In order to try to understand the world in which they lived and to make sense of the immensity of it all such as the sun and moon’s paths across the sky, stars like sparkling diamonds or bright spirits watching over the earth, the changing seasons and the weather, early man would tell each other stories. These tales or myths about creation, nature and the universe were heavily influenced by the environment in which man lived and the varied experiences of each culture.

Legends about the creation of fire also differed greatly depending on the race or culture. In some myths fire along with water, was always there at the beginning of time, in others man was gifted with fire from the gods while there are also those myths about fire obtained by theft which was frequently looked upon as sacrilege.

According to Greek mythology, in the beginning, Zeus instructed his sons Prometheus and Epimetheus to create men and animals on earth and to give each a gift. Prometheus took on the job of creating men which he did in the image of the gods. On finishing his task he consulted his brother about which gift to give man but Epeimetheus admitted to having given all gifts away.

To resolve the problem Prometheus decided to give man fire even though only gods were supposed to have access to fire. He took some of the fire from the sun god as the sun began to rise in the sky and after teaching man how to take care of it, he left them.

In other versions of the same story, on discovering there were no more gifts to give man, Prometheus approached Zeus to ask if he could give man some of Zeus’s sacred fire. Zeus refused the request and so Prometheus stole some fire from his hearth knowing he would be punished. This was his precious gift to mortals so they would no longer have to shiver during the long cold nights.

Similar legends around the world speak of fire having been stolen by gods, man or animals. Cherokee legend describes the beginning of our world as a dark place where animals kept bumping into each other. It was decided that the Opossum must go to the other side of the world where there was light and after stealing some of the light he would hide it under his tail. On finding the sun, the Opossum placed a small piece under his bushy tail and ran home as fast as he could but not before his tail was set on fire.

The people on the other side of the world demanded that what had been stolen should be returned. So next was the Buzzard’s turn to steal some light. When he reached the sun on the other side of the world he snatched a piece and hid it on top of his head. It burned his head and the pain was so fierce that he dropped it. Finally it was grandmother spider who stole fire, hiding it in a clay pot before following her web trail back home.

Throughout ancient cultures there are many variations of this story and among the fire thieves can be found rabbits, hares, crows, beavers, dogs and weasels. While according to native American legends, an evil being hid fire to stop man from benefiting from it. A Coyote had to trick the monsters that guarded the flames on Fire Mountain before making a quick exit to deliver fire to his people.

Although many myths focus on animals stealing fire for humans, Indians of the Amazon River basin in Brazil tell of a boy being rescued by a jaguar and taken to the animal’s cave. Here the boy watched the jaguar cooking food over a fire. He stole a hot coal from the fire and took it to his people who then learned how to cook.

The African Bushmen believed that in the beginning people and animals lived beneath the earth with the Great Master and Lord of All Life, Kaang. This was a blissful time and Kaang started to make plans for life on the world above. He created a huge tree, its branches spreading across the entire country. Once finished, Kaang allowed man and animals up into the world above and as they all gathered at the foot of the tree he told them to live peacefully. They were never to build a fire because if they did, evil would befall them.

As darkness fell and the people grew cold, the people built a fire to keep them warm but the animals were terrified and fled to the caves and mountains. The evil that Kaang had predicted came true as ever since that first fire, people and animals have not been able to exist alongside each other in harmony.

In some cultures, the production of fire by rubbing led to fire’s association with sexuality and in some legends the origin of fire is traced to a sexual act of mythical beings or animals.

The dragon, perhaps the most popular mythical creature associated with fire having magical powers and the ability to breathe fire, exists in the myths and legends of many cultures.

Tiamat, in one Babylonian creation myth turns herself into a dragon which when defeated, splits into two parts, one becoming the earth and the other, heaven. A Norse creation myth tells of a dragon who ate the roots of the tree that covers the world. Dragons and their ability to breathe fire also appear in Chinese, Greek, Roman and Celtic mythology.

Fire festivals of the ancient and modern world express gratitude to the natural world and respect for fire which, in many cultures is believed to be purifying and renewing, its power of destruction a symbol of rebirth.

References

Lindow J “Norse Mythology” OUP Oxford (2002)

Ford, M “Heroes, Gods and Monsters of Ancient Greek Mythology” Book House (2009)

http://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanPrometheus.html

http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/HowFireCameToTheSixNations-Mohawk.html

http://www.indigenouspeople.net/origfire.htm

http://www.jungclub-london.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=148&Itemid=118

http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/IsisShrine/Norsemyth.html

http://www.read-legends-and-myths.com/zoroastrian-creation-myth.html