"during the Napoleonic Wars. Basilisk (cannon) The basilisk was a very heavy bronze cannon employed during the Middle Ages. The barrel of a basilisk could weigh up to 4,000 lb (1,800 kg) and could have a calibre of up to 5 inches (13 cm). On average they were around 10 feet long, though some, like Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol, were almost three times that length. The basilisk got its name from the mythological basilisk: a fire-breathing venomous serpent that could cause large-scale destruction and kill its victims with its glance alone. It was thought that the very sight of its"
"Basilisk In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk ( or , from the Greek βασιλίσκος ""basilískos"", ""little king""; Latin ""regulus"") is a legendary reptile reputed to be a serpent king who can cause death with a single glance. According to the ""Naturalis Historia"" of Pliny the Elder, the basilisk of Cyrene is a small snake, ""being not more than twelve fingers in length"", that is so venomous, it leaves a wide trail of deadly venom in its wake, and its gaze is likewise lethal. Its weakness is the odor of the weasel, which, according to Pliny, was thrown into the"
"Animal, that will not suffer itself to be touch'd by a Man”. Percy Bysshe Shelley in his ""Ode to Naples"" alludes to the basilisk: Shelley also referred to the basilisk in his poem ""Queen Mab:"" Basilisk In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk ( or , from the Greek βασιλίσκος ""basilískos"", ""little king""; Latin ""regulus"") is a legendary reptile reputed to be a serpent king who can cause death with a single glance. According to the ""Naturalis Historia"" of Pliny the Elder, the basilisk of Cyrene is a small snake, ""being not more than twelve fingers in length"", that is"
"John Trevisa as ""cockatrice"" (1397). A basilisk, however, is usually depicted without wings. It is thought that a cock egg would hatch out as a cockatrice, and this could be prevented by tossing the egg over the family house, landing on the other side of the house, without allowing the egg to hit the house. It has the reputed ability to kill people by either looking at them—""the death-darting eye of Cockatrice""—touching them, or sometimes breathing on them. It was repeated in the late-medieval bestiaries that the weasel is the only animal that is immune to the glance of a"
"Catoblepas The catoblepas (pl. catoblepones; from the Greek καταβλέπω, (katablépō) ""to look downwards"") is a legendary creature from Ethiopia, first described by Pliny the Elder and later by Claudius Aelianus. It is said to have the body of a cape buffalo. Its head is always pointing downwards due to its head being heavy. Its stare or breath could either turn people into stone, or kill them. The catoblepas is often thought to be based on real-life encounters with wildebeest, such that some dictionaries say that the word is synonymous with ""gnu"". Also known as an African version of a Gorgon."
"made this discovery by hatching a chicken egg under a toad. A male basilisk has a scarlet plume on its head. A basilisk kills both with its powerful venom and its huge yellow eyes, which are immediately lethal to any creature who looks at them directly. To anyone who looks at it indirectly, such as through a camera or in a reflection, it creates a profound state of petrification similar to a Medusa stare. Ghosts who look at it directly will become petrified, since they could not die a second time. A phoenix tear is the only known cure for"
"the only mortal Gorgon, Medusa, whose gaze turned people to stone. Ovid's account of Medusa's mortality tells that she had once been a woman, vain of her beautiful hair, who was raped by Poseidon in the Temple of Athena. In punishment for the desecration of her temple, Athena had changed Medusa's hair into hideous snakes ""that she may alarm her surprised foes with terror"". Athena instructed Perseus to find the Hesperides, who were entrusted with weapons needed to defeat the Gorgon. Following Athena's guidance, Perseus sought the Graeae, sisters of the Gorgons, to demand the whereabouts of the Hesperides, the"
"In some medieval texts, the gaze of a beautiful woman is compared to the sight of a basilisk—a legendary reptile said to have the power to cause death with a single glance. These images continued to be circulated and elaborated upon in the literature and iconography of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Boccaccio for example, in his ""Il Filostrato"", mixes the tradition of Cupid's arrow with the Provençal emphasis on the eyes as the birthplace of love: ""Nor did he (Troilus) who was so wise shortly before... perceive that Love with his darts dwelt within the rays of those lovely"
