God of Fire

"The medley of burning flesh and metal. How sweet is that aroma! Some call it pain and chaos, but it is progress plain and simple. I know you are not yet ready to appreciate it. I know it is frightening. You must burn away those parts of yourself that cannot love the smell of progress. Burn them utterly and savour the stench. All my followers do. It makes them strong. It makes them make me strong. If Pyro did not bring them progress, they would cast him aside and find a new god. That is as it should be."

— The Book of Pyro, Sacrifice

A God of Fire is a Stock God who commands fire and/or volcanoes. Their position in the pantheon food chain varies; sometimes they might be the Top God (this is usually the case if they are also a Sun God), one of several high-ranking gods or a mid to low-tier deity.

In regards to temperament, fire deities are likely to be as volatile as the element they command. However, it is also possible for them to be portrayed as kind, gentle and nurturing, reflecting how fire provides warmth during the cold and light in darkness. Some fire gods may also play a hand in the development of civilization by teaching humans how to utilize fire for their needs or may even be the ones who created humanity.

In terms of aesthetic, a God of Fire is likely to have Flaming Hair or be totally Wreathed in Flames. They may also be Living Lava. May overlap with Appease the Volcano God or Chekhov's Volcano, though not all such volcano gods are gods of fire or volcanoes in general. A God of Fire may also share a pantheon with a Lord of the Ocean — in which case, expect an Elemental Rivalry and some Fire/Water Juxtaposition.

A God of Fire's worldview and morality can cause this trope to overlap with various others. They may be a very specific and powerful example of an Elemental Embodiment. Some fire gods might be The Maker or the Ultimate Blacksmith, using fire to fill the world with life or to sponsor metalwork and industry. Others might play up the destructive aspects of fire and serve as a Destroyer Deity. Good fire gods will likely be a source of Sacred Flames and use fire to purify, while evil gods are likely to be an example of Evil Is Burning Hot, and may even go so far as to be a Satanic Archetype, a master of Hellfire and/or the ruler of a Fire and Brimstone Hell.

Sun Gods do not count as this trope unless they are stated to be Gods of Fire as well as the sun; for those deities specifically, see God of Light. Demon lords or underworld deities who command fire do not count as this unless it is in their title.

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Examples:

Anime & Manga

• Digimon Tamers: Zhuqiaomon is one of the Four Digimon Sovereigns and is based on Vermillion Bird of the South. Naturally, most of his attacks are fire-based.
• The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious: Hestiaca is the Goddess of Fire.

Comic Books

• The Mighty Thor: Surtyr is a fire giant and the ruler of a race of fire demons.
• Superman:
  • After being hinted several times throughout Supergirl (2005), the The Hunt for Reactron storyline reveals Thara Ak-Var is the vessel of Flamebird, the Kryptonian goddess of fire and light.
  • Supergirl (1996): In this comic, Supergirl is Linda Lee Danvers, a troubled teenage girl who died and was revived as an Earth-born Angel of Fire.

Fan Works

• Child of the Storm: It's speculated that Harry might grow up to become this for Asgard, given his natural talent for fire magic and Phoenix associations. Given that the last Asgardian Phoenix host, Sunniva, was the Goddess of Life and Fire, this is probably on the mark.
• Dungeon Keeper Ami: Isubiar is the god of flames.

Film — Animation

• Atlantis: Milo's Return: Erik Helmstrom uses an Atlantian spear to create a lava beast, inspired by the fire giant Surtr both in and out of universe as part of his plan to bring forth The End of the World as We Know It.
• Moana: Te Ka is the primal being who controls fire and creates volcanoes beneath the ocean. Subverted, as she is actually Te Fiti, the primal lady of the earth itself, and in her rage at having her heart stolen by Maui, she went from being a gentle, green lady of life to an angry fiery goddess of destruction until it was returned.

Film — Live-Action

• Mortal Kombat: Annihilation: One of the Elder Gods is a fire deity.

