Rare Magical Creatures from all over
There are magical creatures from all over the world. Some are well known like hippogriffs while others are very rare. This book will introduce you to some of the animals that they may not have taught you about in school. There are rare Magical Creatures everywhere, even some creatures who have different variants you may not have known about like the Phoenix.
Chapter One: The Sun Phoenix
1a: History of the Sun Phoenix
The Phoenix is a very popular and fascinating creature but when most people think of the phoenix, they think of fire and ashes and while this is true, there are actually variants of the Phoenix that you might not know about.
The word Phoenix is based off the old English word Fenix which means Dark Red. The word was first associated with the bird when an English wizard came across a variant phoenix known as the Fire Phoenix during its rebirth cycle. He saw the beautiful red bird burst into fire and become a pile of ashes and then be reborn from those ashes. To describe what he saw, he told them it was a Fenix bird. This happened sometime in 100 BC but the Phoenix has been around for much longer.
It wasn't until much later that it was found that the bird he referred to as a Phoenix was only one of many variants. The Sun Phoenix wasn't discovered until long after this though they had been described in many ancient cultures and civilizations. One of the earliest mentions of the Sun Phoenix was the Mayans who described it as a bird encased in the sun. It was thought that they were referring to the Fire Phoenix for a very long time. It wasn't until we found Ancient Greek Documents that referred between the sun bird and the fire bird, did we realize the Sun Phoenix was a different bird entirely.
Once it was established that we were searching for a new bird, sightings increased as the hard to find bird was revealed. As many civilizations had called the phoenix, the sun bird, it was newly dubbed the Sun Phoenix.
In Ancient Mayan Cultures, the Sun Phoenix was worshipped as a god and they have been theorized to be the basis of the Egyptian Sun God, Ra. It has connections to hundreds of lost civilizations and some have even theorized that the Sun Phoenix migrated across the world but this has been disproven.
1b: Habitats and Regions
The Sun Phoenix never inhabits areas where humans are near or might come across them so this makes it very hard to pinpoint areas where the sun phoenix lives. It is known however that they always chose areas near the equator, most likely because it is the closest to the sun.
Sightings have occurred in South America, Africa and Mediterranean Areas. They mainly stay in hot, desert areas or tropical areas like rainforests. In Deserts, Sun Phoenix is known to make their nests in rocks and small caverns some have even been known to tunnel underneath the sand to create a nest. In Rainforests, they mainly make their nests at the tops of trees deep in the undergrowth. They are known to camouflage into their surroundings to prevent from being spotted, as such it is not uncommon for sun phoenix to bury into sand or dirt to hide their feathers.
The Sun Phoenix build their nests out of leaves, sand, dirt or anything they can find and usually only stay in this nest for three to six months before leaving it and starting in a new area. It is unknown why Sun Phoenix moves their nests but several theories have been proposed.
One of the most convincing theories is the location of the sun. It has been noted that every three to six months, the sun will move locations and will no longer heat the nest and it is theorized that the sun phoenix always builds its nest so that the sun can heat it. In Rainforests, it is unknown how exactly they do this as getting too close to a Phoenix nest always results in injuries.
Another known theory is that Sun Phoenix may move their nests if they feel threatened or if humans get too close.
In Egypt between 100 and 500 BC, Sun Phoenix had a very large population in the areas and in 1904, what is believed to be a shrine dedicated to the sun phoenix was found. While mostly ruins, it is theorized that the pedestals around the shrine were for sun phoenixes to build their nests. It is currently unknown which of the lost civilizations in the area built it but it is a wonderful and fantastic find for these creatures.
1c: Behaviors and Diets
Sun Phoenix is very shy and docile creatures. They are harder to find than other phoenixes because of their extreme precautions to hiding from human civilizations. Sun Phoenix is known to hide as soon as it smells or thinks a human is nearby and this makes studying the phoenix harder than most other creatures. Despite this, it is something as gifts as Sun Phoenix haven't been spotted by muggles in over 1000 years due to their hiding behavior.
