So who would be silly enough to eat fire?
That’s what some would say…
Well, there is a history to all this and it is called fire eating.
And it’s a fascinating read.
So let’s get on with it, shall we?
So How Does Fire Eating Work?
If you did not know.
The act of fire eating itself relies on the quick extinction of the fire when it goes in the mouth or on the touched surfaces of the mouth.
And on the short-term, cooling effects of water evaporation at the surface or you could say on the source of the fire.
Now the individual…
Namely, the person does not just put a fire in their mouth and hope for the best it might have started out like that but would have been soon dropped as there would have been burnt mouths everywhere.
Well at least for those people silly enough to have attempted it
There is a trick, however…
Usually, that fire-eating individual would put a low percentage of alcohol mixed in the water or saliva in their mouth.
I think I would rather go for the water than the alcohol, we all know what blowing alcohol out of your mouth looks like with a flame in front of it.
Well on television that is, not that I have tried it.
You might have been fortunate to have seen it live somewhere, maybe on your travels that is.
The First Fire Eater
Yes…
There is always the first.
Well yes, it was a male ladies…
He was born in 1794, and in fact, he was the seventh in his generational line to hail from the Old Dominion.
Ruffin as he was called was the oldest of the three most prominent Fire-Eaters of the antebellum age.
For those who do not know what antebellum means…
And I don’t blame you.
It means before the word comes from the Latin phrase “ante bellum” (meaning literally, “before the war”).
And its earliest known print appearance in English dates back to the 1840s.
So there you are…
So…
There were two other men, and their names were Robert Barnwell Rhett of South Carolina, who was born in the 1800s, and a William Lowndes Yancey of Alabama, who was born in 1814.
In fact, fire eating was a common part of the:
- Sadhu
- Hindu
- Fakir
These were performances to show such things as spiritual attainment.
Now that is a bit different – spiritual attainment don’t you think?
So…
As it goes, it became a part of the everyday standard sideshow acts in the late 1880s and was often get this…
Seen as one of the ENTRY-LEVEL skills for sideshow performers. I would hate to see the high-end level entry.
One of those famous fire eaters from the 18th century was a Robert Powell.
I was said allegedly now…
He not only swallowed fire but also swallowed:
- melted sealing wax
- red-hot coals
- even brimstone
What did he have?
A mouth like iron?
Apparently, he performed, often in front of European and British royalty and nobility.
For a grand total of nearly sixty years and…
By 1751, was awarded a large silver medal and a purse of gold.
That’s all for swallowing all those things for such a long time! Please…
Although he was not the earliest to achieve these giddy heights.
The first man to attract the attention of the upper classes was actually an Englishman who was named Richardson, he first performed in France in the year of 1667.
Apparently, his methods were subsequently made public by his servant. Whether that was a good thing or not I could not say…
Does Fire Eating Hurt
What do you think?
Well…
I am not going to get fire and try it out, would you?
Look…
Even if you are not burned badly from the fire itself, you will most probably still get poisoned a bit by the little fuel you put into your mouth.
If you did not know, it can be harmful if not fatal if swallowed. If people…
That is a big IF!
You will mostly get a headache and your mouth will taste…
Well…
Just awful if nothing else.
To top it all off you could also have burps, bad tastes, and such smells that you have never even experienced before.
So no.
Just because you are reading about it.
Do not go ahead and think that someone without any experience can do it OK?
So…
Can you eat fire?
There is your answer for anyone who might be silly enough to try it out.
Fire eating… Not for the uninitiated.