Literature

• The Camp Half-Blood Series:
  • Percy Jackson and the Olympians: In the first book, The Lightning Thief, Percy sees a young girl tending the hearth at Camp Half-Blood but doesn't pay much attention to her. The Last Olympian reveals that this girl was actually Hestia. She plays a vital role in the story when it is revealed that her flames are hot enough to bypass the Curse of Achilles.
  • The Heroes of Olympus: Hephaestus is the God of fire, forges, blacksmiths, and volcanoes. He had a limited role in the original Percy Jackson series but is much more important in The Heroes of Olympus as a mentor figure to his son Leo who has inherited his power of fire.
• Dragonlance:
  • Sirrion, also known as The Firemaster or The Flowing Flame, is the neutral-aligned god of fire, transformation, and change. He is associated with flame as a symbol of passion and creativity, and praises the "inner flame" of alchemists and creatives.
  • Sargonnas, also known as The Firebringer, is the evil-aligned god of wrath, destruction, and vengeance. He is associated with fire and volcanoes as destructive forces and symbols of anger.
• The Elenium: Ulath enumerates the Troll Gods for his fellow Church Knights. Among these is Khwaj, the god of fire, whom Sparhawk later compels to turn their campfire into a listening device to spy on their enemies.
• Fengshen Yanyi or The Investiture of the Gods: as mentioned several times, the hero Jiang Ziya has to gather and nominate the new gods out of the fallen warriors in the great Shang-Zhou war. The master of flames Luo Xuan, the "Flame-wreathed Immortal of Fire Dragon Island", becomes the lead God of Fire in the penultimate chapter of the novel.
• Inheritance Cycle: The dwarven god of fire is Morthothal. In dwarven mythology, he and his brother Urur (god of winds) were said to have worked together to create the dragons.
• Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: Hestia and Hephaestus are both referred to as goddesses of fire, with Hestia being the goddess of the hearth and Hephaestus the goddess of the forge. Their respective familia emblems both symbolize fire as a source of comfort and a tool of one's craft. Coincidentally, their children both have a strong association with fire, with Bell possessing a rare no-chant magic called Firebolt and Welf having the exclusive ability to forge the powerful Crozzo-brand magic swords that were once used to burn down the elven forests.
• Mercy Thompson: Guayota is the God of Volcanos. He has the power to convert innocents into fiery dog-like monsters under his command.
• Nightrunner: Sakor is known as "The Flamebringer" and is also the god of the sun, war, and victory. Sakor is also associated with a mid-winter holiday called "Mourning Night", the day on which the god died (and was reborn the following morning), marked with the dousing of all flames in the city.
• The Silerian Trilogy: Dar, the goddess who is worshiped in Sileria. She's heavily associated not only with fire but lava, and her center of worship is a volcano. Also, her followers sometime get fire magic.
• A Song of Ice and Fire: R'hllor is a god of fire and light. He seems to have actual power, occasionally bringing people back to life, and giving some of his followers the ability to ignite their weapons.
• Storm Runner: Hurakan is the Mayan god of wind, storms, and fire. His son Zane has inherited his fire abilities.
• Tolkien's Legendarium: Melkor was the Vala of fire and ice before becoming Morgoth, the great enemy.

Live-Action TV

• The Almighty Johnsons: Colin Gunderson is the new incarnation of Loki. In addition to being a Trickster God as usual, is Colin/Loki is the Norse deity of Fire.
• Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Season Three finale is a Vacation Episode where the Spellmans head to Hawaii for a family reunion. Sabrina can't participate until she finishes decoding the family secret (which has taken her all season). To help, Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire ("Cousin Pele to you") shows up in a burst of flame to give her the final clue to the secret, a ball of twine; she remarks that this is the first time in a while that the twine hasn't incinerated.

Music

• The Crazy World of Arthur Brown: The song "Fire" features the following introduction:
  I am the god of Hellfire!
  And I bring you...fire.

