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Once upon a time there used to live a Basilisk in a cave underneath where the Tanner’s Fountain (Gerberberglein) is today. Said to kill with its poisonous breath even, it has become the very symbol of Basel today.
Once upon a time there used to live a Basilisk in a cave underneath where the Tanner’s Fountain (Gerberberglein) is today. Said to kill with its poisonous breath even, it has become the very symbol of Basel today.
In the very old city of Basel in Switzerland lies a quiet little street called Gerberberglein, near the banks of the Rhine and the bustling Marktplatz in the Swiss city filled with legends. You will also see a lot of depictions of a basilisk around the city. Painted on walls, statues on the fountains. Today, the area is surrounded by charming medieval architecture, cobbled alleys, and the hum of daily life, but could it also house a Basilisk?
Read more: Check out all legends and ghost stories from Switzerland
Although the name Basel and Basilisks seems to be a coincidence, there are a lot of stories about that once upon a time, a terrible basilisk was lurking underneath the medieval city. Its home was in a cave where the Gerber Brunnen, or the tanner’s fountain is found today.
Basilisk of Basel: Basilisk at the bridgehead of the Wettstein Bridge in Basel. The four basilisks were designed by Ferdinand Schlöth (1818–1891). The molds were made by Hans Baur. The sculpture does not depict a griffin and has nothing to do with the bird Gryff. // Source: EinDao/Wikimedia
What Is a Basilisk?
The basilisk is one of the oldest creatures in European folklore, first appearing in texts as early as the first century AD and Greek folklore. Medieval bestiaries described it as the “king of serpents” — hence the name basiliskos, Greek for “little king.” It was often associated with death, poison, and forbidden knowledge, a creature born from unnatural acts: a serpent hatched from a rooster’s egg, warmed by a toad or snake. Its uncanny power to kill with a look made it the embodiment of pestilence and unholy wrath.
Basilisk: The basilisk and the weasel, by Marcus Gheeraerts the Elder. The cockatrice (pictured) became seen as synonymous with the basilisk when the “basiliscus” in Bartholomeus Anglicus’s De proprietatibus rerum (ca 1260) was translated by John Trevisa as “cockatrice” (1397).
Basilisks were believed to be hatched from eggs that were laid by roosters (who had to be either 7 or 9 years old) on the dung pile of serpents. This combination produced a creature with the head of a rooster and the tail and wings of a large serpent.
A Monster Beneath Basel City
According to a legend that has haunted Basel since the Middle Ages, a basilisk is a monstrous hybrid said to be part rooster, part serpent, and part toad who once lived in a dark, damp cave underneath Gerberberglein. The cave, now sealed and lost to time, was once believed to be the domain of this deadly beast. It was said that one glance from the basilisk could kill a man outright, turning flesh to stone or burning life from the body. Even the breath of the creature was fatal.
Gerberbrunnen: Paul Siegfried (1878–1938) lawyer, historian, and writer. Gerberbrunnen, also known as Richtbrunnen , is located at Gerbergasse 48 in Basel-Stadt. Inscription: In this well’s dark depths once lived—legend tells us—the basilisk, a wild monster. Today, it bears Basel’s coat of arms. A court was then held here, and dancing and minnesong were also practiced; from the guild house that stood by the spring, it was called the Gerberbunnen (Gerber’s Well). After drying up for many years, it now flows again, full and clear. No dragon plots murder within it anymore, but another dragon lives on. O Basel, free yourself from it: break the head of discord! // Source: EinDao/Wikimedia
No one dared venture near the cave. Animals avoided the area, and plants withered as if poisoned by the very air. The townspeople lived in terror, avoiding the cave and whispering tales of brave fools who tried and failed to slay the beast.
The Tale of the Basilisk Egg
It is said that on a Thursday morning in 1474 before Laurentius, a black rooster, older than a decade, laid a big oblong egg in the middle of Gerbergasse. Usually in basilisk lore, the egg is laid by a rooster when it’s either seven or nine years old. Everyone knew that this had to be a basilisk egg and panic spread.
They sentenced the rooster to death before the egg could hatch. As soon as the egg would hatch, no sword or knight could kill it. To vanquish the monster you had to pull out a mirror so that the basilisk would see its own reflection and die of its own power.
They sliced the rooster open, finding three eggs. After killing it, they tossed it on the pyre, making sure that they would never again be bothered by the threat of a Basilisk again.
This account is found in the same chronicle from 1624 where they discussed the basilisk living in the cave underground.
The Basilisk as Basel’s Symbol
Though the monster was vanquished, the basilisk never left Basel’s story. In fact, it became one of the city’s most enduring symbols. The first known illustration of a basilisk in Basel dates from 1448, when it was shown holding the city’s coat of arms.
The Basilisk holding Basle’s coat of arms can be traced back in heraldry to a monument reminding of the fatal 1356 earthquake that destroyed the city almost to the ground: “Basilisk, you poisonous worm and fable, now you shall hold the shield of the dignified city of Basel”. This epigraph probably dates back to the early 15th century.
Basiliskbrunnen: The most common way to encounter a basilisk in Basel today is on one of the numerous “Basiliskenbrunnen” that can be found throughout the city. These fountains were first designed in 1884. Today , 28 basilisk fountains are still in operation in Basel. // Source: Wikimedia
To this day, basilisk statues can be seen throughout the city — perched on fountains, carved into bridges, and hidden in iron railings. The most famous are the Basilisk Fountains from the 19th century, designed to reflect the city’s medieval past and its victorious confrontation with the beast.
While today these statues may seem whimsical or decorative, their origins lie in something far darker — a time when people believed monsters slithered beneath their feet.
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