Topic Research: Phoenix

I have always been intrigued by the phoenix, especially the way a phoenix is "reborn" in a cloud of fire and ash. I view this is a form of new beginnings, trying to become better than what you were before you were reborn, regain some of the magic you may have had before.

For the first story, I gained a little bit of inspiration from The Longest Yard. If you have not seen the movie before, it's about a former NFL Quarterback who was accused of point shaving (purposely playing poorly to affect the margin of victory), and then leads a team of prison inmates to victory after gaining their trust that he wasn't going to purposely lose a game against the prison guards. I feel like a story of a great gladiator in Ancient Rome who was purposely losing matches to gain favor, only to come back and redeem themselves would be a great story.

Colosseum in Rome, home to many gladiator battles

Source: Wikipedia

The second story idea I came up with is a world where the Greek people, annoyed with some of the Gods' actions, declare that Zeus is no longer fit to be King of the Gods, and leave him as an outcast, no longer welcome in Greece. Zeus then leaves on a journey, saving multiple people along the way and later rescuing Mount Olympus from destruction when the other gods are unable to prevent the Titans from reclaiming their previous glory without him, leading to him being given his title of King back.

The final story idea is a phoenix who appears in King Leonidas' dreams every night after he loses the trust of Greece for abandoning his men at the Battle of Thermopylae during the Greco-Persian War. The army rejects him, leaving him to fend for himself, and he begins having the dreams of the phoenix. He eventually comes and saves them from annihilation, showing that he is not a coward, and helps them fend off and defeat the Persians.

Battle of Thermopylae

Source: Wikipedia

Topic Brainstorm

Ghost Stories
I have always been fascinated with ghosts to some extent, such as spirits and other forms of paranormal activity. Some of it stems from being a child who spent a lot of time in old homes that always seemed to have that one weird noise that everyone just lived with. I remember being scared as a little kid by the creaking of old copper pipes. The place my family lives now is actually fairly close to a major Civil War battlefield, so that makes it an even more interesting topic to consider.

Aesop's Fables
My first attempt at storytelling involved a sequel to one of Aesop's Fables, so these stories already interest me for my project. I enjoy that many of them are simple stories, as that leaves a lot of room for creativity in expanding on what was already written. I also like how they're not simply stories for the purpose of reading and enjoying, the fact that they're fables means they also take the time to point out morals and try to show us flaws we should try to avoid showing or living with.

The Devil
I have always thought of the devil as a completely evil character, yet reading some of these stories have shown that it is not always the case. In the story The Three Apprentices, while the devil does ultimately end up torturing the three people, he still shows mercy and allows them to live in the end, taking care of them for listening to his instructions, even in the face of death. This different side to the devil would make it a very interesting topic to read and write about, as it opens up so many more possibilities.

Legendary Creatures (Phoenix)
The story of the Phoenix has intrigued me a lot over the years. A bird that is said to die in a ball of fire, only to be reborn from the ashes left behind? It sounds like an amazing topic to me! There are so many different ways that you can go from there, with the vast amount of symbolism that you can use the phoenix as, it might be the most interesting and versatile topic I have on this list.

Depiction of a Phoenix by FJ Bertuch (1747-1822)

Source: Wikipedia