History Main / FirePurifies

* {{Subverted|Trope}} in "Literature/The Road Virus Goes North," a short story by Creator/StephenKing. A horror writer buys the last surviving painting of a troubled artist who burned all his other works and then committed suicide. When he realises the painting is cursed he tries to get rid of it, but the painting keeps returning intact. Eventually he burns the picture, because [[GenreSavvy that's what works in the books, right?]] Unfortunately it turns out that the artist didn't burn all his paintings ''except'' this one, he burned all his paintings ''including'' this one.

[[folder: Theatre]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Probably not the coolest example...]]

* ''Manga/MoriartyThePatriot'' combines this with EvilIsBurningHot: William is strongly associated with fire, which, since he's the VillainProtagonist, should be evil--but it's also shown to be cleansing the world of the rot and evil he sees in it, and purifying people's souls.

* The concept of purgatory in Catholicism, where believers go to be cleansed of their sins after death before they are allowed to enter into Heaven, since according to the Literature/BookOfHebrews, no one will see the Lord without holiness.

* ''Manga/MoriartyThePatriot'' combines this with EvilIsBurningHot: William is strongly associated with fire, which, since he's the VillainProtagonist, shoudl be evil--but it's also shown to be cleansing the world of the rot and evil he sees in it, and purifying people's souls.

* A sidequest in ''VideoGame/SilentHillDownpour'' involves setting fire to the picture of a man who murdered his family, allowing their spirits to rest.

* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathly Hallows'', Fiendfyre turns out to be one of the few ways to destroy Horcruxes.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': In ''Deathly Hallows'', Fiendfyre turns out to be one of the few ways to destroy Horcruxes.
* {{Subverted|Trope}} in "The Road Virus Goes North," a short story by Creator/StephenKing. A horror writer buys the last surviving painting of a troubled artist who burned all his other works and then committed suicide. When he realises the painting is cursed he tries to get rid of it, but the painting keeps returning intact. Eventually he burns the picture, because [[GenreSavvy that's what works in the books, right?]] Unfortunately it turns out that the artist didn't burn all his paintings ''except'' this one, he burned all his paintings ''including'' this one.
* Referred to in the title of the Creator/GeorgeMacDonald novel ''Literature/SaltedByFire'' ("salted" meaning purified in his Scots dialect). The plot involves a clergyman who doesn't really believe going through trials that "burn away" his apathy and self-centeredness, allowing him to truly find faith.
* In ''Literature/{{Sunrise}}'', many of the flenser gangs have degenerated even further than they have in previous books. Three of the last surviving members of one particular gang are found in an abandoned JC Penny in a filthy den full of rotting human remains. At least one or two are afflicted with debilitating illnesses, and the one flenser still healthy enough to put up a fight is still little more than a mindless, drooling animal. After killing them all, Alex and the rest of his group decide that nothing short of burning the entire building down will suffice to clean the filth away.

* In Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath fire is one of the few reliable ways to kill corrupted beings like Haunts and Changers, and usually the most practical. Also, until the body of a Kendar or Highborn is burned, their spirit is bound to the world.
* In ''Literature/TheWhiteRabbitChronicles'', the only way to truly end a zombie is with fire from a slayer's hands.
** At the end of ''Through the Zombie Glass', the slayers use their fire to kill [[spoiler:"Zombie Ali".]]
* The supernatural elements of ''LightNovel/ShakuganNoShana'' are heavily fire-themed, which extends to its [[HunterOfMonsters Hunters of Monsters]] being referred to as "Flame Hazes" and generally having at least some ability to [[PlayingWithFire manipulate fire as an attack]]. Back when she [[WalkingTheEarth lived on the road]] Shana followed a more utilitarian version of this, using her flames to burn away dirt and disease as a substitute for bathing.
* ''Literature/DaughtersOfTheMoon'' has a rare PureIsNotGood version with the Cold Fire, a ritual by which high-ranking Followers burn away their mortality and bind themselves to the [[MadeOfEvil Atrox]] as its [[TheAgeless ageless]] servants.
* Just before the summit of Mount Purgatory in ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'', there is a massive wall of fire all humanity must pass through to purify their lust. Unlike every other penance of Purgatory, Dante actually must go through the wall of fire in order to enter Heaven. Not eager to burn away parts of his soul, Dante hesitates until Virgil reminds him Beatrice is on the other side of the fire. Dante jumps in.

