An eternal flame is a flame or torch that burns constantly. The flame that burned constantly at Delphi was an archaic feature, "alien to the ordinary Greek temple".

The eternal fire was originally a religious aspect of Persian Zoroastrianism that later assimilated into Abrahamic religions, specifically Judaism. An eternal flame constantly tended by a dedicated priest is a feature of Zoroastrian religious culture that involved the Amesha Spenta Atar (Old Persian âdar, Middle Persian âtaxš). According to Greek and Persian accounts, three "Great Fires" existed in the Achaemenid era of Persian history, which are collectively the earliest evidence of the eternal flame.

In ancient times eternal flames were fuelled by wood or olive oil; modern examples by a measured supply of propane or natural gas. Eternal flames are most often used as a symbol to acknowledge and remember a person or event of national significance, or a group of brave and noble people connected to some event, or a goal such as international peace.

The eternal flame commemorating U.S. President John F. Kennedy following his assassination in 1963 was the first time that an individual known person was given such an honor (as opposed to an Unknown Soldier). Henceforward, eternal flames would be designated more frequently around the world to honor the loss of persons of great significance, in addition to major tragic and momentous events.

Eternal flames exist in nature as well, as byproducts of natural gas deposits leaking through the ground.

Around the world

Extinguished

• One of the three 'Great Flames' of the Achaemenid Empire, extinguished during the reign of Alexander the Great to honour the death of his close friend Hephaestion in 324 BC.
• The eternal flame that was kept burning in the inner hearth of the Temple of Delphic Apollo at Delphi in Greece until Delphi was sacked by the Roman general Sulla in 87 BC.
• The Bible commands that "The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out", (Leviticus 6:13, KJV), regarding the altar of the Tabernacle sacked by Rome in AD 70. Many churches (especially Catholic and Lutheran), along with Jewish synagogues, feature an eternal flame on or hung above their altars. When a church is founded, the flame is passed from another church and the candles are regularly replaced to keep the original flame burning.
• The Sacred fire of Vesta in Ancient Rome, which burned within the Temple of Vesta on the Roman Forum and was extinguished in the year 394 AD.
• The eternal flame near the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn in Estonia was extinguished after the country gained independence from the USSR in 1991.
• An eternal flame was part of the East German Memorial to the Victims of Fascism and Militarism at Neue Wache in East Berlin. It was removed after the 1990 German reunification. In 1993, the space was redesigned and rededicated (without a flame) as the Central Memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany for the Victims of War and Tyranny.
• The Olympic Flame is a kind of eternal flame which is kept lit throughout the Olympic Games and extinguished after their closure every four years.

Current

Europe

• Paris, France, under the archway at the Arc de Triomphe, which has burned continuously since 1921, in memory of all who died in World War I, and Arras, France-Notre Dame De Lorette war memorial.
• Moscow, Russia, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexander Garden to honor the dead of the Great Patriotic War
• Saint Petersburg, Russia, has two eternal flames. The first is at the Field of Mars in memory of those who died during the Bolshevik Revolution. The second is at Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery in memory of those who perished in World War II during the Siege of Leningrad
• Minsk, Belarus, at the Victory Square to honor the heroes and partisans of the Great Patriotic War
• Budapest, Hungary, in Kossuth Square commemorating the revolutionaries of the 1956 uprising against control by the Soviet Union
• Amsterdam, the Netherlands, at the Hollandsche Schouwburg, in memorial of the Dutch Jewish people who were killed in WW2
• Sofia, Bulgaria, at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier
• The Hague, Netherlands, at the Peace Palace
• Liverpool, England, at the Anfield stadium, in memorial to those who died in the Hillsborough disaster
• Madonna del Ghisallo, Italy, near Lake Como, for all cyclists who have died
• Rome, Italy, on the Altare della Patria, for the Unknown Soldier
• Riga, Latvia, at Brothers' Cemetery
• Warsaw, Poland, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
• Berlin, Germany, at the Theodor-Heuss-Platz
• Munich, Germany, on the Square Of The Victims Of The National Socialism
• Kaunas, Lithuania, at the Tomb of Unknown Soldier, in the Square of Unity
• Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the Eternal flame in memory of the military and civilian victims of the Second World War
• Zagreb, Croatia, in front of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in memory of the police officers killed in the Croatian War of Independence
• Yerevan, Armenia, in the center of the Armenian Genocide Memorial
• Oslo, Norway, inaugurated on June 9 2001 at The Pier of Honour, Port of Oslo by Sri Chinmoy and installed permanently at the Aker Brygge complex in 2002.
• Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, at the Fossar de les Moreres (adjacent to the Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar), honouring the Catalans buried there, who died defending Barcelona on the siege of 1714. The torch with the eternal flame was inaugurated in 2001.
• Madrid, Spain, at the Plaza de la Lealtad, honouring all those who have died fighting for Spain.
• Kiev, Ukraine, in the Glory Park at the Glory Obelisk and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, honoring the dead of the Great Patriotic War.
• Dublin, Ireland, at the junction of Amiens St and Memorial Road, the Universal Links on Human Rights by Amnesty International, honoring prisoners of conscience

