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Firebird (Russian Folklore)In Russian folklore, the Firebird (жар-птица, literally ember bird from жар ember, flameless fire) is a magical glowing bird from a faraway land, which is both blessing and doom of its captor. The Firebird is invariably described as a large bird in majestic plumage that brightly glows in red, orange and yellow light, like a bonfire that is just past the turbulent flame. The feathers do not cease glowing if removed, and one feather can light a large room if not concealed. In later iconography, the form of Firebird is usually as of a smallish peacock of fire colors, complete with a crest on its head and tail feathers with glowing "eyes". A typical role of the Firebird in fairy tales is an object of difficult quest. The quest is most of the time initiated by finding a lost tail feather of the Firebird, upon which the hero sets out to find and capture the live bird, sometimes on his own accord, but usually on the bidding of a father or king. The Firebird is a marvel, highly coveted, but the hero, initially charmed by the wonder of the feather, eventually blames it for his troubles. The Firebird tales follow the classical scheme of fairy tale, with the feather serving as a premonition of hard journey, with magical helpers met on the way, who help in travel and capture of the Bird, and returning from the faraway land with the prize. The most popular version is found in the tale of Ivan Tsarevitch and the Wolf. The story of Firebird quest has inspired literary works, including The Little Humpback Horse by Pyotr Yershov. Composer Stravinsky had written a symphonic open and ballet based on the same story, The Firebird. The Firebird concept has parallels in the Iranian legends of magical birds and the related Russian magical birds like Sirin. The story of the quest itself is closely paralleled by Armenian Hazaran Blbul, even though the bird in it is not glowing but rather its song makes the land bloom, which is also related to the Iranian tradition.
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