theme, but the emphasis and level of PvE v PvP, length of chapters, etc). It might, or it might not.

Given that factions uses a lot of Asian themes that would be familiar to a Korean, and the parent company is Korean, drawing a connection is logical. Especially given the more advanced status of graphic design and digital arts in Korea - and that the visual look of illustrations and 3D models in GWs seems Korean Manwa influenced (but you would have to know Korean Manwa to see it, as the style is more subtle to a western eye than something as extreme as the Japanese Manga influence seen in games like Final Fantasy).


Consider for example, that the 'Canthan warrior armor' is the traditional armor of Korea in fuedal era, and the female Monk hairstyle seen here: http://www.guildwars.co.kr/gameinfo/job.asp?kind=3 is taken from the Korean 'Sun-nyo' (angel of the shamanic era). Korean aspects have been influencing the game for a while.

Desert Penguin

Academy Page

Join Date: Apr 2006

W/Mo

The pheonix looks like a big colorful turkey. Or at least a turkey crossed with a peacock or whatever.

I wouldn't mind having a penguin, tukey, pea RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GO, or even an eagle as a pet

EDIT: What on Earth is this "Red engine gored" stuff?

prodigy ming

prodigy ming

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: May 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Desert Penguin
The pheonix looks like a big colorful turkey. Or at least a turkey crossed with a peacock or whatever.

I wouldn't mind having a penguin, tukey, pea RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GO, or even an eagle as a pet

EDIT: What on Earth is this "Red engine gored" stuff?
swear censor

Jenosavel

Jenosavel

Master of Beasts

Join Date: Jul 2005

Servants of Fortuna [SoF]

R/

Quote:
Originally Posted by arcady
Does not mean that work doesn't get at the source as well as the remote agency.
Actually, it probably does. ANet is the developer. NC Soft is the publisher. Developers do the programming, art, and all the creative stuff involved in making a game. Publishers simply give the developers the money to do it (or stop giving them the money if they don't like the direction of the game ) and worry about all the technical stuff invovling putting the game out on the market after its completed.

Thus, while NC Soft will definitely have influence over what ANet does, they're probably not working on the game itself. If you don't like the design of the game, you complain to ANet (or NC Soft to put pressure on ANet). If you don't like the distribution (like the collector's edition shortage) you complain to NC Soft.

Quote:
In fact this may have a lot to do with why factions has a different 'play style' than 'prophesis' (not the theme, but the emphasis and level of PvE v PvP, length of chapters, etc). It might, or it might not.

Given that factions uses a lot of Asian themes that would be familiar to a Korean, and the parent company is Korean, drawing a connection is logical. Especially given the more advanced status of graphic design and digital arts in Korea - and that the visual look of illustrations and 3D models in GWs seems Korean Manwa influenced (but you would have to know Korean Manwa to see it, as the style is more subtle to a western eye than something as extreme as the Japanese Manga influence seen in games like Final Fantasy).


Consider for example, that the 'Canthan warrior armor' is the traditional armor of Korea in fuedal era, and the female Monk hairstyle seen here: http://www.guildwars.co.kr/gameinfo/job.asp?kind=3 is taken from the Korean 'Sun-nyo' (angel of the shamanic era). Korean aspects have been influencing the game for a while.
NC Soft isn't new for Factions over Prophecies. The differences in play style are a goal of ANet's and something Jeff Strain takes very dear to heart (judging by his interviews), not a by-product of NC Soft getting more involved. Similarly, the asian theme is a result of research, not NC Soft doing the work. I don't know how many people recall, but when ANet first announced that there would be an asian theme to Cantha, one of the articles about it included a picture of an artist's workspace completely plastered full of asian themed images (mostly people that were good looking by Asian standards such as FFX's Yuna). Don't underestimate the power of people actually caring about the game they produce.

{integral}

{integral}

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Sep 2005

Just down the road.

Mo/

It looks like the male equivalent of a peahen to me as well.

Oh, and I always preferred Articuno. Or that silver one that spoke to you without moving its mouth. If it had a mouth.

Francis Demeules

Francis Demeules

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jan 2006

Canada, Qc

[Holy]

Me/Mo

Or they just tried to make an original one and not thinking about having a copy/paste mythology creature. Like the Onis, they're not like what they represent as physical form.

prodigy ming

prodigy ming

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: May 2005

Quote:
Originally Posted by Francis Demeules
Or they just tried to make an original one and not thinking about having a copy/paste mythology creature. Like the Onis, they're not like what they represent as physical form.
for some reason i thought the Oni looks kinda cool... I know it looks nothing like what its based off of, but its not a bad design per se...
The phoenix however... was just horrible.