The cockatrice is a mythological creature described as "a two-legged dragon with a rooster's head". It is supposed to be born from an egg laid by a chicken and incubated by a toad (sometimes substituted for a snake), making it the opposite of its close relative, the basilisk.
A representation of a cockatrice
Alternately, it is thought that a cock (yolkless) egg would give birth to a cockatrice, as they were traditionally thought to be laid by roosters (due to their lack of a yolk). This could supposedly be prevented by tossing the yolkless egg over the family house, landing on the other side of the house, without allowing the egg to hit the house.
The cockatrice, similar to the basilisk, has the ability to either turn people into stone (in a similar fashion to a gorgon) or kill them directly either by looking at them, touching them, or breathing on them. Similarly to a basilisk, the weasel is the only animal immune to the glance of a cockatrice. Cockatrices die if they hear the crowing of a rooster, or if they see their own reflection.
Popular Culture
Television
- Cockatrices appear in My Little Pony Friendship is Magic.
Literature
- A cockatrice is featured in the information book Worlds Worst Monsters and Villains.
Video Games
- Cockatrices appear in the 2012 game Scribblenauts Unlimited and its 2013 sequel.