fire (redirected from catching fire)

fire, the phenomenon of combustion as seen in light, flame, and heat; it is one of the basic tools of human culture. In ancient Greece and later, fire was considered one of the four basic elements, a substance from which all things were composed. Its great importance to humans, the mystery of its powers, and its seeming capriciousness have made fire divine or sacred to many peoples. Fire as a god is a characteristic feature of Zoroastrianism, in which, as in many sun-worshiping religions, fire is considered the earthly representative or type of the sun. The belief that fire is sacred is widespread in mythology, and such beliefs have survived in some highly developed cultures. The connection between the Greek colony and the metropolis was the fire kindled in the colony from a brand brought from the mother city's fire. The most carefully preserved cult in Rome was that of Vesta, goddess of the hearth, and her virgins guarded the holy fire. One of the greatest Greek myths is the story of Prometheus, the fire bringer. The theft of fire is a common element in the myths of many other cultures. The ramifications of the human ideas about fire are tremendously complex, extending as they do into the concepts about light and the heavens.

Bibliography

See J. G. Frazer, Myths of the Origins of Fire (1930, repr. 1971); G. Bachelard, Psychoanalysis of Fire (tr. 1964).

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fire

Rapid burning of combustible material, producing heat and usually accompanied by flame. For eons, lightning was the only source of fire. The earliest controlled use of fire seems to date to c. 1,420,000 years ago, but not until c. 7000 BC did Neolithic humans acquire reliable firemaking techniques, including friction from hardwood drills and sparks struck from flint against pyrites. Fire was used initially for warmth, light, and cooking; later it was used in fire drives in hunting and warfare, and for clearing forests of underbrush to facilitate hunting. The first agriculturalists used fire to clear fields and produce ash for fertilizer; such “slash-and-burn” cultivation is still used widely today. Fire also came to be used for firing pottery and for smelting bronze (c. 3000 BC) and later iron (c. 1000 BC). Much of the modern history of technology and science can be characterized as a continual increase in the amount of energy available through fire and brought under human control.

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fire

Astrology of or relating to a group of three signs of the zodiac, Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius

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fire

representation of the sun. [Western Symbolism: Cirlot, 105–106]

See : Sun

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Fire

Agni

intermediary of the gods through sacrificial fire. [Hindu Myth.: Parrinder, 12]

Armida

sorceress sets fire to her own palace when it is threatened by the Crusaders. [Ital. Lit.: Jerusalem Delivered (Gerusalemme Liberata); in Benét, 391]

burning bush

form taken by the Angel of the Lord to speak to Moses. [O.T.: Exodus 3:2-3]

Caca

goddess of the hearth. [Rom. Myth.: Kravitz, 49]

Dactyli

introduced fire to Crete. [Gk. Myth.: Kravitz, 74]

Etticoat, Little Nancy

candle personified: longer she stands, shorter she grows. [Nurs. Rhyme: Mother Goose, 39]

Fahrenheit 451

in an America of the future the fireman’s job is to burn all books that have been concealed from authorities. [Am. Lit.: Bradbury Fahrenheit 451 in Weiss, 289]

Florian

miraculously extinguished conflagration; popularly invoked against combustion. [Christian Hagiog.: Hall, 126]

Great Chicago Fire

destroyed much of Chicago; it was supposedly started when Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern (1871). [Am. Hist.: Payton, 141]

Hephaestus

Prometheus’ kinsman and the god of fire. [Gk. Lit.: Prometheus Bound, Magill I, 786–788]

lucifer

kitchen match; from Lucifer, fallen archangel. [Br. Folklore: Espy, 66]

Phlegethon

river of liquid fire in Hades. [Gk. Myth.: Brewer Dictionary, 699]

Phoenix

fabulous bird that consumes itself by fire every five hundred years and rises renewed from the ashes. [Arab Myth.: Brewer Dictionary, 699]

Polycarp, St.

sentenced to immolation, flames unscathingly ensheathed him. [Christian Hagiog.: Attwater, 290]

Prometheus

Titan who stole fire from Olympus and gave it to man. [Gk. Myth.: Payton, 546]

salamander

flame-dwelling spirit in Rosicrucian philosophy. [Medieval Hist.: Brewer Dictionary, 956]

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

walk unscathed in the fire of the furnace into which Nebuchadnezzar has them thrown. [O. T.: Daniel 3:21-27]

Smokey the Bear

warns “only you can prevent forest fires.” [Am. Pop. Cult.: Misc.]

Taberah

Israelite camp scorched by angry Jehovah. [O.T.: Numbers 11:1–3]

Topheth

where parents immolated children to god, Moloch. [O.T.: II Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 7:31–32]

Vesta

virgin goddess of hearth; custodian of sacred fire. [Rom. Myth.: Brewer Dictionary, 1127]

Vulcan

blacksmith of gods; personification of fire. [Art: Hall, 128]