The Fire Salamander

Photo 56741675 © Maximka87 | Dreamstime.com

The fire salamander (Salamandra Salamandra) is a common species of salamander found in the forests of central Europe. It is black with distinctive yellow spots or stripes decorating its body. They prefer deciduous forests with streams or springs. They are an inconspicuous species, spending most of their time hidden in or under tree trunks or branches, leaf litter or rocks. While fire salamanders are nocturnal, they do venture out on rainy days.

The fire salamander is prevalent throughout Slovenia in hilly regions under the forest line, where it is known as the Močerad. It was a sacred animal according to the Old Believers who inhabited the Soča valley and surrounding regions¹. They viewed the spots of the fire salamander as symbolic of the constellation Močerad (Ursa minor, Little Bear, Little Dipper) from which it derived its power.

With its primordial forests and emerald river, the Kingdom of Juliana provides the perfect habitat for the fire salamander. Will you be able to spot all the spotted salamanders hiding in the illustrations of my fairy tale Anabell?

1.     Pavel Medvešček, Iz nevidne strani neba (Ljubljana: ZRC-SAZU, 2015), 403.