History Main / GreekFire

* Wildfire from ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' is unquenchable by water, lights anything used to smother it on fire, and burns brilliant green. It was used in [[spoiler: the battle of the Blackwater]] and was essentially the only reason [[spoiler:Tyrion]] won. Its production is a secret well-guarded by the Alchemists' Guild, but there are strong implications that some sort of magic is involved. Storage is extremely dangerous, and it's eventually revealed that the {{Pyromaniac}} former "Mad King" [[TheCaligula Aerys II]] [[spoiler:had thousands of pots of it buried in secret throughout the city in order to burn the whole place down if it was captured, and that this discovery was the reason Jaime Lannister killed him before he could give the order.]]

* The Byzantine Empire developed the TropeNamer, which proved instrumental in major naval victories, including two sieges of Constantinople. [[LostTechnology Nobody is sure exactly what the original recipe was,]][[note]]there are several known chemical compounds that behave like this, so the question is more which one of them was the one the Byzantines used,[[/note]] and "Greek fire" seems to have become something of a catch-all term for any FireBreathingWeapon, but the original stuff was some sort of liquid that ignited spontaneously in contact with water. The Byzantines initially delivered it by flinging clay pots at enemy vessels that would smash up on the decks and catch fire, they eventually developed a "siphon"--really more like a large, primitive syringe or bicycle pump--to shoot jets of fire at the enemy. It was a complete GameBreaker in naval combat well into the early days of WoodenShipsAndIronMen, only being made obsolete when cannon that could reliably hit a target outside its very short range became widespread.

* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations'': Ezio burns down a good part of the Ottoman navy because it was blocking the port.

Greek Fire is usually also universally feared for obvious reasons, as an ancestor of sorts to modern flamethrowers.

* White Phosphorus is a modern example, although it is used for smokescreens as well as incendiaries.
* The infamous napalm fits this trope all too well.

[[/folder]]

Before ironclads came on the scene, ships were extremely flammable. However, since they also had ready access to water, exploiting this required something special. Enter the Byzantine Empire, who developed the TropeNamer. Ever since, many works involving pre-gunpowder navies involve some form of it.

Greek Fire is usually also universally feared for obvious reasons.

See {{Hellfire}} for the supernatural equivalent.

* ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresI'' and [[VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII II]] had fire-ships that used the historical Greek Fire, projected from hoses. Although short-ranged, they did deal substantial damage to enemy ships

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': The Imperium had Phosphex Weapons, which are based on real life White Phosphorus except even more volatile. "Had", because one Tech-Priest was so horrified by Phosphex that he destroyed the STC for Phosphex weaponry, considering it too horrific to use. The last true Phosphex weapon, which was used to execute said Tech-Priest, is thus a precious relic of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

* The Recluse saga includes Chaos fire, which is magically generated. It is especially feared because, in addition to the standard characteristics, it can be created inside steam engines and loaded cannons.

* The blazebalm used in the ''Literature/TortallUniverse'' fits most of the requirements. It is a flamable jelly-like substance that is often used as an explosive weapon; it is particularly useful against spidrens and other immortals.

* The Byzantine Empire developed the TropeNamer, which proved instrumental in major naval victories, including two sieges of Constantinople. [[LostTechnology Nobody is sure exactly what the original recipe was,]][[note]]there are several known chemical compounds that behave like this, so the question is more which one of them was the one the Byzantines used,[[/note]] and "Greek fire" seems to have become something of a catch-all term for any FireBreathingWeapon, but the original stuff was some sort of liquid that ignited spontaneously in contact with water. It was a complete GameBreaker in naval combat well into the early days of WoodenShipsAndIronMen, only being made obsolete when cannon that could reliably hit a target outside its very short range became widespread.

Prior to the development of ironclads, ships were extremely flammable. However, since they also had ready access to water, exploiting this required something special. Enter the Byzantine Empire, who developed the TropeNamer. Ever since, many works involving pre-gunpowder navies involve some form of it.

* ''Literature/WisePhuul:''''rulion'' burns white, and is considered so dangerous its manufacture has been banned via diplomatic treaty.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'', the live-action adaptation of ''ASongOfIceAndFire'' shows Wildfire in all its horrifying brilliance in the penultimate episode of the second season, "[[Recap/GameOfThronesS2E9Blackwater Blackwater]]". It's portrayed as a FantasticNuke, complete with a mushroom cloud out the top of the massive green fireball. Ships are completely obliterated in the initial blast, and the green inextinguishable fire understatedly lingers for much longer.

* The Byzantine Empire developed the TropeNamer, which proved instrumental in major naval victories, including two sieges of Constantinople. [[LostTechnology Nobody is sure exactly what the original recipe was,]][[note]]there are several known chemical compounds that behave like this, so the question is more which one of them was the one the Byzantines used,[[/note]] and "Greek fire" seems to have become something of a catch-all term for any FireBreathingWeapon, but the original stuff was some sort of liquid that ignited spontaneously in contact with water. It was a complete GameBreaker in naval combat well into the early days of WoodenShipsAndIronMen, only being obsoleted when cannon that could reliably hit a target outside its very short range became widespread.

[[folder: Film]]

[[folder: Literature]]

[[folder: TabletopGames]]
* Fluff occasionally mentions the High Elves of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' having a substance called "Alchemist's Fire" designed for use against other ships (though it can be utilised for other purposes) which burns white and whose recipe is a closely-guarded secret.
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' has alchemist's fire, though most versions are not waterproof it is still sticky and burns when exposed to air. Some supplements do have waterproof versions.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: VideoGames]]

[[folder: RealLife]]

* It frequently burns [[TechnicolorFire sickly green or another nonstandard color]]

* Greek Fire is used by Blackbeard in ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanOnStrangerTides''.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'', the live-action adaptation of ''ASongOfIceAndFire'' shows Wildfire in all its horrifying brilliance in the penultimate episode of the second season, "Recap/GameOfThronesS2E9Blackwater Blackwater". It's portrayed as a FantasticNuke, complete with a mushroom cloud out the top of the massive green fireball. Ships are completely obliterated in the initial blast, and the green inextinguishable fire understatedly lingers for much longer.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'', the live-action adaptation of ''ASongOfIceAndFire'' shows Wildfire in all its horrifying brilliance in the penultimate episode of the second season, "Recap/GameOfThronesS2E9Blackwater". It's portrayed as a FantasticNuke, complete with a mushroom cloud out the top of the massive green fireball. Ships are completely obliterated in the initial blast, and the green inextinguishable fire understatedly lingers for much longer.