Basilisk, Part 2

The basilisk legend was passed down into Medieval times, by which point it was described not as a snake but as a wingless dragon. Its venom no longer soaked the ground behind it, but could be breathed out as a vapor or even transmitted by the power of its malevolent glare.

During this time, however, the basilisk became confused with a similar beast, the cockatrice, which also could kill with a stare. This was another dragonlike monster, with a rooster’s head, chest, wings and feet but the long scaly tail of a serpent. According to the stories, basilisks hatched out of toad or snake eggs that had been brooded by a rooster. Cockatrices were born from an egg laid by a rooster and brooded by a toad or snake. In some tales, the star Sirius had to be rising or the moon had to be full when the cockatrice hatched. Still, it’s easy to see how they could be mixed up. (Wink, nudge.)

Basilisks were larger, about the size of a cow, while cockatrices were only a little bigger than ordinary chickens. Initially, they both were said to kill with a look. Later tales substituted paralysis, which made hunting easier for the monster in question. Accounts also vary whether the killing force was inevitable, or if the human could escape as long as he didn’t meet the monster’s gaze. This is somewhat reminiscent of another lethal legend, Medusa, who was so ugly that all who saw her were turned to stone.

While the basilisk had a weasel as its greatest enemy, the cockatrice could be killed by the crowing of a rooster. Travelers who passed through lands where cockatrices were rumored to dwell would take roosters with them as they went. The only other thing that could kill a basilisk or cockatrice was a mirror — its own baleful reflection would do it in! Again, this hearkens back to Medusa, who was defeated by seeing herself in a mirror.

Believe it or not, as Europe moved into the Renaissance, there was a market for basilisk parts! Alchemists believed that powdered basilisk blood could turn copper into gold. The ashes were said to convert silver into gold. Who knows what substances were passed off as basilisk blood in such a lucrative market?

Basilisks have continued to be well known and frequently mentioned in legends and stories. They’re mentioned in the Bible, in The Canterbury Tales, in Shakespeare’s plays and in poems by Browning, Shelley and Swift. A basilisk is the main threat in the second Harry Potter book. Surely this deadly monster will remain a magical threat for many centuries to come.