The Toad in Folklore

As you may know, every month New Page Books' blog has a new Creature of the Month article, the latest one being from Dr. Bob Curran, and the subject: the toad.

It starts like this:

"In many folklore traditions, the toad is something of an ambivalent creature. On the one hand, it is considered to be repellent and often becomes a symbol of foulness and evil – perhaps its very appearance hints at it being malignant and poisonous. And yet on the other hand - and in many Eastern cultures - it is associated with wisdom and 'knowing'. Toads are thought to have lived for many centuries and in that time have acquired much knowledge. It was therefore considered to be the wisest of creatures and parts of its body could be used for special purposes."

And here's the full post...