Submitted by Kim on
Fire is an attraction for most eyes in some form, be it a candle on the dinner table, a friendly hearth fire in the home, or the fire in our campground that cooks the sportsman's food and provides warmth.
It was in a pillar of fire by night that the Lord led the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt, and it was in fire again that the Lord came down to Sinai to deliver the law to Moses and Israel. An angel is supposed to have appeared to the Muhammad when the Quran began to be delivered to the Prophet.
The Zoroastrian priests of Ahura Mazda in Persia worshipped the Wise Lord on fire altars, and Zeus obliterated his mortal lover Semele when he appeared to her in his burning blaze of glory, revealing the unborn god Dionysus from her doomed womb.
The ancient philosopher Heraclitus, who lived from 535 to 475 B.C., was the ancient Greek who speculated at length on fire and its relationship to the power of the divine.The ancient philosopher Heraclitus, who lived from 535 to 475 B.C., was the ancient Greek who speculated at length on fire and its relationship to the power of the divine. - Excerpt - Rev. Gregory Elder (http://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/general-news/20120512/fire-and-its-spiritual-symbolism)
FROM CHINESE MYTHOLOGY ...
In the ancient time, people did not know the existence of fire; let alone how to make use of it. When the night came, it was as black as pit and the cries of the beasts lingered on. People had to stick together, cold and frightened. Since there was no fire, they had to eat raw food, as a result of which they got ill easily and lived a short life.
Fuxi, sympathetic towards people who were suffering, wanted to introduce fire to them. Therefore, he created a thunderstorm in the forest during which the trees were struck by the lightning and started to burn. Very soon, a big fire started in the forest. Greatly frightened by the thunder and the fire, people fled away in all directions.
Later the rain stopped and it grew dark. The ground became wet and cold, forcing the dispersed people to gather again. They were very afraid of the burning trees. At this time, a young man found that the regular cries of beasts were gone. He asked himself, “Is it possible that beasts are afraid of this glowing matter?” Then, he bravely went to the fireside and suddenly felt it so warm to get close to the fire. In great delight, he beckoned the crowd, "Come here quickly! It doesn't hurt at all. Instead, it brings us brightness and warmness. " People gradually gathered towards the fire. Soon, attracted by the pleasant smell nearby from the burnt animals, they tried some toasted meat and found that they had never tasted such delicious food.
It was in that way people discovered the wonderful use of fire. They picked up branches and set them on fire in order to keep it alive. Every day, people worked in turns to prevent the fine from goingout. But one day, the person who guarded the fire fell asleep and the fire went out when bRanches were burned up. Thrown back into darkness and coldness, people felt a pain more acute than before.
Seeing all this in heaven, Fuxi went into the dream of the young man who discovered the use of fire and told him, "In the far west, there was a country called Sui Ming where you could find fire and bring it back. When the young man awakened, he recalled the words of the god in his dream and determined to find fire in the country of Sui Ming.
Having climbed over mountains, waded across rivers, went through the forest and undergone many other hardships,the young man finally arrived in Sui Ming. Yet to his great disappointment, the place was enveloped in complete darkness, having no light from the sun or the moon, let alone any sign of the existence of fire. The young man had to take a rest under a tree named u Sui Wood".
The Sui Wood was such a huge tree that its roots and leaves stretched over 10,000 square kilometers away. It should be even darker under the shelter of the tree, for the country was already a dark one. However, the truth was quite otherwise. While sitting under the tree, the young man suddenly sensed flashes in front of him, which lightened the surrounding areas. The young man stood up at once and started to locate its source. Then he found some big birds pecking for worms in the tree with their short and hard beck. Whenever they pecked, sparks would appear on the bark. A method of getting fire suddenly occurred to the young man at the sight of that. He immediately broke some branches of the Sui Wood and used a small branch to drill a bigger one. Sparks really appeared but it did not make a fire. The young man did not lose heart and keep drilling with different branches. Finally, smoke came out and a fire was started. The young man was so excited that tears rolled down his face.
After the young man returned home, he brought with him the fire that would never go out, that is, the method of drilling wood to make a fire. Hence, people did not have to live in coldness and fear. To express their gratitude to the young man, people elected him as their leader and addressed him "Sui" which meant the person who brought the fire.
http://traditions.cultural-china.com/en/210Traditions1299.html