======Basilisks======
=====Introduction=====
The **Basilisk**, also known as the **King of Serpents**, is a giant magical serpent considered to be one of the most dangerous creatures in the wizarding world. Bred by [[Dark Arts|Dark wizards]], the first known Basilisk was created by [[Herpo the Foul]], a Greek [[Dark Wizard]] and [[Parselmouth]]. Basilisks are monstrous beasts possessing two primary methods of killing: a direct gaze into their eyes which causes instant death, and incredibly potent venom for which the only known antidote is [[Phoenix tears]]. Due to their extreme danger, the [[Ministry of Magic]] classifies them as XXXXX creatures, known wizard-killers that are impossible to train or domesticate.
=====Biography=====
This section details the history of the species and the most infamous specimen known to wizarding history.
====Creation====
The method of creating a [[Basilisk]] was discovered by the ancient Greek wizard [[Herpo the Foul]]. The process involves the hatching of a [[chicken]] egg beneath a [[toad]]. [[Herpo the Foul]] was a [[Parselmouth]], and this ability is the only known way to command and control a [[Basilisk]], making them the exclusive and terrifying servants of those who can speak the language of serpents. Breeding [[Basilisk|Basilisks]] has been illegal for centuries.
====Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk====
Approximately one thousand years before the events of the series, [[Salazar Slytherin]] built the [[Chamber of Secrets]] deep within [[Hogwarts Castle]]. Within this chamber, he concealed a [[Basilisk]], intending for his heir to one day use it to purge the school of students he deemed unworthy to study magic—namely, [[Muggle-borns]].
The [[Basilisk]] remained dormant for centuries until 1943, when [[Slytherin's Heir]], a young [[Tom Riddle]], opened the [[Chamber of Secrets]]. He used his ability to speak [[Parseltongue]] to command the serpent, ordering it to attack students. This resulted in several injuries and the death of a student named [[Myrtle Warren]] in a girls' bathroom. The [[Basilisk]] retreated into the Chamber when [[Riddle]] was forced to cease his activities and frame [[Rubeus Hagrid]] for the attacks.
In 1992, a memory of the sixteen-year-old [[Tom Riddle]], preserved within his old school [[Tom Riddle's Diary|diary]], possessed [[Ginny Weasley]] and forced her to reopen the Chamber. The [[Basilisk]] was unleashed once more, resulting in the [[Petrification]] of several students and a [[ghost]]. [[Harry Potter]] discovered the entrance to the Chamber and faced the serpent. Aided by [[Fawkes]] the [[phoenix]] and the [[Sword of Godric Gryffindor]], Harry blinded the [[Basilisk]] and ultimately killed it by driving the sword through the roof of its mouth. Though bitten by one of its fangs, Harry was saved by [[Fawkes]]'s healing tears.
=====Physical Appearance and Nature=====
A [[Basilisk]] is a gigantic serpent of a brilliant, poisonous green color with large, yellow eyes. The specimen in the [[Chamber of Secrets]] was described as being up to fifty feet in length, as thick as an oak tree. Male [[Basilisk|Basilisks]] are distinguished by a scarlet plume upon their head. They shed their skin periodically, as a massive snakeskin was found by [[Harry Potter]] and [[Ron Weasley]] in the [[Hogwarts]] tunnels.
By nature, they are instruments of dark magic, bred only to kill. They are controllable only by a [[Parselmouth]], to whom they seem to show a degree of loyalty and obedience. When not commanded, the [[Basilisk]] in the [[Chamber of Secrets]] appeared to primarily hunt for sustenance, as it was shown to eat rats within the [[Hogwarts]] plumbing.
=====Magical Abilities and Skills=====
  * **The Killing Gaze:** The [[Basilisk]]'s most infamous power. Anyone who looks directly into its large yellow eyes will die instantly. An indirect gaze—such as seeing the eyes' reflection—results in [[Petrification]].
    * //Victims of Direct Gaze:// [[Myrtle Warren]].
    * //Victims of Indirect Gaze:// [[Mrs. Norris]] (saw a reflection in a puddle of water), [[Colin Creevey]] (through his camera lens), [[Justin Finch-Fletchley]] (through the ghost [[Nearly Headless Nick]]), [[Hermione Granger]] (using a mirror to look around corners), and [[Nearly Headless Nick]] (who, being a ghost, was petrified but could not die again).
  * **Deadly Venom:** [[Basilisk]] venom is an exceptionally powerful and destructive substance with no known magical cure, save for the rare and potent tears of a [[phoenix]]. A single drop can kill a person in minutes. The venom is also one of the few known substances capable of destroying a [[Horcrux]].
    * The venom from the fang that pierced [[Harry Potter]]'s arm was used to destroy [[Tom Riddle's Diary]].
    * Years later, [[Ron Weasley]] used another fang retrieved from the [[Chamber of Secrets]] to destroy the [[Slytherin's Locket|locket Horcrux]].
  * **Extreme Longevity:** The [[Basilisk]] owned by [[Salazar Slytherin]] lived for approximately one thousand years, sustained by magic and the wildlife within the castle's plumbing.
  * **Enhanced Senses:** After being blinded by [[Fawkes]], Slytherin's [[Basilisk]] was able to track [[Harry Potter]] effectively within the [[Chamber of Secrets]] using its sense of smell and hearing.
=====Possessions=====
While a creature does not have possessions, its physical parts are powerful magical components.
  * **Fangs:** The primary delivery system for its venom. The fangs are exceptionally sharp and, even after the creature's death, remain imbued with potent venom for a significant period.
  * **Venom:** A magical substance of the highest destructive order.
  * **Skin:** The shed skin of a [[Basilisk]] is highly valuable, likely for use in making protective items like dragon-hide gloves, though its specific properties are not stated.
=====Relationships=====
  * **Masters:** [[Basilisk|Basilisks]] are exclusively controlled by [[Parselmouth|Parselmouths]]. [[Herpo the Foul]] was the first known master. [[Salazar Slytherin]] and his heir, [[Tom Riddle]], were the only known masters of the [[Hogwarts]] [[Basilisk]]. [[Harry Potter]], being a [[Parselmouth]] at the time, could understand the beast but did not control it.
  * **Enemies:** The natural and mortal enemy of the [[Basilisk]] is the [[rooster]]. The crowing of a [[rooster]] is instantly fatal to the serpent. [[Spider|Spiders]], including [[Aragog]] and his colony, fear the [[Basilisk]] above all other creatures and will flee at the mere mention of its name.
=====Etymology=====
The name //basilisk// comes from the Greek word //basiliskos//, meaning "little king." This is a direct reference to its title as the "King of Serpents" and the mythological belief that it had a crown-shaped crest or marking on its head.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * In the companion book //Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them//, the [[Basilisk]] is given the highest [[Ministry of Magic]] Classification of XXXXX, and the text notes that sightings have been unreported in Britain for at least four hundred years prior to the events in the [[Chamber of Secrets]]. (//Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them//).
  * The legend of the [[Basilisk]]'s creation (hatched from a chicken or cockerel's egg by a toad or serpent) and its fatal relationship with roosters is drawn directly from real-world European legends, most famously recorded by Pliny the Elder in the 1st century AD.
  * In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets//, the [[Basilisk]] is depicted with a more reptilian, dinosaur-like facial structure and possesses a frill of horns around its head, a feature not mentioned in the novel. (film).