This character, Zoharim, represents the current state of my life. Z, for short, is a gryphoenix- a hybrid of a phoenix and gryphon. Although mostly phoenix- there must have been some gryphon in the ancestry somewhere, considering the body structure.

First of all, the name- Zoharim- is Hebrew for "lights". I've been learning the Hebrew alphabet lately just for fun, and just stumbled across this name when looking for names that begin with Z. This is meant to be a redesign of an older character I had designed with a similar species combination and name.

The name is also meant to refer to the rays of sunlight that come with the dawn of a new day, piercing the darkness, driving away evil, and guiding the correct path.

As far as symbolism, the character is loosely based on the second of the four celestial animals, Suzaku, a vermilion bird associated with the summer season and the element fire. I've always felt that if I had an element (like in RPGs, etc., you know) that I'd be a fire element. I've always preferred warmer weather. I wouldn't have moved to a desert otherwise! Not to mention my favorite color is maroon!

If I had a secondary element, it'd be wind/air. Those two combined create "wildfire"- a metaphor for my occasional bouts of brief but intense focus/consumption. For example, spending hours on end working on a project, studying a topic of interest, participating in a particular hobby, etc., and becoming engrossed in the subject. For better or worse!

Recently, that topic of interest was the mythology behind the phoenix. I was reading mainly to compare how my own meanings stack up against what various mythologies have documented.

To me, this particular character/archetype has always symbolized passion, optimism, confidence, self-expression, charisma, and success, among other things. Ironically, this is almost the exact opposite of what I feel like most of the time. Lately, I've been adding a few other qualities to Z: growth (in the evolution or maturation sense), change, improvement, new beginnings...

Before anyone gets the hots for this flamey-burd, you should probably know that Z is androgynous. I really detest the role that biological sex and/or gender play in how others are perceived, so this eradicates that issue entirely. Plus, phoenixes don't sexually reproduce anyway- they just go poof, remember? Think about it! (But then how did phoenix and gryphon blood lines get all mixed up? Answer: I can do whatever I want, shut the hell up. Magic, okay?)

That makes pronouns a bit of a challenge. When I was first learning Spanish and I discovered that the word "su" could refer to anything (his, her, or its), I was a little jealous that English made you specify gender. And since I really don't like all those neologistic pronouns out there (hir, ze, xe, re, etc.?) the best way to refer to Z is probably with "it" or "its". Oh well!

Z's unique heritage grants it the phoenix's ability to fly along with the gryphon's ability to run, if flight is not an option. Its body is covered in very brightly colored plumage, ranging from a deep crimson at its head, fading to orange and eventually yellow toward its feet. The wings also fade from red to yellow towards the end. Z has front feet like an eagle, but they are shaped and function like a paw. The back feet are more paw like and completely covered in plumage/fur/fuzz (haven't figured this part out yet).

Z's tail is a large array of beautiful feathers, coming in many colors. They start with the same yellow as the body, and fade to orange, red, purple, navy blue, and eventually to black. This represents the colors in the sky during a clear sunrise (or sunset, if that's your thing). (hint: Arizona sky)

As far as magical powers, what made-up fantasy creature is complete without one? Z has the ability of self-immolation at will. That's fancy-speak for "I can set myself on fire whenever I want". This also includes being able to extinguish itself. No more searching for wood to build a campfire so you can have s'mores! It's also got a nifty little pendant necklace- a red stone/jewel. It's mostly just for looks, I guess.

Fun fact: Zoharim's numerical (gematria) value is 268 (828 with finals).

Needs color.