Medieval candle-lighting methods

[jncar]

In a fantasy story with medieval-level technology I have a character who needs to light a candle in the woods with no other source of fire around.

Would flint and steel be her only option, or were there other methods? No magic allowed.

Comments

[jarien]

Depends, did she know in advance that she was going to need to do this? She could have used a tinder box to transport a bit of ember in order to make the job easier, if she knew in advance and had reasonable access.

[sollersuk]

A tinder box wasn't used to carry embers; it contained the tinder (highly inflammable material like dried fabric or really dry holly leaves) and kept it dry so that it would catch light from the sparks produced by steel and flint. That's the origin of a phrase I used to hear in my childhood of a building catching fire dramatically: "It went up like a tinderbox".

[scribefigaro]

Additionally, the practice of carrying live embers tended to be limited to cultures without access to flint and steel. Generating a spark with wood friction is exhausting even when you know exactly what you're doing, and worth avoiding if possible. Generating a spark with flint and steel is so trivial there's no point trying to avoid the task by carrying a live ember.

[dagonell]

Fire by friction is labor intensive, but do-able.
Instructions here: http://artofmanliness.com/2008/04/29/9-ways-to-start-a-fire-without-matches/

[reconditarmonia]

Yeah, I was going to suggest a hand drill. It takes forever, but it does work.

[revchris]

Depending on your technology level, you could use a burning glass.

[scribefigaro]

Lighting a candle is impossible without an already-existing flame.

To produce this flame the character would need to use a tinderbox or something similar; useful for starting a cooking fire but extremely impractical for a candle that could easily sputter out at any time.

[sollersuk]

Seconded about the candle going out. It would be totally impractical out of doors unless it was in a horn lantern (thin sheets of horn to let the light out)

[sollersuk]

Just a point about flint and steel: that's how cigarette lighters work. I've even seen flint and steel kits in camping shops (two bars for rubbing against each other).