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Dr. Shiro
The Phoenix is the bloodthirsty god of fire and vengeance. It thrives on blood and destruction and was the god the Speerlies channeled. Both Rin and Altan channel the Phoenix, though the Phoenix conceives of Altan as weak and unworthy. It articulates to Rin that while it wants destruction, Rin must accept that she’s the one who wants it to destroy the island of Mugen—it’s doing Rin’s bidding, not what the Phoenix itself wants to do. Once Rin fully accepts the Phoenix, she constantly hears it screaming for blood and vengeance in her head. To escape it, Rin, like Altan and the Speerlies before them, turns to opium.
The Phoenix Quotes in The Poppy War
The The Poppy War quotes below are all either spoken by The Phoenix or refer to The Phoenix. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 9 Quotes
“You must conflate these concepts. The god outside you. The god within. Once you understand that these are one and the same, once you can hold both concepts in your head and know them to be true, you’ll be a shaman.”
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As Jiang explains how Rin can use hallucinogenic poppy seeds to access the Pantheon (where the gods live), he makes the difficult-to-understand claim to Rin that the gods aren’t separate from her. In fact, they’re inside her, too. This passage is important primarily because it helps explain the Phoenix’s behavior later in the novel, when Rin asks for it to help her destroy the Federation of Mugen and insists that this outcome is what the Phoenix wants. The Phoenix laughs that gods don’t want things, and this passage explains why: the gods are part of the people who worship and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus poss
Chapter 14 Quotes
“I think Tearza was wise. And I think that she was a bad ruler. Shamans should know when to resist the power of the gods. That is wisdom. But rulers should do everything in their power to save their country. That is responsibility. If you hold the fate of the country in your hands, if you have accepted your obligation to your people, then your life ceases to be your own. Once you accept the title of ruler, your choices are made for you. In those days, to rule Speer meant serving the Phoenix. Speer used to be a proud race. A free people. when Tearza killed herself, the Speerlies became little more than the Emperor’s mad dogs. Tearza has the blood of Speer on her hands. Tearza deserved what she got.”
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Qara and Rin are discussing Tearza’s choice to kill herself and subsequently give Speer over to Nikan and the Red Emperor about a thousand years ago. While Qara will acknowledge that the Phoenix is bloodthirsty and anyone who serves the god should absolutely take caution, she also is unwavering in her belief that Tearza’s one job was to serve the Phoenix and in so doing, protect the Speerlies from annexation and subjugation. This provides a useful road map for Rin going forward. Rin ultimately becomes the final living Speerly—and to try to atone for Tearza’s perceived failure here, Rin embraces Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Qui
Chapter 17 Quotes
She had just killed Altan.
What was that supposed to mean? What did it say that the chimei had thought she wouldn’t be able to kill Altan, and that she had killed him anyway?
If she could do this, what couldn’t she do?
Who couldn’t she kill?
Maybe that was the kind of anger it took to call the Phoenix easily and regularly the way Altan did. Not just rage, not just fear, but a deep, burning resentment, fanned by a particularly cruel kind of abuse.
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Rin and Nezha have just fought and killed the chimei, a mythical beast that can make itself look like anyone, thereby convincing people not to kill it (so it can kill them instead). The chimei assumed Altan’s face, but Rin killed it anyway. Rin finds the ease with which she killed the chimei extremely disturbing. She has a confusing relationship with Altan, as he’s her commander but she also sees him as a brother of sorts. Additionally, she continues to nurse a childhood crush on him. So, to have “killed” her superior, her brother, and her crush suggests to Rin Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corpo
Chapter 20 Quotes
“That boy is beyond redemption,” said the Woman. “That boy is broken like the rest. But you, you are still pure. You can still be saved.”
“I don’t want to be saved!” Rin shrieked. “I want power! I want Altan’s power! I want to be the most powerful shaman there ever was, so that there is no one I can’t save!”
“That power can burn down the world,” the woman said sadly. “That power will destroy everything you’ve ever loved. You will defeat your enemy, and the victory will turn to ashes in your mouth.”
