The Catoblepas is an ox-like beast which breath turns living things to stone. In the Castlevania series, it is similar to the Gorgon (in fact, in Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin, it is actually a direct re-use of the Gorgon sprite from Symphony of the Night), and breaths out a petrifying gas cloud.
Origins
Catoblepas from Historia Naturalis de Quadrupedibus (Jan Jonston, 1614)
The catoblepas (from the Greek καταβλέπω, (katablépō) "to look downward") is a legendary creature from Ethiopia, described first by Pliny the Elder and later by Claudius Aelianus.
It is said to have the body of a buffalo and the head of a wild boar. Its back has scales that protect the beast and its head is always pointing downward due to it being very heavy. Its stare or breath could either turn people into stone or kill them. The catoblepas is often thought to be based on real-life encounters with wildebeest, such that some dictionaries say that the word is synonymous with "gnu".
Pliny described the catoblepas as a mid-sized creature, sluggish, with a heavy head and a face always turned to the ground. He thought its gaze, like that of the basilisk, was lethal, making the heaviness of its head quite fortunate.
Claudius Aelianus provided a fuller description: "The creature was a mid-sized herbivore, about the size of a domestic bull with a heavy mane, narrow, bloodshot eyes, a scaly back and shaggy eyebrows. The head was so heavy that the beast could only look down." In his description, the animal's gaze was not lethal but its breath was poisonous, since it ate only poisonous vegetation.
Appearances
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Catoblepae appear in the Observation Tower and the Battle Arena. In this game, the Catoblepas looks like a gray ox which stops when a hero is near to release a cloud of petrifying gas to the ground, which will travel a few steps away from the beast.
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Catoblepae appear in the Study. They attack by breathing petrifying gas cloud and their appearance is closer to that of an armored bull than to an ox. Soma can safely stand on the back of the beast, even allowing him to use them as stepping platforms to reach higher areas.
The Catoblepas' soul grants Soma the Stone Breath ability, which allows him to release a continuous cloud of petrifying gas from his hand.
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Catoblepae appear a few times in the Garden of Madness. They are very slow, so killing them is not very difficult.
Same as in Aria of Sorrow, its soul grants Soma the Stone Breath ability, which allows him to create clouds of petrifying gas, which can turn to stone many enemies and allows Soma to deal +50% damage to them while petrified.
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Similar to those appearing in Dawn of Sorrow. There is one two rooms past Keremet's room in the Great Stairway.
Enemy Data
| Enemy Data: Catoblepas | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name - Game Description |
Statistics | Items | Location | Notes |
|
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| ' | Strong: Stone HP: 550/560 (*) Exp: 1,800/2,000 Atk: 500/510 Def: 430/435 |
Common Drop: Heart High (2%) Rare Drop: Soldier Fatigues (0.5%) |
Observation Tower, Battle Arena(*) |
Abil: Stone | |
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| This ox-like beast's breath turns living things to stone. | Weak: Sword, Poison, Curse HP: 200 MP: 10 Exp: 40 Atk: 27 Def: 20 |
Rare Drop: Milk Soul: Stone Breath |
Castle Corridor, Study, Dance Hall |
Abil: Attack petrifies. | |
|
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| This ox-like beast's breath turns living things to stone. | Strong: Stone Weak: Piercing, Slashing HP: 70 MP: 30 Exp: 85 Atk: 26 Timestop: Affected |
Common Drop: Milk (8%) Rare Drop: Meat Strip (4%) Soul: Stone Breath (1.95%) |
Garden of Madness, The Dark Chapel, Cursed Clock Tower |
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|
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| This ox-like beast's breath turns living things to stone. | