Jump to content

Fire worship

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Fire sacrifice)

Indo-Parthian stone palette, illustrating a fire ritual
Agni the Hindu deity of fire, has a very prominent place among Rigvedic deities.

Worship or deification of fire (also pyrodulia, pyrolatry or pyrolatria), or fire rituals, religious rituals centred on a fire, are known from various religions. Fire has been an important part of human culture since the Lower Paleolithic. Religious or animist notions connected to fire are assumed to reach back to such early prehuman times.

There may be a fire god, as a personification of fires in general, and he may be believed to reside in some sense in any particular ritual fire, or the fire may represent worship of another deity.

Indo-European religions

[edit]

In Indo-European languages, there were two concepts regarding fire: that of an animate type called *h₁n̥gʷnís (cf. Sanskrit agni, English ignite from Latin ignis, Polish ogień and Russian ogon), and an inanimate type *péh₂wr̥ (cf. English fire, Greek pyr, Sanskrit pu).[1][2] A similar distinction existed for water.[3]

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.[4] 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.[5] Evidence of fire worship has also been found at the Indus Valley sites of Kalibangan and Lothal.[6]

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.

Hindu yajna fire ritual, 2013

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.[7]

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.

The cult of the mystic fire and the fire ritual practices played an important role in the lives of the pre-industrial Albanian people.[8] A reconstructed name of the Albanian fire god is En or Enji, a fire deity considered to have been firstly worshipped by the Illyrians. This theonym is regarded to be preserved in the Albanian language to refer to Thursday (enjte), hence holding a prominent role when week day names were formed, like Roman Jupiter.[9][10] With the coming of Christianity, the fire god En(ji) would have been demoted to demonic status.[11][11][12] The belief in a prominent fire 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 Christianization the god of fire was demonized and considered a false god, and it was spread about that anyone who invoked him would be blinded by fire.[13] Strong beliefs in the demon of fire have persisted among Albanians until today.[14] In Albanian paganism the hearth, Vatër in Albanian (from Proto-Albanian *ōtar, ultimatily from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ehₓ-tr-eh₂ < *h₂eh₁ter- ("fire")), represents the family circle, a hotbed of growth and the realm that exists between life and death. It is a symbol of fire as the offspring of the Sun (Dielli), and Zjarri i Vatrës "the Fire of the Hearth" holds divine attributes in Albanian beliefs, being considered the sustainer of the continuity between the world of the living and that of the dead, and ensuring the continuity of the tribe (fis) from generation to generation. The Albanian word vatër/vatra was subsequently borrowed into Slavic, Romance and Turkic languages.[15][16][17][18][19][20] The ritual collective fires (based on the house, kinship, or neighborhood) or bonfires in yards (especially on high places) lit 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 according to the old beliefs.[21]

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).[citation needed]

Celtic mythology had Belenus, whose name, "shining one", associated him with fire.

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

[edit]

Judaism

[edit]

In the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, Yahweh is associated with fire more than any other element or image, and the Presence of Yahweh is conceptualized as a devouring fire, especially but not exclusively in the Book of Exodus, appearing as fire on top of Mount Sinai, inside the Ark of the Covenant, as the burning bush and the pillar of fire that guides the Israelites, and in extensive poetic imagery.[22] Offerings to Yahweh in Jewish ritual recorded in the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud are done by fire.[23]

Christianity

[edit]

The Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem has been consecutively documented since 1106 AD.[24]

Fire is often used as symbol or sign of God's presence in Christianity and, since it is held to be a creation along with water and other elements. In the New Testament, Jesus is depicted as the person who will bring fire to the earth.[25] The Holy Spirit is sometimes called the "tongues of flame".[26]

Other religions

[edit]

Fire continues to be a part of many human religions and cultures. For example, it is used in cremation and bonfires; candles are used in various religious ceremonies; eternal flames are used to remind of notable occasions; and the Olympic Flame burns for the duration of the games.

