Brazier
rating: 0+x

Basic Information

A brazier is a container in which a fire may be burned - generally a metal basket, although some cultures use a wide, shallow metal dish instead and many early examples are ceramic. As a free standing and relatively contained source of fire, they are often used in places where there is no fireplace and an camp-fire style blaze would be unsafe. Fuel will be culturally (and regionally) dependant - anything from coal to dung.

Braziers are mainly used for heating, and to some degree lighting as well, although they can also be used for cooking and as a ritual tool. Several nomad cultures are known to be particularly fond of braziers, finding them a useful way of making a (relatively) safe fire inside a tent without needing to carry about (or, indeed, invent) a stove.

As a ritual tool, a brazier is generally used to burn herbs, incense and/or (parts of) a sacrifice. Where necessary it may also represent the element of fire, perhaps as part of a magic circle.

Sources

Bibliography
1. full source reference

Game and Story Use

  • The modern descendant of the brazier - the metal drum with the top cut off, burning scrap wood - tends to be symbolic of strike action and industrial picket lines in the UK. In the US it's probably better associated with hobos. This sort of heating may also be used by poorly disciplined (or just badly supplied) military units of various kinds.
    • Also associated with American hobos is the "jungle fire" - a brazier like object burning sand soaked in petrol. Known as a "desert stove" or "Benghazi burner" in the UK due to frequent use in WW2 North Africa.
  • Almost compulsory furnishings for pre-modern military camps, castles and the like.
  • Will also tend to appear in a dungeon to counteract the lack of fireplaces.
Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License