The basilisk is the most venomous of serpents; it is born in the desert, and when it looks at a man, he dies immediately. Its mere breath is fatal to living creatures (Pliny the Elder, 1938).
To be like the basilisk is to wield a power that is feared and revered, for even the bravest tremble at its gaze." — Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a basilisk, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent." — Isaiah 14:29 (KJV)
The voice of the abyss calls, the basilisk watches; beware the gaze that leads to death." — Friedrich Nietzsche
The monster that lives in the Chamber of Secrets is a basilisk, a serpent that can kill with a single glance." — Professor Binns, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling