Of Toads, Salamanders and Spirits

[_Nimrod]

In Mormonism Unvailed, E. D. Howe (1834), at pages 273, 275 and 276, it was stated that Joseph Smith claimed that a toad "immediately transformed itself into a spirit" and struck Joseph Smith. Howe's source for this story was Willard Chase, father of green-stone Sally.

Mark Hoffman in the early 1980s forged a letter that he tried to pass off as authentically having been a Oct. 23, 1830 letter from Martin Harris to W. W. Phelps. In the fake letter, there is told that when Joseph Smith went to retrieve the Gold Plates, a white salamander immediately transfigured into a a spirit and struck Joseph Smith three times.

Fearing the fake letter was real, Mo apologia went into high gear.

The so-called 'Martin Harris letter' is no repudiation of Joseph Smith, but rather probably is a further witness of the Prophet's own account of the discovery of the gold plates.

That was a nice attempt to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. An explanation to try to make Joseph Smith look good was proferred up by one of the FP/12:

"Another source of differences in the accounts of different witnesses is the different meanings that different persons attach to words. We have a vivid illustration of this in the recent media excitement about the word 'salamander' in a letter Martin Harris is supposed to have sent to W.W. Phelps over 150 years ago. All of the scores of media stories on that subject apparently assume that the author of that letter used the word 'salamander' in the modern sense of a 'tailed amphibian.'

"One wonders why so many writers neglected to reveal to their readers that there is another meaning of 'salamander,' which may even have been the primary meaning in this context in the 1820s.... That meaning... is 'a mythical being thought to be able to live in fire.'...

"A being that is able to live in fire is a good approximation of the description Joseph Smith gave of the Angel Moroni:... the use of the words white salamander and old spirit seem understandable.

"In view of all this, and as a matter of intellectual evaluation, why all the excitement in the media, and why the apparent hand-wringing among those who profess friendship or membership in the Church?" ("1985 CES Doctrine and Covenants Symposium," pages 22-23)

Why spin the yarn, Elder Oaks, about definitions of 'salamander'? Did the FP/12 have the little of faith in Joseph Smith?

While the Mopologetic top was yet spinning, the letter was soon thereafter exposed to be a fake. Hoffman admitted that he got the idea of the salamander story from the toad tale in E. D. Howe's Mormonism Unvailed.

I wonder if Elder Oaks also claims that the word "toad" in the early 1800s also primarily meant "A being that is able to live in fire"? Hey, both salamanders and toads are amphibians, after all.

Salamander or toad, the telling of the story in print is sourced to Willard Chase, whose daughter Sally provided the magic green stone to Joseph Smith. The first that this story appeared in print was in 1834, in the midst of Joseph Smith's religion building--and just a year before Joseph Smith was making claims about the Egyptian papyri found in the purchased mummies in Kirtland, Ohio, included "The writings of Abraham while he was in Egypt, called the Book of Abraham, written by his own hand, upon papyrus."

Can Joseph Smith seeing a toad immediately transfiguring into a spirit and striking him just be chalked up to the 'folk magic' of the time and place?

Was there, per chance, a lot of smut in the grains those people were eating?

Were rural peoples before there was mass media just very gullible to a story teller with a furtive imagination?

[_Joseph Antley]

Can Joseph Smith seeing a toad immediately transfiguring into a spirit and striking him just be chalked up to the 'folk magic' of the time and place?

I imagine Chase's account was influenced by it. I do not think it's likely that Joseph Smith ever personally claimed that the spirit appeared in the form of a toad. Outside observers, especially hostile ones, would have certainly interpreted the story of an angel guarding treasure in light of the treasure-seeking myths.

Interestingly, though, Chase's account is the only treasure-seeking account to describe a treasure-guardian as a toad. In fact, the only other account I'm familiar with that describes the treasure-guardian as an animal is Caleb Butler's treasure-guarding demon "in shape of...some ugly night bird" (Caleb Butler, History of the Town of Groton, (Boston: T.R. Marvin, 1848), 256)

Were rural peoples before there was mass media just very gullible to a story teller with a furtive imagination?

The belief in treasure-guardians was pretty common. Since the belief in demons and malevolent spirits was virtually universal, especially among rural citizens, it wasn't much of a stretch to go from demon to shape-shifting demon guarding treasure.

[_Paracelsus]

Thank you.

I didn't know the word toad. After searching, I've learned other words:

- toady
- to toady
- toadyism

They are useful.

