Fire breathing

History of fire-breathing...
It's difficult to determine its actual age.
But my search goes back to at least around 105-134 BC in the Middle East.

You can find some information about it online.
If you search for: Diodorus Siculus, books 34 and 35
https://www.attalus.org/translate/diodorus34.html

There, something is said about a magician who used a Syrian slave named "Eunus" and pyrotechnics to deceive the people and thus cause a revolt,
while posing as a prophet.
He used sulfur powder and perhaps also flammable fish oil or something similar.
A nutshell with two holes filled with a flammable substance.
This allowed one to exert more force while blowing, creating a spectacular display of sparks and flames. Back then, people could use fire breathing to make them believe they possessed certain powers granted by the gods...

Today, fire breathing is no longer used to make people believe they possess magical powers.
It does require some courage, the right blowing techniques, and the right flammable, safe volatile substances.

Fire breathing can have a meditative effect and is sometimes used to induce a trance.
Dancers also sometimes use fire breathing
to enhance their performance.

Do you also want to learn how to breathe fire?

That's possible, but it's not suitable for everyone.
You can learn this with a private course or team-building session through me, "SasH Grimm."
Together, we'll explore what's possible for you.
Through various exercises, you'll learn to position your lips correctly and develop lung strength with proper blowing techniques, etc.

I have 30 years of experience with this and have never personally had an accident.
Not even those who took lessons with me or attended a course in my presence.
Safety comes first here...
If you learn fire breathing through me, at the end of the class you'll also receive a cool, professional photoshoot while you're breathing fire.

The Dangers of Fire Breathing:

Some people practice fire breathing alone.

Be very careful with this, and it's not recommended purely for safety reasons.
I've never practiced fire breathing alone and have always made sure I was accompanied by someone who is also trained to extinguish the fire if something goes wrong.
I've never trusted strangers or bystanders to rescue me if something goes wrong. Most don't even know how to properly extinguish someone if they're on fire.

I've witnessed several accidents happen live because fire breathers took excessive risks, even though I had clearly warned them beforehand about certain potential dangers.

Those who stubbornly ignored the warnings no longer breathe fire; they've learned their lesson, and some are marked for life.

For example, I once knew an unheard-of fire breather who always wore fancy nylon outfits.

I once remarked that this was truly dangerous and that it's best not to perform this way. But she and her manager were enraged by my comment and claimed she knew what she was doing and had never experienced anything like it. Well, a few years later, she got the reward: her entire nylon outfit caught fire, the plastic burning through her skin. Because there's no insurance for fire-breathers anywhere in the world, she had to cover the burns and expensive hospital costs herself, which were no longer affordable. They even tried to crowdfund the expensive surgeries and treatment, but the desired amount couldn't be found, with all the misery and consequences that entailed.

Some people will try to extinguish your flames, taking off their jackets and hitting you. This doesn't help and will only fan the flames. Often, the zipper and the zipper will peel off your burned skin even faster while you're hitting them. You can also get the corner of the zipper in your eye and go blind or seriously damage your eyes.

Anyone wearing a jacket made of synthetic nylon or fleece will likely melt it over your burned skin, or if your skin is already gone, the melted substance will stick to your burnt flesh.
On YouTube, you can find numerous videos of fire-breathers and botched rescues, and especially many videos of people attempting to breathe fire with alcohol, gasoline, flour, etc.

There are no safe fluids for fire breathing.
Alcohol isn't safe either, even if you use highly flammable alcohol that can ignite. Such a high alcohol content damages your stomach and kidneys, etc.
You also burn yourself very quickly and are even more difficult to extinguish than lamp oil.

Supposedly, there's a special fluid for fire-breathers with added flavorings.
These flavored fluids are the most dangerous.
Because shortly after breathing a flame, the pleasant taste will make you swallow leftover lamp oil much faster, with all the consequences that entails. You will undoubtedly suffer the long-term consequences.

Fire breathing is something you can do quite safely
With pure lamp oil. Be careful: some types of lamp oil can cause immediate skin irritation. You may also experience a prolonged tingling sensation that disappears after about an hour. The best lamp oil is purified, odorless, and not smoking lamp oil. Any lamp oil can irritate your respiratory tract and damage your teeth. During fire breathing, fluid can easily reach your nose and sinuses.

