For anyone interested: Mostly what toads seem to need is shelter in a shady spot that doesn’t receive direct sunlight. It should be bottomless so that they are not prevented from burrowing into the dirt (or, less ideally, it can be something with a bottom partially buried and then infilled with dirt, like a flowerpot on its side half-buried). A few bricks topped with a flat stone or piece of wood will do. A perennial source of water for breeding is ideal, but they can travel some distance to this when the time comes (up to 2 or 3 miles in some cases). A saucer or shallow puddle nearby is also appreciated. Their shelter should have some leaf litter on its floor for bedding material. You can even put a toad light out to attract bugs for them, although I probably won’t, as I don’t like having artificial lights about. They can apparently live for over a decade and will often return over the long-term if they find a nice shelter!
JMG: It occurs to me that I haven’t read much about these sorts of magical properties of animals (as compared with plants or stones, say). Is there a source you would recommend? Or do you know of any other animals (less elusive than the basilisk or tard!) who share this property of absorbing noxious magic with the toad? Is it any animal of Saturn? Levi lists hoopoe, squid, and mole as being associated with Saturn. I’ve also heard that black animals, burrowing animals, and cats belong to Saturn, but I’m not sure how reliable that is. Levi lists cats as being ruled by the Moon, not Saturn.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2024-11-11 08:57 pm (UTC)For anyone interested: Mostly what toads seem to need is shelter in a shady spot that doesn’t receive direct sunlight. It should be bottomless so that they are not prevented from burrowing into the dirt (or, less ideally, it can be something with a bottom partially buried and then infilled with dirt, like a flowerpot on its side half-buried). A few bricks topped with a flat stone or piece of wood will do. A perennial source of water for breeding is ideal, but they can travel some distance to this when the time comes (up to 2 or 3 miles in some cases). A saucer or shallow puddle nearby is also appreciated. Their shelter should have some leaf litter on its floor for bedding material. You can even put a toad light out to attract bugs for them, although I probably won’t, as I don’t like having artificial lights about. They can apparently live for over a decade and will often return over the long-term if they find a nice shelter!
JMG: It occurs to me that I haven’t read much about these sorts of magical properties of animals (as compared with plants or stones, say). Is there a source you would recommend? Or do you know of any other animals (less elusive than the basilisk or tard!) who share this property of absorbing noxious magic with the toad? Is it any animal of Saturn? Levi lists hoopoe, squid, and mole as being associated with Saturn. I’ve also heard that black animals, burrowing animals, and cats belong to Saturn, but I’m not sure how reliable that is. Levi lists cats as being ruled by the Moon, not Saturn.