"Manticore The manticore (Early Middle Persian ""Merthykhuwar""; Modern Persian ""Mardykhor"") is a Persian legendary creature similar to the Egyptian sphinx that proliferated in western European medieval art as well. It has the head of a human, body of a lion and a tail of venomous spines similar to porcupine quills, while other depictions have it with the tail of a scorpion. There are some accounts that the spines can be shot like arrows, thus making the manticore a lethal predator. It eats its victims whole, using its triple rows of teeth, and leaves no bones behind. The mantyger is a"
"in the tale of Medusa's death at Perseus' hands. Euryale (Gorgon) Euryale (; ""far-roaming""), in Greek mythology, was the second eldest of the Gorgons, the three sisters that have the hair of living, venomous snakes. Euryale and her sisters were daughters of primordial sea god and goddess Phorcys and Ceto, who personified the dangers of the sea. According to Hyginus, the parents of the Gorgons were Gorgon and Ceto. Euryale and her sister Stheno were immortal, whereas Medusa was mortal. In some versions of mythology, Euryale also had the ability to turn anyone to stone with her gaze. In many"
"to battle the heroes Hercules and Wolverine. The original Kraken is based on the mythical creature of the same name. Within the Marvel Universe, it is established that the creature can be called upon through the use of the Proteus Horn. During the Hyborian Age following the Great Cataclysm. One black Kraken lurked near the Barachan Islands. Sailing nearby while investigating the massive kidnappings, Conan the Barbarian was attacked by the Black Kraken. Conan was able to use his axe to slash one of the Black Kraken's eyes which caused it to drop Conan. The Black Kraken's other eye is"
"simultaneously know who they are and where they are, frequently causing them to crash into an obstacle. Many males also die from ankle failure caused by excessively running after females who aren't present. A giant and nearly extinct snake, seen in ""Sourcery"". It has similar powers to a traditional basilisk, such as deadly venom and the ability to kill something by looking at it. When the basilisk in ""Sourcery"" met the Luggage, it attempted to stare the Luggage to death. However, thanks to the luggage's penetrating eyeless stare, the basilisk was unable to win the resulting staring contest, and was"
"fourteenth century BCE, Perseus located the Gorgons' hermitage in the wilderness surrounded by the petrified victims. Using his shield's reflective surface, Perseus beheaded Medusa and subsequently used her head as a weapon.[2][4] The Shield of Perseus was then imbued with Medusa's power, turning those who look in its eyes to stone. Currently wielded by Hercules as part of his post-invulnerability armament.[5] Medusa-Land After Medusa's death, her daughter relocated to subterranean world below Athens - Medusa-Land. Medusa's daughter, who took her mother's name, became the ruler of the city. Her descendants, each took the name Medusa and ruled the city after"
"Gorgon In Greek mythology, a Gorgon (; plural: Gorgons, ""Gorgon""/""Gorgo"") is a mythical creature portrayed in ancient Greek literature. While descriptions of Gorgons vary across Greek literature and occur in the earliest examples of Greek literature, the term commonly refers to any of three sisters who had hair made of living, venomous snakes, as well as a horrifying visage that turned those who beheld her to stone. Traditionally, while two of the Gorgons were immortal, Stheno and Euryale, their sister Medusa was not and she was slain by the demigod and hero Perseus. The name derives from the ancient Greek"
"viewed.) It should also be noted that all the monsters mirror creatures of Greek Mythology, such as Horu, the first monster featured, who is referred to by Kurofune as a ""disgusting cow"" and is said to have been sealed in a labyrinth. This, along with the fact that a pair of bull horns and legs manifest when he is around, implies he is the legendary Minotaur. Several other featured monsters are Medusa, Hecate, Talos, and Pan. All monsters seem to have some control over reality itself and can only be killed by Melos Arrows. The Monster Union, which is part"
"called it; possibly in relation to the cock) in his ""Canterbury Tales"". According to some legends, basilisks can be killed by hearing the crow of a rooster or gazing at itself through a mirror. The latter method of killing the beast is featured in the legend of the basilisk of Warsaw, killed by a man carrying a set of mirrors. Stories gradually added to the basilisk's deadly capabilities, such as describing it as a larger beast, capable of breathing fire and killing with the sound of its voice. Some writers even claimed it could kill not only by touch, but"
