I've been talking a lot about fires, Phoenicians and the Phoenix in recent posts. Anyway, I've just came across something I'd never thought about before - the flamingo. The name obviously suggests flame, and it supposedly relates to the Spanish word flamenco. Looking up flamenco it says the etymology is contested, and that it possibly relates to flame or Flemish. (If Flemish equals flame then that would be a very interesting avenue to go down.)
Flamingos are bright pink/red of course, and it's easy to see how the name flame would apply. It's said that they were a possible inspiration for the Phoenix bird. If this was the case the pink colour of the Flamingo would maybe help explain the red/purple confusion regarding the name Phoenician.
Interestingly, Flamingos are part of the genus Phoenicopterus. I'm guessing this was a post-Linnaeus naming, inspired by the Phoenix/flamingo link, it certainly adds promise though.
Tonight I also came across the Phrygian cap in my wanderings - the red cap associated with freedom and liberty in revolutionary France. It never occurred to me before that the red Phrygian cap might sync in with red hair, but now I've started to marry red hair with the Protestant reformation it does seem a possibility.
Investigations continue.
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