* Nexus magazine #3 article "Land of the Pharaohs". The Purifying Flames spell will remove a curse or guilt from a person who enters the flames.
* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
** Among the Imperial forces, flamers are usually seen as a good metaphor for purifying the GodEmperor's enemies. [[JoanOfArchetype Sisters of Battle]] take it even further, with most squads wielding flamers or wearing hats that are on fire. Not to mention [[ApocalypseHow virus bombing]] (which basically converts a large proportion of the planet's surface into fuel and strikes a match).
** The [[FireBreathingWeapon incinerators flamers]] used by the [[DemonHunter daemon hunting]] [[SuperSoldier Grey Knights]] enhance the widely held belief in the purifying effects of fire with the addition of sacred oils to its already highly blessed fuel to make them especially dangerous to the Chapter's daemonic enemies. Some editions of the rules represented this by giving incinerators bonuses such as the ability to ignore the invulnerable saves of daemonic creatures.
** It's also effective when dealing with Orks for more practical reasons; they're fungus based lifeforms which release spores (which eventually grow into new orks). Burning them helps prevent them reinfecting planets they've attacked.

* A sidequest in ''VideoGame/SilentHillDownpour'' involves setting fire to the picture of a man who murdered his family, allowing their spirits to rest.
* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', after a battlefield was covered in [[ThePlague a weaponized Plague]], a group of red dragons use their fire breath to destroy the lingering disease before it could permanently poison the land. Afterward, rather than scorched, blackened earth, the ground is coated in [[GreenThumb newly-sprouted plant life.]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Serena}}'', [[spoiler:the titular character]] burns down the cabin she murdered her husband in. This is a wise choice -- the flames destroy not only evidence, but his ghost.
* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfZestiria'', [[OurSpiritsAreDifferent Lailah]] is able to use the Flames of Purification to stop [[TheHeartless Hellions]] and purify [[TheCorruption Malevolence]]. Its later revealed this is because of a pact she made with [[TopGod Maotelus]]. ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'' later provides an origin to this ability: [[spoiler:It was a special flame created by a Malak named Laphicet, who became Maotelus]].

* ''Manga/MoriartThePatriot'' combines this with EvilIsBurningHot: William is strongly associated with fire, which, since he's the VillainProtagonist, shoudl be evil--but it's also shown to be cleansing the world of the rot and evil he sees in it, and purifying people's souls.

* Cauterizing (burning flesh usually with heated metal or a strong acid) can be used as a last resort to stop bleeding or prevent a wound getting infected.

[[caption-width-right:300:Probably not the coolest example...]]

This may be a reason why FireKeepsItDead, the trope for where burning a body prevents it from coming back to life. Supertrope to BurnTheUndead, which is where the purifying powers of fire cause the undead to be vulnerable to destruction by fire. Compare HealItWithFire. Often associated with SacredFlames.

This may be a reason why FireKeepsItDead, the trope for where burning a body prevents it from coming back to life. Supertrope to BurnTheUndead, which is where the purifying powers of fire cause the undead to be vulnerable to destruction by fire. Compare HealItWithFire.

* ''UsefulNotes/{{Zoroastrianism]]'' depicts fire as associated with [[GodOfGood Ahura Mazdha]] and being inherently good and purifying, likely because [[GodOfEvil Ahriman]] is associated with [[DarkIsEvil darkness]], and fire is a commonly used as a light source.

* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfZestiria'', [[OurSpiritsAreDifferent Lailah]] is able to use the Flames of Purification to stop [[TheHeartless Hellions]] and purify [[TheCorruption Malevolence]]. Its later revealed this is because of a pact she made with [[TopGod Maotelus]]. ''TalesOfBerseria'' later provides an origin to this ability: [[spoiler:It was a special flame created by a Malak named Laphicet, who became Maotelus]].

** This, in a nutshell, is the Circle of Wildfire Druid’s shtick in 5th edition. Along with a suite of fire spells like ''Burning Hands'', ''Scorching Ray'', and ''Flame Strike'', the subclass gets bonus spells that are themed around healing and growth (''Cure Wounds'', ''Revivify'', ''Plant Growth'') and the ability to conjure a Wildfire Spirit that can either [[HealItWithFire heal allies]] or [[KillItWithFore harm foes.]] The flavor text emphasizes that wildfires are a healthy part of the natural order, scouring the land clean to make way for new growth.

* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfZestiria'', Lailah is a personification of purifying flames.

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Discworld/CarpeJugulum'', the flames of the Phoenix only burn evil creatures. Granny uses it to keep the darkness of the vampires at bay.

Fire in some works has the ability to burn away imperfections and evil. It burns up evil or evil-associated creatures, such as demons and the undead, entirely, and it works more effectively against those beings than most weapons or attacks would. It can also sometimes burn away only the evil parts, leaving any pure or good parts unharmed. In such cases, it is useful for de-possessing hapless creatures who have been possessed by evil beings.