Cockatrice
From Free net encyclopedia
Image:Cockatrice.gif A cockatrice is a legendary creature about the size and shape of a dragon or wyvern, but in appearance resembling a giant rooster, with some lizard-like characteristics. It was supposed to be born from an egg laid by a cock and incubated by a toad or serpent. There are two other images which go under both the name cockatrice and basilisk.
Its reputed magical abilities include turning people to stone or killing them by either looking at them, touching them, or sometimes breathing on them, like a dragon breathing fire. The cockatrice is very similar (if not identical) to another legendary creature, the basilisk; the Jewish Encyclopedia considers them identical.
Like the head of Medusa, the cockatrice's powers of petrification are still effective after death.
In the King James Version of the Old Testament cockatrice is used several times.
- Isaiah 11:8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
- Isaiah 14:29 Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.
- Isaiah 59:5 They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.
- Jeremiah 8:17 For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD.
Cockatrice in modern fiction
- Cockatrices are the main villains in Gerald Durrell's fantasy story "The Talking Parcel"
- In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, there was once a cockatrice loose at the triwizard tournament.
- In Dungeons & Dragons, there is a cockatrice (classified as a Magical Beast) in the Monster Manual.
- There is also a Magic: The Gathering cockatrice card, similar to the basilisk.
- In the console role-playing game Final Fantasy IV, the cockatrice (or "cocatrice") is a summoned monster with the power to turn an enemy monster into stone. It appears as a random encounter enemy in most other Final Fantasies and can petrify party members.
- In the computer role-playing game RuneScape, a cockatrice is a monster which you have to have 25 Slayer, and a Mirror Shield in order to kill.
- As a creature in the roguelike game NetHack, its petrification capabilities make it a particularly fearsome monster. A vanquished cockatrice will leave a poisonous corpse that petrifies anything it touches; the player character can pick up this corpse and wield it as a weapon, if he or she has proper protection. This is extremely dangerous.
- It can also be found as a DDS card in Castlevania: Circle of the Moon video game for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. It gives the player powers of petrification and stronger attacks. Cockatrices are also found in other Castlevania games as enemies.
- Cockatrice are also found as enemies on Nintendo Game Boy Advance games.
- Cockatrice are in the game EverQuest.
- 2 Digimon (Kokatorimon and Akatorimon) are based on the cockatrice.
The cockatrice is said to be afraid of the weasel, and closely associated with the basilisk. It is also thought to die instanly upon hearing a rooster crow.