The Basilisk is a mythical creature which stems from ancient recordings of natural history. Many medieval bestiaries contain entries devoted to this King of Serpents. However, the idea for such a creature may have been invoked long ago by the likeness of a cobra.
In many accounts of this beast, it is noted that the mongoose is its bane. This truth may have sprung from the fact that mongooses prey upon venemous snakes, and seem to evade their venemous bites.
As previously stated, this snake was recognized to be the King of Serpents, which is why in the above image it is wearing a crown.
Through traditional lore, it is learned that the Basilisk has many unique abilities. Its gaze renders those who it captures dead, its noxious breath kills, and its mere presence scars the landscape.
In addition, parts of the body of this foul beast were used in alchemical rituals to turn base metals into gold.
Ancient naturalists had different interpretations of what a Basilisk looked like, which can account for the varying visual representations of that monster. Accordingly, other likenesses of the creature include a chicken-like aberration, and a multi-legged lizard-like creature.
The above image is from Edward Topsell’s “The History of Four-Footed Beasts and Serpents”.