In
Indo-European languages, there were two concepts regarding fire: that of an animate type called (cf.
Sanskrit agni, Croatian
oganj, , English
ignite from Latin
ignis, Polish
ogień and Russian
ogon), and an inanimate type *
péh₂wr̥ (cf. English
fire, Greek
pyr, Sanskrit
pu). A similar distinction existed for
water. Fire rituals that are commonly found among Indo-European peoples have been firstly attested by the
Vedas, with hymns dedicated to the fire god
Agni.
Albanian In
Albanian tradition the
fire cult and ritual practices have played a prominent role.
Enji () is the name of the
fire god, evidently contained in the week day name that was dedicated to him – – the
Albanian word for
Thursday. The Fire –
Zjarri – is
deified in Albanian tradition as releaser of
light and
heat with the power to
ward off darkness and
evil, affect
cosmic phenomena and give strength to the Sun (
Dielli, who is worshiped as the god of light,
sky and
weather, giver of life, health and energy, and all-seeing eye), sustain the continuity between life and afterlife and between the generations. The divine power of Fire is used for the
hearth and the
rituals, including calendar fires,
sacrificial offerings,
divination,
purification, and protection from big storms and other potentially harmful events. Fire worship and rituals are associated with the cult of the Sun (
Dielli), the cult of the hearth (
vatër) and the
ancestor, and the cult of fertility in
agriculture and
animal husbandry. The practices associated with ritual fires among Albanians have been historically fought by the Christian clergy, without success. The fire god Enji was presumably worshiped by the
Illyrians in antiquity and he may have been the most prominent god of the Albanian pantheon in Roman times by
interpreting Jupiter, when week-day names were formed in the Albanian language. The belief in a prominent fire and wind god, who was referred to as
I Verbti ("the blind one"), and who was often regarded more powerful than the Christian
God, survived in northern
Albania until recent times. Under Christianisation the god of fire was
demonised and considered a
false god, and it was spread about that anyone who invoked him would be blinded by fire. The
purifying power of fire underlies the Albanian folk belief according to which the fire god is the enemy of uncleanliness and the opponent of filth. in circle around fire (
zjarri), drawing from the book ''
Childe Harold's Pilgrimage'' written by
Lord Byron in the early 19th century. Practiced for several hours with very short intervals, the dance gets new vigour from the words of the accompanying song that starts with a
battle cry invoking
war drums, and which is of a piece with the movement and usually changed only once or twice during the whole performance. The ritual purifying fire is traditionally used by Albanians, in particular singing and dancing around it, to gain
protection and energising from its supernatural power. In Albanian tradition, Fire is deeply respected. To spit into it is
taboo.
Albanian solemn oaths are taken "by fire", and the worst curse formulas are cast for the extinguishing of the individual's, family's and clan's fire. The lineage is identified with an original fire, and the members of a same tribe/clan are "from the same fire".
Zjarri i Vatrës ("the Fire of the Hearth") is regarded as the offspring of the Sun and the sustainer of the continuity between the world of the living and that of the dead and between the generations, ensuring the survival of the lineage (
fis or farë). The absence of fire in a house is traditionally considered a great curse. Protectors of the hearth are
Gjarpri i Vatrës ("the Serpent of the Hearth"), a household benign serpent, and
Nëna e Vatrës ("the Mother of the Hearth").
Zjarret e Vitit ("Ritual Calendar Fires") are associated with the cosmic cycle and the rhythms of agricultural and pastoral life. The ritual collective fires (based on the house, kinship, or neighborhood) or bonfires in yards (especially on high places) lit before
sunrise to celebrate the main traditional Albanian festivities such as
Dita e Verës (
spring equinox),
Shëngjergji, the
winter festivals (
winter solstice), or mountain pilgrimages, often accompanied by
animal sacrifices, are related to the cult of the Sun, and in particular they are practiced with the function to give strength to the Sun and to
ward off evil according to the old beliefs.
Zjarri i Gjallë,
Zjarri i Egër, or
Zjarri i Keq – traditionally kindled with rudimentary
fire making tools and techniques – is the ritual purifying Fire used for the cleansing, protection, healing, and energising of livestock and humans. Albanian folk beliefs regard the
lightning as
Zjarri i Qiellit ("the Fire of the Sky") and consider it as the "weapon of the deity". During big storms with torrential rains, lightning and hail, which often cause great damage to agriculture, livestock, and to the rural economy in general, Albanians traditionally bring outdoors Fire as a continuous chain or in a container, as well as ember and fire-related metallic objects, seeking assistance from the supernatural power of the Fire, in order to turn the storm away and to avert the harms it can cause to the community.
