The Basilisk House

Wien · Østrig · House

A basilisk hatched from a rooster's egg by a toad lurked in the well — until a baker's boy was lowered with a mirror and let its own gaze kill it.

In the courtyard well of Schönlaterngasse 7 something is said to have been hatched that had no business in this world: an old rooster laid an egg, a toad brooded it, and out of the shell came a basilisk. In 1212 the servants refused to fetch water — the stench below was unbearable — and a baker's apprentice was lowered on a rope. He saw the creature crouched against the well wall and was hauled up half dead with fright. The legend says a mirror was then let down. The basilisk met its own eyes, and since its gaze turns living things to stone, it petrified itself. Above the second floor a sandstone figure with an iron beak and gilded comb still sits in its niche. The house is called 'Zum Basilisken' and its cellar walls date to the 13th century.

FAQ

Hvor ligger The Basilisk House?

The Basilisk House ligger i Wien, Østrig.