Bennu

The Bennu archetype is found in mythologies of Arabian, Persian, Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Chinese, Indian and Phoenician peoples. It is known by many names most notably the Phoenix but also Firebird. The mythic storyline varies but basically tells of a bird with beautiful plumage that recreates itself from fire after it's thousand-year life cycle.

In Ancient Egypt the fruit of the palm tree, as well as the tree itself, was known as bennu. The bennu bird is mostly described as an ibis in Egyptian lore but later iterations of the fierce firebird have little resemblance to this specie. The bennu was considered the heart/soul of Osiris as well as the heart/soul of Ra. Millions (!) of different ibis-type birds have been found mummified in tombs of Pharaohs. Boston University is undertaking a study to determine the DNA of these birds and track the genetic change over thousands of years. At least one ibis was extracted from the heart cavity of a mummified human.

There has been much speculation about which specie of ibis would most fit the profile of the Bennu. One guess is a large extinct specie of great heron that was indigenous to Arabia. Another ibis, the Hadada, seems to be a more likely candidate. This bird loudly announces its presence by calling out its own name; ha-Da-DA. In Egyptian mythology Ra called into being all species of creation by saying it's name. The Bennu, by saying his own name, was called The Self-Created One. The Hadada has a grey body with black legs and iridescent green wings. Iridescence is an optical phenomenon caused by turning the angle of light on a surface with multiple refractive, transparent planes. The light is amplified by the multiple surfaces and creates shine. As the Hadada spreads its' wings on launch, the turning angles of refracted light on infinite transparent surfaces flash repeatedly to create shine.

In the Book of Exodus 33:20 God says "Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see Me and live". The Hebrew word used for face in this verse is panim which means turnings. The optical phenomenon caused by turning the angle of light with infinite refractive, transparent planes creates fire and no man could survive. Panim is amazingly like the Greek word Phuein which means permeating light and is symbolized by the sign of Phi. Phi is the Golden Ratio in mathematics and art. Plato describes his five regular solids calculated by the Golden Ratio.

Dakkel is the Hebrew word for palm tree which must surely be the origin of dactylos the Greek word for finger. The rungs of dead fronds mark the passing of each year. The feather/fingers of the Ibis are as numerous as a thousand years.

The Arabic word for ibis is waben, from bennu, but also has the meaning of rise and shine. The Coptic word ouoein is derived from waben and is pronounced one. Ouoein is used in the Coptic 'Book of Thomas' to describe the light of the Father that resides in the heart of men. The akaat (fruit) of the Doum Palm indigenous to highlands of Ethiopia has a similar typology in the Amharic language; akaat means unity and the number one. "Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is one".