Cover of Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog, Adder's Fork and Lizard's Leg
Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog, Adder's Fork and Lizard's Leg The Lore and Mythology of Amphibians and Reptiles
by Marty Crump
University of Chicago Press, 2015
Cloth: 978-0-226-11600-6 | Paper: 978-0-226-83664-5 | Electronic: 978-0-226-11614-3
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226116143.001.0001

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ABOUT THIS BOOKAUTHOR BIOGRAPHYREVIEWSTABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS BOOK

From celebrated herpetologist and science writer Marty Crump, a beautifully illustrated exploration of the interlinked stories of herp folklore, natural history, and conservation.

Frogs are worshipped for bringing nourishing rains, but blamed for devastating floods. Turtles are admired for their wisdom and longevity, but ridiculed for their sluggish and cowardly behavior. Snakes are respected for their ability to heal and restore life, but despised as symbols of evil. Lizards are revered as beneficent guardian spirits, but feared as the Devil himself.

In this ode to toads and snakes, newts and tuatara, crocodiles and tortoises, herpetologist and science writer Marty Crump explores folklore across the world and throughout time. From creation myths to trickster tales; from associations with fertility and rebirth to fire and rain; and from the use of herps in folk medicines and magic, as food, pets, and gods, to their roles in literature, visual art, music, and dance, Crump reveals both our love and hatred of amphibians and reptiles—and their perceived power. In a world where we keep home terrariums at the same time that we battle invasive cane toads, and where public attitudes often dictate that the cute and cuddly receive conservation priority over the slimy and venomous, she shows how our complex and conflicting perceptions threaten the conservation of these ecologically vital animals.

Sumptuously illustrated, Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog, Adder’s Fork and Lizard’s Leg is a beautiful and enthralling brew of natural history and folklore, sobering science and humor, that leaves us with one irrefutable lesson: love herps. Warts, scales, and all.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Marty Crump is an adjunct professor of biology at Utah State and Northern Arizona Universities. She has been a herpetologist for more than fifty years, working with tropical amphibians to study parental care, reproduction, territoriality, cannibalism, and tadpole ecology. For at least that long, she has been intrigued with the folklore of amphibians and reptiles. She is the author or coauthor of fourteen books, including In Search of the Golden Frog, Headless Males Make Great Lovers, Sexy Orchids Make Lousy Lovers, A Year with Nature, and Frog Day, all also published by the University of Chicago Press. Most recently, she is the editor of Lost Frogs and Hot Snakes: Herpetologists’ Tales from the Field.

REVIEWS

“A scholarly, provocative, and compelling account of our relationships with amphibians and reptiles. These interactions are extremely diverse, both highly positive and severely negative, and by helping us understand them, Eye of Newt will play a critical role in resolving contentious but core issues in conservation. Driven by fine, clear, evocative writing—the more so for Crump’s personal stories interwoven with those of her granddaughter and her late friend, the great writer-naturalist Archie Carr—and Fenolio’s always outstanding images, Eye of Newt is engaging, trustworthy, and will be of widespread interest both to amphibian and reptile enthusiasts and professional herpetologists. Wonderful and unusual, emotionally and intellectually captivating, this is an important, timely book—and the ending is superb.”
— Harry W. Greene, Cornell University, author of "Snakes: The Evolution of Mystery in Nature" & "Tracks and Shadows: Field Biology as Art"

“When I read Crump’s work, I think of an Alison Krauss album, or sometimes Judy Collins or Susan Werner; every note perfect and flowing, professional—talented and trained. Here, Crump thoroughly explores the folklore and mythology surrounding amphibians and reptiles: frogs, salamanders, caecilians, turtles, snakes, and lizards. There is nothing like Eye of Newt out there. A great book.”
— Michael J. Lannoo, Indiana University School of Medicine, author of “Malformed Frogs” and “Leopold's Shack and Ricketts's Lab”

