Fire bringer
As Feuerbringer in various myths and literature is a demi-god or a hero of early human history called, where the man fire brought.
In two of the best-known myths, that of the Greek Prometheus and the New Zealand Māui (from which the name Māori of the indigenous people there derives), these heroes manage to steal the fire of a deity. For this act of philanthropy, which, however, was reprehensible from the point of view of the gods, the fire thieves were severely punished. They generally have the characteristics of a trickster , their actions, although promoting civilization, are regarded as outrageous because they violate the privilege of rulers over fire.
In European history, the name Prometheus ( Greek Προμηθεύς , "the forerunner") from Greek mythology is the friend and founder of human culture; at times he was viewed as the creator of humans and animals. The fire for the freezing people was captured by a few sparks from Helios ' sun chariot . Because he had previously angered Zeus with a pretended sacrifice, the latter had him forged against a rock by the fire god Hephaestus , where he had to endure without food, drink and sleep and an eagle chopped into his liver until the hero Heracles freed him could. Pandora's ominous box is also woven into this myth . Prometheus was given some epithets , including Pyrphoros ("fire-bringer", literally "fire bearer") and Desmotes ("bound one").
In Oceania, on the other hand, the fire-bringer is associated with Māui. With the Māori , too , fire was brought to earth by theft. The philanthropic demigod Māui looked for the fire goddess Mahuika , found her at the end of the world and came to the fire with a few tricks. After this deed he got caught in a world fire kindled by the angry goddess, but was able to narrowly escape by turning into a falcon .
The following overview is incomplete, it also draws names known from mythologies that entwine themselves with fire-bringing, including stove goddesses who are venerated as fire-bringers. Within a mythology, different names can be associated with that of a fire bringer . The distinction between whether it is considered to be the actual founder of culture or just the “goddess of the hearth” arises from analyzes of the mythological narratives in question. You can be a recognized part of cosmogony , or just part of mythology .
African mythology
comparison
Syncretistic
- Maman Brigitte , patron goddess Loa , fire and death in voodoo
Egypt
- Re , fire god, sun god for warmth and light
- Sachmet , protective goddess for sun and fire
- Wadjet , protective snake goddess who sent fire to destroy enemies, in Greek mythology she was equated with Leto
Yoruba
- Aganju , Orisha god of fire and volcanoes
- Ayao , martial Orisha god of fire, tornadoes and the forest and air
- Ogún , god of fire, invoked by craftsmen and warriors
- Shango , fire god of kindling
Asian mythology
Chinese mythology
- Kitchen god , also in English as Kitchen God, Stove God, in Chinese as Zao Jun, Zao Shen, or Zhang Lang, daily worshiped deity from China to South Korea
- Zhurong , ( Chinese 祝融 , Pinyin Zhùróng , W.-G. Chu-jung ), god of fire
Hindu mythology
- Agneya , daughter of Agni, guardian of the southeast
- Agni , ( Sanskrit m., अग्नि Agni "fire", "god of fire"), main gods of Hinduism
- Ida , also Ila ( Sanskrit इडा iḍā f.) "Labetrank"
Korea
- Jowangsin , goddess of fire
Japanese mythology
- Amaterasu , sun goddess
- Kagu-tsuchi , deity of the forge
- Kōjin , fire deity, also of the everyday
Mongolia
- Arshi Tengri , shamanic fire god
- Odqan , god of fire, riding a brown goat
- Yal-un Eke , mother goddess of Odqan
Niwchen
- Turgmam, goddess of fire
Philippines
- Gugurang, volcanic personification of the Mayon Volcano
Turkish mythology
- Alaz , god of fire
- Od Iyesi , fire protection spirits
- Ut, goddess of the hearth
- Vut-Ami , Chuwa fire goddess
Europe
Basque mythology
- MichaelMcc , fire and storm god
Caucasia
- Alpan , Lezghin , goddess of fire
- Uorsar, probably Adygian, goddess of the hearth
- Wine Gwasche, stove goddess
Celtic mythology
- Belenus , sun god
- Brigit , Irish goddess of fire, poetry, the arts and crafts
