The bennu was the sacred bird of Heliopolis in ancient Egypt.  In Egyptian mythology, it was portrayed as a large, heron-like bird with a two-feather crest. It was was associated with the yearly flooding of the Nile River and with the gods Atum, Re and Osiris. References:  http://www.egyptianmyths.net/phoenix.htm,  http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/benu.htm   Horus was the son of Osiris and Isis. He was usually symbolized as a falcon or a falcon-headed human. He was a sky go