How about a few mythical beasts on a Saturday night.

• Manticore (pictured above):

“It has the body of a red lion, a human head with three rows of sharp teeth (like a shark), and a trumpet-like voice […] The manticore myth was of Persian origin, where its name was ‘man-eater’” (link)

• Amphisbaena:

“a Greek word, from amphis, meaning “both ways”, and bainein, meaning “to go”, also called the Mother of Ants, is a mythological, ant-eating serpent with a head at each end. […] It is said that expecting women wearing a live amphisbaena around their necks would have safe pregnancies, however if your goal is to cure ailments such as arthritis or the common cold, wear only its skin.” (link)

• Basilisk:

“a legendary reptile reputed to be king of serpents and said to have the power to cause death with a single glance.” (link)

• Cockatrice:

“a legendary creature, resembling a large rooster with a lizard-like tail, ‘an ornament in the drama and poetry of the Elizabethans’ Laurence Breiner described it; ‘the cockatrice, which no one ever saw, was born by accident at the end of the twelfth century and died in the middle of the seventeenth, a victim of the new science.’” (link)

• Dipsa:

“a tiny, extremely poisonous snake from Medieval bestiaries. They were so poisonous that their victim would die before becoming aware he’d been bitten.” (link)

For more, consult your nearest bestiary.

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