Bulfinch’s Mythology · Chapter
The Salamander explained
This chapter recounts a story from Benvenuto Cellini's autobiography about his father showing him a salamander in the fire when he was five years old, and then discusses the legendary properties of salamanders, including their supposed abil
What happens
This chapter recounts a story from Benvenuto Cellini's autobiography about his father showing him a salamander in the fire when he was five years old, and then discusses the legendary properties of salamanders, including their supposed ability to resist and extinguish fire, the use of their skin for fireproof cloth (actually asbestos), and a scientific explanation involving the animal's milky secretion and hibernation habits.
Key passages
“My dear child, I do not give you that blow for any fault you have committed, but that you may recollect that the little creature you see in the fire is a salamander; such a one as never was beheld before to my knowledge.”
Cellini's father explains that the slap was not a punishment but a mnemonic device to ensure the boy would remember the rare sight of a salamander in the fire.
This illustrates a unique parenting method and the value placed on memorable experiences in Renaissance education.
“An undevout astronomer is mad! ... O, what a genius must inform the skies! And is Lorenzo's salamander-heart Cold and untouched amid these sacred fires?”
Dr. Young criticizes the skeptic who remains unmoved by the wonders of the heavens, comparing such a cold heart to a salamander that is not warmed by fire.
This poetic metaphor contrasts spiritual awe with scientific skepticism, using the salamander as a symbol of imperviousness.