CH 5 (6/7) - Heraldic Dragons

Part six of the fifth chapter of historian Frederick William Hackwood's study of dragonlore.

FULL ILLUSTRATED TEXT
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Reptiles in real life, and to some extent the batrachians, have always excited as much curiosity as aversion, and the strangest beliefs have been cherished in regard to some of them. Even the familiar toad has not escaped a sort of superstitious veneration for qualities it never possessed. It was once a common belief, mentioned in Shakespeare, that "the toad, ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in its head." The toad is not venomous, nor yet is it a creature set with precious gems.

An old writer, of the year 1569, gravely informs us that "there is found in the heads of old and great toads a stone they call borax or stelon, which being used as rings gives forewarning against venom." Another ancient scribe says, "These stones always bear a figure resembling a toad on their surface." Yet another equally credulous writer states that these toad-stones (crepaudiae) are a sure remedy against the bites of rats and spiders ; and that they sweat and change colour when brought into close proximity with poison.

The humble toad, too, appears in ancient legend. The banner of the old Kings of France from the days of Clovis was a blue ground on which were emblazoned three toads (botes they were called in old French), but once when the banner was advanced against an army of heretics the three toads were miraculously changed into three lilies. And truly, if one looks at the old French standard of the white lilies on an azure field, it is not difficult to see in the conventional form of the fleur-de-lis an outline not unlike that of a flattened, sprawling toad.

Then there is the salamander, a small and comparatively harmless lizard found in various parts of Europe, credited with being incombustible, and able to live in fire. Francis I, of France, adopted as his badge a salamander in the midst of flames, with the motto, "Nutrisco et extinguo" ("I nourish and extinguish"). Asbestos, now used largely in gas fires because it will get red hot and not burn away, is a mineral of strangely fibrous texture, which has sometimes been called "salamader's wool."

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Toads
• Superstitions
• Botes
• Fleur-de-Lis
• Salamanders
• Reptiles
• Borax
• Stelon
• Asbestos
• Folklore
• Posion
• Batrachians
• Legends