“Accomplished scientist and author Marty Crump has distilled a lifetime avocation studying amphibian and reptilian folklore into a masterwork. Eye of Newt not only instantly becomes the authoritative source on lore and mythology, but also transforms it into a compelling argument for conservation. Without these species our culture would be forever impoverished. No reader will ever look at one of these animals the same again.”
— Thomas E. Lovejoy, George Mason University, 2012 Blue Planet Prize Laureate

“Crump looks back on the ways in which humans around the world have historically understood reptiles, using as a framework James Serpell’s model: that human perceptions of a species are based upon emotional reactions to it combined with a sense of whether it is beneficial or harmful. To address the emotional factors, she moves through ancient, aboriginal, and modern cultures, thematically sorting myths and stories into themes, including water and creation; good and evil; and transformation, resurrection, and renewal. As she examines utility, Crump surveys traditional Chinese medicine (which often uses animal parts), Western pharmaceuticals, folk magic, and culinary uses for amphibians. She concludes with musings on the ethics of whether researchers should try to debunk myths in the hope of saving particular species, making more explicit her message that fear of these species means the world risks losing them.”
— Publishers Weekly

“In borrowing a line from the witches’ spell for the title of her latest book, herpetologist Crump acknowledges up front that the amphibians she studies don’t exactly enjoy the same warm reputation among humans that most furry mammals do. However, as Crump sifts through the various legends and fables about reptiles in this fascinating tour of amphibian folklore, she emphasizes that feelings and judgments about certain animals depend on which cultures are making the evaluations. . . . Well-crafted chapters also cover such juicy topics as reptile-based magic, sexual prowess, and folk medicines. The result is a sumptuously illustrated, informative, and entertaining volume.”
— Carl Hays, Booklist

“Crump, a US conservationist with a passion for amphibians and reptiles pursued over almost five decades, is an optimist. Her vast new compendium of herpetological mythology and folklore . . . is a ‘crazy quilt’ of a book that quickly convinces the reader that these species constitute an enormous wealth of cultural capital. In losing them, we lose part of ourselves.”
— Gail Vines, New Scientist

“A well illustrated introduction on the subject.”
— Ian Paulsen, Birdbooker Report

“You’d be forgiven for wondering whether there could be enough fables, myths and stories involving amphibians and reptiles to fill an entire volume, but herpetologist and science writer Crump has accomplished the feat with aplomb, and the result is a beautiful, engaging, and absorbing collection. But this is more than just a set of tales from around the globe: Crump also teases out our deep-rooted ambivalence towards a group of creatures we have long cast in both positive and negative lights. . . . I hope that this book, along with providing a lively overview of folk beliefs about these animals around the world, can help to play a role in amphibian and reptile conservation.”
— Inga Zeisset, University of Brighton, Times Higher Education

“This richly illustrated book, whose intrepid author sampled pit-viper wine on her readers’ behalf, is full of herpetological lore. Her stories are as mesmerizing as a cobra’s gaze.”
— BBC Wildlife

“'Love herps. Warts, scales, and all.’ This humorous description appropriately accompanies this lively, accessible roundup of reptiles and amphibians in folklore, written by herpetologist Crump, who cites biologist Archie Carr and four-year-old granddaughter Fionna as her touchstones. Covering creation myths, witchcraft rituals, and more, Crump implores readers to ‘embrace the spirits, dragons, demons, deities, heroes, and trickster—and allow yourself to view the world of amphibians and reptiles through different lens,’ emphasizing the urgency of conservation. . . . Essays are enhanced by color photographs. Readers will enjoy this fun, fascinating fairy-tale theater featuring toads, snakes, and more.”
— Library Journal

“Eye of Newt brings thousands of years of lore into the fight against extinction. Read a chapter here and there, and look up your favorite creepy crawly in the index. Or, look up one you loathe. You'll see it in a new light and find a respect for it that you didn't know you had.”
— Sierra