Mythology & Religion

• Aztec Mythology:
  • Chantico, goddess of the hearth fires and volcanoes.
  • Mixcoatl, hunting god who introduced fire to humanity.
  • Xiuhtecuhtli, god of fire, day, heat, volcanoes, food in famine, the year, turquoise, the Aztec emperors, and the afterlife.
• Classical Mythology:
  • Hephaestus is the god of fire, craftsmen, and metalwork, and is said to have had a forge beneath Mount Etna where he toiled away to build weapons for the other gods. The word "volcano" is derived from the name of his Roman counterpart Vulcan.
  • Hestia (Vesta in Roman mythology) is the goddess of the hearth, home, house, and family. She only uses fire to warm, cook, and cauterize, and is the most benevolent and beloved of the Olympians.
  • Prometheus is considered the Titan of fire, but he is really a downplayed version of this trope as his actual domain was forethought, and he became associated with fire because he stole fire from the Olympians and gave it to the humans. For this act, he was chained to a cliff while an eagle tore out his liver until Heracles freed him.
• Egyptian Mythology: Ra is considered a god of fire as a god of the sun.
• Hindu Mythology: Agni is described as not just the god of sun and lightning but the god of fire as well. He is second only to Indra himself in the Vedic myths.
• Japanese Mythology:
  • Kagu-Tsuchi is a Japanese fire god who burned his mother Izanami to death at the moment he was born. In his grief, his father Izanagi beheaded Kagu-Tsuchi, cut his body into 8 pieces, and cast them down to the earth where they became volcanos.
  • Kojin is the kami (Japanese for "god") of fire and the kitchen.
  • Konohanasakuya-hime is the goddess of Mount Fuji, the highest peak in all of Japan. She is also considered to be a goddess of earthly life since her symbol is the sakura, a Japanese flower that is said to represent birth.
• Native American Mythology: In Navajo myth, Black God (Haashchʼééshzhiní) is a fire deity who was the first being to learn how to generate fire and invented the fire drill.
• Norse Mythology:
  • Some have theorized that Loki is also a god of fire or may have originally been one before being reinterpreted as a Trickster God. However, since many authors in recent times have tried to associate Loki with the devil, no one is entirely sure how true this is to the original version. It should be noted that there is a Fire-Jötunn called Logi, whose clearly a different character from Loki, since the two compete in an eating contest at one story.
  • Surtr is a member of the Jötunn race who are equivalent to the Norse Gods in power. He carries a Flaming Sword, dwells in the fiery realm of Muspelheim, and during the events of Ragnarok, it is said he will bring forth flames to consume the Earth.
• Pacific Mythology: Pele is the goddess of volcanoes and fire, and the creator of the Hawaiian Islands.
• Scythian Mythology: Tabiti is the queen of the gods and equated by the Greeks with Hestia. It is therefore agreed she was a goddess of fire, perhaps even the sun.
• Slavic Mythology: Svarog, the god of smithing, is sometimes considered to be a god of fire.
• In Tarascan/Purepecha mythology, the Top God is Kurikaweri (also anglicised as Curicaueri), "the great fire" and a god of fire and the sun. Priests apparently coated themselves in ashes to honor him.

