Catoblepas

The Catoblepas is an enemy in the Castlevania series. It is an ox-like beast which breath turns living things to stone. It is similar to the Gorgon (in fact, in Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin, it is actually a direct re-use of the Gorgon sprite from Symphony of the Night), and breaths out a petrifying gas cloud.
==Origins==
The catoblepas (from the Greek καταβλέπω, (katablépō) "to look downward") is a legendary creature from Ethiopia, described first by Pliny the Elder and later by Claudius Aelianus.
It is said to have the body of a buffalo and the head of a wild boar. Its back has scales that protect the beast and its head is always pointing downward due to it being very heavy. Its stare or breath could either turn people into stone or kill them. The catoblepas is often thought to be based on real-life encounters with wildebeest, such that some dictionaries say that the word is synonymous with "gnu".
Pliny described the catoblepas as a mid-sized creature, sluggish, with a heavy head and a face always turned to the ground. He thought its gaze, like that of the basilisk, was lethal, making the heaviness of its head quite fortunate.
Claudius Aelianus provided a fuller description: "The creature was a mid-sized herbivore, about the size of a domestic bull with a heavy mane, narrow, bloodshot eyes, a scaly back and shaggy eyebrows. The head was so heavy that the beast could only look down." In his description, the animal's gaze was not lethal but its breath was poisonous, since it ate only poisonous vegetation.
==Appearances==
===Castlevania: Circle of the Moon===
Catoblepae appear in the Observation Tower and the Battle Arena. In this game, the Catoblepas looks like a gray ox which stops when a hero is near to release a cloud of petrifying gas to the ground, which will travel a few steps away from the beast.
Note: Second stat listed is when encountered in the Battle Arena.
===Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow===
Catoblepae appear in the Study. They attack by breathing petrifying gas cloud and their appearance is closer to that of an armored bull than to an ox. Soma can safely stand on the back of the beast, even allowing him to use them as stepping platforms to reach higher areas.
The Catoblepas' soul grants Soma the Stone Breath ability, which allows him to release a continuous cloud of petrifying gas from his hand.
===Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow===
Catoblepae appear a few times in the Garden of Madness. They are very slow, so killing them is not very difficult.
Same as in Aria of Sorrow, its soul grants Soma Cruz the Stone Breath ability, which allows him to create clouds of petrifying gas, which can turn to stone many enemies and allows Soma to deal +50% damage to them while petrified.
===Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin===
Similar to those appearing in Dawn of Sorrow. There is one two rooms past Keremet's room in the Great Stairway.
 
==Item Data==
==Gallery==
AoS 029.png|Catoblepas enemy list entry from Aria of Sorrow.
==Trivia==
*While in other games the Catoblepas is weaker than its counterpart, the Gorgon, in Castlevania: Circle of the Moon the Catoblepas is the stronger one.
==See also==
*Gorgon
==External links==
*Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin - Bestiary by Darth Nemesis at GameFAQs
*Mr. P's Castlevania Realm
Category:African Monsters
Category:Animal-Type Enemies
Category:Platform Enemies
Category:Stone Enemies
Category:Aria of Sorrow Enemies
Category:Circle of the Moon Enemies
Category:Dawn of Sorrow Enemies
Category:Portrait of Ruin Enemies