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At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in:Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery &Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells &Harry Potter: Magic Awakened &Hogwarts Legacy.
As such, spoilers will be present within the article.

"Point me!"
This article is aboutthe species in general. You may be looking fortheBasilisk of Salazar Slytherin.

Basilisk - FBcases

Basilisk

Species information

Eye colour

Yellow[1]

Skin colour

Green[1]

Feather colour

Scarlet plume on the head (if male)[2]

Native to

OriginallyGreece, now found worldwide[2]

Alternative names

King of Serpents[3]

Length of average adult

50 ft.[1]

Mortality

Mortal[1]

Distinction

Affiliation

Status

Extant

"Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size, and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it."
—Most Macabre Monstrosities[src]

TheBasilisk was a giantserpent, also known as theKing of Serpents. It was amagicalbeast that was usually bred byDark wizards.Herpo the Foul was the first to breed a Basilisk. Herpo accomplished this by hatching achicken egg beneath atoad which resulted in thecreature known as a Basilisk.[3]

Basilisk breeding was banned in Medieval times, a regulation that has not changed. The practice could be hidden when theDepartment for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures came to check by simply removing the egg from the toad.[2]

A phenomenally lethal creature, direct eye contact with a Basilisk would result in instantaneousdeath, but an indirect look would merely render the victimPetrified.[3] It was also the mortal enemy ofspiders. Spiders refused to speak of the Basilisk, could intuitively sense their presence, and would flee whenever they sensed them.[4]

The Basilisk had a classification as an XXXXX creature, meaning it was a known wizard-killer that couldn't be domesticated due to its immense powers.[2] However, since the Basilisk was still a serpent, aParselmouth might communicate with it and potentially place the creature under their influence.[2][1]

This obedience depended on the relationship between the Basilisk and the Parselmouth.Tom Riddle was the only one who could commandSalazar Slytherin'sBasilisk, whileHarry Potter had no control over her, as he had been warned.[1]

Nature[]

Physical appearance[]

"The light slid over a gigantic snake skin, of a vivid, poisonous green, lying curled and empty across the tunnel floor. The creature that had shed it must have been twenty feet long at least."
— Description of the snake skin[src]
The immense size of the Basilisk

The immense size of the Basilisk

The Basilisk was a snake-like creature that could grow up to fifty feet in length. Their scales were a dark green colour with a lighter green underbelly.[1] A male Basilisk could be distinguished from a female by a single scarlet plume on its head, which females didn't have.[2]

The Basilisk hadhorns on its head. They also possessed rows of incredibly sharpvenomous fangs and large yellow eyes.[1]

Ecology[]

ABasilisk egg was the egg from which a Basilisk hatches. Basilisk eggs are chicken eggs hatched beneath a toad, thus creating the deadly King of Serpents.[3][2] It is unknown if a Basilisk could lay live eggs of its own. Basilisks could live a natural lifespan of at least nine hundred years, thoughSalazar Slytherin'sBasilisk lived for approximately a thousand years. This was accomplished by usingParseltongue to put the creature into a deep sleep that prevented it from ageing, similar to suspended animation. Basilisks fed off vertebrate animals, but it is unknown how much they ate at one time. TheSerpent of Slytherin survived on rats.

Basilisk skin shed in the Chamber of Secrets

Basilisk skin shed in the Chamber of Secrets

Basilisk skin was armoured like that of adragon's, which deflectedspells cast upon it. For example,Stunning Spells would have no effect on the deadly beast. Like all other snakes, the Basilisk shed its skin at intervals when it grew.[2]

Spiders were terrified of Basilisks, described them as their enemy and fled before them. This fear was so prevalent in all spiders, such as theAcromantula, capable of speech and itself a very dangerous creature, that they would not even speak the name of their dreaded enemy.Rubeus Hagrid askedAragog "many times" to name the monster, but Aragog refused to say her name, or even speak of her.[4]

Their mortal weakness was the crowing of arooster.Basilisk horns could be used as thecore of awand,[5] and thetongue of the Basilisk could be added to confectionery products.[6]

Abilities[]

Deadly gaze[]

Instant death to the living who look directly into the Basilisk's yellow eyes

Instant death to the living who look directly into the Basilisk's yellow eyes

When a living creature looked directly into the Basilisk's eyes, it resulted in instantdeath, making it one of, if not the most dangerous creature in theWizarding world, even more so than anAcromantula.

