Greek fire is the combustible mixture that was used with the military aims during the medieval times. First it was used by Byzantines during the maritime battles. The exact structure of the Greece fire is unknown.

The fire was always interesting to people and people tried to conquer it and to use it from the first moments they saw it. And it is necessary to say that they really succeeded.

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Salamander is the spirit of the fire and its incarnation according to medieval beliefs and magic. People believed that salamanders were living in any open fire. Very often it was described as the little lizard. Some people even consider salamander to be the special substance of the fire.

The fire is able to destroy everything on its way from forests to live people if it is uncontrolled, but at the same time fire is able to warm, to cook dinner for us, to build things we need for every-day life. But to do that the fire must be controlled and carefully kept.

Hephaestus

Hephaestus was the god of the fire and blacksmithing. He was the son of Zeus and Hera. First he was honoured in the regions where there were active volcanoes. In some regions the cult of Hephaestus was closely related with the goddess Athens and sometimes they even had the one temple and sacrifices.

According to mythology Hephaestus was weak and ugly. Zeus being disappointed that his son was born so ugly drew him away from Olympus. Hephaestus was brought up by Themis deep in the ocean. Then he made the golden throne from which it was impossible to rise and presented it to Hera. He said he would release her only if she recognised him as a son and took him into the alliance of gods.

After this case Hephaestus always supported his mother in all argues with Zeus. And once Zeus got so cross with him that drew him away from Olympus again. There are a lot of things maid by Hephaestus for gods. He was doing them with the help of the fire presenting golden palaces, armour of Achilles. The wife of Hephaestus was the most beautiful goddess of Olympus that was Aphrodite. Unlike other gods Hephaestus liked the labour and didn't live in the fests and celebrations.

Vulcan was the Roman analogue of Hephaestus. The centre of the Vulcan's cult was the Vulcanal in Rome. It was the area where senate was making its decisions.

Hephaestus was pictured as the powerful smith with the hammer and tongs in his hands. He usually was dressed in the traditional smith's clothes.

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