Salamander

Mystic Zyl · 05-12-2003

What does the Salamander mean, it is always with the King of Rods?

Jewel-ry · 05-12-2003

Hi Mystic Zyl,

According to Rachel Pollack the salamander is a "legendary lizard believed to inhabit fire...... representing the spiritual.... a favourite symbol of alchemists. At best the King is master of the creative Fire. His sense of social commitment has tamed it and put it to use. Notice that the salamanders on his robe are shown with their tails in their mouths. The closed circle means maturity and completion. Compare with the knights shirt where the tails and mouths do not meet."

J

TemperanceAngel · 05-12-2003

Quote:

Originally posted by jewel-ry
Notice that the salamanders on his robe are shown with their tails in their mouths. The closed circle means maturity and completion. Compare with the knights shirt where the tails and mouths do not meet."

J

My thinking was that it meant death and rebirth, continuous cycles...

XTAX

Mystic Zyl · 05-12-2003

Jewel-ry, oh slapping my head, sure.

Temperance Angel, yes I never looked at his clothes that close.

Rusty Neon · 05-12-2003

Quote:

Originally posted by Mystic Zyl
What does the Salamander mean, it is always with the King of Rods?

Salamanders are supposedly elemental beings of the realm of fire. In the Golden Dawn's tarot curriculum, the Salamanders are the elemental being which is associated with the suit of Wands (as the GD holds that the Wands suit corresponds with the element of Fire). In fact, a GD esoteric title for the RWS King of Wands (= GD Prince of Wands) is the Prince and Emperor of Salamanders, Queen of Wands is the Queen of Salamanders, etc.

This can explain why the RWS has the salamander for one of the Wands court cards, although the official GD tarot specifications don't show salamander as a pictorial element of any of the Wands court cards.

poivre · 05-12-2003

I read somewhere that salamanders do not burn & way back when that salamanders were made from fire.

My way of thinking would be on the Knight of Wands (Rods), these people would be very hard to burn, but if got on the bad side of them they will burn you.
You know the scoop on the fire signs. They can warm you up or burn you. So that would be my story of the salamanders on the clothing. Just an idea.

**HudsonGray** · 05-12-2003

The medieval idea around Salamanders were that they were alchemical, elemental creatures representing pure fire. They didn't die, were birthed in fire, very mystical.

**lark** · 05-12-2003

Reading this thread made me think of my experience with salamanders. I was at my brother's cabin in northern Wisconsin. When night came we built a big fire in his fire pit in the front yard. As we sat on the log seats around the fire little things kept scampering through the leaves back and forth in and out of the fire pit.
My brother said those are salamanders. We even managed to catch one. He said they do this all the time. They come out of the leaves and run right into the fire. Attracted by the heat or light? And when they feel the heat they run out again. Back and forth, back and forth the whole time we sat there.
Maybe that's why they are associated with fire, and the idea of them not being able to die, but birthed in fire.
I'll tell you, it was one of the strangest things I've ever seen. It was fascinating to just sit there and watch them.
The salamanders on the wands court have a whole new meaning for me. I never look at them without thinking of that night.

Mystic Zyl · 06-12-2003

Lark what a great story. Thanks everyone I think I even have a better insight on the Wands.

Majecot · 08-12-2003

Lark,
I found your story so intriguing that I had to look up salamanders... had never noticed that before and I had spent most of my childhood camping with my parents. I am sad that I never paid attention.
This excerpt came from Encarta:

Even in places where salamanders are plentiful, humans are often unaware of their presence because they are typically inactive during the day and are virtually silent. Perhaps because they are so mysterious, salamanders are the subject of numerous myths and legends.
The name salamander comes from Greek words meaning fire-lizards. Ancient peoples linked salamanders to fire because salamanders often crawled out from logs that had been thrown onto fires, leading people to believe that these animals could walk through fire. [/B]

Mystic Zyl Citizen Join Date: 27 Sep 2003 Location: Ohio, USA Posts: 753	Salamander What does the Salamander mean, it is always with the King of Rods?