“Crump takes a new and original approach. . . . Eye of Newt goes beyond collecting and debunking, and well beyond useful entertainment. In an unexpected turn that has broad and important implications for conservation and conservationists, the book argues that conservation initiatives can be made more effective by integrating folklore. . . . For a children’s book that she published in 2013, The Mystery of Darwin’s Frog, Crump drew on studies she had made earlier, in Chile, of two species of mouth-brooding frogs, Rhinoderma darwinii and R. rufum; but shortly after that book appeared, scientists in South America reported that populations of R. darwinii had severely declined and that R. rufum was almost certainly extinct. . . . Given that amphibians are the biologist’s canary in the mine, an early-warning system for danger ahead, the fate of R. rufum is alarming news. Scientists and teachers of the generation between Crump and her young readers should feel the responsibility keenly: she is our canary."
— Kate Jackson, Times Literary Supplement

“[A] superb book. Crump explores the myriad ways in which humans have viewed reptiles and amphibians over the ages, before science stepped in and gave us a very different perspective. The author has set herself a huge task. . . . Crump is engaged, entertaining, and never judgmental. . . . If we want to change views of reptiles and amphibians we need to start out by acknowledging and understanding people’s current belief systems. Because views of reptiles and amphibians are shaped by myth and fable, we need to comprehend those stories before we can change those attitudes. It’s a compelling argument to drag academics out of the ivory tower into the tribal gathering, to show us a perspective on our beloved study animals that differs from our own, and is vastly more widespread. Crump is no soapbox orator—she writes gently but persuasively. She asks a scientifically informed readership to open their minds to another way of thinking. And in the process, she gives us some cracking yarns.”
— Rick Shine, University of Sydney, Australia, Current Biology

“This book is a treasure! Every herpetologist, in fact any biologist interested in understanding perceptions about animals (and plants), their own and those of the public, should own this book. It should not stay on the shelf, but be read—often—browsed, both selectively and broadly, as well as consumed in depth. Crump asks us why we are scientists, why we do our work the way we do, and urges us to think more broadly about perceptions of all sorts and to include an understanding of local perceptions in our research. This book is more than a compendium of lore and myths; it is a gift, an education, a remarkable treatise about ways of understanding biology. Its content alters and illuminates our perceptions of amphibians and reptiles and of conservation biology, and will enliven and enrich the reader’s research, teaching, and citizenship in our world.”
— Marvalee H. Wake, University of California, Berkeley, Copeia

“Eye of Newt is, as promised, a fascinating examination of amphibians and reptiles, but at its heart it is a deep consideration of the human species. . . . Every so often, there comes along that brilliant, imaginative intellect who can inspire others to think clearly about topics they otherwise would never have considered. Crump is exactly such an intellect.”
— Chris Lazzarino, Kansas Alumni Magazine

TABLE OF CONTENTS


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226116143.003.0001
[affect, amphibians, attitudes, conservation, folklore, perceptions, reptiles, Serpell, utility]
This chapter introduces the focus of the book: how we interact with and perceive amphibians and reptiles, why we feel about them as we do, and what our perceptions and attitudes mean for their conservation. James Serpell's model of affect (how we feel about a given animal emotionally) versus utility (whether we view the animal as useful or detrimental to our interests) is introduced as a framework for examining our perceptions and attitudes throughout history and throughout the world. The affect dimension will be examined in large part through folklore, and the utility dimension will be examined through a survey of the ways we use these animals. The chapter also provides a brief background of the natural history of the groups of amphibians (frogs, salamanders, and caecilians) and reptiles (turtles, crocodilians, tuatara, lizards, and snakes) and offers a brief introduction to folklore. (pages 1 - 24)