[_Darth J]

I wonder if Elder Oaks also claims that the word "toad" in the early 1800s also primarily meant "A being that is able to live in fire"? Hey, both salamanders and toads are amphibians, after all.

As with the salamander, I refer you to the source of answers for questions about Church history: Dungeons and Dragons.



Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Fiend Folio: Tome of Creature Malevolent & Benign

1981, TSR Hobbies, Inc,

ISBN 0-935696-21 -0

Page 38 (British spelling in original)

FIRETOAD

A large red toad about 4' high and covered with warty purple excrescences, this beast shuns water and inhabits dry regions above and below ground. Throwing liquid - even ordinary water - at it will cause it to retreat, though in doing so it will concentrate two fireball attacks, in the single melee round of its retreat, on the person performing this act.
The firetoad has the power of breathing fireballs with a range of 30' and a blast radius of 5' at will. This is its only mode of attack, the fireball doing damage equivalent the number of hit points the firetoad has remaining. A normal saving throw is permitted against this attack, success indicating half damage.
The firetoad will rarely (20% chance) attack unless threatened, molested, or in defence of its treasure.

[_Darth J]

And here's more about magic toads:

The toad, also referred to as the borax or stelon, has held an undeniable relationship with the lore surrounding the witch. The reasons for this association, however, are not commonly known. Throughout history the toad has been linked with the darker side of the human experience. In alchemy, the black toad represents the first matter. By uniting with the eagle, the toad is then purified and transformed into the winged toad.

One of the first cultures that associated the toad with the forces of darkness came from Zoroaster in 600 BC when a decree was issued forth that all toads should be killed. In China the beliefs concerning toads were more benign in nature. There the toad represented the yin principle. They also saw the three-legged toad as being a symbol of the moon.

During the Middle Ages, the superstitions surrounding the toad in Europe linked this creature with the Christian Devil, whose own coat-of-arms featured three toads. It was believed that the toad was capable of poisoning people and was inhabited by the witch's familiar spirit. Dorsetshire folklore states that great care had to be carried out to prevent injury of the toad when removing it from one's house or cellar or else it might incur the wrath of the witch to whom the familiar spirit belonged to.

Sometimes the toad also figured into the way by which a witch could be identified. Basque tradition held that witches were marked with the symbol of the toad's foot. In the Pyrenees, the image of a toad could be found in the left eye of the witch.

The witch was thought to utilize the toads in their worship of the Devil by mangling the body of the toad. Sometimes the toad was killed and then used as a component in spells. One such ritual used the saliva of the toad mixed with sow-thistle sap which was then made into a lotion. The witch would then draw a crooked cross on her body in an attempt to render herself invisible.

The saliva of a toad was believed to be particularly harmful, and is sometimes referred to as sweltered venom. The toad was thought to defend itself by spitting fire, and was also able to vomit poisonous fire. If a toad was to bite a person, the only way to make it let go was to pour boiling water on it. Upon the sight of a toad, in order to prevent any sort of evil effects, one should spit or throw a stone at the toad. It is also unlucky for a toad to jump over your foot, and in the folklore of some areas it is a sign of impending death.

The toad was also thought to hold an jewel within its skull referred to as a toadstone. Once extracted, the toadstone was believed to be capable of detecting the presence of poison and thus warn its owner by becoming warm to the touch, or when set into a ring it would become paler in color. Contrarily, the toad itself was held to be highly poisonous. Today, we know this to be true as the toad secretes indole alkaloid bufotenine from its skin. This poisonous substance was sometimes extracted by the historical witch for use in flying ointments.

Although the toad was associated with the darker powers, it also held strong ties to the female womb. In some parts of Europe there were small toad statuettes that were left at holy sites by women seeking aid in fertility. It is said in Romania that a person who killed a toad was also capable of killing their own mother. Within Gypsy mythology, the Queen of Fairies was said to live in a castle that was shaped as a golden toad. Scottish folklore held that whoever carried a dried toad tongue over their breast would be successful in matters of love as they would be capable of bending any woman to their will.

Sometimes the toad was also given the ability to call the rains. In 1662, the Aulderdane coven was said to have utilized toads during a prayer for the "fruit of the land."

