An underworld tailored to tourists: A dragon, a photo-model, and a bio-indicator

Abstract

The history of studies of a subterranean tailed amphibian, known as the olm or proteus (Proteus anguinus), is a colorful indicator of the changing view of the world beneath our feet. Throughout history, the underground has been presented as other worldly inhabited by life not of this world. At first, caves were the habitat of ghosts and spirtits, and then as a symbol for hell with all its attributes. The olm, in light of this prominant worldview, is discussed here, in which its status changed from that of a mythical dragon, to a photo-model, to a biological indicator of environmental health. The mix of these roles, with which the modern notion of this animal is presented, is mostly generated by the experience of tourguides in Postojna Cave in Slovenia. For a long time, Postojna was the only place that the wider public recognized as a home for proteus. This clearly shows the need to analyze the popular media constructions of environment.