Basilisk

A basilisk is a mythological creature that has been described in several different ways over time. The creature has also been known as a basilcoc, a Basil Cock, and a cockatrice, among other variations. First mentioned in Ancient Greece as a serpent-like animal so deadly that merely looking at it could kill a person, the creature changed over time to resemble a combination of a rooster, a bat, and a serpent. As late as the sixteenth century, deaths were still being attributed to the basilisk. A creature by that name also entered contemporary mythology in author J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books and movie series.

Background

The basilisk makes its first appearance as a minor creature in Greek mythology. It is mentioned in the writings of Greek physician and poet Nicander of Colophon. It became known through the writings of Pliny the Elder. Pliny was a Roman naturalist and author who wrote a book entitled Natural History in 79 Common Era (CE). In the book, he describes a small creature "not more than twelve fingers in length," or about twelve inches, having what appears to be a white crown on its head. It is from this appearance that the creature's name was derived; basiliskos is a Greek word that means "little king."

Pliny described the basilisk as lifting the front part of itself from the ground and moving on the middle portion of its body, unlike most serpents that slither flat against the ground. Its breath was so toxic that it destroyed all plant life and could even break apart stones. Its venom was so strong that it could travel up a lance and kill the man as well as the horse he was riding.

The only known way to kill a basilisk, according to Pliny, was to find its lair (by looking for the damaged plants and soil around it) and then drop a weasel in it. The weasel's bite was said to be poisonous to the basilisk. Unfortunately, the weasel was not immune to the basilisk's breath and venom and was killed in the attempt to slay the basilisk.

The basic description of the basilisk, with its raised head and front body and highly poisonous venom, fits the description of some types of cobras. Some even have white markings on the head that could be the crown or diadem referenced in written descriptions, and the natural enemy of the cobra is the mongoose, a weasel-like mammal. The cobra's ability to spit venom may account for the claims that the basilisk's breath was noxious enough to kill. A fifth-century writing attributed to Horapolla, who is believed to have been one of the last Egyptian priests, equates the basilisk to the Uraeus, the cobra symbol used in Egyptian art and statuary. However, cobras generally grow to more than six feet in length, considerably larger than the basilisk as described by Pliny.

Overview

In the centuries after Pliny's account was published, the description of the basilisk gradually began to change. First-century Roman poet Lucan enhanced the basilisk's deadly reputation by claiming it could even kill birds that flew over it. Seventh-century Saint Isidore of Seville described the creature as only 6 inches long and able to kill by its smell or even just by its hiss.

In the thirteenth century, the animal's description took an unusual turn when Pierre de Beauvais, a self-proclaimed translator, published The Medieval Bestiary, which purported to be a translation of a Latin bestiary, or encyclopedia of beasts. In the work, the author describes a creature that is born when an old rooster, or cock, lays an egg in a pile of animal feces. If a toad sits on the egg to hatch it, the account said, a strange creature would be born with the head of a rooster, the tail of a snake, and wings like a bat. The beast would then slither off to a cellar, cave, well, or other dark underground place to await a victim.

Despite the bizarre description that defies connection to any known animal, the basilisk was frequently reported as the cause of deaths or threats to human life during the Middle Ages. It was accused of causing an outbreak of the plague in ninth-century Rome, until Pope Leo IV prayed it to death. A rash of fainting spells in early thirteenth-century Vienna was attributed to a basilisk in a well. The creature was reportedly found dead and disposed of, ending the spells. People also felt threatened by any rooster that appeared to be laying an egg, and there are several accounts of the roosters and their eggs being destroyed rather than risk the appearance of a basilisk. It is thought that what were suspected to be mutant roosters were actually hens with hormonal imbalances that caused them to develop the combs and other outward appearances of roosters.

The Warsaw Basilisk of 1587 is among the best-known and most recent accounts of a basilisk. According to the story, two young Polish girls disappeared and were later found unresponsive in a basement. When one of the children's nursemaids went into the basement after them, she was stricken dead while the woman with her, who stayed above ground, watched. The bodies were pulled from the basement with long hooks, and a physician proclaimed that a basilisk had killed them. A convicted criminal was convinced to go into the basement and kill the basilisk in exchange for his freedom should he succeed. It was thought by this time that the basilisk could be killed by reflecting its own appearance back at it, so the man was dressed in a leather suit hung with many mirrors. He was armed with a rake. After much hunting, he finally found the creature and carried it into the sunlight, where it was believed to be less dangerous. There is no account of how the creature was ultimately killed, but it was described as having the head of a rooster with eyes like a toad, a crown-like appendage on its head, and scales of many colors with a long tail.

The basilisk also makes an appearance in a number of contemporary video games and books. Basilisk: The Serpent King was a 2006 television movie, featuring a stone statue of the mythical creature which came to life during a solar eclipse. A basilisk also appears in the second book of the Harry Potter series by author J. K. Rowling. The creature in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is closer to the original description of a basilisk—snake-like and able to rear up its head—but is gigantic in size.

Bibliography

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