Toads have also been used by cunningmen to cure such sicknesses as the king's evil, scofula, and rheumatism. In Devonshire, the hind leg of a dried toad was placed in a silk bag and worn around the patient's neck to cure the king's evil. For rheumatism, a toad was burned to powder and then placed in a silk bag and worn around the throat. In some instances, the diseased part of the patient was cut from the toad and the rest of the animal was buried. The part that was cut away is then wrapped in parchment and worn around the patient's neck.

The Toad Fair was held annually in Dorsetshire during the beginning of May by the local cunningman during which charms were sold against various illnesses were sold. There are several regional differences as to the manner in which the charm was constructed. In Stalbridge, the legs of a live toad were torn off and then placed in a bag to be worn around the neck against scofula and the king's evil.. These same charms in Lydlinch used the whole toad. The charm made in Blackmore Vale Dairy was good against the king's evil and tubercular wounds. The patient was first told to open their clothing so that their chest was bared. Then, the cunningman chopped off the head of the toad and dropped the writhing creature into a muslin bag which was then suspended around their neck and dropped down the patient's chest. If the patient did not get nauseated by the experience they would live and the charm would be successful.

The Cambridgeshire Toadmen have perhaps the most extensive history with the toad as they continued their practices up until the 1930's. The Toadmen were said to have complete power over any horse. They acquired this power through an elaborate ritual which involved skinning a toad and then allowing the ants to eat the bones clean. The bones were then carried by the Toadman in his pocket until they dried. Then, on a full-moon night, he would take the bones and cast them into a stream of running water. The bones would then scream and one of them float upstream and leave the others. The Toadman would then quickly capture this bone and take it to either a graveyard or stable for three more nights. Then he would be subjected to a final tests where the Devil himself would attempt to make the man give up the bone. If the Toadman retained the bone he would be granted all of the powers that he had so diligently worked for.

Throughout history the toad has been a bridge to the otherworld. It is able to spend its life both in the water and on land. The toad often plays the part of the scapegoat, and is made to pay penance for the guilt of another. At other times it holds the mysteries of all that is feminine and calls the rain to the crops. Still, the toad is sometimes seen as an omen of impending death. It is through this duality that one is able to understand the relationship between the witch and the toad - the ability to transcend the mysteries of life and death.

[_Spider-to-the-Fly]

Can Joseph Smith seeing a toad immediately transfiguring into a spirit and striking him just be chalked up to the 'folk magic' of the time and place?

I imagine Chase's account was influenced by it. I do not think it's likely that Joseph Smith ever personally claimed that the spirit appeared in the form of a toad. Outside observers, especially hostile ones, would have certainly interpreted the story of an angel guarding treasure in light of the treasure-seeking myths.

Interestingly, though, Chase's account is the only treasure-seeking account to describe a treasure-guardian as a toad. In fact, the only other account I'm familiar with that describes the treasure-guardian as an animal is Caleb Butler's treasure-guarding demon "in shape of...some ugly night bird" (Caleb Butler, History of the Town of Groton, (Boston: T.R. Marvin, 1848), 256)

Were rural peoples before there was mass media just very gullible to a story teller with a furtive imagination?

The belief in treasure-guardians was pretty common. Since the belief in demons and malevolent spirits was virtually universal, especially among rural citizens, it wasn't much of a stretch to go from demon to shape-shifting demon guarding treasure.

Emphasis added.

Mr. Antley,

What historical facts and circumstances lead you to think it was not likely that Joseph Smith himself claimed a spirit appeared to him in the form of a toad, contradicting Chase's recount of Joseph Smith's telling of it?

Regards,

Spider

[_Mike Reed]

Joseph Antley: Interestingly, though, Chase's account is the only treasure-seeking account to describe a treasure-guardian as a toad. In fact, the only other account I'm familiar with that describes the treasure-guardian as an animal is Caleb Butler's treasure-guarding demon "in shape of...some ugly night bird" (Caleb Butler, History of the Town of Groton, (Boston: T.R. Marvin, 1848), 256)

Hi Joseph.
The following snippet comes from the footnotes of my forthcoming book:
--------------------
Washington Irving notes the folk-belief that the spiritual guardians of buried treasure could take on the form of animals, such as toads. “Wild vines entangled the trees, and flaunted in their faces; brambles and briers caught their clothes as they passes; the garter snake glided across their path; the spotted toad hopped and waddled before them; and the restless cat-bird mewed at them from every thicket. Had Wolfert Webber [a man in search of treasure, but who was unschooled in folk-magic] been deeply read in romantic legend, he might have fancied himself entering upon forbidden enchanted ground; or that these were some of the guardians set to keep watch upon buried treasure.” Diedrich Knickerbocker (pseud.), “The Adventures of the Black Fisherman,” Tales of a Traveller (1825), 2: 356.

