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Dave's Mythical Creatures and Places |
Salamander
| Description | Small
lizard, with stars or spots on it. Sometimes described as being in the
shape of a man.
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| Features | They are
cold, and impervious to fire- if placed in a fire, a salamander will put
it out. (Salambeander is Greek for chimney-man) Very poisonous- if it wraps itself around a tree, all of the fruit
will become poisoned. Asbestos was at first believed to be salamander
wool.
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| Symbolizes | The salamander
is a symbol of enduring faith, or courage, that cannot be destroyed.
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| Described By: | Pliny-
"This animal is so intensely cold as to extinguish fire by its
contact, in the same way that ice does. It spits out a milky matter
from its mouth, and whatever part of the human body is touched with this
all the hairs fall off, and the part assumes the appearance of
leprosy."
Isidore of Seville- "The Salamander is so called because it is strong against fire; and amid all poisons its power is the greatest. For other {poisonous animals} strike individuals; this slays very many at the same time; for if it crawls up a tree, it infects all the fruit with poison and slays those who eat it...It fights against fires, and alone among living things, extinguishes them. For it lives in the midst of flames without pain and without being consumed, and not only is it not burned, but it puts the fire out." (Brehaut, 1912)
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