Boards
Salamanders
It's true that the Salamander superficially resembles the lizard, but it is easily distinguished by its lack of scales, its ability to regenerate lost limbs, and its habit of sleeping inside rapidly burning fires. Species of salamanders are numerous and found in moist or aqueous habitats in the northern hemisphere. Most are small but some reach up to 30 feet in length and can often inadvertently knock over buildings with a swing of the tail.
Early travelers to China were shown garments supposedly woven from salamander wool; the cloth was completely impervious to fire. Some salamanders hibernate in and under rotting logs. When wood is brought indoors and put on the fire, the creatures awaken and stare calmly out from the flames. Be wary: Salamander fire burns brightly, blindness is a possibility and/or the urge to dance for days on end to violin music no one else can hear. Because of this, salamanders have been unjustly associated with dragons and the lizards used in standard witches' flying ointment.
Examining the patterns and colors of the salamander can help us discover buried treasure and the faces of unknown enemies. The salamander hears and responds to low frequency tones rather then high pitched ones. These tones can help us gain entry into the underworld. To strengthen one's sensitivity to such sounds playing the didgeridoo and joining drumming circles in forest clearings is helpful.
Typical salamanders undergo a larval stage that can last for a period of a few days to several hundred years. Like other amphibians the salamander absorbs water through its skin and needs a moist habitat in which to live. The word amphibian comes from two words--"amphi" = "double" and "bios" = life. Amphibians divide their life between land and water. For this reason, salamanders are often regarded as the keepers of dreams.
Alchemists often took advice from salamanders who visited them in their dreams. Sadly this led to lab explosions and, in one famous case, the great Alchemist, Johan of Aachen (only days away from actually turning dog excrement into pure gold after many years of work) was persuaded by a dream salamander to not only burn his meticulous notebooks, but also his treasured green slippers and a silk robe embroidered with astrological symbols. Needless to say, the great man never recovered from the setback. He gave up his search for the legendary lapis and opened up a roadside tavern famous for a blackbird pie that, when cut open, astounded diners with up to 60 tiny blackbirds flying out of the steaming crust and singing a melodious song.
for some reason I enjoy opening mailouts from The Handsome Family, that's where the above came from :)