North America

Canada

• The Flame of Hope in London, Ontario, at 442 Adelaide Street, where Sir Frederick Banting did theoretical work leading to the discovery of human insulin.
• The Centennial Flame in Ottawa, Ontario, first lit in 1967, is in the spirit of an eternal flame; however, it is annually extinguished for cleaning and then relit. It commemorates the first hundred years of Canadian confederation as a Commonwealth realm.
• The Centennial Flame on the grounds of the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton, Alberta commemorates the same milestone as its counterpart in Ottawa.
• The Eternal Flame in the Peace Garden of Toronto City Hall, lit by His Holiness Pope John Paul II in September 1984, symbolizes the hope and regeneration of mankind.

United States

• John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, lit by Jacqueline Kennedy on November 25, 1963 during the assassinated president's state funeral
• Honolulu, Hawaii, USA to honor victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks
• Gettysburg Battlefield, Pennsylvania, in memory of the dead of the American Civil War, first lit by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938
• Decatur, Georgia at the square downtown, for the Korean War, World War II, and the Vietnam War
• Atlanta, Georgia at the King Center, for assassinated civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Miami, Florida at Bayfront Park on Biscayne Boulevard, is the Torch of Friendship for John F. Kennedy
• Washington, D.C., at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, first lit in 1993 by President Bill Clinton and noted Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel
• New York City, New York, at Ground Zero, lit by Mayor Michael Bloomberg on the first anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks upon the financial district of the city. It is currently temporarily located at Battery Park on the southern tip of Manhattan under The Sphere, which is a sculpture that had been recovered from the World Trade Center site. The eternal flame will be relocated to the World Trade Center location when the memorial there is completed.
• Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to honor the crew and passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 on 9/11 in their efforts to thwart the hijacking

• Chicago, Illinois to honor those who perished in World War II
• Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma, atop the Prayer Tower, which represents the baptism of the Holy Spirit
• Newport News Victory Arch in Virginia, commemorating American servicemen and women
• Memphis, Tennessee at the grave of Elvis Presley at his home "Graceland"
• University of California, Santa Barbara houses an eternal flame on its campus.
• Bowman, South Carolina, lit in 1987 in honor and memory of the community's residents who died in World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War
• Huntsville, Alabama, Big Springs Park in honor of John F. Kennedy
• Washington Square , site of the city's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
• Lynchburg, Virginia, gravesite of Jerry Falwell at Liberty University
• Farmington Hills, Michigan, at the Holocaust Memorial Center in honor of those who perished during the Holocaust.
• University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, on the Main Quad, houses an eternal flame as a memorial from the class of 1912.
• Highland Park, Illinois, in the "Freedom's Sacrifice" veterans memorial located on the corner of St. John Ave and Central Avenue to remember the soldier from Highland Park that gave their lives in the name of freedom.
• Pierre, South Dakota, at the Flaming Fountain (Veterans) Memorial on the shores of Capitol Lake. The flame is part of a fountain; the combination of fire and water is especially striking after dusk.
• Auburn, California, on the corner of Fulweiler St. and Nevada St. depicts a soldier carrying a fallen comrade. The statue is named 'Why?'.
• Saint Martinville, Louisiana, at the Acadian Memorial, symbolizing the survival of exiled Acadians as south Louisiana Cajuns.
• Redlands, California, in Jennie Davis Park (corner of Redlands Blvd. and New York St.), at the Veterans' Memorial

