Garden portrait of painted Basilisco standing in shady fern and gunnera leaves, front of yellow shingles, Caulin, Chiloe, Chile
In Chilote mythology, El Basilisco is a snake with a cockerel's head, which turns people to stone with its gaze. At night it enters houses, sucking the breath from sleeping inhabitants, so they waste away and shrivel up into skeletons. Burning down the house is the only way to be rid of it. Chiloe Island's isolation from the mainland, with self-reliance on the sea and land, has produced a rich combination of myth and folklore that intrigues visitors.
Size: 2848px × 4287px
Location: Caulin, Chiloe Island, Chile, South America
Photo credit: © robert harrison / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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