Armenia celebrate by jumping over the fire. Armenia carries an ancient tradition of fire worship called
Trndez ()
, a feast of purification in the
Armenian Apostolic Church and
Armenian Catholic Churches, celebrated 40 days after Jesus' birth. The celebration of
Trndez is
pagan in origin, and is originally connected with sun/fire worship in ancient
pre-Christian Armenia, symbolizing the coming of spring and fertility. It was originally referred to as
Derendez, meaning “a bundle of straw in front of your house.” In
ancient Armenia, the event was associated with the worship of
Vahagn, the Armenian god of fire, sun, war, and courage. People believed that the strength of the fire would eradicate the winter’s cold and allow for fertile land and a prosperous harvest. Couples, especially
newlyweds, would jump over the
Trndez flames for luck, prosperity, and fertility. The fire’s ashes were believed to have healing properties as people would use it as an
ointment for pain and rub it into their eyelids to improve their eyesight. Armenia also fell within the
Zoroastrian sphere of influence under various Persian imperial regimes.
Baltic The Holy Fire is referred to as
Ugnis szwenta in
Lithuanian, and the 'Mother of Fire' is referred to as
Uguns māte in
Latvian. Fire is very often mentioned by chroniclers, when they were describing
Lithuanian rituals. The Lithuanian king
Algirdas was even addressed as a "fire worshiper King of Lithuania" (τῷ πυρσολάτρῃ ῥηγὶ τῶν Λιτβῶν) in the documents of a patriarch
Nilus of Constantinople.
Celtic Celtic mythology had
Belenus, whose name, "shining one", associated him with fire.
Graeco-Roman Fire worship in Graeco-Roman tradition had two separate forms: fire of the
hearth and fire of the
forge. Hearth worship was maintained in Rome by the
Vestal Virgins, who served the goddess
Vesta, protector of the home, who had a sacred flame as the symbol of her presence in the city (
cf. Sacred fire of Vesta). The Greek equivalent of the goddess was
Hestia, whose worship took place more commonly within the household. The fire of the forge was associated with the Greek god
Hephaestus and the Roman equivalent
Vulcan. These two seem to have served both as craft-guild patrons and as protectors against accidental fires in cities. Also associated with fire is the
titanic god Prometheus, who stole fire for humans from the gods. Most forms of worship in Graeco-Roman religion involved either cooking or burning completely an animal on a fire made on an
altar in front of a
temple (
see hecatomb).
Indo-Iranian Archaeologically, evidence for
Indo-Iranian fire worship and the rite of cremation is found at the transition from the
Sintashta-Petrovka to the
Andronovo culture around 1500 BC. Fire worship was prevalent in
Vedic, with
Agni the fire god, and the
ancient Iranian religion. Whereas cremation became ubiquitous in
Hinduism, it was prohibited in
Zoroastrianism. Evidence of fire worship has also been found at the Indus Valley sites of
Kalibangan and
Lothal.
Hinduism the
Hindu deity of fire, with a very prominent place among
Rigvedic deities In the
Vedic tradition of
Hinduism, fire is a central element in a
yajna ceremony, with
Agni, "fire", playing the role as mediator between the worshipper and the other gods. Related concepts are the
Agnihotra ritual, the invocation of the healing properties of fire; the
Agnicayana ritual, which is the building of a fire altar to Agni; and
Agnistoma, which is one of the seven
Somayajnas. In the
Vaishnava tradition of
Hinduism, Agni is considered the tongue of
Vishnu, hence rendering all sacrifices offered to any given deity ultimately a sacrifice to Vishnu. In modern
Hinduism,
Yajna is the general terms for the many types of rituals conducted before a fire, with
homa the term for relatively small fire
pujas conducted in a domestic setting, or as part of a wedding ceremony (a
vivaha homa). The fire is very carefully constructed and tended by a specialist Brahmin
pujari, with much reciting of appropriate passages from sacred texts.
Zoroastrianism stone palette, illustrating a fire ritual In
Zoroastrianism, fire is considered to be an agent of purity and as a symbol of righteousness and truth. In the present day this is explained to be because fire burns ever-upward and cannot itself be polluted.
Sadeh and
Chaharshanbe Suri are both fire-related festivals celebrated throughout
Greater Iran and date back to when Zoroastrianism was still the predominant religion of the region. Zoroastrianism, however, is sometimes mischaracterised as a fire-worshipping religion, whereas it is a monotheistic faith with
Ahura Mazda as its central figure and a dualistic cosmology of good and evil. Fire simply exemplifies a medium for spiritual wisdom and purity, but is not worshipped.
Slavic In
Slavic paganism,
Svarog, meaning "bright and clear", was the spirit of fire. The best known and dramatic among numerous Slavic pagan fire
rituals is the jumping over the bonfire on the
Kupala Night. ==Abrahamic religions==