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Basilisk
Alternatively known as Cockatrice.
A fabulous reptilian monster of ancient
and medieval legend, sometimes used in
heraldry.
This fabled king of the reptiles (from Greek basileus
'little king') was said to be hatched from an odd looking cock's egg by a serpent or a
toad in a dunghill. Of all
the legendary monsters, none was deadlier. It was also believed to be the
incarnation of the Death God.
Accounts of this monster differ, but it was
commonly said to have either the face of a cock or a distorted human face,
with the wings and feet of a fowl and the tail of a serpent. It was
represented this way in heraldry. The Basilisk was also reputed to be a deadly creature
with a destructive power similar to that of the fabulous
Gorgon of Greek
legend.
In medieval lore the Basilisk was part serpent, part rooster
it had the
wings of a bird, the tail of a dragon
or serpent and the head of a cock and it came from an egg laid in a dunghill
by a seven-year-old (some say nine-year-old) cock during the time that
Sirius was high in the heavens. The egg was spherical and covered by a thick
membrane, and sometimes it was hatched by a toad or serpent, who sat on it
for nine years (another fallacy involving the nine years span).
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This elaborate gestation produced a creature
whose breath could scorch the earth and kill plants, animals and people
alike it was even believed to have the power to split rocks; whose skin was covered with a slimy deadly poison with the horrible
property of spreading rapidly over anything it touched; and whose power of
its eyes was so terrible that its glance was lethal even to itself.
Accordingly, anyone who sought to slay the basilisk was wise to carry a
mirror, so that it would kill itself with its own look. The other method was
to set a weasel on the monster, since it was thought to be the only creature
capable of withstanding the cockatrice's deadly stare.
The foremost description we have for this beast is found in
Plinys
Natural History, a compilation
of ancient (and mostly Greek) sources written in Rome in 77 AD. In it Pliny
lists over 60 sources, most of which have been lost. After discussing the 'catoblepas'
(another mythical creature) and its ability to kill people with its vision,
Pliny describes the basilisk:
"The basilisk serpent also has the same power. It is a
native of the province of Cyrenaica, not more than 12 inches long, and
adorned with a bright white marking on the head like a sort of diadem.
It routs all snakes with its hiss, and does not move its body forward in
manifold coils like the other snakes but advancing with its middle
raised high. It kills bushes not only by its touch but also by its
breath, scorches up grass and bursts rocks. Its effect on other animals
is disastrous: it is believed that once one was killed with a spear by a
man on horseback and the infection rising through the spear rising not
only the rider but also the horse. Yet to a creature so marvelous as
this indeed kings have often wished to see a specimen when safely dead
the venom of weasels is fatal: so fixed is the decree of nature that
nothing shall be without its match."
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