Myths of the Origin of Fire: an Essay

Abstract

A NEW book by Sir James Frazer is assured of a cordial welcome, both on account of the exhaustive compilation of material which is rendered easily accessible to readers, and by reason of the charming literary style in which the collected data are placed on record and discussed. The problems which are suggested by the mass of facts brought together and collated are without question intriguing. In the present instance Sir James has set himself the task of collecting together for comparative study the various myths and legends which serve to explain to the primitive mind the way in which fire became known to mortals, and how, later, a knowledge was acquired of the means of producing fire at will. Man, without doubt, was acquainted with and made use of fire, as kindled by natural processes, long prior to his discovery of the fact that it was possible to make fire by artificial means whenever occasion demanded. Sir James even suggests a phase when man was “ignorant of the use or even of the existence of fire”, and discusses the problem in terms of three successive phases, (1) the Fireless Age, (2) the Age of Fire Used, (3) the Age of Fire Kindled—phases which appear to be suggested by a study of the beliefs in regard to the origin of fire. While the latter two phases are readily acceptable, as coming within the period of early human culture-development, it is less easy to imagine even the most primitive members of the genus Homo having been entirely unacquainted with fire as a phenomenon in Nature. There is no evidence to prove that Nature did not cultivate the incendiary habit until man was already specialised, as Man and had become differentiated from the rest of the animal kingdom. His forerunners must already have experienced Nature-kindled fire and must have learned to respect, or at any rate fear it. It seems very unlikely that even proto-man could have completely lacked such experiences, and it becomes difficult to credit a human phase involving complete ignorance of fire. Myths of the Origin of Fire: an Essay. By Sir James George Frazer. Pp. vii + 238. (London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1930.) 12s. 6d. net.