With other Phoenix Variants, it is known that they are very friendly. William Grimes found and studied a captured Sun Phoenix while it recovered from an injury over a period of a year and much of the known information about Sun Phoenix comes from his study. Grimes found that the Sun Phoenix willingly mates with other variants but all eggs produced this way only produced a fire phoenix and not a sun phoenix. It is currently not known why.
The Sun Phoenix is less dominate than the other Phoenixes due to its shy nature regardless of its gender. While they are docile, they are very protective of their eggs and their young and have been known to attack when a human gets too close to their nest. This usually never ends in a fatal injury but there have been instances where repeated offenders have been badly injured by a sun phoenix. It is thought this is a preventive measure from the shy phoenix. Before its attack, the sun phoenix will let out a loud screech of warning which is unique to that of the Sun Phoenix as no other Phoenix has been known to do this.
Like All Phoenix though, the Sun Phoenix is very loyal and will often be able to recognize this loyalty in others. This has often caused legends that Phoenix will arrive to help those who show loyalty. This has not been proven.
Despite their shy nature, Sun Phoenix are carnivores and only feast on protein heavy animals or insects, the only phoenix variant who is so. Those in Rainforests are known to eat insects, reptiles and amphibians. There is one recorded instance of a Sun Phoenix feasting on a smaller bird but this is considered a rarity. In Deserts, they feast on small animals like rats and gerbils but are also known to eat scorpions, arachnids and snakes.
Their greatest food sources come from rodents in their areas and because of this, they don't often have to go far to search for food.
1d: Reproduction
Though Sun Phoenix goes through a rebirth cycle like all Phoenix, chicks are still born. A Healthy mating couple will produce two eggs a year though an egg only has a 20% chance to contain a chick. Two Sun Phoenix only mate in mid day and lays their egg during the highest point of the sun. Because of the low birth rates, the sun phoenixes have faced a decline for centuries. In 1892, the Sun Phoenix was placed on the endangered list and due to poaching; their birth rates have dropped even lower putting them even closer to the extinction line.
Several attempts have been made to preserve the species, even trying to study eggs and its low birth rate to increase the population but no luck has been made. We are unsure why eggs are laid that don' contain chicks but it is theorized that is has something to do with the sun and time of day. More research has been proposed but no answers have been found yet.
Fortunately, their low birth rates and sun requirements have made sun phoenix too much of a hassle for illegal breeders but there have been several instances of sun phoenix chicks being stolen from their nests by poachers to raise in captivity. Several tracking tags have been placed on sun phoenix to prevent this from happening.
2a: What does a sun phoenix look like?
When a chick is born, it is only a fifth of adult phoenix's size. Until it reaches maturity, its feathers are fluffier and not able to fly with and most sun phoenix chicks are born pure white and their colors show up as they age. This is the difference between birth and rebirth as when a phoenix goes through rebirth; it quickly matures faster and always retains its colors instead of turning white.
You can always tell a sun Phoenix by its unique colorings and long tail feathers. Sun Phoenix is a mixture of gold, yellow and orange and their feathers are known to be seen in the dark as they reflect light.
When a Sun Phoenix is kept away from the sun, unusually in darkness, it will begin to malt. The feathers will lose their color and fall away until it loses all its feathers and it dies. When a Phoenix begins to go through its rebirth cycle and approaches its burning day, it will begin to nest and get lethargic. It may look sick and lose its feathers but its colors remain. When it reaches its burning day, the sun phoenix bursts into light and turns to ashes. It is then reborn from the ashes as a small chick but retains its coloring. While Phoenix may never die of old age, they can still be killed or injured as with any bird which means poaching of these birds are very dangerous.
2b: Magical Abilities
Excluding its astounding ability of rebirth, the Sun Phoenix is also known for several other magical properties. Like all Phoenix, the Sun Phoenix has healing tears which are known as the only cure to Basilisk Venom. They are also immune to the Basilisk Gaze and most abilities that would harm or kill them outside of physical injury.