In Japanese mythology, Kagu-tsuchi is the god of destructive fire.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Fire". etymonline.com.
  2. ^ Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q., (eds.). Encyclopedia of Indo-European culture. London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1997. p. 202.
  3. ^ Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q., (eds.). Encyclopedia of Indo-European culture. London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1997. p. 636.
  4. ^ Diakonoff, Igor M. (1995). "Two Recent Studies of Indo-Iranian Origins" (PDF). Journal of the American Oriental Society. 115 (3): 473–477. doi:10.2307/606224. ISSN 0003-0279. JSTOR 606224. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  5. ^ Kreyenbroek, Philip G. (11 January 2013). Living Zoroastrianism: Urban Parsis Speak about their Religion. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-11970-5. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  6. ^ Young, L. M. (1976). [Review of Lothal and the Indus Civilization, by S. R. Rao & M. Wheeler]. Asian Perspectives, 19(2), 308–309. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42927928
  7. ^ Madhulika Sharma (2002). Fire Worship in Ancient India. Jaipur Publication Scheme. ISBN 978-81-86782-57-6.
  8. ^ Tirta 2004, pp. 68–69, 135, 176–181, 249–261, 274–282, 327.
  9. ^ Lurker, Manfred (2005). The Routledge Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses, Devils and Demons. Routledge, Taylor & Francis. p. 57. ISBN 0-203-64351-8.
  10. ^ Tagliavini, Carlo (1963). Storia di parole pagane e cristiane attraverso i tempi. Morcelliana. p. 103.
  11. ^ a b Lurker 2005, p. 57.
  12. ^ Tagliavini 1963, p. 103.
  13. ^ Lambertz, Maximilian (1922). Albanische Märchen (und andere Texte zur albanischen Volkskunde). Wien: A. Hölder. pp. 47, 49, 145–146.
  14. ^ Novik 2015, p. 268.
  15. ^ Hyllested, Adam; Joseph, Brian D. (2022). "Albanian". In Olander, Thomas (ed.). The Indo-European Language Family : A Phylogenetic Perspective. Cambridge University Press. pp. 223–245. doi:10.1017/9781108758666. ISBN 9781108758666. S2CID 161016819. p. 232
  16. ^ Orel, Vladimir (1998), “vatër”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Cologne: Brill, →ISBN, pages 495–496
  17. ^ Dan Alexe, Despre legăturile românei cu albaneza, in dexonline – Dicționare ale limbii române
  18. ^ Gjoni, Irena (2012). Marrëdhënie të miteve dhe kulteve të bregdetit të Jonit me areale të tjera mitike (PhD) (in Albanian). Tirana: University of Tirana, Faculty of History and Philology. p. 90.
  19. ^ Domosileckaja, M. V. (2002) Albansko-vostočnoromanskij sopostavitelʹnyj ponjatijnyj slovarʹ: Skotovodčeskaja leksika [Albanian – Eastern Romance Comparative Conceptual Dictionary: The Pastoral Vocabulary] (in Russian), Saint Petersburg: Nauka, →ISBN, page 457
  20. ^ Mallory, J. P.; Adams, D. Q., editors (1997) Encyclopedia of Indo-European culture, London, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, page 263
  21. ^ Tirta 2004, pp. 75, 113, 116, 250.
  22. ^ "Sefaria: Exodus 13:21 - JPS Tanakh 1985". Sefaria. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  23. ^ "Sefaria: Leviticus 1:1 - JPS Tanakh 1985". Sefaria. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  24. ^ "Holy Fire. Holy Fire in Jerusalem is yearly miracle in Church of Holy Sepulchre".
  25. ^ "Bible Gateway passage: Luke 12:49-56 - New International Version". Bible Gateway. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  26. ^ "Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 3:11 - New International Version". Bible Gateway. Retrieved 8 November 2021.

Works cited

[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fire_worship&oldid=1238825565"