Quote Originally Posted by Veloran View Post
People keep thinking there's something untowards with the phoenix that hints to the start of the Final Days and the Ancients causing it, but the truth is the point of it was to draw a direct parallel between the bird and Emet. I don't know how it could be made more clear, considering Hythlodaeus' line.
This story doesn't draw a point between Emet and the bird. The parallel is drawn between pre- and post- sundered Emet. Emet's regard for the Phoenix is echoed in his disgust for Varis.

What they say about the Phoenix (your quote) is the exact opposite of what Phoenix is. Phoenix is a symbol of rebirth and hope. Ascians fit the description they ascribe to the Phoenix--consumed by fear of death, inflicting pain and suffering upon others, and are pitiful in existence because Ascians are so powerful they could do so much good for the world but just continue to punish them with calamities/rejoinings. The reading here is ironic because reader already knows Emet will become an Ascian and they are just terrible beings, even if we can sympathize with the hidden motivations for their actions.