BasiliskFerkol

The Big, Bad Basilisk! Origin

Most people say agree that Africa is the homeland to the basilisk, and it has been said that it is very similar to the Egyptian cobra, which has many of the same markings and characteristics. It is also referred to as a cockatrice, or king of the serpents, and is said to be one of the most feared creatures that has ever existed. It has been said that the basilisk hatched from the egg of a serpent by a cockerel, but old tales also say that it was hatched by a toad from the round, yolkless egg laid by a seven-year-old rooster. One theory about where the basilisk originated is that it evolved from a hooded cobra from India, and by the Middle Ages it had become what it is known as today, with the head of a cock, or sometimes even a human.



Appearance

>  Body like a bird.
 * Greenish-black or yellow, and sometimes had a blackish hue.
 * A white spot on his head that is sometimes called his diadem or crown.
 * Some say he has three horns on his head.
 * It can be as small as a rooster, or as big as a human. [[image:akhsmonsters2b/Basilisk.jpg width="245" height="178" align="right"]]
 * There are 3 types:Head and feet of a cock.
 * Golden basilisk who poisons everything with just a look.
 * Evil-eye basilisk that scares and kills everything with a third eye on the top of a golden head.
 * Sanguineness basilisk that with one sting will make all of the flesh fall off of his victim’s body.
 * Head and feet of a cock.
 * Snake-like tail.
 * When killed it can spread disease fast enough to kill a man and horse instantly.

<span style="color: #9b0d0d; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Literary References


 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Bible
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Isaiah 14:29
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Psalm 91:13
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">William Shakespeare
 * //R<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">ichard III //
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Cymbeline (Act II Scene iv): "It is a basilisk unto mine eye, Kills me to look on't."
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Samuel Richardson
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Clarissa; or the history of a young lady: “If my eyes would carry with them the execution which the eyes of the basilisk are said to do, I would make it my first business to see this creature.”
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">John Gay
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">//The Beggar's Opera (Act II Air xxv)//
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Johnathan Swift mentions a basilisk in one of his poems.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">In chapter 16 of //The Zadig// a basilisk is mentioned and described as "an Animal, that will not suffer itself to be touch'd by a Man."
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Percy Bysshe Shelley
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">"Ode to Naples"
 * <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">"Queen Mab"

<span style="color: #9b0d0d; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Importance (Symbolism)

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">In almost any case, the basilisk mainly represents something evil or fear. When it is seen in Christian writings it is used to embody the devil, evil, and sin. It is also depicted in some paintings being slain to represent the ability to overcome all evil. In alchemy, the basilisk is sometimes used to symbolize destructive force of a fire, but can also be used to represent the tonic that makes the philosopher's stone--not in every case that the basilisk is used for death and evil uses.

<span style="color: #9b0d0d; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Modern References

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">There are many authors and movie writers who like to incorporate the basilisk in their works because of the fear factor it brings. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is one of the greatest examples there is. Although how the basilisk's features were very much exaggerated in the film, the fear factor and qualities were spot on. The video game //Dungeons and Dragons: The Gathering// also uses the huge snake form of the basilisk in its story line. In //The Book of the Dun Cow// the main villain is a cockatrice, and he is helped by his many basilisk minions throughout his conquests. There are also a few websites up that use the basilisk's name; they are [|www.basiliskbookshop.com] and [], and neither of them have any relevance to basilisks whatsoever.



<span style="color: #9b0d0d; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%; line-height: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;">Bibliography

http://www.monstropedia.org/Basilisk#Symbolism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilisk#Literary_references http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Basilisk#Symbolism