History Main / BasiliskAndCockatrice

* ''VideoGame/ForTheKing'': Cockatrices are introduced in the Lost Civilization DLC as one of several creatures with the new Petrification attack, and featured in the DLC's story mode. They're depicted as large monstrous cockerels (the story begins with a character encountering a juvenile cockatrice and [[MistakenForDog mistaking it for a particularly ornery chicken]]).

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* ''{{Series/Merlin}}'' had a cockatrice that attacked Arthur and was killed by him to save Nimueh. Whether she was actually controlling it was unknown. The cockatrice looked more like a snake with legs and two sails on its back than the chicken-headed depiction, though.

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Basilisks are reputed as the king of serpents (the name comes from the Greek for "king", "''basileos''"), and some bestiaries depicted them with crowns, if not with crown-like features such as a cock's comb. They are often [[PoisonousPerson extremely venomous]] and can cause instant death or [[TakenForGranite petrification]] to anyone who [[DeadlyGaze looks directly at them]], which makes them a BrownNoteBeing. Weasels are its natural enemy, not unlike [[SnakeVersusMongoose the mongoose and cobra]], and the crowing of a rooster has a fatal BrownNote effect on it. It is also said that one can kill it by [[HoistByHisOwnPetard turning a mirror on it]], as [[WeaksauceWeakness it is not immune to its own gaze]].

Basilisks and cockatrices, regardless of what deadly powers they are given or whether they are treated as the same thing or different creatures, tend to be used in a fairly consistent, uniform manner -- as an inherently, incredibly deadly being whose mere gaze or presence is enough to kill, and can probably turn you to stone one way or another, thus posing an unusually dangerous threat that needs to somehow be dealt with without being approached or even looked at.

* The basilisk's first appearance in western tradition is in the writings of the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder, who described it as a twelve-inch-long serpent with a white, crown-shaped spot on its head, capable of killing with its gaze. Its poison is so strong that it shatters stones and kills vegetation it slithers by or breathes on, birds fall dead from the sky at its passage and waters that it drinks from become fouled and poisoned. He was also the first to record the story of how, when a knight killed a basilisk with a spear, its poisonous blood ran up his spear and killed him and its horse. The only way to reliably kill it would be to set a weasel on it, as its smell was fatal to basilisks. The part about it being hatched by a cock’s egg brooded by a toad or snake first shows up early in the Middle Ages. At some point in its mythological development, the basilisk transformed into a eight-legged lizard with a rooster's head that holds its tail above its body ([[https://weirdimals.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/basilisk_aldrovandi.jpg see here]]). It is likely the result of when early medieval writers somehow confused the creature with scorpions. This version inspired the popular modern depiction in fantasy games of basilisk as multi-legged reptiles.

* The ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' franchise has Cockatrimon/[[SpellMyNameWithAnS Kokatorimon]], a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin cockatrice Digimon]] complete with the usual stone-turning glare. It also has a PaletteSwap called Akatorimon.

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* Some small dinosaurs fit the imagery of this concept, being creatures with features of both birds and reptiles--most notably, we have ''Velociraptor'' and ''Yi qi'' (the latter fits even better, as it may have had batlike wings).

Basilisks are reputed as the king of serpents (the name comes from the Greek for "king", "''basileos''"), and some bestiaries depicted them with crowns, if not with crown-like features such as a cock's comb. They are often [[PoisonousPerson extremely venomous]] and can cause instant death or [[TakenForGranite petrification]] to anyone who [[DeadlyGaze looks directly at them]], which makes them a BrownNoteBeing. [[SnakeVersusMongoose Weasels are its natural enemy, not unlike the mongoose and cobra]], and the crowing of a rooster has a fatal BrownNote effect on it. It is also said that one can kill it by [[HoistByHisOwnPetard turning a mirror on it]], as [[WeaksauceWeakness it is not immune to its own gaze]].

Basilisks are reputed as the king of serpents (the name comes from the Greek for "king", "''basileos''"), and some bestiaries depicted them with crowns, if not with crown-like features such as a cock's comb. They are often [[PoisonousPerson extremely venomous]] and can cause instant death or [[TakenForGranite petrification]] to anyone who [[DeadlyGaze looks directly at them]], which makes them a BrownNoteBeing. [[WickedWeasel Weasels]] are its natural enemy, not unlike the mongoose and cobra, and the crowing of a rooster has a fatal BrownNote effect on it. It is also said that one can kill it by [[HoistByHisOwnPetard turning a mirror on it]], as [[WeaksauceWeakness it is not immune to its own gaze]].

