| Basilisk | |
|---|---|
 | |
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Real Name |
Cockatrice |
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First Appearance |
European Myth |
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Created by |
European Myth |
Origin[]
A basilisk is a legendary reptile reputed to be a serpent king, who causes death to those who look into its eyes. According to the Naturalis Historia of Pliny the Elder, the basilisk of Cyrene is a small snake, "being not more than twelve inches in length", that is so venomous, it leaves a wide trail of deadly venom in its wake, and its gaze is likewise lethal.
According to Pliny, the basilisk's weakness is the odor of a weasel. The weasel was thrown into the basilisk's hole, recognizable because some of the surrounding shrubs and grass had been scorched by its presence. It is possible that the legend of the basilisk and its association with the weasel in Europe was inspired by accounts of certain species of Asiatic and African snakes (such as cobras) and their natural predator, the mongoose.
According to some legends, basilisks can be killed by hearing the crow of a rooster or gazing at itself in a mirror. This method of killing the beast is featured in the legend of the basilisk of Warsaw, killed by a man carrying a set of mirrors. According to the popular urban legend, it was a terrifying creature, described as a rooster, snake or turkey, with a snake's tail and the eyes of a frog. It guarded hidden treasures in the Warsaw's Old Town underground and killed intruders with its eyes. It died outwitted by a young journeyman who went underground carrying a mirror in front of him.
Leonardo da Vinci included a basilisk in his Bestiary, saying “it is so utterly cruel that when it cannot kill animals by its baleful gaze, it turns upon herbs and plants, and fixing its gaze on them, withers them up.
The basilisk appears in the English Revised Version of the Bible in Isaiah 14:29 in the prophet's exhortation to the Philistines reading, "Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of thee, because the rod that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a basilisk, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent." The King James version of the Bible states, "out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent".
The basilisk is mentioned in Psalm 91:13, which reads "super leonem et draconem" in the Latin Vulgate, literally "You will tread on the lion and the dragon,/ the asp and the basilisk you will trample under foot". This is translated in the King James Version as "Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet". Other modern versions, such as the New International Version have a "cobra" for the basilisk, which may be closest to the Hebrew pethen. The basilisk appears in the Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, though not most English translations, which gave rise to its inclusion in the subject in Early Medieval art of Christ treading on the beasts.
Bram Stoker alludes to the creature in Chapter 4 of his 1897 novel Dracula, when Jonathan Harker encounters the vampire Count Dracula sleeping in his crypt and makes a futile attempt to destroy him.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of the Basilisk from before January 1, 1929 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- The Bible
- Naturalis Historia of Pliny
- De animalibus
- Canterbury Tales
- Clarissa; or the History of a Young Lady
- The Beggar's Opera
- Ode to Naples
- Queen Mab (1813)
- Dracula
Public Domain Comic Appearances Inspired by the Basilisk[]
- Blackhawk #29: Blackhawk deals with the masked villain known as the Basilisk who was chief of fiendish band of terrorists. It was reveled that the Basilisk was a beautiful blond woman who hid her good looks with a mask to command fear in her followers.
Notes[]
- The Cockatrice, which was hatched from a cockerel's "egg" incubated by a serpent or toad. The reverse of The Basilisk is alleged to be hatched by a cockerel from the egg of a serpent or toad.
- There are several characters named after or inspired by the Basilisk at Marvel Comics. While DC Comics featured a terrorist organization named after the monster.