Of dragons, basilisks and other monsters.

The little king is his name, the basilisk, from the Greek word “basilikos”, Latin “regulus”. A mythical creature with the head of a cockerel and the body of a snake, he was chosen as king of the serpents.

It is many years since I first discovered this fascinating creature on the last page of a book about reptiles. In this particular case it was the plumed basilisk (basilicus plumifrons) of the iguanidae family, originating from Costa Rica. His glare nearly turned me to stone, and indeed it is this for which he is renowned in the mythical world. Thankfully for me, the effect lasted only a few seconds until the shock wore off, and I realised that I absolutely had to possess this animal.

The male of the species have two lappets on their head, and a magnificent crest along both the back and tail. These make it an animal which sends our imagination into flights of fancy. Mine was certainly in incredible turmoil, until the many weeks of impatient waiting were over and I could finally call one of these creatures my own. Everything I had read in sagas and fairytales about dragons, chimeras and other monsters was transferred into reality with this lizard. Whenever I observed my basilisk, I found myself on a kind of borderline between fantasy and reality. His shiny yellow eyes alone had an extraordinarily hypnotic effect on me. Then there was the bright green, and the pale blue spots on his flanks, which for me, together with his dragon’s comb, turned him into something I could no longer put into words.

According to the legend, a basilisk can only be born when the egg of a cockerel is brooded by a snake. As well as his Medusa eyes, he also possesses a poison, which is supposed immediately to kill anyone who comes into contact with it. Unlike classic dragons, basilisks can’t apparently breathe fire. At least mine never did, as far as I can remember!

Central America is home not only to the plumed basilisk, but also to the brown basilisk and the plain old common basilisk. Like the Messiah, they are all capable of walking on water, or rather, running on water. In spite of their wondrous appearance, they too are still at the mercy of gravity, and were it not for their speed, aerodynamic design, and webbed feet, they would be drawn mercilessly under. With good reason these creatures are known as Jesus Lizards.

My basilisks (needless to say I acquired more over time) were all very hectic creatures. Some were also aggressive and acrimonious – only the females of course. Please forgive the dig, I couldn’t resist it, but it really was the case. It’s hard to believe, but even in lizards you can witness bitchy behaviour.

Readers of Harry Potter will remember the hybrid creature in “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”, in this case a cross between a dragon and a monstrous giant snake.

Interestingly, in the richly allegorical language of Alchemy, the basilisk is said to represent the mystical substance that can change base metals, such as lead and mercury, into precious metals like gold and silver. I had always had ambitions to go down in history as a dragon slayer. In my imagination at least, as with Alphonse Daudet’s Tartarin de Tarascon and his African lion hunting fantasies, this animal brought me pretty close.

Naturally, I had never actually considered carrying out such a heroic deed, whatever that may conjure up, yet one summer’s day, I was walking happily round the garden with the elderly gentleman Achilles when, with a quick movement, he managed to free himself from the protection of my hands, and ran on his hind legs at top speed towards the nearby pond, dived in, and disappeared. In the days that followed, the whole family spent hours, not exactly calling, but searching for him. A week or so later, he betrayed his whereabouts with a loud rustling from the other side of the garden. There followed a heroic duel. At first I wanted to bag him, then I thought better of it, spared his life, chained him in fetters, and returned him as a prisoner to his cage. So I never did become a dragon slayer, but instead a much-relieved basilisk catcher – a truly life-enhancing experience!