We have all heard the legend that the Phoenix rises from the ashes.  It is said that at the end of its life the phoenix builds itself a nest that it sets afire.  The nest and bird burn and become ashes, then a new phoenix arises

According to one legend, the chariot of the sun is drawn by two twelve-winged birds, the Phoenix, also known as the Fire Bird, and the Chalkydri.  At dawn, the birds burst into song and flap their wings to celebrate the beauty of the sunlight.  Baruch wrote that the Phoenix was the guardian of the earth and that all mankind would be destroyed by fire if not for the protection of this wondrous bird.