Firebird

The Firebird is a creature from a folktale referenced in a note to Chapter 5. The note identifies it through a story of a bird with golden feathers whose visit to an orchard sets three brothers on a quest.

Folktale Reference

In the tale summarized by the note, the orchard belongs to the father of three sons. As the Firebird picks a golden apple, it sheds one of its golden feathers. The feather provides the occasion for the sons to depart in search of the bird, linking its appearance to the beginning of their quest.

The reference establishes the Firebird as part of a traditional quest story; the available evidence does not describe it as a creature encountered directly in the novel or specify what becomes of the brothers’ search.