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226116143.003.0002
[bearer of death, constructive role, creation myths, destruction myth, destructive role , rebirth]
This chapter focuses on the diverse ways that amphibians and reptiles feature in creation myths worldwide; the animals play both constructive and destructive roles, likely reflecting our dual perceptions of the animals--love versus hate, admiration versus fear. Amphibians and reptiles feature in creation myths for several reasons: (1) many are closely associated with water, and water is crucial to life, (2) amphibian metamorphosis suggests resurrection and rebirth, (3) large, formidable reptiles reflect power and creative energy, and (4) we associate turtles and large snakes with strength and endurance, well-suited to support the world. Some amphibians and reptiles play major roles in destruction myths (second stages of creation) because they symbolize rebirth. Also because of their association with rebirth, amphibians and reptiles play roles as bearers of death. Creation myths allow us to see how people of diverse cultures view the amphibians and reptiles that share their environment. (pages 25 - 40)


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226116143.003.0003
[admiration, education, fear, folklore, hatred, ophiolatry, perceptions, respect, snakes]
This chapter explores folklore that reflects our wide range of perceptions regarding snakes, ranging from admiration and respect to fear and hatred. We fear what we don't understand, and snakes are different from most other vertebrates: snakes lack arms and legs, they swallow prey whole, they don't blink, they have forked tongues and show no facial emotion, and they are secretive and unpredictable. In contrast, cultures worldwide admire and respect snakes for their perceived powers to provide and protect and for their perceived wisdom; some cultures worship snakes (ophiolatry). Education is critical to convince people who dislike snakes that these animals are worth protecting. We need to empower people with knowledge to distinguish venomous from harmless snakes, to teach people how to react when seeing a snake, and to share with the public that snakes are critical to ecosystems and are special in their own right. (pages 41 - 64)


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226116143.003.0004
[agricultural fertility, floods, folklore, frogs, rain, snakes]
This chapter explores folklore that connects frogs and snakes with rain, reflecting the wide geographical scope and long historical significance of the association between these animals and rain. We associate frogs with rain because they often appear after rain to feed and to breed, and we associate snakes with rain because the animals are more active after rain and they emerge from flooded retreat sites and enter our homes in search of dry shelter. Both frogs and snakes symbolize agricultural fertility because of their association with rain. Some cultures believe that because frogs and snakes both bring and withhold rain and cause floods and other climatic destruction, we must offer propitiation. Various cultures view snakes as links between the lower and upper worlds, capable of carrying messages between people and the gods, including prayers for rain. (pages 65 - 82)


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226116143.003.0005
[frogs, immortality, metamorphosis, rebirth, renewal, shed skin, snakes, transformation tales]
This chapter discusses the association between both frogs and snakes with rebirth, renewal, and immortality; folktales and traditional beliefs concerning both groups of animals reflect their "magical" abilities to be reborn. Frogs suddenly appear after rain and just as suddenly they disappear again, suggesting rebirth; frogs also shed their skins and experience metamorphosis. As symbols of rebirth, frogs feature prominently in transformation tales in which "ugly" frogs turn into handsome princes. People have long observed that snakes shed their skins; snake transformation folktales reflect the animals' ability to crawl out of their skins. Frogs and snakes symbolize a second chance at life, yet often they are depicted as contemptible, evil, and dirty in our transformation stories; this apparent contradiction reflects our perception of frogs and snakes are simultaneously good and evil. (pages 83 - 98)


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226116143.003.0006
[death, fables, folktales, human fertility/sexuality, lovers, morals, seducers]
This chapter focuses on three types of folktales: stories of love, fables, and stories of death. Snakes and human fertility/sexuality have long been interwoven, as reflected in stories of snakes as seducers and lovers; snake-lover tales reinforce the fact that we view these animals in both positive and negative ways. Fables--animal tales that convey morals--generally involve humorous situations and present the animals in a positive light; the stories teach us societal values and appropriate behaviour. Stories of death often suggest that death is unnatural and is the fault of some animal; often, amphibians and reptiles serve as the scapegoats--the animals did something, or didn't do something, resulting in humans' mortality. Fables and tales of love and death reflect our perceptions of amphibians and reptiles and can influence our attitudes toward the animals. (pages 99 - 114)


