Vilnius Basilisk is a creature hatched from a coupling of a cockerel and a serpent. It lives somewhere in the cellars on Bakszta Hill, near the Subačius Gates, the Barbican or the former house of executioner. The glance of the Basilisk is lethal therefore it is believed it could be killed with a mirror.

The first mention of Vilnius Basilisk dates back to Sigismund Augustus rule, when they tried to kill it with bunches of rues. In the 18th century it emerged once more and a prisoner, sentenced for killing a bastard, was sent to fight it with a mirror. They said he had succeeded. But that is not true, as at the end of the 20th century the poisonous breath of the Basilisk used to frighten a famous Lithuanian writer. For centuries, up to this day, the students of Vilnius University once a year pay tribute to this creature.

Kristina Sabaliauskaitė’s family has lived in Vilnius for many generations and since her early days she was taught not to fear the Basilisk. To tell the truth, the old Vilnius natives have quite domesticated the creature and they consider it a bad omen when it is not seen arround or is being forgotten. Read more about this in SILVA RERUM.