Catoblepas | Mythic Buffalo
The catóblepa (from Greek καταβλέπω: "that looks down") is a mythological, quadrupedal, antelope-like animal with a head so large and heavy that it can only look down. Its eyes are red and injected, and it can kill only with its gaze. Its back has scales that protect it. Pliny the Elder said that he lived in Ethiopia.
References in antiquity about the catóblepa are scarce, being practically reiterative. This curious creature was also described by Claudio Eliano, Leonardo da Vinci, Topsell and Flaubert. Father Manuel Bernardes, made the following allusion to the monster:
"Come hither, catóblepa of the charged eyes, and snout melted upon the earth, is not the strength of a God enough to lift them up and worship him?"
Thus, the catóblepa is probably a fanciful vision of the wildebeest or pangolin.
Today, the Catóblepa appears in pop culture represented in games such as the Dungeons & Dragons RPG, Magic: The Gathering, and Final Fantasy (electronic game).
References in antiquity about the catóblepa are scarce, being practically reiterative. This curious creature was also described by Claudio Eliano, Leonardo da Vinci, Topsell and Flaubert. Father Manuel Bernardes, made the following allusion to the monster:
"Come hither, catóblepa of the charged eyes, and snout melted upon the earth, is not the strength of a God enough to lift them up and worship him?"
Thus, the catóblepa is probably a fanciful vision of the wildebeest or pangolin.
Today, the Catóblepa appears in pop culture represented in games such as the Dungeons & Dragons RPG, Magic: The Gathering, and Final Fantasy (electronic game).