Acerca del Ave Fénix en las tradiciones islámicas

In Western cultural milieus it has been customary to identify the Arabian legend of the giant bird Anqā Mugrib as a version of the mythical Phoenix known from Greco-Latin sources. Linking these two together is based almost exclusively on the Phoenix supposedly coming from Arabia. However, a detailed analysis of the sources clearly shows that the two myths are essentially different, and describe two birds that are completely divergent in shape, mythical development and textual significance. Although the Anqā has merged in some texts with the myth of the Phoenix, because of its long life, Arab and Persian literature also speak of a bird known as qaqnus which has essentially the same characteristics as the one in the Greco-Latin myth of the Phoenix. The qaqnus bird, in addition, is usually mentioned as another bird along with the Anqā , making clear that it is different and separate from this. En medios culturales occidentales, ha sido costumbre identificar la leyenda árabe del ave gigante Anqā Mugrib con el mito del ave Fénix tal y como se conoce en las fuentes grecolatinas. Dicha identificación se basa casi exclusivamente en la presunta procedencia del Fénix de Arabia. Sin embargo, un detallado análisis de los textos muestra de forma clara que ambos mitos son esencialmente diferentes y describen a dos aves que formal y estructuralmente son completamente distintas. Aunque la leyenda de la Anqā se contamina en algunos textos con el mito de la vetusta edad del Fénix, las literaturas árabe y persa conocen un ave llamada qaqnus cuyas características concuerdan esencialmente con las del mito grecolatino del Fénix. Esta ave qaqbus además, suele ser mencionada como un ave diferente y aparte de la Anqā .