Many people today, have an image in their minds, of what the faces of prehistoric humans must have expressed when they ‘discovered’ fire for the first time.  Although if history repeats itself, as is so often does, evidence suggests that through natural means, such as wild fires, or forest fires, early humans always have made use of fire when it happened, and then of course when they did discover how to start their own.  Artistic evidence suggest this as well, as there is no depictions of paintings that do not contain the element of fire.

And being one of the natural elements, myth and legend surrounds fire as much as it surrounds the stars at night, or the creatures in the oceans.  These are all very dramatic, vivid in the details, across cultures the myths are relatively similar.  Think of the myth of Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods and gave this gift to mankind, much more dramatic than rubbing two sticks together.  These early cultures would place a fire at the entrance to their caves or their huts, to keep predators away throughout the night.  They would build fires right in the middle of the floor, for cooking and for keeping warm.

As time passed and technology advanced, wood stoves now replaced the early camp fires in the middle of the rooms.  Cast iron stoves created more constant heat, and cooking over wood fires was quite common.  Even now, many people use this as an alternative to electricity generated heaters, as they are less expensive, and to be honest, the fire is just more even.  And there is something about the ambiance and the atmosphere that is enhanced when you choose to have a stove or a fireplace in your home.  Perhaps it is the connection of history, of the history and the use of fire throughout the ages.  Connecting everyone, as it were, around the fire for warmth, and for conversation.

The Use of Fire Through Time is a post from: Orkeed

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