Africa The
San peoples, the
indigenous Southern African hunter-gatherers, tell how
ǀKaggen, in the form of a mantis, brought the first fire to the people by stealing it from the
ostrich, who kept the fire beneath its wings. In another version of the myth, Piisi|koagu steals fire from the ostrich.
The Americas Among various Native American tribes of the
Pacific Northwest and
First Nations, fire was stolen and given to humans by Coyote, Beaver or Dog. In
Algonquin myth, Rabbit stole fire from an old man and his two daughters. In
Cherokee myth, after Possum and Buzzard had failed to steal fire, Grandmother Spider used her web to sneak into the land of light. She stole fire, hiding it in a clay pot or a silk net. According to a
Mazatec legend, the
opossum spread fire to humanity. Fire fell from a star and an old woman kept it for herself. The opossum took fire from the old woman and carried the flame on its tail, resulting in its hairlessness. According to the
Muscogees/Creeks, Rabbit stole fire from the Weasels. In
Ojibwa myth,
Nanabozho the hare stole fire and gave it to humans. According to some
Yukon First Nations people, Crow stole fire from a volcano in the middle of the water. In a story from
the Lengua/Enxet people of the Gran Chaco in Paraguay, a man steals fire from a bird after he notices the bird cooking snails on burning sticks. The bird enacts revenge by creating a thunderstorm that damages the man's village.
Asia In
Chinese mythology,
Suiren is an ancient mythological figure regarded as one of the pioneers of civilization. He is most famous for inventing the method of making fire, teaching people how to use fire for warmth, cooking food, and driving away wild animals. As a result, Suiren is revered as one of the "
Three Sovereigns" of the
Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period in Chinese history. In Hindu mythology, according to the
vedic Rigveda (3:9.5), the hero
Mātariśvan recovered fire, which had been hidden from humanity. While
Omoikane in
Japanese mythology is not directly associated with the theft of fire, he fits into the broader motif of bringing light and knowledge to humanity, which parallels the Promethean myth. Omoikane is revered for his wisdom and strategic thinking, particularly in the myth where he helps orchestrate the plan to lure the sun goddess
Amaterasu out of her cave, restoring light to the world. In
Mesopotamian mythology,
Enki, the god of wisdom and water, is known for his role in bestowing knowledge and gifts upon humanity, including the creation of humans and the granting of essential skills and arts.
Europe In
Greek mythology, according to
Hesiod (
Theogony, 565-566 and Works & Days, 50) and
Pseudo-Apollodorus (Bibliotheca, 1.7.1), the Titan-god
Prometheus steals the heavenly fire for humanity, enabling the progress of civilization, for which he was punished by being chained to a mountain and having his liver eaten by an eagle every day until being eventually being freed by the
hero Heracles. In one of the versions of
Georgian myth,
Amirani stole fire from
metalsmiths, who refused to share it – and knowledge of creating it – with other humans. The story of
Faust in
German folklore and
legends aligns with the Promethean motif of the theft of fire, as it also features a protagonist who seeks forbidden knowledge and power through a pact with the devil,
Mephistopheles. Both Faust and Prometheus challenge divine boundaries, ultimately facing severe consequences for their transgressions. The
Vainakh hero
Pkharmat brought fire to mankind and was chained to
Mount Kazbek as punishment.
Oceania In
Polynesian myth,
Māui is the thief of fire. There are many variations of the myth. In the version told in New Zealand, an ancestress of Maui is the keeper of fire, and she stores it in her fingernails and toenails. Maui nearly tricks her into giving him all of her nails, but she catches onto him and throws her last toenail down, engulfing the ground in flame and nearly killing Maui. In the mythology of the
Wurundjeri people of Australia, it was the
Crow who stole the secret of fire from the
Karatgurk women. == Nuclear weapons ==