Looking through a pair ofglasses did not offer any protection, because glasses still allowed one's line of vision to connect directly and clearly with the serpent's eyes.[3]Myrtle Warren (commonly known as Moaning Myrtle) was such an unfortunate person, as her wearing glasses did not save her from death when she looked directly at theSerpent of Slytherin's eyes.[7]

Although, there were ways to dampen the lethal effects and save oneself, as only direct eye contact would have resulted in death. Looking at the eyes through a camera would have worked (at the cost of the lens and film being melted). Another option was to look at it through aghost's transparent body. Ghosts could look directly into the serpent's eyes without suffering death, as those who were already dead couldn't die again. Finally, seeing the Basilisk's reflection in a mirror or some other kind of reflective surface, likewater, would also have not been fatal.

If the Basilisk's eyes were damaged (thus rendering it blind), it took away the lethal ability as well, making it totally safe to look at, though its keen senses of smell and hearing meant that it was still extremely dangerous.[1]

It should be noted that aphoenix was immune to the Basilisk's gaze, whether directly or not, as thebird isimmortal.[1] Furthermore, whenTom Riddle commanded the Serpent of Slytherin to attack Harry Potter, he was seemingly unaffected by the Basilisk's gaze, though the cause of his immunity is unknown, as it could have been any of a number of factors (him being aParselmouth, him being the descent ofSlytherin whom the Basilisk was trained to obey, or him being amemory stored in abook). It is not known if Basilisks themselves were immune to their own killing gaze.

Petrification[]

Main article:Petrification
"Dark Magic of the most advanced kind."
— Albus Dumbledore regarding Petrification[src]
Petrified

PetrifiedJustin Finch-Fletchley

As previously mentioned, looking a Basilisk directly in the eyes was fatal, but only seeing the eyes indirectly (such as its reflection) was not. However, a victim who looked indirectly at the Basilisk's eyes becamePetrified, similar to the stare of aGorgon. This was the case withHermione Granger,Penelope Clearwater,Justin Finch-Fletchley,Colin Creevey,Nearly Headless Nick andFilch'scat,Mrs Norris.[8][9][3]

A way of surviving a Basilisk's otherwise deadly gaze was by seeing it through another object. An example mentioned above was when Colin Creevey saw it through his camera, resulting in his Petrification and his camera lens becoming melted.[10] Justin Finch-Fletchley saw the Basilisk through the translucent ghost Nearly Headless Nick, and was Petrified. Sir Nicholas became Petrified as well, although he looked directly into the Basilisk's eyes, he was already deceased and therefore couldn't die again.[9]

A petrified Hermione Granger

A petrified Hermione Granger

Hermione Granger was Petrified while gathering information on the Basilisk. She figured out what the monster in theChamber of Secrets might be and went to theHogwarts Library to confirm her theory. Hermione was Petrified on her way back to theGryffindor common room after seeing the Basilisk's eyes in ahand mirror she borrowed fromPenelope Clearwater.[3]

Petrification seemed quite powerful, as the legendaryAlbus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of the age and wielder of theElder Wand, concluded that the only way to reverse the effect was through the use of theMandrake Restorative Draught.[8]

Basilisk venom[]

Main article:Basilisk venom
Hermione Granger: "It doesn't have to be a Basilisk fang. It has to be something so destructive that the Horcrux can't repair itself. Basilisk venom only has one antidote, and it's incredibly rare —"
Harry Potter: "— phoenix tears."
— Disscussion on how to destroy Horcruxes using Basilisk venom[src]
Basilisk venom invading the blood stream

Basilisk venom invading the blood stream

Though its deadly gaze alone could potentially kill any victims it came across, basilisk venom was an extremelypoisonous substance that only had one knownantidote:phoenixtears.[1] Basilisk venom was so powerful that it could kill a person within minutes, making the person drowsy and causing blurry-visioned before they died. It had a very long lasting effect, as it still remained potent in the fangs, even up to five years or more after the snake had died.[1] It could also damage inanimate objects so thoroughly that they were impossible to restore, and thus it was one of the few substances powerful enough to destroy aHorcrux.[11]

WhenHarry Potter slew theSerpent of Slytherin with theSword of Gryffindor in 1993, thegoblin silver sword became imbued with the properties of Basilisk's venom, giving it the ability to destroy aHorcrux.[1] However, the venom was notpoisonous simply by touching it. WhenRon Weasley extracted a Basilisk fang with his bare hands in theChamber, he did not die.[11]

History[]

"The first recorded Basilisk was bred by Herpo the Foul, a Greek Dark wizard and Parselmouth, who discovered after much experimentation that a chicken egg hatched beneath a toad would produce a gigantic serpent possessed of extraordinarily dangerous powers."
—Newton Scamander,Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them[src]
and his Basilisk

Herpo the Foul and his Basilisk

Dark wizard Herpo the Foul, while in AncientGreece, was the first to breed a Basilisk. He accomplished this by hatching achickenegg beneath atoad, which resulted in the creature known as a Basilisk. Herpo was able to control Basilisks due to the fact that he was aParselmouth and thereby could speak snake language.[12][2]

Basilisk breeding was banned inMedieval times. TheBritish Ministry of Magic had said that all chicken coops in the wizarding world were subject to police inspection in order to thwart Basilisk breeding. However, the ban was quite easy to evade by simply removing the egg from underneath the toad whenever theDepartment for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures came to check. A more natural and effective limit on breeding was the simple fact that the creatures were uncontrollable except by Parselmouths, and therefore every bit as dangerous to normal Dark wizards as to other wizards and Muggles. For this reason, the serpents remained mercifully rare; in fact, until the incident in1943 described below, there had been no confirmed reports of Basilisks in Britain since the16th century.[2]Affpuddle of the Cheerful Countenance, a medievalknight, died from trying to befriend a Basilisk.[13]

Salazar Slytherin, one of thefounders ofHogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was responsible for the construction of theChamber of Secrets beneath the school's dungeons. It was specifically created for the purpose of purging the school of allMuggle-born students. The Chamber contained a Basilisk, theSerpent of Slytherin, which could only be controlled by his own true heir and used to rid the school of all those he considered to be unworthy of studying magic.[1]

In the late19th century, aCornish wizard was suspected of Basilisk breeding by theWizengamot, after inspectors from theDepartment for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures foundtoad infestations in all five of hischicken coops. He was later tried by theWizengamot for this.[14]

In the1942–1943 school year, when Slytherin's heirTom Marvolo Riddle opened the Chamber of Secrets, he used the Serpent of Slytherin to attack Muggle-borns, causing the death ofMyrtle Warren. In the1992–1993 school year, Riddle opened the Chamber again, through the use of one of his sevenHorcruxes. Using the bit of his soul encompassed by the diary, he took partial control ofGinny Weasley. While she was entirely unaware, he forced her to do his bidding, which included writing frightening messages on the walls and strangling the school's roosters. During this second opening of the Chamber, numerous Muggle-borns were Petrified. They were petrified due to catching a glimpse of the Basilisk's reflection.[1]

Harry Potter slaying Slytherin's Basilisk with the

Harry Potter slaying Slytherin's Basilisk with theSword of Gryffindor

Riddle's ultimate goal was to lureHarry Potter into the Chamber and kill him. Harry Potter ultimately slayed Slytherin's Basilisk by stabbing it through the roof of the mouth with the Sword of Gryffindor. The sword came out of theSorting Hat, which had magically appeared in front of him. The hat was originally delivered to him byFawkes,Dumbledore'sphoenix.[1] The sword was then impregnated with Basilisk venom.[11]

Newt Scamander stated in the fifty-second edition ofFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them that there had been no recorded sightings of Basilisks in Britain for the last 400 years.Harry Potter wrote in his copy of the book "that's what you think".[2]

According toIgor Karkaroff,Alastor Moody had smashed apart a birthday present that he thought in paranoia was a cleverly disguised Basilisk egg before finding out it was a mere carriage clock.[15]

The skeleton of Slytherin's Basilisk laid within the Chamber today and was over 20 feet long. During the opening stages of theBattle of Hogwarts, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley went down into the Chamber to fetch Basilisk fangs in order to be rid of Voldemort's remainingHorcruxes. They had to resort to the fangs after losing their earlier means of destroying Horcruxes.[11]

Etymology[]

The Ancient Greekbasil(eus) means "king", with the suffix-iskos being a diminutive, the whole having the sense of "princeling" or the like, purportedly for the crown-like white spot on its head.

Behind the scenes[]

The as a

TheSerpent of Slytherin as aPOP! Vinyl

  • The Basilisk is often confused with thecockatrice, but the Basilisk is born from a chicken's egg hatched beneath a toad, while the cockatrice is hatched by a chicken's egg incubated by a serpent. The cockatrice is also usually depicted with wings, while the Basilisk is not. Due to this, it can be assumed that J.K. Rowling either had the two confused or decided to combine the two. A cockatrice is the product of an egg laid by a cock (a male chicken) and incubated by a toad or a snake, can kill by looking at a person, touching them, or sometimes breathing on them, and was slain instantly by a rooster's crow.
  • Although an average Basilisk is said to have an average lifespan of 900 years,Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk lived for approximately 1000 years, being there since Slytherin built theChamber of Secrets around that time.
  • InLEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, the Serpent of Slytherin is incorrectly male because it has a red plume on its head.
  • Wearing glasses will not protect a person from the fatal effect of the Basilisk's stare, because glasses still allow one's line of vision to connect directly and clearly with the serpent's eyes, unlike looking in a mirror or through a camera.[7]
  • It has been theorised that spiders fear Basilisks because arachnids can see nearly 360-degrees around them and cannot shut their eyes, leaving them extremely vulnerable to the monster's killing gaze. However, this theory does not explain why other species, such as frogs and dragonflies, are not similarly described as fearing the Basilisk, since their vision also nears 360-degrees.
  • In thefilm adaptation ofHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry watches the Basilisk by its shadow on the floor.
  • It is unknown why there are male and female Basilisks, as they are produced by a chicken's egg hatched by a toad. However, it's possible that Basilisks are capable of reproduction as Moody had a present that "he thought was a well-disguised Basilisk egg", suggesting that Basilisks can lay eggs.
  • InHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry's battle with the Basilisk has considerable parallels to the tales of the Edda concerning Thor's battle with Jörmungandr at Ragnarök, from the significance of the beast's release to the retributive poisoning it unleashes on him in its death throes.
  • Despite written physical descriptions and imagery, it appears Basilisks can growhorns (like its distant American relative theHorned Serpent; but seems to have shared a trait with European horned serpents of mythology, i.e.Cernunnos).
  • Quite ironically, the way of hatching a Basilisk - in the nest of a chicken - is also fatal to a Basilisk if there is a rooster around, which there would be if the chickens are used for breeding.
  • As described by Pliny the Elder, Basilisks don't get very large: only the length of "twelve fingers". However, in nature, snakes don't stop growing until they die, so it could explain why a Basilisk, which can live over 900 years, would get so huge.
  • In addition to a rooster's crow, the smell of a weasel is also unbearable and practically fatal to a Basilisk in mythology.
  • In mythology, it's said that a Basilisk can actually kill itself by looking at its own reflection.

Appearances[]

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Notes and references[]

  1. ↑1.001.011.021.031.041.051.061.071.081.091.101.111.121.131.141.151.16Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 17 (The Heir of Slytherin)
  2. ↑2.002.012.022.032.042.052.062.072.082.092.102.112.12Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
  3. ↑3.003.013.023.033.043.053.063.073.083.093.103.11Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 16 (The Chamber of Secrets)
  4. ↑4.04.1Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 15 (Aragog)
  5. ↑Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" at HarryPotter.com
  6. ↑Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (seethis image)
  7. ↑7.07.1[1]16 July,2005 press conference at Accio Quote!
  8. ↑8.08.1Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 9 (The Writing on the Wall)
  9. ↑9.09.1Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 11 (The Duelling Club)
  10. ↑Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 10 (The Rogue Bludger)
  11. ↑11.011.111.211.3Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 31 (The Battle of Hogwarts)
  12. ↑Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
  13. ↑Hogwarts Legacy, Side Quest "History of Magic Class"
  14. ↑Hogwarts Legacy (seethis image)
  15. ↑Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 17 (The Four Champions)

See also[]

Magicalcreatures by classification
XFlobberworm ·Horklump
XXAugurey ·Bowtruckle ·Chizpurfle ·Clabbert ·Diricawl ·Fairy ·Ghoul ·Gnome ·Grindylow ·Imp ·Jobberknoll ·Mooncalf ·Porlock ·Puffskein ·Ramora ·Winged horse
XXXAshwinder ·Billywig ·Bundimun ·Crup ·Doxy ·Dugbog ·Fire crab ·Fwooper ·Glumbumble ·Hippocampus ·Hippogriff ·Hodag ·Jarvey ·Knarl ·Kneazle ·Leprechaun ·Lobalug ·Mackled Malaclaw ·Moke ·Murtlap ·Niffler ·Nogtail ·Pixie ·Plimpy ·Pogrebin ·Red Cap ·Salamander ·Sea serpent ·Shrake ·Streeler ·Winged horse
XXXXCentaur ·Demiguise ·Erkling ·Erumpent ·Golden Snidget ·Graphorn ·Griffin ·Hidebehind ·Kappa ·Kelpie ·Merperson ·Occamy ·Phoenix ·Re'em ·Runespoor ·Snallygaster ·Sphinx ·Tebo ·Thestral ·Thunderbird ·Troll ·Unicorn ·Winged horse ·Yeti
XXXXXAcromantula ·Basilisk ·Chimaera ·Dragon ·Horned Serpent ·Lethifold ·Manticore ·Nundu ·Quintaped ·Wampus cat ·Werewolf
*Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, Fandom will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Community content is available underCC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
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