Sun Phoenix are immune to all poison and venom and specifically in Sun Phoenix, it is known that their blood carries this healing property as well. Fortunately for the Sun Phoenix, it was discovered in the 20th century it was discovered that its tears and blood only had healing properties when willingly given. It is unknown if the phoenix can control this or it is involuntary. This means most if not all lab testing and illegal breeding for their tears is useless. Despite this poaching is still a big problem as their blood and feathers can be harvested for other purposes. Empty Phoenix eggs are also sold on the Black market as a delicacy in some parts in Asia.
The main uses for Phoenix Feathers are for wands, Britain in particular uses Phoenix Feathers as a popular ingredient for wands. Ollivanders, a long time wand maker only sells Phoenix Feathers are one of three types of wands. He tends to only use select variants of Phoenix which does not include sun Phoenix. Their blood can be used in several potions or rituals that can be made for regenerating properties and its poison immunity.
There have been several ancient communities who believed if you digested phoenix blood; it would grant you immunity to poison. This is false.
Like all Phoenix, Sun Phoenix is able to carry up to twelve times their weight and can perform their apparition. Unlike wizard's apparitions, they are not restricted. Like all Phoenix, Sun Phoenix boasts a song. It is said in legends that Phoenix song will strike fear into the hearts of evil and increase the courage of the good but this is unable to be proven.
In reality, every phoenix sings a song that can affect our emotions and mental states but it is unknown how this can affect anyone especially with a complex message like good vs. evil. It was once thought that those with an evil heart could not hear the song but again, this cannot be proven.
2c: Poachers and Extinction
As discussed, Sun Phoenix is often targeted by Poachers. Due to their tears needing to be willingly given, this often means that poachers find more use for Sun Phoenix after their death. This way they can more easily harvest their feathers and blood to sell on the black market.
This has become an extreme problem for Sun Phoenix because of their low birth rates, causing an extreme decrease in their populations. Steps have been taken to insure protection against poachers but it's sometimes not enough.
One Magi zoologist, Newt Scamander helped start a conservation effort for Sun Phoenix to help track and monitor Sun phoenix in the wild and prevent any poaching. But this has led to a different problem they face of hunters who will often hunt down sun phoenix chicks and sell them to the highest bidder as an exotic pet. As they don't often understand the animal they bought, they will die within a few months.
Despite all the poaching, the efforts to conserve the species are rising all over the world as over fifteen countries have started a conservation effort to set up more protected wildlife areas for Sun Phoenix and other endangered creatures who are facing extinction.
2d: Lore
One of the most fascinating parts of Sun Phoenix is the mystery and the lore surrounding them. There are so many theories to explain their interesting behavior but one of the biggest stories surrounding the Sun Phoenix was Alexander the Great.
Alexander the Great was known to have a large bird, which at the time was only referred to as the sun bird, which we now know is the Sun Phoenix. Alexander the Great had a very close relationship to the bird and they were always together from reports. The bird even fought in the conquest of the Persian Empire, which is credited as to have helped end the battle in his favor.
The phoenix was known for its ferocity on the battlefield and several records noted that it would heal Alexander the Great before he could succumb to his injuries. Every battle Alexander the Great Fought, the sun phoenix was always at his side.
Nowadays we know their bond was a Familiar Bond and it is the first and only documented case of a bond between a sun phoenix. Upon the death of Alexander the Great, there were reports that the bird let out a loud song that resonated for miles until its disappearance.
3a: In Conclusion
The Sun Phoenix is an amazing, beautiful creature. Most of the populations in the world don't know that it exists and think the Fire Phoenix is the default. While there are many variants of Phoenix, the Sun Phoenix is the rarest of them all due to its near extinction. There is no doubt it is a fantastic and rare creature that deserves to be known more than it is.