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 replete with home terrariums at the same time that we're fighting 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.
0 有用 不锈钢老鼠 2020-05-29 07:08:16
本以为是科普,实际主要是传说和相关文化。
0 有用 兔豹宝 2021-05-16 10:43:47
很有趣的两栖爬行动物神话汇总,可惜缺少了亚太地区的传说。女娲是半蛇半人,蛟龙布雨,蛇蜕和蟾蜍可入药在南美和欧洲都有类似文化。算文化上的趋同演化吗?
0 有用 兔豹宝 2021-05-16 10:43:47
很有趣的两栖爬行动物神话汇总,可惜缺少了亚太地区的传说。女娲是半蛇半人,蛟龙布雨,蛇蜕和蟾蜍可入药在南美和欧洲都有类似文化。算文化上的趋同演化吗?
0 有用 不锈钢老鼠 2020-05-29 07:08:16
本以为是科普,实际主要是传说和相关文化。