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226116143.003.0007
[folklore, how-and-why stories, humour, trickster tales, positive attributes]
This chapter offers a lighter side of folklore featuring amphibians and reptiles: trickster tales and how-and-why stories, in which the animals often play charming, genial, engaging characters. Although trickster stories are humorous, the tales generally offer insight into some problem or situation; some stories allow us to understand human nature or the essence of the animal protagonists. Trickster stories involving amphibians and reptiles incorporate what we perceive as positive attributes of these animals, even if they break the rules, cause trouble, and manipulate others. How-and-why stories are people's attempts to explain observations and phenomena in their everyday world. These stories often reflect human strengths and foibles and illustrate the consequences of human behaviour; how-and-why stories generally present amphibians and reptiles in a positive light through humour. (pages 115 - 130)


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226116143.003.0008
[caecilians, destructive powers, folk beliefs, frogs, good luck, power, salamanders, supernatural powers, ugliness]
This chapter focuses on folk beliefs concerning amphibians (frogs, caecilians, and salamanders) to provide yet another lens into how we view these animals in both positive and negative ways. Worldwide beliefs suggest that amphibians have the power to affect our lives; some beliefs offer hope for better times, while others warn of their destructive powers. Frogs symbolize good luck, prosperity, love, and fertility, but they also symbolize ugliness and evil and they can upset Earth's balance. Little folklore has developed concerning caecilians, because they are secretive and rarely observed; the chapter includes folklore regarding their supposed magical transformation, destructive nature, and tendency to enter the lower body orifices of unsuspecting people answering the call of nature. Folk belief has long associated salamanders with fire and the idea that they were created from fire and can withstand any amount of heat; because of their association with fire, salamanders are believed to have supernatural powers, both good and evil. (pages 131 - 154)


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226116143.003.0009
[crocodilians, folk beliefs, lizards, powerful, tuatara, turtles, snakes, supernatural]
This chapter explores folk beliefs of reptiles (crocodilians, turtles, tuatara, lizards, and snakes) to provide another lens into how we view these animals in both positive and negative ways, but nearly always as powerful. Folk beliefs of crocodilians generally reflect the animals' predatory nature; they symbolize reason, but also deceit. Turtles are viewed as hardy survivors, often symbolizing longevity, immortality, persistence, stability, wisdom, and good fortune; turtles are also perceived in negative ways, reflecting their slow movement and tendency to retreat into their shells when frightened. Tuatara signify death and warn of impending calamity, but they are also viewed as divine guardians and keepers of knowledge. We both love and hate lizards--they heal or kill, ensure tranquillity or cause disruption, and bring good or bad luck. Likewise, snakes are viewed in both positive and negative ways through folk beliefs; they can restore life or kill; they are presumed to have the power to harm humans in numerous ways, but they can also protect and nourish. (pages 155 - 182)


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226116143.003.0010
[aphrodisiacs, crocodilians, human fertility, phallic symbol, sexual enhancements, snakes, supernatural powers, turtles, utility dimension]
Chapter 10 moves the book from folklore to the utility dimension of how we view amphibians and reptiles. This chapter explores our perceptions of snakes, crocodilians, and turtles as sexually potent; worldwide, people consume these reptiles in hopes of increasing sexual prowess and gratification; the perception is that these reptiles have supernatural powers. Snakes are associated with human fertility both as a phallic symbol and as an influence on female sexuality; they are honoured or feared, eaten or avoided, depending on the culture and the circumstances. People have long used crocodilians for their own sexual benefit, from wearing crocodile teeth to swallowing capsules made from crocodile penises. Turtles have long been associated with human sexuality, in part because of the resemblance of the turtle's head to a human penis; sea turtle eggs and penises are eaten as aphrodisiacs and as sexual enhancements. (pages 183 - 198)


