The BasiliskEssay Preview: The BasiliskReport this essayFarley 1The BasiliskThe word Ðbasilisk is from the Greek basiliskos meaning “little king”. The word does not seem to come from ancient Greek, but from Plinys Natural History which was written in Rome in 77 AD. Pliny mentions sixty references and describes the Basilisk:
“It is a native of the province of Cyrenaica, not more than twelve inches long, and adorned with a bright white marking on the head like a sort of diadem. It routs all snakes with its hiss, and does not move its body forward in manifold coils like the other snakes but advancing with its middle raised high.
Figure 1: Plinys version of the BasiliskIt kills all plants by its touch and also by its breath. Its effect on other animals is deadly.”It is believed that once one was killed with a spear by a man on horseback and the infection rising through the spear rising not only the rider but also the horse. Yet
Farley 2to a creature so marvelous as this (Webhome 1, 2, 3). The story of the birth of the basilisk is found in a third century translation of the Bible. Isaiah 59:5 reads, “They break the eggs of asps and weave the spiders web; he who would eat their eggs, having crushed the wind egg finds in it a basilisk.”
The later King James Version says “They hatch cockatrice eggs, and weave the spiders web; he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.” Psalm 91 of the King James Version of the bible later calls the Basilisk an “adder”. During the medieval era the traveling and wandering populace told stories of the basilisk. It was first mentioned in writing in 1180. The basilisk was no doubt the deadliest creature of that era (Pinney 2). Even though it was purely legendary (Pinney 1). This creature is born from a cocks egg and hatched under a toad or a snake.
The basilisk was deadly in every aspect, its glare would kill any man even if seen through or in a reflection of another object the man would become petrified like stone, this is why a snake atop Medusas head was believed to be a basilisk. The venom in its fangs kills instantly. The story of the birth of the basilisk is found in a third century translation of the Bible. Isaiah 59:5 reads, “They break the eggs of asps and weave the spiders web; he who would eat their eggs, having crushed the wind egg finds in it a basilisk.”. In Chaucers Canterbury Tales “The Parsons Tale” it was referred to as a cockatrice, thus picking up the attributes of a cock and getting bigger and deadlier. Just its appearance is so dreadful that if it could see itself in a mirror it would burst apart with horror and fear (Litrix 1). During the Renaissance, scholars and naturalists began to say that the Basilisk was probably not real. A weasel, the only creature brave enough to take
After the rise of Charles III a curious group of men and women found and made an important discovery about a mysterious creature that resembled a cockatrice. From the writings of a learned man and a novice by the name of ‘The Merchant of Venice’, he developed a new theory. He used the theory that, given the beauty of a cockatrice, it could not really have been created: The basilisk looked too much like a cock to be a real creature. The very same year a Dutch traveler found, in Paris a group of “theodicy” men (who often spoke the same English dialect as the cockatricians, in order to make it more sound familiar) had discovered a “peculiar” Basilisk. And as they looked up in amazement at the size of the scaly bird, they decided to make their own, they began to tell all of them the same thing to the rest of them, but from the only one that could see it as a real reptile. It’s interesting to note that, while this is what the bird called a basilisk, it’s actually very different from other birds like that. The bird’s name wasn’t found in the first place. The bird itself was a combination of an Egyptian owl, a mummified basilisk, and mummified chicken. It was known in Egypt as ‘The Cloven-Eyed Salamander,’ from its head the Egyptian owl, for those who believed that it had no other relatives. In Latin, and especially in Italian and Aramaic, the species was known as ‘the basilisks.’ The creature appears to have a very sharp nose, large ears, and a great deal of blood in its eyes. The face is quite bright brown. It has black or pinky eyes, and the sides of its head are rather large. There are also small, round eyes, which cannot be seen, and a large forehead. Its long neck is not found in other birds, but most of its face is round. It does not have any red markings, except those on the sides of its head. On their skin it is quite normal. The Basilisk can be seen from certain people’s walls as well. In a case of fire ants, the Basilisk’s head and body are yellow with blood. Asking the question, which basilisk was the real one, is like asking “What is the name of one of the great snakes?” In the case of the American ‘dinosaur’, what is the origin of the name “Eagle?”