Pegasus
The white, winged horse of Greek mythology is the son of the monster Medusa and Poseidon, the god of the seas and of horses. He is said to have sprung from the neck of Medusa after the hero Perseus cut off her head. Perseus climbed on Pegasus’ back and flew to safety. Pegasus was kind, helpful and never greedy.

Phoenix
Divine birds appearing in legends of Asia, Europe and the Middle East are often linked with fire and the Sun. They symbolize renewal, rebirth and good fortune.

The Asian phoenix is the ruler of all birds, and appears only at times of peace, or to announce the birth of a virtuous emperor. It lives on spring water and bamboo seeds, and harms no one. The phoenix is a traditional symbol of the Chinese empress, the Sun and the south, and embodies five Chinese virtues: goodness (head), duty (wings), proper behaviour (back), kindness (breast) and reliability (stomach).

The Persian equivalent is a magical bird called the simurgh, which offers wisdom and kindness to people. In ancient Egyptian mythology and in myths derived from it, the phoenix or benu bird is a sacred firebird with beautiful gold and red plumage. At the end of its life cycle of 500 or 1,461 years, depending on the source, the phoenix builds itself a nest of cinnamon twigs that it then ignites. Both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix arises.

Roc
Some 700 years ago, Arab traders told of an enormous bird living on an island off the African coast, and said it could carry an elephant off into the sky. The Italian explorer Marco Polo wrote of the mythic Roc as well, saying that, to feed, “it will seize an elephant in its talons and carry him high into the air, and drop him so that he is smashed to pieces.”

The Roc, which had legs as thick as tree trunks, also appears in the folk tales from The Arabian Nights. In one, Sindbad finds what he thinks is a white dome-shaped building with no doors, but the dome is a Roc’s egg, and the entire island its nest.

Maori legends describe a similarly large, predatory bird in New Zealand.

Tengu
Tengu are magical, bird-like creatures that live in the forests of Japan. They are said to play tricks on arrogant Buddhist priests and to punish people who are prideful or misuse knowledge or authority. In folk tales, tengu sometimes abduct human beings for brief, airborne adventures and can also impart superhuman swordsmanship. The earliest tengu had bird beaks, wings and claws, although later versions appear more human-like, but with long noses and red faces. They can shape-shift into human or animal forms, speak without moving their mouths, move instantly from place to place, and appear uninvited in people’s dreams.