Basilisks

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 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.

This section details the history of the species and the most infamous specimen known to wizarding history.

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 Basilisks has been illegal for centuries.

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 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.

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 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.

• 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 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.

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.

• Masters: Basilisks are exclusively controlled by 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. Spiders, including Aragog and his colony, fear the Basilisk above all other creatures and will flee at the mere mention of its name.

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.

• 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).