Tabletop Games

• Eberron: Onatar is one of the gods worshipped as part of the Sovereign Host. Known as the God of Forge and Fire, those who believe in him claim that he taught mortals how to start fires and forge metal into tools, in order to give them a better chance of survival.
• Forgotten Realms:
  • Kossuth is an ancient Fire Elemental who grew powerful enough to be worshipped as the god of primordial flame.
  • Downplayed with Talos, god of destruction by natural disasters. While primarily a God of Thunder whose power revolves around lightning strikes and storms, he also has some limited power to control forest fires and volcanic eruptions.
  • The dwarf demigod Tharmekhûl is revered as the Lord of the Forge and as an embodiment of the creative, destructive, and purifying nature of fire.
  • Surtur, god of the Fire Giants, is a crossover from Norse Mythology. Here, he's a Chaotic Evil Social Darwinist who teaches that fire will purify and cleanse the strong, while the weak will be consumed by it.
• GURPS: The Dungeon Fantasy sub-line features classic dungeon fantasy-style clerics and holy warriors, and allows for the possibility of them worshiping a range of deities. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 5: Allies distinguishes deities by their "elements" (which determine the powers of any supernatural servitors they send to aid their worshipers), and "Fire" is of course one such element. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 7: Clerics offers different spell lists and special powers for different types of deity served, and again, "Fire" is an option.
  Some (such as the Hawaiian Pele at her most volcanic) are ancient powers of chaos and destruction. Some (such as the Chinese Zhu Rong) are energetic warriors with purifying power. Some (such as the Hindu Agni) act as messengers between earth and other gods (carrying sacrifices from one to the other). Some (such as the Norse Loki) are nigh-demonic menaces. Others (such as the Roman Vesta) are defenders of the hearth and home.
• Humblewood: Gesme is the goddess of fire and knowledge, and Patron God of the Corvum. She gifted fire to the folk of the Humblewood by stealing a burning branch from the Sun Goddess Ardea, staining her wings black with smoke in the process. Her dogma encourages her worshippers to see fire as a spark that both inspires and destroys, and to acknowledge that sometimes, delving into the unknown is worth the risk of being burned.
• In Nomine: While the angels — but not the demons — would object to this description, this role is functionally split between two Superiors, the Archangel Gabriel and the Prince Belial. Both embody the Word of Fire, giving them a level of power over and connection to the flame far greater than that of any Ethereal deity. Gabriel once embodied fire's light and illumination, but now focuses more on the flames of Heaven that punish the cruel; Belial strictly focuses on fire as an agent of destruction and consumption. Both give their Servitors a wide palette of abilities focused on manipulating flame.
• La Notte Eterna: Bakraag is the Chaotic Evil god of fire. Mortals have a complicated relationship with him; his flames are a welcome respite in the endless night, but he needs to be carefully placated to keep his fires from becoming wild and destructive.
• Magic: The Gathering has have had quite a few, usually associated with Red mana, the color most often associated with fire:
  • Purphoros from the Greek-inspired Theros is the god of the forge, essentially Magic's take on Hephaestus. He is a Mad Artist constantly creating and destroying everything in accordance to his artistic whims, and is in constant conflict with the tyrannical sun god Heliod.
  • Kamigawa, based on Japan, has the Myojin of Cleansing Fire, a rare example of a White-aligned fire god.
  • While not specifically a god of fire (she is associated with zeal), Hazoret from the Egypt-inspired Amonkhet is made from the essence of the Second Sun and uses fire magic most frequently.
• Ponyfinder: Blaze, the god of the sun's destructive power, is primarily associated with fire. She radiates heat like a bonfire, and grants her worshippers the ability to temporarily shroud their weapons in flame.
• Warhammer Fantasy: Dazh is the Kislevite god of fire, the sun, and hospitality, who is said to have first shared fire from the sun with humankind. His priests wield magic related to fire and light, and his lay followers take pride in their hearth fires as symbols of his blessing.
  • Then there's Hashut, the patron Chaos god of the Chaos Dwarfs. Who is the god of fire, greed, and tyranny. And is the one responsible for turning the Chaos Dwarfs into what they are, after they were cut off from the rest of their kin.
• World Tree (RPG): Flokin is the Noun god of Pyrador, fire magic. He's notable for his temperamental, proud, and destructive personality, which he employs in his secondary job as the World Tree's security guard slash cosmic bouncer against unwanted extradimensional intruders.

Theatre

• The Ring of the Nibelung: The eponymous ring makes Loge the god of fire, with Wagner's text playing on the German word "Lohe" (flames). In Das Rheingold, he serves as The Smart Guy to the other gods. Though his character is never subsequently on stage, Loge's Leitmotif is present in all four operas, and his name is invoked at the climactic moments when Wotan surrounds the sleeping Brünnhilde with magic fire at the end of Die Walküre and when Brünnhilde orders the destruction of Valhalla along with her Self-Immolation in the final scene of Götterdämmerung.