Mexico

• The Column of Independence, México City in memory of the heroes of the Mexican Independence War

Nicaragua

Tomb of Carlos Fonseca in the Central Park of Managua.

South America

Argentina

• In the Flag Memorial in Rosario, Santa Fe

Colombia

• In the Battle of Boyacá Memorial in Boyacá.
• In the Lost Soldiers Memorial (Monumento a los Caidos)in Bogotá D.C.

Australia

• In the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Victoria
• In the Shrine of Remembrance in ANZAC Square in Brisbane, Queensland
• At the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
• At the state War Memorial in Kings Park, Western Australia

Asia

• Eternal Flame of Freedom, Corregidor, Philippines
• Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, the Victory (Pobedy) Monument
• Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, the Monument to the Unknown Soldier (from Soviet times)

India

• New Delhi, India, at the Raj Ghat, in memory of Mahatma Gandhi at the site of his cremation. The date that this flame was first lit is not known at present.
• New Delhi, India, at the India Gate, first lit in 1971 to honor 90,000 soldiers, including an Unknown Warrior, who died in World War I and later conflicts
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, to remember the victims of the 2004 Asian Tsunami, unveiled in 2005
• Shirdi, India, at the Dwarka Mai Mosque, lit by Sai Baba of Shirdi in the late 1800s
• Some ancient temples in south India are known to have eternal flames burning since centuries. Most established temples (such as Tirumala-Tirupati, Mantralayam, etc) have eternal flames.

Israel

• Tel Aviv, at Rabin Square, for assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
• In Jerusalem at Yad Vashem, the national Holocaust-Memorial of Israel
• Near Jerusalem at Yad Kennedy, Israel's memorial to U.S. President John F. Kennedy

Japan

• At the Buddhist temple Daishō-in, at Mt. Misen, Itsukushima, where the flame is said to have been burning since AD 806, for more than 1200 years
• Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, to remain lit until all nuclear weapons in the world are abolished

South Korea

• At the Peace Gate at Olympic Park, Seoul, South Korea

Africa

• Accra, Ghana: the Eternal Flame of African Liberation
• Pretoria, South Africa: An eternal flame burns in the Voortrekker Monument.

Spontaneous natural flames

• The Eternal Flame Falls can be found in the Shale Creek Preserve in New York, United States.
• There is an area producing natural spontaneous flames in Olympos National Park, Turkey.
• There is an eternal flame in Guanziling, Taiwan, as a result of methane gas.
• Flaming Geyser State Park in Washington, United States.
• An eternal flame in Australia, fueled by a coal seam instead of natural gas. Called "Burning Mountain", it is claimed to be the world's longest burning fire, at 6,000 years old.

See also

• Olympic flame
• Sanctuary lamp
• Fire worship

References

1. Noted by Pausanias (10.24.5) in the second century CE and earlier mentioned by Herodotus (7.141) and Euripides (Iphigeneia in Tauris)
2. Walter Burkert, Homo Necans (1982) translated by Peter Bing (University of California Press) 1983, p. 122 and notes 31, 32.
3. Takht-e Sulaiman - UNESCO World Heritage Centre