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A '''cockatrice''' is a [[magic]]al creature resembling a rooster with a lizard's tail. During the [[1790s|1792]] [[Triwizard Tournament]], one of the tasks involved capturing a cockatrice. Unfortunately, the cockatrice broke free, and went on a rampage that injured the Heads of [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]], [[Beauxbatons Academy of Magic]], and the [[Durmstrang Institute]].
 
A '''cockatrice''' is a magical creature resembling a rooster with a lizard's tail. During the [[1792]] [[Triwizard Tournament]], one of the tasks involved capturing a cocktrice. Unfortunately, the cockatrice broke free, and went on a rampage that injured the Heads of [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]], [[Beauxbatons Academy of Magic]], and the [[Durmstrang Institute]].
 
 
The cockatrice is similiar to the [[Basilisk]], however it is different in that the cockatrice has wings and can fly. A cockatrice is born from a chicken's egg hatched under a reptile. It supposedly posesses the magical ability to [[petrify]] people by either looking at, breathing on, or touching them. Medieval accounts, such as ''Ye Olde Nethack Bestiary'', claim the weasel is the only animal immune to the cockatrice's magic (although this account terms it "chickatrice").
 
 
Also like the Basilisk, it was believed that a cockatrice could be killed by subjecting it to the crowing of a rooster. Another way to kill a cockatrice was supposedly to have it look at itself in a mirror. Like Medusa of Greek Mythology, the cockatrice's powers were thought to still carry effect after its death.
 
   
 
==Etymology==
 
==Etymology==
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==Behind the scenes==
 
==Behind the scenes==
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*The cockatrice is a creature from medieval legends. First described in the twelfth century, it is often described as a two-legged dragon with a rooster's head. The terms [[basilisk]] and cockatrice are often used interchangeably in modern translations of some legends, though it's obvious the two are different creatures in the ''Harry Potter'' universe.<ref>{{Wikilink|Cockatrice}}</ref>
*The origins of the cockatrice harken back to the slang term for a Londoner, "Cockney," meaning "cock's egg".
 
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*In the Spanish, Portuguese, Greek and Dutch version of the [[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire|book]], the cockatrice is translated as ''basilisco'', which, in fact, means basilisk.
*The local legend of the village of Wherwell, Hampshire holds that a cockatrice was imprisoned in Wherwell Priory until a man named Green killed it with a mirror. The cockatrice exhausted itself trying to kill its reflection, at which point Green slew it. There is land near Wherwell that is still called Green's Acres for the prize of land Green received in exchange for doing away with the beast. What's more, a weather vane in the shape of a cockatrice topped the church of St. Peter and Holy Cross in Wherwell until it was donated to the Andover Museum.
 
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*In the Polish version of the [[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire|book]], the cockatrice is translated as ''żmijoptak'' – [[Occamy]].
*The King James Old Testament uses the word cockatrice to describe a particular beast (Jeremiah 8:17, among many). The Revised Version terms it "basilisk", and the NIV Bible translates it as "viper."
 
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*For some reason these creatures are not featured in [[Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them]]. It's unknown why this is.
   
 
==Appearances==
 
==Appearances==
*''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]'' {{mentioned}}
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*''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]'' {{1st Mention}}
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==Notes and references==
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{{Reflist}}
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[[fr:Cocatris]]
 
[[fr:Cocatris]]
 
[[Category:Beasts]]
 
[[Category:Beasts]]
 
[[Category:Creatures]]
 
[[Category:Creatures]]
[[Category:XXXXX Creatures]]
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[[Category:Articles related to basilisks]]

Revision as of 18:49, 7 November 2015

A cockatrice is a magical creature resembling a rooster with a lizard's tail. During the 1792 Triwizard Tournament, one of the tasks involved capturing a cockatrice. Unfortunately, the cockatrice broke free, and went on a rampage that injured the Heads of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and the Durmstrang Institute.

Etymology

The cockatrice takes its name from both cock (rooster) and crocodile (old French, cocatris).

Behind the scenes

  • The cockatrice is a creature from medieval legends. First described in the twelfth century, it is often described as a two-legged dragon with a rooster's head. The terms basilisk and cockatrice are often used interchangeably in modern translations of some legends, though it's obvious the two are different creatures in the Harry Potter universe.[1]
  • In the Spanish, Portuguese, Greek and Dutch version of the book, the cockatrice is translated as basilisco, which, in fact, means basilisk.
  • In the Polish version of the book, the cockatrice is translated as żmijoptakOccamy.
  • For some reason these creatures are not featured in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It's unknown why this is.

Appearances

Notes and references