"it bearded, an anomaly in the female Gorgon. Judith McKenzie detected Humbaba heads in a Nabatean tomb frieze at Petra. Humbaba In Ancient Mesopotamian religion, Humbaba ( Assyrian spelling), also spelled Huwawa ( Sumerian spelling) and surnamed ""the Terrible"", was a monstrous giant of immemorial age raised by Utu, the Sun. Humbaba was the guardian of the Cedar Forest, where the gods lived, by the will of the god Enlil, who ""assigned [Humbaba] as a terror to human beings. Gilgamesh defeated this great enemy."" His face is that of a lion. ""When he looks at someone, it is the look"
"Euryale (Gorgon) Euryale (; ""far-roaming""), in Greek mythology, was the second eldest of the Gorgons, the three sisters that have the hair of living, venomous snakes. Euryale and her sisters were daughters of primordial sea god and goddess Phorcys and Ceto, who personified the dangers of the sea. According to Hyginus, the parents of the Gorgons were Gorgon and Ceto. Euryale and her sister Stheno were immortal, whereas Medusa was mortal. In some versions of mythology, Euryale also had the ability to turn anyone to stone with her gaze. In many stories, Euryale is noted for her bellowing cries, particularly"
"also by touching something that is touching the victim, like a sword held in the hand. Also, some stories claim its breath is highly toxic and will cause death, usually immediately. The basilisk is also the guardian creature and traditional symbol of the Swiss city Basel. Leonardo da Vinci included a basilisk in his Bestiary, saying 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 withers them up. In his notebooks, he describes the basilisk, in an account clearly dependent directly or"
"become confused. Their bodies form an upside down triangle and form, along with the bodies of the characters, a chiasmus (heifer, human, human, heifer) that appeals to the eye. The background is in fact a foreshadow of the murder; the colours of the sky and the bushes are dark, and three of the heifers are looking at the spectator. Mercury, disguised as a barefooted young shepherd with a straw hat, is gazing at Argus (who, unlike the myth, has only two eyes) and is about to strike a lethal blow. Argus is asleep, his hand on his stick. Argus' dog"
"Nemean lion The Nemean lion (; ""Neméos léōn""; ) was a vicious monster in Greek mythology that lived at Nemea. It was eventually killed by Heracles. It could not be killed with mortals' weapons because its golden fur was impervious to attack. Its claws were sharper than mortals' swords and could cut through any armor. Today, lions are not part of the Greek fauna. The Asiatic lion subspecies formerly ranged in southeastern Europe. According to Herodotus, lion populations were extant in Ancient Greece, until around 100 BC when they became extinct. The lion is usually considered to have been the"
"a number of other Diclonius, who shift frequently from oblivious to murderous. Much of the plot of ""Elfen Lied"" revolves around the Diclonii species, which strongly resemble humans; the only obvious difference is the two horn-like protrusions extending from the Temporal bone and Parietal bone regions of the skull. Diclonii powers involve the use of invisible arms, known as ""vectors"", that can grasp and impact things as if they are solid, but also become insubstantial and pass through objects. They can slice objects as well, which is how Diclonii usually kill their victims. Vectors usually have a limited range of"
"depicted as having hyena heads instead of mandrill heads. Demogorgon can charm enemies or drive enemies insane with his gaze, depending on which head's eyes are met; if both heads lock their gazes on a single target simultaneously, Demogorgon can hypnotize foes. His whip-like tail has the ability to drain the life energy right out of a living foe. His tentacles cause living creatures to rot away, as if by some sort of rapid leprosy. Because each head is a separate personality that each controls his body, Demogorgon may act twice as often during combat as he should be able"
"Latin translation of this. The Ichneumon was one of the few who can look at a cockatrice without turning to stone. In 18th-century English poet Christopher Smart's """"Jubilate Agno"""", the poet praises his cat, Jeoffry, ""For he killed the Ichneumon-rat very pernicious by land."" Ichneumon (medieval zoology) In medieval literature, the ichneumon or echinemon was the enemy of the dragon. When it sees a dragon, the ichneumon covers itself with mud, and closing its nostrils with its tail, attacks and kills the dragon. The ichneumon was also considered by some to be the enemy of the crocodile and the asp,"
"of the Basilisk is lethal to anyone who looks it directly in the eye. All of its living victims meet its gaze indirectly, either from a reflection or by seeing it through something else, and are only petrified rather than killed. Nick is the only one to look directly at the Basilisk, but he too is petrified since he is a ghost and cannot die again. Nick also protected Hufflepuff student Justin Finch-Fletchley from death after Justin saw the basilisk's eyes through Nick's transparent body, thus only petrifying him as well. The character appears again in ""Harry Potter and the"
