Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Ecology of the Catoblepas and Metallic Bulls

Because of a mistake by Edward Topsell in his 1607 zoological text, The Historie of Foure Footed Beasts, the monster manuals labeled the Catoblepas a "gorgon" and conflated it with the Bronze Bull of Greek mythology. Later monster manuals would introduce a "catoblepas" as a separate creature with little in common with the catoblepas of medieval bestiaries. For those of you who remember gorgons as snake-haired women, here are some alternative ways of representing the catoblepas, metallic bulls and similar creatures. UPDATED 10/26/2017

Catoblepas ©1998 Jonathan Hunt
In the original medieval bestiaries the catoblepas is depicted as an African wildebeest (or "gnu") and was probably based on accounts of them. It was supposedly so poisonous that it could kill with its breath or gaze. In Topsell's book it is depicted with scales instead of skin or fur, which was the basis for the monster manual entry. When a "catoblepas" appeared in later monster manuals, it was depicted as a boar-like creature with a long neck and a clubbed tail to distinguish it.

In Greek mythology, there are various automatons created by master smiths. One of these is the bronze bull, which is a bull made of bronze that breathes fire. In the original Greek it is named "Tauroi Khalkeoi" or literally "bronze bull" (and not "Khalkotauroi," which is a neologism coined by an ignorant Wikipedia contributor).


This provides a decent basis for a variety of monsters. Their capabilities do not need to stay constant, which keeps players on their toes. Here are a few examples, drawing on the long history of D&D (and Mazes & Minotaurs):

Metallic Bulls are automatons forged from metal and worked into the shape of bulls. They have dangerous breath weapons, such as fire, poison, paralysis or petrifying. Their breath weapon typically correlates with their composition: bronze bulls breathe fire, iron bulls breathe petrifying gas, etc. Sage disagree whether they are related to metallic dragons, whether they are made of flesh or metal (or living metal?), or even whether they are alive. Some varieties behave exactly like more mundane cattle: grazing peacefully, forming herds, fighting between males, raising calves, etc.

The Catoblepas is a strange creature that migrates between savanna, swamp and the veil of shadows. Different varieties resemble wildebeest, wild boars, or even kangaroos; their intelligence varies wildly between animal and articulate. Most varieties are absurdly toxic, though, which is sometimes attributed to their diet. They eat whatever they can catch, whether that be shrubs, small animals, or bad vibes. Their presence is considered a bad omen, although it remains unclear whether they cause or merely foretell such disasters. Sages disagree whether they are simple animals or fey creatures.

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