All ancient cultures developed myths and legends to explain and deal with the world around them.  Many of the oldest myths deal with the cycle of seasons, and agriculture.  It was from this background that the Phoenix myths were born.  Originally derived from Egyptian myth, and centered around the rise and fall of the Nile, the story of the Bennu (Egyptian name for the Phoenix) spread around the Mediterranean showing up in a large diversity of cultures.  The most influential of these cultures is of course the Greeks.  It is from the Greeks that we get the word “phoenix”.  But others include peoples throughout Palestine, Arabia, and latter in Italy.  The resurrection (or rising) part of the story is familiar throughout the modern world and has often been used as an allegory to the resurrection of Christ.  It is also one of the favorite clichés used by writers.  Does the phrase “rising from the ashes” sound familiar?  Well, you can thank the Phoenix myth for that one.