How the Phoenix Got Her Fine Plumage Again

I wonder who gave her the really long feathers.

Hello, reader. I've noticed that several of you seem to enjoy the post I wrote about How the Phoenix Got Her Fine Plumage. So, if once was great, then a second time will be even better, right? In case you've never heard this story, or you want to brush up, you can find the original tale at the link. If you remember it, then keep reading below as we dig into this tale a bit more.

This story effectively has two characters: the phoenix and the rest of the birds in the forest. I feel bad for the phoenix. She's got a realistic worry and everyone else makes fun of her for it, especially when they see her acting to prevent her worry from being a problem. I understand the rest of the birds might not have seen her worry as realistic, but it clearly was. After all, if something is plentiful, then clearly it will never run out, right? The birds were so naive. It also can't have been easy that the phoenix looked so plain because I'm sure the other birds brought that into their taunts and it was yet another thing marking her as separate. Poor phoenix.

I wonder about the rest of the birds. I suppose the forest hasn't had a terrible storm like that for a very long time, or they would have known it was possible. After they survived that storm and were facing starvation, I wonder how difficult it was for them to go and ask the phoenix for something to eat. Maybe some of them are so full of themselves that they didn't have a problem with it, but I like to think they weren't. They had to swallow their pride before they could get any food to put in their stomachs. To their credit, no one gets mad at the phoenix for being right. They all ask for food, and are given some, and then they reward the phoenix for it later. I did and still do think their gift is superficial but also the only thing they could really give. However, this solves both of the phoenix's problems: the birds now like and accept her, and she's pretty. What more could a girl ask for at the end of a fairy tale, except a prince to marry? I say that sarcastically, but it's complicated. Thinking of yourself as pretty can be very important, but too often we're told it's the only important thing or the most important thing and it isn't either one of those. Balance is the key here. See, you didn't think a story about a bunch of birds could be this nuanced, did you?

The moral of this fairy tale would have to be: don't be a jerk, even if you think someone else is being crazy. Alternatively, if you are a jerk to someone who is proved right, then be sure to thank them profusely if they agree to help you out.

See something I missed? Have a fairy tale you want me to talk about? Annoyed I didn't question how the phoenix could attach so many feathers to herself and keep them there? Comment below!