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Chaghan and Rin have gone to the spirit world so Chaghan can help Rin figure out how to access the Phoenix. The Woman—the ghost of Mai’rinnen Tearza, the last queen of Speer—has been haunting Rin, refusing to allow her into the Pantheon to access the gods. Here, they confront the Woman and discuss what Rin wants from the Phoenix. Rin’s youth and naivety are on full display here. Even Rin has said before that Altan isn’t human, and she’s observed that his constant connection to the Phoenix is frightening and dangerous. And yet, Rin wants to be just like Altan, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Lib
Chapter 24 Quotes
She had never understood how horrendously difficult it was to be Altan Trengsin, to live under the strain of a furious god constantly screaming for destruction in the back of his mind, while an indifferent narcotic deity whispered promises in his blood.
That’s why the Speerlies became addicted to opium so easily, she realized. Not because they needed it for their fire. Because for some of them, it was the only time they could get away from their horrible god.
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Rin and Altan are imprisoned in the Federation research facility in Snake Province, and Dr. Shiro has injected Altan with heroin. Dr. Shiro leaves, and Rin and Altan are now in their cell alone as Alton comes down off the drug. This experience has helped Rin to understand what it’s like to be Altan or a Speerly who’s constantly connected to the Phoenix. Being constantly connected means, Rin realizes, having “a furious god constantly screaming for destruction” in one’s head. Opium, on the other hand, helps a person escape from the Phoenix and find release. In this way, the novel Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aper
Chapter 25 Quotes
Rin forced the last parts of what was human out of her soul and gave way to her hatred. Hating was so easy. It filled a hole inside her. It let her feel something again. It felt so good.
“Total victory,” she said. “It’s what you want, isn’t it?”
“What I want?” The Phoenix sounded amused. “The gods do not want anything. The gods merely exist. We cannot help what we are; we are pure essence, pure element. You humans inflict everything on yourselves, and then blame us afterward. Every calamity has been man-made. We do not force you to do anything. We have only ever helped.”
“This is my destiny,” Rin said with conviction. “I’m the last Speerly. I have to do this. It is written.”
“Nothing is written,” said the Phoenix.
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In front of the Phoenix in Speer’s temple, Rin asks the Phoenix for “Total victory” over the Federation of Mugen. In order to be able to make this request, it’s notable that Rin has to “g[i]ve way to her hatred” and let go of the last things that make her human. Only by doing this can she justify murdering thousands, if not millions, of innocent people. The novel suggests in a sense that because Rin is so motivated by her hatred for the Mugenese, doing this is easy and provides relief. It’s more difficult to maintain one’s humanity, and to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. In
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The Phoenix Character Timeline in The Poppy War
The timeline below shows where the character The Phoenix appears in The Poppy War. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4
...shamans likely came from their use of flaming torches and their religion—they worshipped the Vermillion Phoenix. He also insists that the Speerly training regimen is way too cruel to subject Nikara...
(full context)
Chapter 8
...Kitay’s family). Huge puppets of mythical beasts go first, and Rin marvels at the Vermilion Phoenix. The country’s “illustrious houses” are next, and they’re boring. The Empress herself comes last. She’s...
(full context)
Chapter 9
...sacrifice if Rin wants them to change the course of life on Earth, and the “Phoenix wants suffering” and “blood.” Rin argues with the Woman: she has blood to give and...
(full context)
Chapter 10
...what would happen if she took poppy seeds and brought a god to Earth. The Phoenix has been calling to her, promising to make her a “legend.”
(full context)
...gods. Jiang insists that the Speerlies were “collectively deluded” and were bloodthirsty, thanks to the Phoenix’s power. He suggests Rin is too young to understand the consequences of what she suggests....
(full context)
Chapter 11
...way. Rin finds herself in the Pantheon. The only god on a plinth is the Phoenix, and it offers her the “strength to topple empires,” but Rin “know[s] the terms.” Rin...
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Chapter 13
Altan and Rin are sparring. He notes that she’s resisting the Phoenix, but Rin can’t consciously get to the state she was in during the Trial or...
