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Pliny the Elder’s Experiment
In the first century AD, Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder threw a salamander into fire to test if it could survive or extinguish the flames, as Aristotle had claimed that such creatures could. Unfortunately, the salamander didn’t survive, but the legend persisted.
The Continuing Legend
For 1,500 years, the legend of the fireproof salamander (a name derived from the Persian meaning “fire within”) endured, from Ancient Rome through the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance. Some even believed it was born in fire, like the Phoenix, only slimier and a bit less dramatic. With fur that could be woven into fire-resistant garments.
The Asbestos Connection
In the Middle Ages, the salamander myth took on a new facet: asbestos, a highly fire-resistant mineral with fibers we now know that can devastate our lungs, leading to mesothelioma and other awful diseases. Yet, before we put this mineral into our buildings, this fire-resistant mineral was once used in royal garments. Pliny noted that because it didn’t burn, it was used to wrap the dead on funeral pyres, the result leave pure ash.
Marco Polo’s Discovery
Marco Polo, in his travels, described “salamander” not as a creature but as asbestos, a substance found in the Earth. He recounted a Turkish acquaintance in China processing asbestos fibers into napkins, which turned white after being fire-bleached. Wow, reusable napkins, you just gotta burn them.
Misinterpretation by Naturalists
Naturalists, including Conrad Gesner, mistakenly depicted the salamander as furry. This misconception arose from a misinterpretation of the term “salamander’s wool,” used for asbestos. Medieval bestiaries often portrayed it as a furry creature.
Conclusion
The myth of the fireproof salamander lives on, blending ancient belief with modern science, especially in the context of asbestos. For more information on how to obtain your own fire salamander (no, not really), check out the full story The Legend of the Homicidal Fire-Proof Salamander