Video Games

• Breath of Fire IV: Ryu is the fire-half of a Fire/Ice Duo, naturally learning fire-themed abilities while his counterpart, Fou-Lu, is described as having an affinity for water and learns ice-themed abilities. It is eventually revealed that both of them are the two halves of the Yorae Dragon, an immensely powerful god that was split into two weaker beings by the summoning ritual that brought it into existence.
• Brütal Legend: Ormagoden, The Eternal Fire Beast & Cremator of the Sky, claims fire as one part of his godly portfolio alongside blood, noise, and metal. His arrival in the world bathed it in burning light that offended its original inhabitants, the First Ones, who decided to quench his divine fire in mud. The world the game takes place in is said to be all that remained of Ormagoden's body afterwards.
• Dark Souls:
  • Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight, is associated with fire, though not as much as he is with lightning and the sun. Interestingly, the association is due not to his inherent power, but because he sacrificed himself in the First Flame.
  • The Witch of Izalith was the first being to properly control the natural flame as a weapon, which her daughters inherited, and would later become the human magical practice of Pyromancy. Unfortunately, they started playing with fire a bit too much, transforming the daughters into abominations and the Witch herself into the Bed of Chaos, the origin of all demons.
  • The only mentioned Flame God Flann, though not much is known about him other than he married Gwyn's daughter Gwynevere.
• Final Fantasy: In installments where the classic summoned monsters lean more divine, such as XI and XV, Ifrit fills the role of fire god.
  • In Final Fantasy XIV, the pantheon of the Twelve features two gods for each element, with Azeyma and Nald'thal representing fire. Each represents a different aspect of the element, with Azeyma being a Sun God and Nald'thal representing the fires of wealth and the Underworld. This is in addition to Ifrit's presence as a primal, who is at one point summoned explicitly for his qualities as an Elemental Embodiment of fire.
• Flight Rising: Flamecaller, goddess of the Fire Flight, is obviously one of these. Although her theming leans more towards lava than direct fire and she’s also an Ultimate Blacksmith.
• Genshin Impact: Murata the Pyro Archon is one of the Seven Archons who rules over the nation of Natlan. She is described as living for the thrill of battle, hence her title as the "God of War". Additionally, the Travail trailer hints at her having a phoenix motif as evidenced by the Chapter V title "Incandescent Ode of Resurrection", as well as Dainsleif's quote: "the victors shall burn bright, while the losers must turn to ash". Her other nickname is "Lady of Fire".
• Heroes of Might and Magic Ashan: Arkath is one of the Six Dragons, and is the Elemental Embodiment of fire. He is said to be rash, hotheaded, and rejects discourse and logic in favor of passion and impulse. Dwarves consider him their Patron God, and he often receives worship from thrill-seekers and blacksmiths.
• The Legend of Zelda: Din is described in Ocarina of Time as creating the physical earth of Hyrule with her "strong flaming arms", and is strongly associated with fiery "Eldin" region surrounding the volcanic Death Mountain.
• Mortal Kombat:
  • Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero: An unnamed Fire God is one of the four gods tasked with guarding the Temple of Elements which houses Shinnok's amulet. He is the last of the four gods the player must face before acquiring the amulet.
  • Mortal Kombat: Armageddon: Blaze becomes one in this game. Originally an elemental created by the Edenian sorceress Delia, Blaze was supposed to prevent the Armageddon as well awake and guide her sons Taven and Daegon. However, Blaze is corrupted in part thanks to Onaga's followers imprisoning him as the guardian of Onaga's egg, which changed him from a flame-like human to a Humanoid Abomination. Blaze serves, being the Final Boss of Armageddon and with his powers will grant the salvation or damnation to the one who defeats him. It was intended to be Taven as was prophesized, but in the end, the winner is Shao Kahn whose provoking the Armageddon, prompts Raiden's efforts to change the timeline and restart all over to stop this fate from coming to pass.
  • Mortal Kombat 11: Liu Kang becomes a fire god after fusing with Raiden.
• Ninja Gaiden: Zedonius is one of the Four Greater Fiends of Vazdah and is known as the "Ruler of Flames". As expected, he commands fire.
• Pokémon: The franchise has a few fire-type Legendary Pokemon.
  • Moltres is a fire/flying-type and one of the Three Legendary Birds.
  • Entei is a Legendary fire-type Pokemon and one of the three Legendary Beasts resurrected who died in the Brass Tower disaster and were resurrected by Ho-Oh. Entei is said to embody the flames that burned the Brass Tower.
  • Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire: Groudon is one of the three legendary Pokemon in these games. It is a ground-type but it is associated with volcanoes, magma, sunlight, and by extension fire. Its Primal form is a Fire/Ground type and it can be found in a Lava Pit.
• Sacrifice: The aptly named Pyro is the God of Fire. He represents the "spark" of inspiration and creation, and is also the god of progress and industry... At any cost.
• Warcraft:
  • Ragnaros the Firelord is the Elemental Lord of all fire elementals and ruler of the Firelands, residing in the Molten Core in Classic and the center of the Fireland Raids. Despite his demonic appearance and villainous acts, he isn't truly evil, simply wanting to burn things because it is his nature as fire. The Earthen Ring even helps his minions against Ahune the Frost Lord in the Midsummer Festival. Ragnaros is worshipped by the Dark Iron Dwarves and in the Battle For Azeroth, the Cult of Ragnaros try to revive him with his successor, Smolderon having gone missing.
  • World of Warcraft: Legion: Ragnaros is replaced by Smolderon with the help of the Earthen Ring, who seek a new Elemental Lord in order to fight the Legion.
• Wrath Unleashed: Epothos is the demigod of fire regarded as "a volcanic warrior with the fury of the sun".

Webcomics

• Aurora (2019): Caliban is the patron god of the Ignans, a group of people heavily influenced by elemental fire. Naturally, Caliban is also associated with the element. He is very emotional and volatile, and his hair has a tendency to burst into flames when he becomes angry.

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