Harry Potter: Why Spiders Feared the Basilisk More Than Ron Feared Them
Poor Ron Weasley was terrified of the Acromantulas. The Acromantulas, in turn, were terrified of the Basilisk, like all other spiders. But have you ever realized why?
Summary:
- Spiders, Actomantulas included, are terrified of Basilisks more than any other species, but few people understand why.
- Spiders have a 360-degree vision and can’t close their eyes, making them an instant kill when they’re near a Basilisk.
- Since they can’t avoid a Basilisk’s gaze, spiders resort to running and hiding and consider these serpents their worst enemies.
Thanks to Fred’s (or George’s? We’ll never know) brutal prank on Ron when he was still a baby, Harry Potter ’s best friend developed a severe case of arachnophobia. Little did Ron know until the events of The Chamber of Secrets that his worst enemies, too, feared someone even more than he feared them: the Basilisk.
Even the mighty Acromantulas of the Forbidden Forest were terrified of the Serpent of Slytherin. But have you ever wondered why they feared the Basilisk that much?
Basilisks Are Genuinely Terrifying
The result of hatching a chicken egg beneath a toad, Basilisks were first created by a Greek wizard Herpo the Foul who was also the first person to create a Horcrux. That charming fellow is rightfully considered to be the father of the Wizarding World’s most dangerous beast: in terms of raw killing abilities, Basilisks are second to none.
Basilisks are gigantic snakes capable of crushing any victim by their sheer might alone. On top of that, they’re equipped with huge cutting-edge (and people) fangs that are not only sharp but can also inject extremely deadly venom in their foes.
As if the raw power, fangs, and venom were not enough, Basilisks have another weapon they’re most most notorious for: their gaze. A single look in these serpents’ eyes is enough to instantly kill their victims, and even an indirect glance results in petrification that’s dastardly hard to revert.
Basilisks are, indeed, terrifying for all living creatures. But why do spiders consider those serpents their worst enemies? What’s so special about their relationship?
Spiders Can’t Avoid a Basilisk’s Gaze
In the Wizarding World, it’s easy to forget about mundane things, such as science. But ironically, it’s the biology of spiders, not some ancient magical feud that’s to blame for the peculiar hatred Ron’s eight-legged enemies feel toward Basilisks.
Spiders have an unholy number of eyes, you see, which grants them a 360-degree vision at all times. They also don’t have eyelids, and even when they’re resting (since they don’t sleep), their eyes remain open. In the Muggle world, these abilities are incredibly useful for spiders… But not so much in the Wizarding World.
Thanks to their 360-degree vision and always open eyes, spiders have no way of avoiding a Basilisk’s murderous gaze. Spiders are effectively dead as soon as they’re near a Basilisk, so their only option is to run far away, which they always do. Over time, spiders even developed a spider-sense that alerts them when a Basilisk is nearby, ushering them to escape somewhere the serpent won’t reach them.
When Ronald Weasley looks at an Acromantula, he dies of fear inside. When an Acromantula looks at a Basilisk, it dies of its gaze in the most literal sense. When a Basilisk hears a roaster, it also dies. And Ron Weasley eats chicken with pleasure.
This puts Ron at the top of this multi-layered food chain. What a legend, this guy.
Source: Reddit