BasiliskRo

__Basilisk: The King of Snakes__  __**Origins:**__   The Basilisk is a feared monster in a many societies beginning in the 14th century where the word Basilisk was created by the Greeks. The Basilisk is believed to be a native to the land of Cyrenaica and can only be found in deserts, mainly in Africa, because the Basilisk's glare can make any land form turn into sand. The Basilisk is believed to have been born of a cockerel's egg hatched by a serpent or toad; similar accounts show that a cockatrice is born of a toad's egg hatched by a cockerel. From the beginning, the Basilisk was feared for his glance and breath because both were believed to be fatal to anyone and anything.

**__Literary References:__**
 * Theophilus Presbyter
 * Albertus Magnus: De Animalibus
 * Hermes Trismegistus
 * Geoffrey Chaucer: Canterbury Tales
 * Isaiah 14:29: "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."
 * Psalm 91:13
 * Shakespeare: Richard III/ Cymbeline
 * Samuel Richardson: Clarissa; or the history of a young lady
 * John Gay: The Beggar’s Opera: (Act II Air XXV): "Man may escape from Rope and Gun; Nay, some have out liv'd the Doctor's Pill; Who takes a Woman must be undone, That Basilisk is sure to kill. The Fly that sips Treacle is lost in the Sweets, So he that tastes Woman, Woman, Woman, He that tastes Woman, ruin meets."
 * Alexander Pope: Messiah lines 81-82
 * Percy Bysshe Shelley: Ode to Naples

Samuel Richardson

Percy Bysshe Shelley

In 1857 Poland, three people were supposedly killed because of a basilisk. A boy and girl were playing hide-and-seek and decided to hide in a cellar that had been abandoned for thirty years. When the children reached the bottom stair, they both fell dead. The kids were missed when their mothers hadn't found them by sunset so a servant was sent out to take them home. Unfortunately, the servant fell dead as soon as she went down the stairs of the cellar to awaken the children from what had appeared to be slumber. Luckily, an old woman had seen the servant enter the cellar and decided to notify the mothers. A prisoner who had been sentenced to death was chosen to enter the cellar to gather the bodies of the three victims and see what had happened to them. He was clothed in leather and had mirrors draping all over his body; he wore strong glasses to protect his eyes. He searched in the cellar and found a creature that was the size of a rooster hidden near a corner. The creature immediately died when it caught a glance of itself in the man's many mirrors. The creature was immediately identified as a basilisk because of it's features.

Appearance

There are many different accounts as to what a Basilisk looks like. As times have changed, so has the description of the feared snake. Nobody truly knows what the Basilisk looks like because anyone who has died immediately after. Many accounts have claimed that the Basilisk has a "crown" on it's head which is the reason why it's called the King of Snakes. Sometimes, the Basilisk is said to be small like rooster or larger than a human. Several types of Basilisks have been reported over hundreds of years. -The Golden Basilisk can kill you with just one glance -The Evil-eyed Basilisk terrorized and killed every creature with the third eye that was on top of his head -The Sanguine Basilisk's sting could make the flesh fall of its victims' bones

Symbolism: The Basilisk has always been considered a negative force in the universe. At first, the Basilisk represented evil and death. Christians viewed the Basilisk as a demon and sometimes even a representation of the devil, himself. In many christian texts, the Basilisk is referred to with fear and caution. Alchemy saw the Basilisk as a powerfully destructive force of fire or immortalizing tonic produced by the Philosopher's stone. In the town of Basel, Switzerland, the Basilisk is still a part of their symbol. The Bishop of Basel was forced out during the Protestant Reformation and the Basilisk was blamed for an earthquake several years earlier. Although these two events have no true relevance, they were both considered unforgettable events in the town's history which were then blended together to make the symbol of Basel. In this case, the Basilisk is seen as a symbol of heraldry. The Crest of Basel, Sweden Modern References: The Basilisk has become a common image in today's society. media type="youtube" key="VszBxBNxNwk" height="315" width="420" This is a Japanese manga series has become widely popular. It was first produced in 2005. The setting is 1614 and two ninja clans battle to determine who's grandson will become the next shogun.

media type="youtube" key="kb7T9oK0tF8" height="315" width="560" Harry Potter is a widely popular book series that was turned into movies. In this specific movie, Harry Potter is at Hogwarts when there turns out to be attacks agianst the students from within the school. The signs and symptoms seem to turn towards a basilisk attack, but nobody has seen a basilisk in centuries. In this clip, Harry Potter fights the basilisk who is blind and in the end kills it with the sword of gryffindor. One of the basilisk's fangs punctured his arm and according to many stories, the bite of a basilisk is very deadly. The Basilisk has become a popular character for video games including Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering. It also had a large part in__Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist:The Basilisk’s Lair__ by R.L LaFevers and Kelly Murphy. The Basilisk Hub is a design and animation company in the United Kingdom. They specialize in motion graphics and animation, print design and branding, and web and flash design. There is no real reason as to why they called themselves Basilisk Hub because there is no other reference to the King of Snakes on their website. []- this is the link to the Basilisk Hub's website.

Bibliography: [|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilis] [] [] [] []