"Ichneumon (medieval zoology) In medieval literature, the ichneumon or echinemon was the enemy of the dragon. When it sees a dragon, the ichneumon covers itself with mud, and closing its nostrils with its tail, attacks and kills the dragon. The ichneumon was also considered by some to be the enemy of the crocodile and the asp, and attack them in the same way. The name was used for the ""pharaoh's rat"", mongoose, or Egyptian mongoose, which attacks snakes; it can also mean ""otter"". Ichneumon () means ""tracker"" in Greek. Cockatrice, a name for another mythical beast, derives from ""calcatrix"", a"
"""hair inwoven with the threatening snake"", while Seneca gives Cerberus a mane consisting of snakes, and a single snake tail. Cerberus was given various other traits. According to Euripides, Cerberus not only had three heads but three bodies, and according to Virgil he had multiple backs. Cerberus ate raw flesh (according to Hesiod), had eyes which flashed fire (according to Euphorion), a three-tongued mouth (according to Horace), and acute hearing (according to Seneca). Cerberus' only mythology concerns his capture by Heracles. As early as Homer we learn that Heracles was sent by Eurystheus, the king of Tiryns, to bring back"
"Homer, Euripides, and Hesiod. One example in a story from Georgia, describes two brothers trapped in the cave of ""One-eye"". They take the wooden spit from One-eye's fire, heat it up, stab it into his eye and escape. Cyclops A cyclops ( ; , ""Kyklōps""; plural cyclopes ; , ""Kyklōpes""), in Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, is a member of a primordial race of giants, each with a single eye in the center of his forehead. The word ""cyclops"" literally means ""round-eyed"" or ""circle-eyed"". Hesiod described three one-eyed cyclopes who served as builders, blacksmiths, and craftsmen: Brontes, Steropes, and"
"impossible to capture alive. In today's English language, the term ""monoceros"" typically refers to a unicorn or similar one-horned creature. Monoceros (legendary creature) The monoceros () is a legendary animal with only one horn. It derives from the Greek word ""Μονόκερως"", a compound word from μόνος (""monos"") which means ""only one"" / ""single"" and κέρας (""keras"") (neuter gender, which means ""horn"". The monoceros was first described in Pliny the Elder's ""Natural History"" as a creature with the body of a horse, the head of a stag (minus the antlers), the feet of an elephant, and the tail of a wild"
"an egg laid by an old cock just before his death a clear night and full moon exactly at midnight. Within a few days, the egg shell, which is not hard, but rather soft and leathery, is opened by the strange creature that already has all the features of an adult: legs, beak, cockscomb, and reptilian body. Apparently, this strange creature has an intense and penetrating fire in its eyes that at the animal that or person who gazes directly upon it would die. The weasel is the only animal that can face and even attack it. It can only"
"Humbaba In Ancient Mesopotamian religion, Humbaba ( Assyrian spelling), also spelled Huwawa ( Sumerian spelling) and surnamed ""the Terrible"", was a monstrous giant of immemorial age raised by Utu, the Sun. Humbaba was the guardian of the Cedar Forest, where the gods lived, by the will of the god Enlil, who ""assigned [Humbaba] as a terror to human beings. Gilgamesh defeated this great enemy."" His face is that of a lion. ""When he looks at someone, it is the look of death."" ""Humbaba's roar is a flood, his mouth is death and his breath is fire! He can hear a"
"be killed with the crowing of a rooster, so, until very recent times, travelers were carrying a rooster when they ventured into areas where it was said that the basilisks lived. Some have speculated that reports of cobras may have given birth to the stories of the basilisk. Cobras can maintain an upright posture, and, as with many snakes in overlapping territories, are often killed by mongooses. The king cobra or hamadryad has a crown-like symbol on its head. Several species of spitting cobras can incapacitate from a distance by spitting venom, most often into the prey's eyes, and may"
"Argus Panoptes Argus Panoptes (All-seeing) () or Argos () is a many-eyed giant in Greek mythology. The figure is known for having spawned the saying ""the eyes of Argus"", as in to be ""followed by"", ""trailed by"", ""watched by"", et cetera, the eyes; the saying is used to describe being subject to strict scrutiny in one's actions to an invasive, distressing degree. The monstrous entity has been either directly included or indirectly alluded to in a wide variety of works influenced by Greco-Roman thought over the past several centuries. Argus Panoptes (), guardian of the heifer-nymph Io and son of"