Fire Dwelling Salamander (2024)

Warning! At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery& Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells& Harry Potter: Magic Awakened& Hogwarts Legacy. As such, spoilers will be present within the article.

Fire Dwelling Salamanders,^[3] also called Fire Salamanders,^[4] or just simply Salamanders, were small, magical fire dwelling lizards that fed on flames.^[1][5]

It was a possible corporeal form of the Patronus Charm.^[3]

Description[]

Salamanders were born out of salamander fires, and lived as long as the flames they were birthed from continue to burn.^[6] However, if they were fed on pepper, they could survive outside out of its flames for up to six hours.^[1] The colour of the Salamander depended on the heat of its birthing fire,^[1] and produces hot flames itself.^[4][6]

Salamander blood had powerful regenerative and curative properties, and was used as an ingredient in the brewing of many potions. The Fire Dwelling Salamander was a rare corporeal form of the Patronus Charm.^[3]

The maximum number of hours a salamander could survive out of fire as well as the number of legs most salamanders had was six, and as such, salamanders were used in the runic alphabet to represent the number six.^[7]

There were different types of salamanders, such as the blue and the scarlet variety.^[2] Scale rot was an illness that can affect both salamanders and dragons. If left untreated, it could cause a salamander's tail to detach.^[8]

There also existed a variant species called the Frost Salamander that instead of dwelling in fire was closely associated with ice.^[4][2]

History[]

In October 1992, Fred and George Weasley once experimented with feeding fireworks to a salamander, which caused it to rocket around the room, emitting tangerine stars. The salamander ended up running back into the fireplace in the room, looking scared.^[9]

In January 1994, Professor Rubeus Hagrid taught his third-year Care of Magical Creatures class about these beasts, providing his class with a "bonfire" full of them, with students very much enjoying his lesson, collecting dry wood and leaves to keep their fire blazing while the salamanders scampered up and down the burning logs.^[5]

In 1996, Rubeus Hagrid mentioned that he needed to rub more chilli powder on a couple of salamanders that had scale rot.^[8]

Behind the scenes[]

• Despite being classified as lizards in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (meaning they are reptiles),^[1] salamanders in the real world are in fact amphibians, that simply look like lizards.^[10]
• In the early video games, Fire-Dwelling Salamanders are depicted as aggressive, fairly large beasts that will attack the player, a depiction which completely contradicts their small, peaceful natures in the books and more recent video games. In the different video games, Salamanders are vulnerable to the Knockback Jinx, Freezing Spell^[2] and water-conjuring spells (such as Aqua Eructo and the Ebublio Jinx), as well as transfiguration spells,^[6] but are resistant to Red sparks and the Fire-Making Spell.^[4]

Appearances[]

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (play) (Mentioned only)
• The Case of Beasts: Explore the Film Wizardry of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Mentioned only)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay (Mentioned only)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (Mentioned only)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
• Pottermore (Appears as a Patronus)
• Wizarding World (Appears as a Patronus)
• J. K. Rowling's official site
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
• Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
• Hogwarts Legacy (Mentioned only)

Notes and references[]