This chapter deals with the peculiar bond between humans and fire: what, in the course of history, have we humans done with fire, and what has fire done to us?[260]

All animal species except one derive their own physical energy mainly from one single source: food. We humans are the only exception: we derive most of our physical energy from two sources: food and fuel.

The dependence on fuel reflects our strong and intimate bond with fire. This bond is unique: no other animal species has acquired the capacity to control fire and exploit the energy released by it. Control over fire is a human ‘species monopoly'.

In addition to being unique, the human bond with fire is also universal. There are no known cases of human societies in recorded times that lacked the capacity to handle fire. Stories that sometimes appeared in the anthropo­logical literature about peoples who had never learned to master the art of tending a fire have all been proved spurious.

Many unique and universal human features are, of course, directly related to our biological nature. The capacity to handle fire, however, is not a naturally inborn ability. It is acquired, it is a cultural asset, the result of collective learning.

These, then, are three general characteristics of the human bond with fire: it is unique, universal, and cultural - a remarkable combination.