Salamanders prefer to make their homes in half-rotted wood. When ancient peoples burned this wood and observed the salamanders emerging from the fire, they thought these amphibians were mythical creatures being born in the fire.
If you look closely at this vintage penciled-drawing of a salamander appearing quite please with himself, he is contentedly sitting upon a log that appears to be smoking.
With or without the mythology, this vintage drawing is charming and unique making it a great choice for your next creative project.
The author of The Mythological Zoo introduced the children of 1912 to a menagerie full of mythological beasts, heroes and villians. All of them were brought to life by the artist Oliver Herford (1863-1935).
This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.