[_Spider-to-the-Fly]

Joseph Antley: Interestingly, though, Chase's account is the only treasure-seeking account to describe a treasure-guardian as a toad. In fact, the only other account I'm familiar with that describes the treasure-guardian as an animal is Caleb Butler's treasure-guarding demon "in shape of...some ugly night bird" (Caleb Butler, History of the Town of Groton, (Boston: T.R. Marvin, 1848), 256)

Hi Joseph.
The following snippet comes from the footnotes of my forthcoming book:
--------------------
Washington Irving notes the folk-belief that the spiritual guardians of buried treasure could take on the form of animals, such as toads. “Wild vines entangled the trees, and flaunted in their faces; brambles and briers caught their clothes as they passes; the garter snake glided across their path; the spotted toad hopped and waddled before them; and the restless cat-bird mewed at them from every thicket. Had Wolfert Webber [a man in search of treasure, but who was unschooled in folk-magic] been deeply read in romantic legend, he might have fancied himself entering upon forbidden enchanted ground; or that these were some of the guardians set to keep watch upon buried treasure.” Diedrich Knickerbocker (pseud.), “The Adventures of the Black Fisherman,” Tales of a Traveller (1825), 2: 356.

Mr. Reed,

What an interesting quote from Irving Washington's pseudonym it is that you have posted.

Do you know of any references to salamanders as guardians, spirit protectors of hidden treasures?

Mark Hoffman has admitted that he formulated his salamander letters based on the toad story retold third hand in E.D. Howe's book. The origin of Hoffman's salamander is the Chase-Howe toad.

I wonder if the reason the First Presidency was so accepting of the salamander letters, though, is that historically there might be 'salamanders' crawling around in either Mormon history or folk magic history.

Regards,

Spider.

[_Joseph Antley]

Joseph Antley: Interestingly, though, Chase's account is the only treasure-seeking account to describe a treasure-guardian as a toad. In fact, the only other account I'm familiar with that describes the treasure-guardian as an animal is Caleb Butler's treasure-guarding demon "in shape of...some ugly night bird" (Caleb Butler, History of the Town of Groton, (Boston: T.R. Marvin, 1848), 256)

Hi Joseph.
The following snippet comes from the footnotes of my forthcoming book:
--------------------
Washington Irving notes the folk-belief that the spiritual guardians of buried treasure could take on the form of animals, such as toads. “Wild vines entangled the trees, and flaunted in their faces; brambles and briers caught their clothes as they passes; the garter snake glided across their path; the spotted toad hopped and waddled before them; and the restless cat-bird mewed at them from every thicket. Had Wolfert Webber [a man in search of treasure, but who was unschooled in folk-magic] been deeply read in romantic legend, he might have fancied himself entering upon forbidden enchanted ground; or that these were some of the guardians set to keep watch upon buried treasure.” Diedrich Knickerbocker (pseud.), “The Adventures of the Black Fisherman,” Tales of a Traveller (1825), 2: 356.

Thanks Mike! I've never seen this one.

[Hawkeye]

Mr. Reed,

What an interesting quote from Irving Washington's pseudonym it is that you have posted.

Do you know of any references to salamanders as guardians, spirit protectors of hidden treasures?

No. I don't know. But I haven't specifically researched the salamander much. Honestly, I haven't found the pressing need to, since Hoffman's forgeries have long since been exposed. I think the Washington Irving quote I provided (from plants to bird to snake to toad), however, indicates that that a guardian salamander wouldn't have been entirely out of place in treasure lore. And as you likely know, treasures were often believed to be buried near water... so I think it was easy to imagine that treasure guardians--if they had the ability to transform into the form animals at all--would take on the forum of amphibians (whether frog, toad, newt, or salamander).

Mark Hoffman has admitted that he formulated his salamander letters based on the toad story retold third hand in E.D. Howe's book. The origin of Hoffman's salamander is the Chase-Howe toad.

I wonder if the reason the First Presidency was so accepting of the salamander letters, though, is that historically there might be 'salamanders' crawling around in either Mormon history or folk magic history.

Regards,

Spider.

If there is anything in Mormon or treasure digging history that says something like this, I am unaware of it.