A Thought of Unknown Provenance.

I was sitting around doing nothing in particular this evening when the word ‘cockatrice’ suddenly entered my mind. It surprised me because I had no idea what it meant; in fact I had no idea whether it was a real word or something I’d imagined. So I looked it up.

It turned out to be a mythical creature, the root of which is buried in the depths of history but which is mentioned in both the Old Testament and at least two works of Shakespeare. And it must have been reasonably familiar during the Middle Ages because it was occasionally, though rarely, used as a heraldic device. So what is it?

Well, it has several interpretations but all describe a form of reptile, ranging from a serpent-like creature to the most popular which is a kind of dragon but with a cockerel’s head. That’s the one that was used in heraldry. The theme which runs through all versions, however, is that it is capable of killing any living creature with its stare alone, apart from the lowly weasel which is impervious to its deadly charms. (Let’s hear it for the weasels, I say, especially now the Donald Trump jokes are redundant. And I decline to make reference to any of the women I've known.)

OK, so now I know what a cockatrice is (or was.) But what on earth made me think of it?