Frog Thoughts

In my neck of the woods, the frogs have decided that spring is here to stay, and that it’s time to party. There are a lot of bodies of water around here, so everyone in the neighborhood has gotten used to the yearly amphibian background serenade. In my case, however, there is a sizeable body of water right outside my bedroom door, so the music of the frogs is a nightly private concert. This year, I find myself less able to tune them out than usual, which may be a sign that I need to pay attention.

The frog is the amphibian with which we are the most familiar. Frogs are often confused with toads, but there are several distinct differences – most of the time. Frogs hang out in and around water, but toads are always found on dry land. Frogs have smooth skin, while toad skin is bumpy. Toads also have parotid glands behind their eyes, which make a thick, poisonous mucous. Frogs do not, although there are a number of frogs that secrete poisons in other ways.

There is quite a bit of mythology and folklore surrounding frogs. Seeing as how they have ties to the water and the earth, they are frequently associated with the magic of both elements. Legend has it that if you carry a dried frog (or a dried frog’s liver) in a pouch around your neck, you won’t be afflicted with seizures. Supposedly, swallowing live frogs can cure whooping cough and tuberculosis.

In some places, hearing a frog at midnight means a storm is coming – though in other places, hearing the frog around Noon indicates that particular change in the weather. Some cultures believe killing a frog will bring excessive rain, while others believe it will bring a drought. Some people swear that you can predict the weather by observing the color of the local frogs.

Due to their connection to water, frogs are associated with lunar energies and many of the goddesses identified with the moon. The Ancient Egyptian goddess Hekt even had the face of a frog. Indeed, frogs have been the heralds of abundance and fertility at least since the time of the Ancient Egyptians, when the flooding of the Nile signaled the enriching of the soil, and the beginning of the growing season. Given how dramatically frogs change – from egg, to polliwog, to frog – it makes sense that frogs are still a symbol of metamorphosis. Perhaps it’s time for some positive change.