Don't swallow your saliva after spitting, but spit it out. Lamp oil residue can damage your stomach, kidneys, and esophagus. While fire breathing, rinse your mouth regularly with water without swallowing it all. And wipe your face regularly if it becomes clogged by the atomized cloud of lamp oil. Failure to do so can accelerate skin cancer or serious skin irritation.

I always use a large, damp bath towel, thoroughly wet and wrung out, and place it over my shoulders. I always keep a bucket filled with lukewarm water, a washcloth, and a little dish soap near me to regularly wipe my face, which has become wet from the lamp oil I've spit out. The dish soap breaks down the lamp oil...
If my head/face unexpectedly catches fire, I calmly extinguish it with the bath towel.
For added safety, I always have a fire extinguisher next to me, and a trained person to assist me.

And yes, sometimes my head catches fire, but I've never suffered any ill effects.
If I'm wearing a beard or mustache at that moment, I'm at a higher risk of it catching fire the fastest.
Certainly don't try to cover your beard or mustache with Vaseline beforehand.
Please never do this. I once knew a fire-breather who had done this.
It's a myth and a lie that Vaseline can protect you. The person who had done it had previously come across several videos on YouTube trying to convince people of this. This person also tried to convince me.
Again, I tried to make the fire-breather aware that Vaseline is made from kerosene, or lamp oil, by evaporating it in a kettle. When the substance evaporates, a greasy substance remains, and this is Vaseline.

When you start breathing fire, a lot of heat is generated, and the Vaseline you've smeared on your face starts to melt, mixing with the finely atomized unburned lamp oil. All it takes is one proper ignition, and you're on fire, which is very difficult to extinguish because the substance has turned into a burning paste.

The person I had warned didn't want to hear about it and also refused to have a damp bath towel over their shoulder. But after a few moments, they were on fire. Luckily, he survived and was picked up by an ambulance and allowed to stay overnight in the hospital for observation. He had lost his beard, and in some places, the skin was already gone from his face. But all in all, he was lucky I was standing close to him with my damp towel.
It could have been much worse.

If you dare to breathe fire, never, ever wear clothing made of synthetic materials such as nylon, plastic, fleece, etc..
Use only cotton or linen.
Note: Using cotton or linen doesn't mean it can't catch fire.
If it's soaked with flammable liquids, it can still catch fire, but it won't melt on your skin. You can wash cotton or linen with saline solution and then spray it with a spray bottle containing the saline solution. This acts as a fire retardant and prevents it from charring quickly. Always avoid synthetic clothing, including underwear and socks.

Never count on spontaneous, quick rescue from strangers, as you'll likely be out of luck. If something goes wrong, most people tend to stare, as the image they see is certainly not commonplace. Most people unconsciously stare for a few seconds, but it can be fatal to the skin and lungs of the person caught in the fire.
After just one second, your skin will burn, and if it lasts for several seconds, your skin will even peel off spontaneously.

If your skin is already gone and you continue to burn, your flesh underneath will burn and you will be forever marked. If the burned area is too large or severe, this can even cause kidney failure, because your body will pump excess fluid into the burned areas, automatically shutting down your kidneys. Once your kidneys have shut down, your own body will start poisoning you...

With the wrong actions, you can very quickly end up in the hospital with serious burns or even die...

Keep in mind that there is no insurance available worldwide for this, even if you want to become a professional fire breather.

Fire breathing is always at your own risk...
Please keep in mind that if you're going to breathe fire indoors, you're doing so at your own risk and responsibility. If something goes wrong indoors and your actions cause a studio, stage, or home, etc. to catch fire, you'll be responsible for the costs.

There's really no insurance for this, so be very aware of that.

If you do want to learn how to breathe fire, don't do it alone; enlist the help of an experienced fire breather who will properly explain all the dangers and can also teach you some clever tricks.

For more information, please contact me.
Sincerely, Sascha Grimm.

Text and photos copyright Studio Grimm.