Salamander
The King of Fire
The salamander was believed to be a creature of fire. The level of its elemental association varied. Sometimes it was simply fire resistant or would put out fire, at other times it was said to live in fire. Sometimes it was even said to be born in fire. It has been said that salamanders were created when glass-blowers stoked their furnaces continually for seven days and nights.
Paracelsus declared the salamander to be the elemental creature of fire and this attribuion was adopted by the Rosicrucians and alchemists. The origin of the salamander myth is probably the real creature known as the "fire salamander" . It likes to hibernate on logs. When these were thrown onto a fire the salamander would wake up and - apparently - "appear" in the fire.
It has also been said that early visitors to China were presented with cloth made from asbestos and told that it was made from "salamander wool".