Basilisk

**Basilisks** are a species of serpentine demons from the Demon Realm that possess shapeshifting and magic-siphoning abilities.

Basilisks were once extinct, but several were revived and held captive by the Emperor's Coven so their methods of draining magic could be studied.

## Appearance

Basilisks have semi-humanoid upper bodies, with their lower halves being long and serpentine. Similar to reptiles, they are covered in scales, have claws, serrated fangs, nictating membranes, and a wedge at the end of their tail, although they grow hair like mammals do, mainly on their heads, ears and backs. They have wide heads resembling a snake's and visible lips, but with webbed ears and glossy, frog-like eyes that are noted to have large black irises. A subspecies or breed of basilisk known as the Greater Basilisk exists, which appear to be much larger than normal basilisks, but have no other known distinctions.

## Abilities

Basilisks can drain the magic from witches and demons, a skill they are universally feared for (although they usually don't kill their victims). In addition, basilisks can transform themselves into humanoid creatures such as witches and humans as shapeshifters, but they need the magic that they withdraw from living creatures in order to transform back into their normal form when their magic reserves are exhausted. While basilisks can absorb the magic of spell circles, absorbing glyph magic can harm them.

## Background

Basilisks were said to be dangerous creatures, due to their reputation for draining the magic out of living creatures. According to Vee, however, the sapience of the basilisks revived by Emperor Belos varied, with some of them, including herself, able to consciously restrain this urge. They can also detect magic by scent. A picture of a basilisk appears on Hooty's board of beast demons, suggesting they are considered to be beast-type demons.

Long before the series, basilisks were rendered extinct by unknown factors. They are implied to have been hunted at some point in time. Much later, the species was somehow revived by Emperor Belos in order for their magic-draining methods to be studied. They were held inside facilities operated by the Emperor's Coven. Five basilisks in confinement, numbered I, II, III, IV, and V, were experimented on, in order to find out through experimentation how they extract magic from other living beings. Eventually, however, at least III, IV, and V managed to escape and went into hiding.

A rogue basilisk known as a greater basilisk also appeared, but its connections to the others are undefined.

Four years after Belos' defeat, there are two Basilisks, III and IV, shown residing at the University of Wild Magic.

## Trivia

* In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk is a legendary reptile reputed to be a serpent king, who can cause death with a single glance.
	+ Incidentally, the greater basilisk is a variant of the basilisk found in fantasy tabletop card games such as *Magic: The Gathering*.
* In "Through the Looking Glass Ruins", one of the search suggestions in the crystal ball is "Hunting Basilisks".

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dana Terrace, John Bailey Owen, Zach Marcus (writers) and Amelia Lorenz (director) (July 31, 2021). "Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Hooty's Door". *The Owl House*. Season 2. Episode 8. Disney Channel.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Dana Terrace, Molly Ostertag (writers) and Bo Coburn (director) (August 14, 2021). "Yesterday's Lie". *The Owl House*. Season 2. Episode 10. Disney Channel.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Dana Terrace, Rachel Vine, John Bailey Owen, Zach Marcus (writers) and Sage Cotugno (director) (July 25, 2020). "The First Day". *The Owl House*. Season 1. Episode 13. Disney Channel.
4. ↑ Dana Terrace, Molly Ostertag (writers) and Bo Coburn (director) (July 10, 2021). "Through the Looking Glass Ruins". *The Owl House*. Season 2. Episode 5. Disney Channel.