Creatures of Mythology//Mythological Lore

A legendary creature said to have the power to kill with just a single glance. In most tales, the basilisk itself was born when a cockerel hatched the egg of a serpent. As a result of that, the appearance of the basilisk is that of both. According to most sources ^[1], there are three possible and different appearances of the basilisk: a giant serpent, a large multi-limbed lizard, and a three foot high cockerel, with the teeth and tail of a serpent. A rooster’s crow is fatal to the basilisk. Apart from the crow of a rooster, there is only one other thing fatal to the rooster: the reflection of itself, as seen through a mirror. There are many legends and myths, poems and sonnets, and they all contain one similarity. The basilisk is a deadly beast that kills either of two ways: by its deadly gaze or by its venomous bite.

Origin: Though the exact origin of the basilisk is unknown, one of the earliest accounts of a basilisk-like creature is written in around 79 A.D. in ‘Pliny The Elder’s’, Natural History. Though the legend is about a creature that has the body of a buffalo, and the head of a hog (also known as a Catoblepas), it, like the basilisk had a lethal gaze. Some time later, Venerable Bede first attested to the legend, claiming that the basilisk was, indeed, born as a serpent, hatched from the egg of an old cockerel. As result of myths and legends that blossomed fast, and quickly spread, travelers in the Middle Ages often carried live roosters around with them.

Appearance: As mentioned above, the basilisk is most notably portrayed in three ways: as a giant serpent, a large multi-limbed lizard, and a three foot high cockerel, with the teeth and tail of a serpent.

Influences On Modern Day: Now, in the modern day, legends and stories about basilisks are not as common as they were hundreds of years ago. One notable account of the legend is found the second Harry Potter book: Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets ^[2]. Though the portrayal of the basilisk in quite different than other legends, (Such as the appearance of the basilisk as a large green serpent with bright yellow eyes, and the creature itself described as being born from a chicken‘s egg, that was hatched by a toad.) there are several similarities, such as the gaze of the basilisk being deadly, and the cry of a rooster being fatal to it.