Once upon a time, fire was at the cutting edge of technology. Those who had it were almost gods to those who didn’t. They were warm in the winter. They could live farther north and higher in the mountains. They could flush out game. They were sick less often and lived longer. Those who could actually make fire were gods among gods, creating the light and warmth and power it gave with their own two hands and some very particular stones.

Of course, we know now that fire isn’t magic. It might be “magical” to some people, beautiful and dangerous, flickering and dancing with a life of its own, but it is comprehensible to those who use it. Eventually, as more people used it and understood it, although its beauty and danger remained, it was not seen as magic. It was a tool — one of the first pieces of technology.