Some of the earliest known histories of human existence tell an extraordinary story of perseverance in the face of unforgiving environments. They also point to one of nature's steadfast companions in our story of survival that shared every step along the way: mushrooms.
On a cold early Spring morning, a highland shepherd set out into the wilderness of the Alps carrying carefully selected tools, food, and prized survival items for a long journey. He wouldn't make it home and would be found nearly 5,000 years later frozen in time.
Europe's oldest known mummified remains
In 1991, hikers in the Tyrolean Alps made a discovery that gave us a perfect snapshot of exactly what that survival looked like: they found the remarkably preserved, frozen remains of our Copper Age traveler. Dubbed Ötzi the Iceman, he is Europe's oldest known natural human mummy.
Ötzi carried a carefully curated survival kit. He had a copper axe, arrows, and a flint knife. And nestled among his most prized possessions were pieces of something much quieter, yet equally vital: mushrooms.
Long before we understood the complex biological resilience of the fungal kingdom, ancient humans viewed mushrooms as essential companions on the path of life. For Ötzi, fungi literally meant the difference between freezing in the dark or carrying the fire of life forward to another day.
The True Tinder Polypore (Fomes fomentarius)
Starting a fire in the damp, freezing mountains from scratch is an incredibly difficult task. You need a spark, and more importantly, you need something that can catch that spark and hold it.
Enter the True Tinder Polypore, scientifically known as Fomes fomentarius. This tough, woody, hoof-shaped mushroom grows on the bark of hardwood trees. Ancient humans figured out that if you harvest this mushroom and process its inner spongy layer, it creates a felt-like material known as amadou.
Amadou is incredibly flammable. When Ötzi struck his flint against iron pyrite to create a spark, the mature Fomes fomentarius mushroom would catch it instantly, holding a slow-burning, smoldering ember. Because it burns so slowly and steadily, ancient travelers could place a smoldering piece of amadou inside a hollowed-out shell or horn, effectively allowing them to carry fire from one camp to the next. The fungus was a trusted companion that kept the fire alive through the harshest conditions.
The Birch Polypore (Fomitopsis betulina)
The Tinder Polypore wasn't Ötzi’s only fungal companion. Tied to leather thongs on his gear, researchers also found pieces of the mature Birch Polypore mushroom (Fomitopsis betulina, previously known as Piptoporus betulinus).
While the Tinder Polypore provided warmth, anthropologists and ethnobotanists have speculated endlessly about the Birch Polypore's purpose. It is a tough, rubbery bracket fungus that grows almost exclusively on birch trees. In historical survival contexts, this mushroom was a utilitarian multi-tool. It has been used historically as a razor strop to sharpen blades, as a gentle tinder, and by various cultures in traditional folklore for wilderness survival. Some researchers even speculate Ötzi may have ingested it to help manage the whipworm parasites they found preserved in his digestive tract.
Carrying the Fire Forward
The story of Ötzi is a powerful reminder of our ancestral roots and our shared story of survival. Today, it is easy to view nature as something separate from us—a place we visit on the weekends. But for thousands of years, humans and fungi walked side-by-side. Mushrooms were not just things growing in the woods; they were tools, they were warmth, and they were trusted companions on a very rugged path through life.