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226116143.003.0011
[animals' attributes , appear and disappear, folk (traditional) medicine, healing, metamorphose, rebirth, regenerate, shed skin, utility]
This chapter continues with the theme of utility and focuses on our use of amphibians and reptiles in natural folk (traditional) medicine. Amphibians and reptiles are associated with healing and rebirth for many reasons: (1) many periodically shed their skin, (2) some can regenerate body parts, (3) many appear and disappear due to their cycles of hibernation and activity, and (4) many amphibians metamorphose from one form to another. We use entire bodies or parts (blood, venom, secretions, flesh, fat, excrement, gallbladders, ovaries, phalli, heads, shells, skin, bones, and eggs) of at least 331 species of amphibians and reptiles to improve our sex lives, reduce pain, enhance memory, invigorate our bodies and strengthen our immune systems, ease stress, treat illnesses, and cure diseases. The ways we use amphibians and reptiles in folk medicines generally reflect the animals' natural attributes (appearance and behaviour) and the ways we perceive these animals. In some cases the animal takes something from us (e.g., pain, venom); in other cases something passes from the animal to the person (e.g., toxic skin secretions, energy-rich blood). (pages 199 - 216)


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226116143.003.0012
[black magic, cure, dual perceptions, folk magic, magico-religious folk medicine, powerful, white magic]
This chapter explores the use of amphibians and reptiles in magico-religious folk medicine. We perceive amphibians and reptiles as simultaneously good and evil because we view them as having both desirable and undesirable attributes. Because we view them as powerful, we try to capture that power and use it to extend our normal abilities to control others, punish, seek vengeance, cure, secure happiness and fortune, and manipulate our surroundings and destinies. Reflecting our dual perceptions of the animals, we use amphibians and reptiles in both white magic to bring love, happiness and good fortune and in black magic for casting spells and other forms of evil deeds. We use these animals to cure through folk magic, because of their perceived supernatural powers. (pages 217 - 234)


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226116143.003.0013
[art, dance, food, hallucinogens, literature, medicine, music, pets, snake-charming, weapons/weapon-enhancers]
This chapter, the last of four that address the utility dimension of our perceptions of amphibians and reptiles, explores some of the many other ways we have used the animals historically and still use the animals to our benefit. We use the animals in esoteric ways, for example as hallucinogens, weapon-enhancers, weapons, and in religion and entertainment as in snake-charming. Amphibians and reptiles play a prominent role in the literature, art, music, and dance of many cultures, and various reptiles and frogs are central to some cultures' philosophies and spiritual beliefs. Many substances from amphibians and reptiles have been used directly or synthesized to make "modern" medicines to address human ailments. The flesh of amphibians and reptiles serves as a much-needed source of protein for various peoples, and we value the animals as unusual and fascinating pets. (pages 235 - 264)


DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226116143.003.0014
[conservation, culture-sensitive methods, education, ethics, improve public attitudes, loss of biodiversity, perceptions, priority decisions, protection]
The final chapter addresses several questions: (1) What is the value of conservation?, (2) How do we decide which species get saved, and why?, (3) What is our overall perception of amphibians and reptiles?, (4) How do our perceptions influence the animals' conservation?, (5) What ethics should conservationists follow when attempting to change beliefs held by people from other cultures?, and (6) What are we doing to protect the animals? Effective conservation should enable future generations to appreciate the cultural significance of wildlife and landscapes; a critical starting point in getting people to care about loss of biodiversity is education, especially for our children. Priority decisions regarding which species are afforded protection often hinge on our perceptions of the animals. Across cultures and throughout time, we both love and hate amphibians and reptiles and we view them as powerful. Because our perceptions of the animals influence their conservation, we need to improve public attitudes using culture-sensitive methods; worldwide, many scientists and enthusiastic laypersons are carrying out conservation projects that include improving people's perceptions of amphibians and reptiles. (pages 265 - 288)

Acknowledgments

References

Illustration Credits

Index

Book published by University of Chicago Press, 2015. Page maintained by BiblioVault.