Eye of Newt

Why amphibians deserve our respect and help

Most of us know that animals such as ibis, jackals, and crocodiles were venerated by the Ancient Egyptians as avatars for their deities. But the pre-eminence of Heqet, the frog-headed bringer of life, comes as a surprise. Like much of their mythology, her cult had its roots in the observation of nature: the annual mass re-emergence of frogs and toads that coincided with the rising of the Nile.

This positive vision of the amphibian as divine messenger and a bridge between worlds is in sharp contrast with the slimy, sinister frogs and toads of European folklore, which are often seen as poisonous agents of evil and the occult.

In fact, amphibians are the natural world’s most potent symbols of transition; organisms that can live in two worlds at once – on land and in the water.

And that’s not all they can do.