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Tiger head. Terracotta, 13th-14th century CE. Collection Vũ Tấn. National Museum of Vietnamese History, Hanoi.
Phoenix head. Terracotta, Trần-Hồ dynasty, 14th-15th century. Architectural decoration. National Museum of Vietnamese History, Hanoi.<br/><br/> The phoenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, and (according to Sanchuniathon) Phoenicians.<br/><br/> A phoenix is a mythical bird that is a fire spirit with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet (or purple, blue, and green according to some legends). It has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again. The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self.<br/><br/> In China and Vietnam, the Fenghuang is a mythical bird similar to the phoenix. It is the second most-respected legendary creature (after the dragon), largely used to represent the empress and females, and as such as the counterpart to the Chinese dragon, traditionally seen as masculine or imperial. The phoenix is considered the greatest and the leader of birds.
Dragon head. Terracotta, Lý dynasty, 11th-13th century. Architectural decoration. National Museum of Vietnamese History, Hanoi.