Basilisk: Mythical Or Real?

If you have been or have watched the movie: Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, you may have seen this creature in the later part. But is the basilisk snake real or just a mythical creature?

Sometimes referred to as the Cockatrice, the basilisk is known to be a mythical creature (reptilian) and reputed to be the king of serpents. It’s also considered to be one of the most feared of all mythological beasts as it can kill its prey through a single glance. This creature bears similarity to the Gorgons of Greek mythology. (Source: “Basilisk” from New World Encyclopedia; https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Basilisk)

The basilisk, just like the Gorgons (three vicious female mythical creatures), can also possess the ability to turn a person into stone by looking at them (as also seen in the Harry Potter movie where students are petrified by this creature). People speculate that basilisk is being originated from a cobra as it can kill from a distance. (Source: “Gorgon” from New World Encyclopedia; https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Gorgon)

A basilisk is a reptile-chicken hybrid creature (hence the term “cockatrice”) and a poisonous snake at the same time. (Source: “Basilisk or Cockatrice? The Mysterious King of Serpents” from PBS; https://www.pbs.org/video/basilisk-or-cockatrice-the-mysterious-king-of-serpents-rqozd1/) . They are actually born from an egg laid by a rooster.

The basilisk got its name from the Greek word “basilikos” which translates to “kinglet” which is a kind of serpent. It can be described as either of the three: a huge lizard, a giant snake (again as seen in the Harry Potter movie) and as a hybrid of rooster and reptile. Legend says that this creature can be killed by hearing a rooster’s crow (mentioned in the Harry Potter movie where Harry and Ron finds a scrap of paper in Hermione’s hand and pulls it, revealing what she just read about the basilisk and Ginny , being possessed by Tom Riddle/Lord Voldemort to kill the roosters by strangling them) or staring at itself in the mirror (take note that the basilisk kills its prey through its glance).Trivia: The natural enemy of a basilisk is a weasel who’s immune to its deadly gaze and can survive its venom.

In real life, basilisks exist as merely a lizard instead of a deadly giant snake.

Source:* “Basilisk” from New World Encyclopedia; https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Basilisk “Gorgon” from New World Encyclopedia; https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Gorgon * “Basilisk or Cockatrice? The Mysterious King of Serpents” from PBS; https://www.pbs.org/video/basilisk-or-cockatrice-the-mysterious-king-of-serpents-rqozd1/