Phoenix

A mythical sacred firebird found in the mythologies of the Persians, Greeks, Egyptians, Chinese and Phoenicians.

Referred to by newspaperman in ML’s short story 'In Le Havre'. Lowry evokes an image of the bird after the disastrous fire at Dollarton in 1945. In replying to a letter from Aiken; “Yes, the phoenix clapped its wings all al right, in fact gave such a bloody great resounding clap that the poor bird nearly broke its neck and had to be immolated all over again” (Collected Letters Vol 1 484).