salamander

[prettygoodword]

salamander (SAL-uh-man-der, sal-uh-MAN-der) - n., any lizard-shaped amphibian of the order Caudata, having a soft, moist, scaleless skin, found chiefly in northern temperate regions; a legendary lizard-like creature that is resistant to and lives in fire; in Paracelsian occult philosophy, the elemental being of fire; an object, such as a poker, used in fire or capable of withstanding heat; any of various portable stoves, burners, or heaters, esp. ones that heat from above; a mass of unfused material, such as metallic iron or partially reduced ore, in the hearth of a blast furnace.


Unlike gnome, where the folkloric process took Paracelsus's elemental and ran with it, here he took an existing folkloric being and identified it with an elemental. The oldest traces of the legendary being are discussions (multiple) by Aristotle, but they are widespread, including mentions in the Talmud. Given this pedigree, it shouldn't be surprising that the ultimate origin of the name is Ancient Greek, in the form salamándra, origin uncertain -- Persian samandar is one possibility, though etymologists debate whether instead the Persian name came from the Ancient Greek.

We've run out of elements, but not yet of words that Paracelsus coined -- we've got one more tomorrow.

---L.

Comments

[full_metal_ox]

A furry cosplay concept I’d like to see: the Dragon with the Girl Tattoo, Lisbeth Salamander.

[prettygoodword]

That would indeed be fun.

[full_metal_ox]

I’ve heard the theory that the amphibian salamander came to be equated with the elemental salamander because every now and then they’d nest in logs chosen for firewood and have to flee the flames, appearing to have spontaneously generated from the fire; Benvenuto Cellini recounts having witnessed such an incident:

When I was about five years old my father happened to be in a basement-chamber of our house, where they had been washing, and where a good fire of oak-logs was still burning; he had a viol in his hand, and was playing and singing alone beside the fire. The weather was very cold. Happening to look into the fire, he spied in the middle of those most burning flames a little creature like a lizard, which was sporting in the core of the intensest coals. Becoming instantly aware of what the thing was, he had my sister and me called, and pointing it out to us children, gave me a great box on the ears, which caused me to howl and weep with all my might. Then he pacified me good-humouredly, and spoke as follows: “My dear little boy, I am not striking you for any wrong that you have done, but only to make you remember that that lizard which you see in the fire is a salamander, a creature which has never been seen before by any one of whom we have credible information.” So saying, he kissed me and gave me some pieces of money.

—-Autobiography of Benevenuto Cellini, Chapter IV; translator John Addington Symonds.

(My own suspicion is that The Animal Story Was Not Cute, and that “running around merrily in the very hottest part of the fire” should read “scrabbling around desperately seeking an escape.” This follows an account of how Cellini’s father and grandfather had to rescue him from a scorpion he’d picked up, suggesting that the anecdote had some basis in reality. (Cellini was the subject of a rich and fantastic body of outrageous tall tales, not all of which he originated.)

[prettygoodword]

Truth, about Cellini tall tales