Читать книгу The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A–Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic - John Matthews - Страница 396

In the legends of medieval Europe, the Basilisk transformed into a new creature called the Cockatrice. Instead of having a serpent’s body, it had the yellow body and wings of a dragon, a cockerel’s head, neck and legs, a human face and the tail of a snake. In some descriptions, it had an additional head at the end of its tail, like the Amphisbaena. It was believed to live in the deserts of North Africa and the only antidote to its poison was to carry a cockerel with you. Even if you were successful in spearing it, the poison from its body could kill you by pouring down the spear on to you. The poison was so venomous that it could rot fruit off trees and pollute any watercourse at which the creature drank. Like the Basilisk, its look would kill all who gazed upon it, even for an instant.