loch ness monster, others actually basilisk?

found an interesting article on this beast. it appears to be very similar to nessie. the article's most interesting point was the source wasnt folklore.

"The word �basilisk� is from the Greek basiliskos meaning "little king". The etymology seems to directly relate back to the original description of the basilisk. However, the knowledge of the basilisk is not based on literature from the classical period in ancient Greece. Instead, the main description we have for this beast is found in Pliny�s Natural History which was written in Rome in 77 AD. This piece is a compilation of ancient (and mostly Greek) sources."

the article can be found here:
webhome.idirect.com...

I think Champ in Lake Champlain is supposed to be a similar creature. Then of course there is the one that Harry Potter killed

also very similar to the leviathan found in the Bible. I cant seem to find the humor in this, as you apparently have. I am not claiming that they exist now or ever did, merely looking for their source. Harry Potter was a stupid movie. some of the things it touched on were inspired by legends & myths as well as history. dragon and monster legends have been around forever. alchemy was and still is practiced.

there are other "places" where they are described not as a serpent like, but as a regular reptilie with tail and 6 legs., althou bouth the 2 versions had the "petrified effect", in a weird eye gaze, like the medusa.

P.S.- the other ones showed in that linkm in the basilskus zone, looks like "cocatrices" to me. that weird birds had "petrifed eye gaze" too, acording to legends.

[edit on 8-6-2004 by kangaxx]

The Harry Potter thing was a joke :-). But there really are stories about something named Champ in Lake Champlain which borders NY and VT. Who knows if these things are real or just tales passed on from generation to generation.

kangaxx, there are different versions of the basilisk. everything from a great serpent, to a serpent cock hybrid was discussed on that page. maybe the hybrid could be the origin of the dragon myth. I always thought the drawings of nessie looked very similar to a dragon. one of those drawings at the bottom of that page looks just like a dragon to me.

Other way around....dragon myths predate any basilisk notions....

i am thinking in this , and i ahve noticed a question:

if we are debating the possible theory that "Nessy" can be a basilisk, we must assuming too that a basilisk have a "stoning eye gaze"!, so,,,don't you think if "he" his that we must had discovered "stoned animals"!? nobody never had related nothing, in the lake shoore there are not a colection of "animal statues"!
neither the bottom of the lake have "fish statues" or something like that.

dont you think this is a good question? petrifing eye gaze is the primal characteristic of a basilisk, its because of that we dont call it a lizard or something....i think.