In the fourteenth century, the Greek word, basilisk, was translated into the French word, cockatrice. Leonardo da Vinci described a white, diadem-like marking on its head in his Bestiary. Bede described the birth of the basilisk, and Alexander Neckham and Albertus Magnus wrote about its foul stench and deadly gaze. Scholars of the natural world continued to expand upon the “basilisk’s” story over time. Its effect on other animals is disastrous.” It kills bushes not only by its touch but also by its breath, scorches up grass and bursts rocks. “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. Pliny the Elder gave history its first glimpse of the fearsome Basilisk in his groundbreaking text Natural History, which was published in 79 CE. Some texts state that the cockatrice is hatched from a cock’s egg incubated by a toad or serpent, the reverse of the process by which Basilisk’s are born, and cockatrices are never depicted in the giant-snake form that has become popular for the Basilisk in contemporary fantasy. The terms “Cockatrice” and “Basilisk” are often used interchangeably, and if the two creatures aren’t synonymous, they are at least extremely similar. Just as its gaze is lethal to all other living creatures, so too will the monster perish if it is forced to look into the eyes of its reflection. If you do find yourself in the presence of one of these dread chimeras, there is just one weapon that can save you: a mirror. The sound of a cock’s crow can reduce the monster to ashes. Many old texts urge would-be Basilisk killers to throw a weasel into the beast’s den, or vice versa, and let them fight it out. Weasels are immune to their fatal glance, and they can even survive a venomous bite if they receive proper medical treatment. Weasels and cocks are worthier opponents for the terrible chimeras than men. Your best chance of surviving an encounter with a Basilisk is avoiding an encounter with a Basilisk-but even these deadly monsters have some chinks in their armor. Plants are scorched by its stench and evil spirit, birds burst into flame if they get too close to him, and other snakes flee from him, knowing that he has a bit of a cannibalistic appetite. This monster leaves a path of destruction wherever he goes. Of course, the Basilisk is a menace to more than just men. Finally, touching one of these dark creatures, even if you aren’t exposed to its gaze, breath, venom, or hiss, might result in your death. In one story, the venom travelled up a warrior’s spear, after he stabbed a Basilisk, and was so strong that it killed both the warrior and his horse upon contact.Īs a fourth weapon, the monster can use its sinister half-bird-half-reptilian hiss to madden, paralyze, or kill men. It is so toxic that it can kill a man from a meter’s distance. The monster’s venom is a third and terrible weapon. Some scholars even report that the monster can spout fire. Second to the monster’s gaze is its putrid breath, so terrible that it can wither plants and incapacitate grown men. No matter when, where, or who you are, if you meet the eyes of a Basilisk, you’re done for. The potency of its gaze is discussed in all the myths that relate to him, across several different cultures. The monster’s most famous weapon is its dreaded gaze.
Basilisk anime explanation skin#
It can kill or seriously injure a man in five different ways, and most of them don’t even involve the awful creature risking its own skin in the fight. The Basilisk is, with good reason, one of the most feared beasts in all folklore. Snake-like Basilisks usually reach gigantic proportions. Rather than slithering with its stomach on the ground, it crawls forward with the front half of its body towering above the earth. Still, its movement is unlike other snakes. Early accounts of the monster describe it as a mere 6-12 inches long.Īlternatively, the Basilisk is sometimes described as a giant snake, without the cockerel’s head or wings. Although this chimera is a deadly enemy, it can be very small. Dragon wings erupt from its shoulders, and a long serpentine tail completes its shudder-worthy look. It has a cockerel’s flashy, feathered head and is supported by two spindly chicken legs. The Basilisk’s horrific body is patched together from pieces of a dragon, a serpent, and a cockerel. It is one of the deadliest creatures to menace the mythological world, and it is extremely hostile towards mankind. The terrible offspring that hatches from this egg is half-bird, half-snake, and all evil. A Basilisk (or cockatrice) is a chimeric monster, born from a toad or serpent’s egg incubated under a cockerel.
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