Yes, with the halo it definitely is a
phoenix. But
still,
Do not mock the noble
chicken!!!
Origin of the Hen (as told by Eduard Galeano in _Mirrors:_Stories of Almost Everyone_)
Pharaoh Tuthmosis was returning from
Syria after completing one of the crushing campaigns that extended
his power and glory from the Nile delta to the Euphrates River.
As was the custom, the body of the vanquished
king hung upside down on the prow of the flagship, and the entire fleet was filled with tributes and offerings.
Among the gifts was a female bird never before seen, fat and ugly. The giver
had delivered the unpresentable present himself, "Yes, yes," he confessed, eyes on the floor. "This bird is not beautiful. It does not sing. It has a blunt beak, a silly crest, and stupid eyes. And its wing of sad feathers have forgotten how to fly."
Then he swallowed. And he added, "But it sires a child a day."
He opened a box where seven eggs lay. "Here are last week's children."
The eggs were submerged in boiling water.
The pharaoh tasted them, peeled and dressed with a pinch of salt.
The bird traveled in
his chambers, lying by
his side.