05-12-2003	Ask a Professional Tarot Reader Top #1

Jewel-ry Citizen Join Date: 02 Oct 2003 Location: UK Posts: 3,746	Hi Mystic Zyl, According to Rachel Pollack the salamander is a "legendary lizard believed to inhabit fire...... representing the spiritual.... a favourite symbol of alchemists. At best the King is master of the creative Fire. His sense of social commitment has tamed it and put it to use. Notice that the salamanders on his robe are shown with their tails in their mouths. The closed circle means maturity and completion. Compare with the knights shirt where the tails and mouths do not meet." J __________________ Jewel-ry ~A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on~ Sir Winston Churchill

05-12-2003	Ask a Professional Tarot Reader Top #2

HudsonGray Citizen Join Date: 26 Apr 2002 Location: I childproofed my house but they still get in. Posts: 4,930	The medieval idea around Salamanders were that they were alchemical, elemental creatures representing pure fire. They didn't die, were birthed in fire, very mystical. __________________ You can give a cat a fish, and he'll eat for a day. Or you can teach a cat to fish, and he'll sit in his boat pouting all day because nobody gave him another fish.

05-12-2003	Ask a Professional Tarot Reader Top #7

lark Just a little prairie faerie Join Date: 07 Oct 2003 Location: In the Spirit Room, Wisconsin Posts: 7,512	Reading this thread made me think of my experience with salamanders. I was at my brother's cabin in northern Wisconsin. When night came we built a big fire in his fire pit in the front yard. As we sat on the log seats around the fire little things kept scampering through the leaves back and forth in and out of the fire pit. My brother said those are salamanders. We even managed to catch one. He said they do this all the time. They come out of the leaves and run right into the fire. Attracted by the heat or light? And when they feel the heat they run out again. Back and forth, back and forth the whole time we sat there. Maybe that's why they are associated with fire, and the idea of them not being able to die, but birthed in fire. I'll tell you, it was one of the strangest things I've ever seen. It was fascinating to just sit there and watch them. The salamanders on the wands court have a whole new meaning for me. I never look at them without thinking of that night. __________________ But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you, And loved the sorrows of your changing face. W. B. Yeats *Hermits Unite

05-12-2003	Ask a Professional Tarot Reader Top #8

poivre Citizen Join Date: 13 Nov 2003 Location: Ontario Canada Posts: 6,596	I read somewhere that salamanders do not burn & way back when that salamanders were made from fire. My way of thinking would be on the Knight of Wands (Rods), these people would be very hard to burn, but if got on the bad side of them they will burn you. You know the scoop on the fire signs. They can warm you up or burn you. So that would be my story of the salamanders on the clothing. Just an idea.

05-12-2003	Ask a Professional Tarot Reader Top #6

Mystic Zyl Citizen Join Date: 27 Sep 2003 Location: Ohio, USA Posts: 753	Lark what a great story. Thanks everyone I think I even have a better insight on the Wands.

06-12-2003	Ask a Professional Tarot Reader Top #9

Majecot Citizen Join Date: 15 Oct 2003 Location: Cleverly pretending to reside in the real world - Posts: 3,384	Lark, I found your story so intriguing that I had to look up salamanders... had never noticed that before and I had spent most of my childhood camping with my parents. I am sad that I never paid attention. This excerpt came from Encarta: Even in places where salamanders are plentiful, humans are often unaware of their presence because they are typically inactive during the day and are virtually silent. Perhaps because they are so mysterious, salamanders are the subject of numerous myths and legends. The name salamander comes from Greek words meaning fire-lizards. Ancient peoples linked salamanders to fire because salamanders often crawled out from logs that had been thrown onto fires, leading people to believe that these animals could walk through fire. [/B]

08-12-2003	Ask a Professional Tarot Reader Top #10

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