- Grannus , god of fire, health, the spring of water and the sun
- Nantosuelta , goddess of fire, nature, fertility, rivers and earth
Etruscan
- Sethlans , fire god of blacksmiths and crafts
Georgian mythology
- Kamar, goddess of fire, mentioned in connection with Amirani
Greek mythology
- Hephaestus , god of blacksmiths, crafts, fire and volcanoes
- Hestia , goddess of the hearth fire
- Prometheus , most famous name of a fire bringer
Chanting
- Ney-Anki, goddess of fire
Lithuanian mythology
- Dimstipatis , protector of the house from outbreaks of fire
- Gabija , protective goddess of the hearth and household
- Jagaubis , house spirit, protects from fire
- Moterų Gabija , protective goddess of baking
- Pelenų Gabija , goddess of fireplaces
- Praurimė , goddess of the sacred fire served by her priestesses, the vaidilutės
- Trotytojas Kibirkščių , deity of sparks and fires
Norse mythology
- Glöð , personification of embers, as the goddess of fire she was Logi's wife
- Logi , fire giant , personification of fire
Roman mythology
- Caca , sister of Cacus
- Cacus , fire-breathing son of Vulcan
- Stata Mater , deity associated with conflagrations
- Vesta , chaste keeper of the sacred fire
- Vulcanus , equated with the Greek Hephaestus , god of craft and fire
Sicily
Slavic mythology
- Dazbog , sky rider
- Ognyena Maria , goddess of fire who supports Perun
- Peklenc , god of fire, connected to the underworld, judges through earthquakes
- Svarožić , god of fire
Middle Eastern mythology
Canaanites
- Ishat , Phoenician goddess of fire and drought, slain by Anat .
- Moloch , ammonite deity
- Shapash , sun goddess
Hittite mythology
- Sun goddess of Arinna , sun goddess of the city of Arinna , generally associated with fire.
Mesopotamia
- Gerra , god of fire according to sources from Akkadia and Babylonia
- Gibil , god of fire and blacksmith according to sources from Sumeria
- Išum , god of fire, brother of the sun god Šamaš and the Babylonian plague goddess Erra
American indigenous people
Aztecs
- Chantico , goddess of fire
- Coatlicue , snake goddess, snakes and birth
- Mixcoatl , fire god, hunter god who brought fire
- Tonatiuh , sun god, ruler of Tollan
- Xiuhtecuhtli , fire god, ruler of everyday life with fire
Brazil
- Iansã , goddess of fire and wind
Huicholen
- Tatewari , shamanic fire godbringer
Maya
- Huracán , fire god, creating and destroying storm god
- Jacawitz , god of fire, companion of the sun deity “one leg”, known as Tohil or Huracán
Quechua
- Manqu Qhapaq , fire and sun god, who brought civilization and technology to the Inca
Oceanic mythology
Fiji
- Gedi , fire bringer in connection with fertility
Hawaii
- Pele , goddess of fire, wind and volcanoes
Māori
- Auahitūroa , god of fire, also comets, marriage to Mahuika
- Mahuea , goddess of fire
- Mahuika , goddess of fire, robbed by the trickster Māui
- Ngā Mānawa , five sons of the fire gods Auahitūroa and Mahuika
literature
Literature on individual fire bringers can be found in the general encyclopedias on mythology under the respective keyword; the list offers an entry point.
- Gerhard Bellinger : Knaurs Lexikon der Mythologie. Over 3000 key words on the myths of all peoples. Area, Erftstadt 2005, ISBN 3-89996-270-2 .
- Joseph Campbell: The Hero in a Thousand Figures . Insel, Frankfurt am Main 2005 [1953], ISBN 3-458-34256-7 .
- Arthur Cotterell: The Encyclopedia of Mythology. Classic, Celtic, Nordic. Edition XXL, Reichelsheim 2004, ISBN 3-89736-300-3 .
- Benjamin Hederich : Thorough mythological lexicon [electronic resource], digital library volume 135, Directmedia Publishing , Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-89853-535-5 , Neusatz and facsimile of the Leipzig 1770 edition
- Otto Holzapfel : Lexicon of Occidental Mythology. Hohe, Erftstadt 2007, ISBN 978-3-86756-000-9 .
- Christoph Jamme, Stefan Matuschek (ed.): Handbook of Mythology. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 2014, ISBN 978-3-8053-4753-2 .
- Wilhelm Vollmer: Dictionary of the mythology of all peoples, with over 300 illustrations. Digital library volume 17. Directmedia Publ., Berlin 2002, ISBN 3-89853-117-1 . (CD-ROM, based on the 3rd edition from 1874.) ( Internet version of the 1874 edition )