** Cockatrices are cowardly but deadly Chaos-tainted creatures resembling monstrous chickens with the wings of bats and tails of snakes. They are among the favorite quarries of Bretonnian knights, although cockatrice hunts are complicated by the creatures' ability to petrify with a glance and the fact that some of them possess poisonous claws or acidic vomit as additional weapons.

** Basilisks are six-legged, brightly colored lizards so poisonous that vegetation withers and dies at their mere presence, and which can swiftly turn a fertile land into a barren waste. They can concentrate their poisonous aura in their gaze, causing creatures they fix their sight upon to swiftly sicken and die. Basilisk bones can be used to create blades that retain their former owners' toxic natures, making exceptionally deadly weapons that can prove equally dangerous to their wielders.

* The basilisk's first appearance in western tradition is in the writings of the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder, who described it as a twelve-inch-long serpent with a white, crown-shaped spot on its head, capable of killing with its gaze. Its poison is so strong that it shatters stones and kills vegetation it slithers by or breaths on, birds fall dead from the sky at its passage and waters that it drinks from become fouled and poisoned. He was also the first to record the story of how, when a knight killed a basilisk with a spear, its poisonous blood ran up his spear and killed him and its horse. The only way to reliably kill it would be to set a weasel on it, as its smell was fatal to basilisks. The part about it being hatched by a cock’s egg brooded by a toad or snake first shows up early in the Middle Ages. At some point in its mythological development, the basilisk transformed into a eight-legged lizard with a rooster's head that holds its tail above its body ([[https://weirdimals.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/basilisk_aldrovandi.jpg see here]]). It is likely the result of when early medieval writers somehow confused the creature with scorpions. This version inspired the popular modern depiction in fantasy games of basilisk as multi-legged reptiles.

* The basilisk’s first appearance in western tradition is in the writings of the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder, who described it as a twelve-inch-long serpent with a white, crown-shaped spot on its head, capable of killing with its gaze and so horribly poisonous that it would shatter stones and kill vegetation it slithered by or breathed on. He was also the first to record the story of how, when a knight killed a basilisk with a spear, its poisonous blood ran up his spear and killed him and its horse. The only way to reliably kill it would be to set a weasel on it, as its smell was fatal to basilisks. The part about it being hatched by a cock’s egg brooded by a toad or snake first shows up early in the Middle Ages. At some point in its mythological development, the basilisk transformed into a eight-legged lizard with a rooster's head that holds its tail above its body ([[https://weirdimals.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/basilisk_aldrovandi.jpg see here]]). It is likely the result of when early medieval writers somehow confused the creature with scorpions. This version inspired the popular modern depiction in fantasy games of basilisk as multi-legged reptiles.
* The cockatrice myth originated in England in the Middle Ages, and the creature was usually described as a winged chimera combing a chicken with a serpent or a dragon, with the ability to kill or petrify creatures with its gaze and/or touch. Basilisks and cockatrices were originally separate creatures until one was mistranslated as the other in a 14th-century book, leading to the two names being considered largely synonymous afterwards

** Basilisks are shown as many-legged lizards, sometimes with horns, although [[https://scryfall.com/card/ons/280/serpentine-basilisk one]] resembles a snake with legs. While most are petrifies in the usual way, the basilisk of Rath turn their victims into puddles of the plane's liquid flowstone. The ones native to Zendikar are also horribly poisonous in the bargain.

* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': Basilisks and cockatrices are separate creature types aligned with Green, the color of nature, with basilisks being more strongly tied to Green and also more common. Faithfully to their original mythological portrayal, cockatrices are depicted as birds with snakelike tails and necks, while basilisks are shown as many-legged lizards or snakes, sometimes with horns. They all have the keyword deathtouch, meaning they instantly destroy any creature they deal damage to, or the ability to destroy any creature that they block or that blocks them, representing their deadly petrifying gaze.

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* A cockatrice shows up in ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'' after Griffith causes mythological creatures to become real, though it's quickly taken out by his Apostle soldiers (giving them a PR boost by rescuing the regular humans it was chasing).

* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': Basilisks and cockatrices are separate creature types aligned with Green, the color of nature, with basilisks being more strongly tied to Green and also more common. Faithfully to their original mythological portrayal, cockatrices are depicted as birdlike creatures with snakelike tails and necks, while basilisks are shown as many-legged lizards or snakes, sometimes with horns. They all have the keyword deathtouch, meaning they instantly destroy any creature they deal damage to, or the ability to destroy any creature that they block or that blocks them, representing their deadly petrifying gaze.

* The Film/SyFyChannelOriginalMovie ''Basilisk: The Serpent King'' has a centuries-old basilisk being unwittingly reawakened by archeologists during a solar eclipse after it was originally petrified thanks to a gold scepter.

* The short story "The Sight of the Basilisk" by Lois Tilton, collected in a Creator/BruceCoville anthology, depicts the basilisk as a white snake with a red crest on its head and fatal gaze, which was placed as an egg in an ancient tomb to protect against tomb robbers. It befriends a blind slave who is sent into the tomb, and leaves with him, to the doom of his captors.
* In ''Andrew and the Alchemist'' by Barbara Ninde Byfield, basilisk blood is one of the components to create the Philosopher's Stone. It's revealed near the end of the book that the alchemist kept one of the basilisks he raised, which is now very old and spends most of its time hibernating in a dark corner of his cellar. The book doesn't give a physical description, since the only person who gets a good look at it is the villain, and he isn't in any condition afterward to describe it.
* In ''Literature/OperationChaos'' by Creator/PoulAnderson, basilisks are used as weapons during the War. It's mentioned in passing that, as a double whammy, any creature they turn to stone is dangerously radioactive as a side-effect of the physical process that converts carbon to silicon.
* In ''Literature/TheWitcher'' cycle, these are two separate creatures. A basilisk is a venomous reptile with an extremely potent neurotoxin, while a cockatrice is an avian-reptile hybrid (the description brings to mind an evolutionary missing link) that hunts by [[StealthExpert stalking]] its prey and attacking a weak point. Basilisk leather and cockatrice feathers are considered prime quality by, respectively, fashionistas and scribes. Also, both can be killed with a mirror -- if hit square in the head, of course.
* In ''Literature/LoyalEnemies'', the heroes help a dwarven community which is being terrorized by a house-sized basilisk demanding to be given fifty virgins. Since basilisks don't actually grow that big and cannot speak, they become suspicious and Shelena and Veres set out to investigate disguised as virgin nuns. They discover a group of thugs hired by the villains, who pretend to be the basilisk by magically projecting the illusion of a giant one onto the road, while the real basilisk is held in a cage -- it's about wolf-sized and ''can'' turn people into stone with its eyes, but that takes energy and the basilisk in question is in such a sorry state that it makes a dash for the nearest wood when released.
* In ''Literature/DragonRider'', a basilisk appears as a sort of enormous, evil bird-like monster with a killing gaze. It’s never seen fully, and is killed when it’s forced to look at its own reflection in a mirror.
* In ''Literature/TheSpiderwickChronicles'', cockatrices appear in the field guide as creatures resembling chickens with large spurs on their feet, lizard-like tails, forked tongues and frills around their necks like that of a frilled lizard, which they can extend in a warning display. They are born when a seven-year-old cockerel's egg laid during the full moon is brooded for nine years by a serpent or toad. Their gaze petrifies and their saliva is extremely poisonous. They are also the mortal enemies of weasels, and will go into violent fits and die if they hear a rooster crow. The book also makes mention of "False Cockatrices", which similar to how many animals imitate more dangerous creatures as defense from predators, resemble cockatrices but lack the venom and petrifying gaze.

* Elverlon [[spoiler:AKA "Eelbird"]] in ''Literature/TheDarkangelTrilogy'' is referred to as a "cockatrice". She's a GiantFlyer with the copper-feathered head and wings of a bird-of-paradise (something of an odd choice, as [[RealityIsUnrealistic those tend to be small birds whose showiest parts are their tailfeathers]]) and a forest-green snake body; she does ''not'' seem to be able to hurt enemies in any way by looking at them.
* In the ''Literature/InCryptid'' series, basilisks and cockatrices are closely related species of cryptids (real creatures unknown to science). Scientists who know of TheMasquerade (intended to keep intelligent cryptid species safe) classify them as sibling species in the same genus, ''Procompsognathus''. The primary difference between the two is that basilisks are feathered, while cockatrices are largely featherless. Both are about the size of chickens, and both have petrification powers which science has not yet been able to explain.
* Creator/GeraldDurrell's children's fantasy ''The Talking Parcel'' is about cockatrices invading the land of Mythologia, and the only way to stop them is for a group of kids from our world to recruit Duke Wensleydale's weasels by giving them rue. A NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer cites the bestiaries where the stuff about rue and weasels comes from (although in the bestiaries, rue makes them invulnerable, at least to cockatrices; in the book it just makes them brave.)
* In the short story "Koko the Basilisk'", a king is sent an immature basilisk as a gift by a neighbour king; he can't get rid of it without causing offence, and it becomes more of a hazard to its keepers as it grows. At one point the king consults a bestiary, only to find its entries only read "Basilisk: See Cockatrice" and "Cockatrice: See Basilisk".