(full context)
Chapter 14
...Rin, Baji, and Suni have all taken drugs; Altan doesn’t need drugs to call the Phoenix. The Federation fleet of 12 arrives. To force the ships in the correct direction, Altan...
(full context)
...lie that Tearza killed herself for love: that’s Nikara propaganda. In truth, Qara says, the Phoenix offered Tearza enough power to scare Nikan off for years, but Tearza thought the sacrifice...
(full context)
Chapter 16
...Altan. She’s now skilled with a sword, but to Altan’s frustration, Rin can’t call the Phoenix. Rin knows that this is because she’s afraid: she remembers all of Jiang’s warnings, and...
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Chapter 17
...“a deep, burning resentment, fanned by a particularly cruel kind of abuse” to call the Phoenix.
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Chapter 18
...“performance issues.” Rin is embarrassed and enraged, and privately, she thinks she could call the Phoenix now—if Altan would acknowledge her.
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...winning. So, Chaghan says, Rin needs to figure things out and learn to call the Phoenix, so Altan can stop worrying.
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Chapter 19
...and, reaching into a “spiteful and dark and horrible” part of herself, she calls the Phoenix. The Phoenix sighs that its “children” are absurd.
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Chapter 20
...insistence that she belongs in the Chuluu Korikh, and she warns Rin that calling the Phoenix will “bring hell down on earth.” Rin is enraged—she’s seen hell on earth already—especially when...
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Thinking of her lessons with Jiang, Rin asks, “What does the Phoenix want me to know?” The Talwu asks Rin to cast three coins six times. The...
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Chapter 22
...so deeply and so thoroughly that it constitutes every part of his being,” and the Phoenix is the god of rage as well as fire. Chaghan is afraid.
(full context)
Chapter 23
...Federation soldiers keep Rin and Altan just inside the mountain so they can’t call the Phoenix. Soon, the Federation soldiers overpower them, and Rin loses consciousness.
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Chapter 24
...“composed of such lovely material,” unlike the “pathetic Nikara.” He asks Rin to call the Phoenix and show him the fire. When she refuses, he says he’ll give Altan another injection...
(full context)
...if she cooperates, but she threatens to burn him if he lets her call the Phoenix. Finally, Dr. Shiro leaves, and guards carry Rin and Altan to a cell.
(full context)
...of their sanity: between the painful desire for the drug when they’re sober, and the Phoenix “screaming for destruction” in their heads, opium is an attractive option. Rin realizes she’s known...
(full context)
...up in Dr. Shiro’s lab as experiments. This perks Altan up. He says that the Phoenix is the god of revenge, and the Speerlies gain power from suffering years of “festering...
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...that she must go to the temple on Speer, find the Pantheon, and call the Phoenix. The ghosts bless Rin, and she and Altan return to the real world. They come...
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...a moment, says she’s strong, and runs away toward the research facility. He calls the Phoenix. Rin hears it laugh. Tearza weeps and cries out that “the fire takes, and takes,...
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Chapter 25
...warm, thanks to Altan’s flames, and Rin considers drowning. She hallucinates his voice, and the Phoenix tells her to bring it her pain. The Woman tells Rin to stay away, but...
(full context)
...the temple itself is underground. She journeys down, feeling like she’s getting closer to the Phoenix. There’s a carving of the Phoenix on the wall, and Rin ascends to the spirit...
(full context)
Rin calls the fire, dissolving Tearza’s ghost, and appears before the Phoenix. The Phoenix insists that Altan was weak and that Jiang was a coward. Altan, Rin...
(full context)
...her, “something […] disappear[s].” Just then, Rin feels like she’s merely a conduit for the Phoenix. Then the world starts to burn. On the island of Mugen, innocent civilians die suddenly....
(full context)
Chapter 26
Rin explains how she asked the Phoenix to destroy Mugen. Kitay is enraged: Rin did to Mugen what Mugen did to Speer,...
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...Enki visits later with food, and Rin demands opium: she needs a break from the Phoenix’s desire for more destruction. She knows Jiang would tell her to immure herself in the...
(full context)
