Eagle/Phoenix Journal with Antique Paper

Description of the Product

The large stunning bird depicted on the cover of this notebook can be interpreted to portray either an eagle or a slightly more mythological version of the eagle, the phoenix. Eagle is a common subject in heraldry, and heraldic eagles can be found throughout world history, starting from the Achaemenid Empire. The European symbolism of the heraldic eagle is connected with the Roman Empire on one hand and with Saint John on the other. By far the oldest and most common manner of depicting the eagle in heraldry is “displayed”, where the eagle's body is otherwise symmetrical, but its head is facing the dexter, or right, side. The standard depiction of the heraldic eagle evolved over the centuries, and by the 15th century the wings become half-circles, radiating outward.

The Phoenix is a mythical and sacred fire bird in ancient Egyptian mythology, as well as a symbol of immortality and resurrection. The phoenix's feathers were often described to be golden or multicolored. The Greek historian Herodotus described the Phoenix in the 4th century BC, saying the phoenix has golden and red feathers and is similar in structure and size to an eagle. Starting in antiquity, the colors and features of the bird underwent changes, as did  the description of the birth of the phoenix. Over time, several symbolic meanings were attached to the phoenix. In Egyptian belief the phoenix had a strong connection to the rising sun and the Sun God Ra. In Rome, the phoenix was a symbol of vitality and the empire's ability to reform, while for the church the phoenix was a metaphor for resurrection and a symbol of coming to faith.

On the back of the notebook, the embossing depicts the Wild Hunt, a mythical event or supernatural phenomenon that can be found in many European folktales and illustrations. The Wild Hunt typically consists of a leader of the hunt as well as dogs or spectral hounds. Often, the hunt is led by a mythical figure of the time, such as the Anglo-Saxon Woden, the Norse Odin, or the Celtic Arawn. The leader of the Wild Hunt has also been said to be the angel Gabriel or alternatively the devil himself. Most of the stories say that if one happened to witness the Wild Hunt, it will bring particularly bad luck, war, and death to the observer or their community. However, on the other hand, the Wild Hunt has also been portrayed as an annual event occurring during the strongest autumn thunderstorm or around Halloween, when the souls of the dead were collected from the earth and transported to the underworld.

This journal has thick embossed leather covers. Inside you can find approx. 240 empty handmade antiqued cotton paper pages waiting for your notes, drawings, spells, thoughts, travel plans, or whatever you fancy. You can use this book for example as a diary, for customer orders, drawings, as a gardeners notebook, travel book, guest book (also why not as a quest book) or as a book for your own family tree, recipe book and so on.

• The cover is made of cow leather
• The paper is handmade cotton paper with an antique finish
• This book can be closed with a metal clasp
• Thickness of the cover leather is approx. 2-3 mm
• Approx. 240 writable pages
• Size approx. 17,5 cm x 13,5 cm x 4.2 cm
• Weight approx 400 g