* There is a fairly fascinating cryptid from Africa known as the [[AlliterativeName Crowing Crested Cobra]] that is a near perfect representation of this concept--it's a cobra with the crest and wattles of a chicken and who makes a sound similar to a rooster crowing. [[DoingInTheWizard Its gaze is not deadly]], but it can shoot a lethal venom from its mouth (something that some real cobras are capable of doing).
* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilisco_Chilote Basilisco Chilote]] from the folklore of the Chiloé Archipielago on Chile is a serpent with the crest of a rooster that is hatched from an egg that is incubated by a rooster. It has no deadly gaze, but is said to dwell beneath houses and feeds on the phlegm and saliva of the people inhabiting a certain house, eventually killing them of dehydratation. To kill it, one must destroy the egg as soon as it is laid and kill the chicken which laid it so that no other eggs like it are hatched. If hatched, the only way to destroy a Basilisco chilote is burning down the house where it lives. This being is actually a CompositeCharacter of the classic basilisk, the cockatrice and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colo_Colo_(mythology) Colo Colo]], an arguably [[OurMonstersAreWeird stranger]] creature from Mapuche mythology said to be either a rat-like or half rat, half serpent monster which also inhabits houses undetected and devours the saliva of those living on the house. It is also claimed to be born from an egg laid by a snake and hatched by a rooster.

* In the ''Podcast/CoolKidsTable'' game ''Small Magic'' the party run afoul of a cockatrice after [[spoiler:accidentally hunting and eating some of her chicks]].