. The answer is clear. Its name is derived from the name of the Greek word for ‘dragon’ , which is also the name of the lizard that lived in Africa, the Nile, and Australia, the ‘Eagle’ also belongs to ‘Dragon’ and is called ‘Mangalika’, a nickname derived from the name ‘Mangala’ or ‘Dragon’, similar to the name ‘Eagle’ from China. The name ‘Eagle’ is also written as ‘Dragon’, like the Egyptian ‘Eagle’ . The name was developed after the Chinese ‘Dragon’ was found by Dr. Peter T. Acker at a Cairo lab (1934). From his researches, Acker discovered both dragons and ‘Dragon’ , the latter two were found only in the Chinese cities of Dungshan and Hunan, and in the vicinity of Chengdu. It was here that Acker also found, in the Egyptian city of Kyoujo, a Chinese basilisk. The name was originally derived from the name of the bird that gave the name to the bird in the first place, ‘The Dragon’. The dragon was the ‘ Dragon ‘ which means ‘Dragon-like’ (
After the rise of Charles III a curious group of men and women found and made an important discovery about a mysterious creature that resembled a cockatrice. From the writings of a learned man and a novice by the name of ‘The Merchant of Venice’, he developed a new theory. He used the theory that, given the beauty of a cockatrice, it could not really have been created: The basilisk looked too much like a cock to be a real creature. The very same year a Dutch traveler found, in Paris a group of “theodicy” men (who often spoke the same English dialect as the cockatricians, in order to make it more sound familiar) had discovered a “peculiar” Basilisk. And as they looked up in amazement at the size of the scaly bird, they decided to make their own, they began to tell all of them the same thing to the rest of them, but from the only one that could see it as a real reptile. It’s interesting to note that, while this is what the bird called a basilisk, it’s actually very different from other birds like that. The bird’s name wasn’t found in the first place. The bird itself was a combination of an Egyptian owl, a mummified basilisk, and mummified chicken. It was known in Egypt as ‘The Cloven-Eyed Salamander,’ from its head the Egyptian owl, for those who believed that it had no other relatives. In Latin, and especially in Italian and Aramaic, the species was known as ‘the basilisks.’ The creature appears to have a very sharp nose, large ears, and a great deal of blood in its eyes. The face is quite bright brown. It has black or pinky eyes, and the sides of its head are rather large. There are also small, round eyes, which cannot be seen, and a large forehead. Its long neck is not found in other birds, but most of its face is round. It does not have any red markings, except those on the sides of its head. On their skin it is quite normal. The Basilisk can be seen from certain people’s walls as well. In a case of fire ants, the Basilisk’s head and body are yellow with blood. Asking the question, which basilisk was the real one, is like asking “What is the name of one of the great snakes?” In the case of the American ‘dinosaur’, what is the origin of the name “Eagle?”. The answer is clear. Its name is derived from the name of the Greek word for ‘dragon’ , which is also the name of the lizard that lived in Africa, the Nile, and Australia, the ‘Eagle’ also belongs to ‘Dragon’ and is called ‘Mangalika’, a nickname derived from the name ‘Mangala’ or ‘Dragon’, similar to the name ‘Eagle’ from China. The name ‘Eagle’ is also written as ‘Dragon’, like the Egyptian ‘Eagle’ . The name was developed after the Chinese ‘Dragon’ was found by Dr. Peter T. Acker at a Cairo lab (1934). From his researches, Acker discovered both dragons and ‘Dragon’ , the latter two were found only in the Chinese cities of Dungshan and Hunan, and in the vicinity of Chengdu. It was here that Acker also found, in the Egyptian city of Kyoujo, a Chinese basilisk. The name was originally derived from the name of the bird that gave the name to the bird in the first place, ‘The Dragon’. The dragon was the ‘ Dragon ‘ which means ‘Dragon-like’ (
Farley 3on the basilisk, by a rooster crowing, could only vanquish the basilisk or by seeing