Christianity very early adopted the mythical phoenix as the natural proof of the resurrection of the bodies. So, the bestiary of the Physiologus lists the bird in a good rank. Translated into several languages, at different times, this popular work expanded with some variants either coming from definite sources, or being sheer inventions, even errors. In the Byzantine Physiologus of the pseudo Epiphanius, one of these variants is explainable by the misreading of the word "sphere, globe", as "malleoli" of the ankles, whereas the Greek Physiologus of Vienna proposes an etymological explanation of the name of the bird as "the one who appears", from the verb; it is based on an assimilation of the phoenix with the legendary eastern cock "runner of the sun", and it is maybe not so new - [Abstract]

Language: French

DOI: 10.4000/rursuspicae.818