The article looks further into the history of the idiom “zwischen zwei Feuer” and attempts to shed light on etymological processes the idiom has undergone. Known both in German and other European languages, the idiom is however of quite obscure origin, which is exemplified by Russian and German phraseology. Being historical, the study relies on structural-semantic, cultural and comparative analysis of idiomatic variants (including historic variants). A comparative lingua-cultural analysis of the universal Indo-European mythologem ‘fire’ reveals the importance of mythical worldview in the development of phraseological systems.

The article looks further into the history of the idiom “zwischen zwei Feuer” and attempts to shed light on etymological processes the idiom has undergone. Known both in German and other European languages, the idiom is however of quite obscure origin, which is exemplified by Russian and German phraseology. Being historical, the study relies on structural-semantic, cultural and comparative analysis of idiomatic variants (including historic variants). A comparative lingua-cultural analysis of the universal Indo-European mythologem ‘fire’ reveals the importance of mythical worldview in the development of phraseological systems.