Mythical Creature Part V

Mythical Creature: Salamander

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salamander_(legendary_creature)

The salamander is an amphibian of the order Urodela. As with many real creatures, pre-modern authors often ascribed fantastic qualities to it (compare the allegorical descriptions of animals inmedieval bestiaries), and in recent times some have come to identify a legendary salamander as a distinct concept from the real organism. This idea is most highly developed in the occult. Where the two concepts can be distinguished, the legendary salamander is most often depicted much like a typical salamander in shape, with a lizard-like form, but it is usually ascribed an affinity with fire (sometimes specifically elemental fire).

n early heraldry, the salamander was depicted as somewhat like a short-legged dog, surrounded by fire; more recently it is depicted as a lizard or a natural salamander, but still amidst flames. In the arms of Le Clei shown as vomissant des flammes ("vomiting flames") as well. It is oftentinctured vert (green) but can be of any other colour or metal.


The salamander became a symbol of enduring faith which triumphs over the fires of passion. It was the badge of Francis I of France, with the motto, "I nourish [the good] and extinguish [the bad]."It appears in the arms of Le Havre, Fontainebleau and others.