If you are a harry potter fan, you already know that Basilisk is a snake who can kill its victims even by gazing upon them. The reptile is often considered as the king of serpents. The Greek word “basilískos”, from which the name originated, has the meaning "little king," "little prince," "chieftain," or "young ruler," which would further ensure the snake’s supremacy over other serpents. The snake is also reputed to have on its head a mitre which is the ceremonial headdress of bishops, or a crown-shaped crest.
The Basilisk is first mentioned in the Roman Text ‘Natural History’, which was written by Pliny the Elder. But this Basilisk is quite different from the one you find in Harry Potter. Pliny the Elder describe the existence of Basilisk in the province of Cyrene, which is the eastern coastal region of Libya. The snake is not more than twelve fingers in length and has a white spot on the head which looks like a crown. Unlike other snakes, the Basilisk does not advance its body by a succession of folds, instead moves along upright and erect upon the middle as of walking.
But the snake is so vicious that even other snakes fear it. In the Natural History, it is mentioned that the snake can kill its victims even with a hiss. The other serpents move away as if they are trying to fly away when they hear this hiss. The touch of a Basilisk is so poisonous and it can destroy all shrubs when it moves. It’s breath is just as deadly, for it feels as the snake is breathing fire and would kill anyone and anything that it has breathed upon. The snake has also the strength to break stones.
After Pliny the Elder, many authors has mentioned the existence of the Basilisk. Even though the texts do not agree on the physical appearance and the origin of the snake, they all agree that Basilisk is the king of all serpents and on the venomous nature. In fact, Basilisk is so poisonous that if a man on horseback killed one of these animals with a spear, the poison would run up the weapon and kill not only the rider, but the horse as well. The legend has it that 1000 soldiers in the army of Alexander the Great, died mysteriously at the same time. They later found out that the soldiers were encountered by a Basilisk and were killed by its deadly gaze.
An almost identical description for that of made by Pliny about the Basilisk, could be found in Leonardo dar-Vinci’s notebooks. He also includes that 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 and withers them up. The snake even make an appearance in the old translations of the bible. In Isaiah chapter 14, verse 29 it reads:
“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.” After the death of King Ahaz, the inexperienced prince Hezekiah was crowned as king. The Philistines began to celebrate the crowning of the new king because it’ll make things easy for them. But Isaiah prophesize to fear his crown since he’d bring much difficulty to them than king Ahaz. He tells them that the god favor him so they should fear him. Isaiah compare this new king to a Basilisk.
The Venerable Bede who was an English Benedictine monk at the monastery of St. Peter, was the first to attest to the legend of the birth of a basilisk from an egg by a seven year old cockerel. Other authors’ added up to this concept, saying the egg was laid when Sirius, the brightest star was high in the sky. The egg was perfectly round and was covered with a thick membrane. A toad then sat on it for nine years and it finally hatched giving birth to the hideous monster.Some say this breading process is maneuvered by Dark Wizards, which is what has being adapted in the Harry Potter series. These wizards has the power to control them by speaking a language which only the snake and the wizard understand. It is said the snake is faithful for his master and even if they do attack, the wizard is immune to the venom.
Regardless of the snakes superiority and deadly nature, many texts also mention its weaknesses and how one even can kill it. Its poison, sure doesn’t have an antidote, but the Basilisk appears to have a weakness towards the weasel. It says the only a weasel can confront a Basilisk’s gaze and can kill it. The weasel can produce an odor that is deadly to the Basilisk, but in the process the weasel also dies. According to some legends, basilisks can also be killed by hearing the crow of a rooster or gazing at itself in a mirror. The latter is quite popular and has given birth to many heroes who has used the method in their adventures against the Basilisk.
But there is a debate whether these stories of the Basilisk is mixed up with those that of Medusa, who also has the power to petrify her victims with her gaze. So there is an argument that Athena transformed the beautiful Medusa to not just any snake but a Basilisk. Given her powers and the fact that she was banished to a waste land, I think the story adds up. In the Schedula diversarum atrium, which is a Latin text written by Theophilus Presbyter, describe of a way how Basilisk’s blood could be used to convert copper to Gold. For this, one would need powdered basilisk blood, powdered human blood, red copper, and a special kind of vinegar.
In Cantabrian mythology, the Basilisk is known as Basiliscu. They believe the snake has disappeared in most of the Earth but a very few still lives in Cantabria. They believe when the moon is full, a dying cock will lay an egg. During this period of the time the offspring will get deformed and will be transformed into a Basilisk. Except for the size, the Basilisk that comes out from this egg has all the features of the adult Basilisk including the venomous gaze as well. Just as they hatch, the eyes of the Basilisk would burn brightly as hot fire and this gaze at their birth is considered to be the most dangerous gaze. They also claim only a weasel and a rooster’s crow can kill the snake, so until very recent times, travelers carried a rooster when they goes into areas where it was said that the basilisks lived. The Cantabrian also believe that Basilisk’s touch is deadly, even for plants. So it’s quite easy to identify the places where a Basilisk live, because everything it touches and breathe on would turn in to a waste land. These creatures prefer to stay in dark places, especially in places like caves. So the first thing that you’ll see when you encounter a Basilisk is its bright eyes.
The basilisk was forgotten even in legends for a long time by most. Even the in the latest translations of the Bible, the word Basilisk is replaced by a term such as “poisonous snake”, or a viper, or something similar. So I think it’s safe to say that JK Rowling brought the creature back to existence through her famous series Harry Potter.
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