* In the ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' series, Basilisks are common monsters, who are, however, more generally reptilian than strictly serpentine in appearance. Basically, they look like Labrador-sized short-tailed lizards with giant eyes (even though those aren't really eyes). They do, however, share the most important attribute with classical basilisks -- turning people into stone. Thankfully, petrification occurs not through their stare, but through giant clouds of poisonous gas they exhale when attacked.
* Basilisks are one of the first monsters available in ''VideoGame/MagicAndMayhem'', here appearing as oversized featherless chickens with reptilian features. They possess poisonous bites, but are easily killed, making them more effective in greater numbers.
* Basilisks appear in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' as gigantic, [[VertebrateWithExtraLimbs six-legged]], armored lizards who have an appetite for crystal gems and can temporarily petrify their opponents. Their aquatic equivalents, the Crocolisks, are simply six-legged [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile crocodiles]] with no magical powers. Meanwhile, the giant flightless birds that Blood Elves ride were originally planned to be called Cockatrices, but they got renamed to Hawkstriders before the game was released. The only in-game mention of Cockatrices is the "Pygmy Cockatrice", a regular chicken that runs around in Darkmoon Faire.
* Basilisks and cockatrices feature as monsters in ''VideoGame/TheWitcher'' and ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'', where they are classified as being relatives of wyverns. Notably a cockatrice is the target in the only storyline-relevant trophy hunt in the first game. These basilisks and cockatrices lack the ability to petrify enemies, an ability the codex states is inaccurate folklore.
* The Cockatrice and Basilisk(called "Basilicrow") both appear as monsters of the "Roc" class in the [[VideoGame/Disgaea2CursedMemories second]], [[VideoGame/Disgaea3AbsenceOfJustice third]], and [[VideoGame/Disgaea4APromiseUnforgotten fourth]] games of the ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea}}'' series. They appear as fat, giant chickens with a snake as a tail, and are in the same class of monsters. Their most distinctive ability is disabling skills for any enemies standing right next to them.
* ''VideoGame/NetHack'':
** Cockatrices appear in the games. If you hear the cockatrice's hiss or are touched by a living cockatrice there's a chance that you'll slowing start [[TakenForGranite turning to stone]]; this can be cancelled by [[spoiler:eating a lizard corpse or eating/drinking something acid]]. Touching a cockatrice (living or dead) with your bare skin will ''[[OneHitKill instantly]]'' turn you to stone. Gloved characters can take advantage of this by picking up a cockatrice corpse [[ImprovisedWeapon and using it to bash monsters]] (in which case ''[=NetHack=]'' players will call it a [[FanNickname "rubber chicken"]]). But keep in mind that gloved monsters can ''also'' pick up a cockatrice corpse and use it against you. And if you trip while wielding a cockatrice corpse, you ''will'' [[YetAnotherStupidDeath accidentally touch it and die of stoning]].
** The [[GameMod variant]] ''Slash'EM'' also has the basilisk, which is basically the same as the cockatrice, except that it doesn't hiss and its corpse it too big to use as an Improvised Weapon.
* Both Cockatrice and Basilisk are among the many [[{{Mon}} demons]] in the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' franchise. Both are separate monsters, but when it appears the Cockatrice's in-game description often mention that it is related to the Basilisk.
* The ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' franchise has Cockatrimon/[[SpellMyNameWithAnS Kokatorimon]], a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin cockatrice Digimon]] complete with the usual stone-turning glare. It also has a PaletteSwap called Akatorimon.
* ''VideoGame/DragonsDogma'': Cockatrices are [[OurGryphonsAreDifferent griffin-like]] beasts with the hindquarters of lions and the forequarters of black roosters, and breathe out clouds of petrifying gas.
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'': Basilisk is the code name for the eponymous Peace Walker and it has [[MeaningfulName multiple meanings]]. First and foremost, it's name is "King of Snakes" referencing the protagonist's name Snake. Second, it refers to the real life animal that can run on water. Peace Walker is operated by the Reptile Pod that controls its basic motor functions based off an outdated scientific concept called the "triune brain". Finally, it has an attack where it shoots a laser at its target hypnotizing them which references the mythological basilisks ability to petrify its victims.
* Cockatrice appears as an enemy in the VideoGame/{{Boktai}} series, resembling a giant chicken with a snake tail. Due to their [[TakenForGranite signature petrifying eye beam]], they are usually seem serving GorgeousGorgon Carmilla and are summoned en masse during her boss battle.
* ''VideoGame/ArkSurvivalEvolved'': The [[HollowWorld Aberration]] DLC introduces the Basilisk as an utterly massive burrowing snake with a dragon-like head and crests that spits large amounts of venom and can only be tamed by being fed fertilized [[FeatheredDragons Rock Drake]] eggs.
* Popla Cocapetri from ''VideoGame/MegaManZero 4'' is based off one and resembles a chicken robot with a serpent's tail, can lay eggs that hatch into minions, and can "petrify" robotic opponents via hacking. One of his abilities fires out a cloud of data that temporarily "petrifies" Zero if it hits, and Zero can learn a similar ability that paralyzes enemies [[PowerCopying after beating him]].

Basilisks and cockatrices, regardless of what deadly powers they are given or whether they are treated as the same thing or different creatures, tend to be used in a fairly consistent, uniform manner -- as an inherently, incredibly deadly being whose mere gaze or presence is enough to kill, thus posing an unusually dangerous threat that needs to somehow be dealt with without being approached or even looked at.

* The Cockatrice and Basilisk both appears as monsters in the [[VideoGame/Disgaea2CursedMemories second]] and [[VideoGame/Disgaea3AbsenceOfJustice third]] game of the ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea}}'' series. They appear as fat, giant chickens with snake as a tail, and are in the same class of monsters. Their most distinctive ability is disabling skills for any enemies standing right next to them.

* ''Literature/BookOfImaginaryBeings'': Borges notes how the basilisk (also called the cockatrice)'s appearance has changed over the centuries; Pliny had it as a snake with a crown-shaped mark on its forehead, but in the Middle Ages it turned into a four-legged rooster with thorny wings, yellow feathers, a crown and a serpent's tail tipped with either a hook or another rooster's head. It is always a horribly deadly creature, at whose passage plants wilt and birds fall dead from the sky, which poisons the water from which it drinks, and whose gaze kills, withers plants and splits rocks. It lives only in deserts, because any land it settles become such. Its only weaknesses are weasels, which are immune to its power and attack it on sight; roosters, whose crowing sends it running in fear; and mirrors, as seeing its own reflection will strike it dead. One myth places the basilisk among the many snakes born from {{Medusa}}'s severed head.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter''