Monsters ยท Classical and European bestiary tradition
Basilisk
A deadly serpent or little king of beasts whose gaze, breath, or venom can kill.
Legend File
The basilisk is a small monster with outsized terror. In classical and medieval bestiary traditions it may kill by venom, breath, or gaze, turning tiny scale into absolute danger. Later stories blend it with the cockatrice, but the core fear remains compact: a creature so poisonous that nearness itself becomes a weapon.
Source Framing
Classical natural-history and medieval bestiary lore around the basilisk or basilikos: small deadly serpent, killing by look, breath, or venom, enemy of the weasel or cock, later overlapping with cockatrice traditions.
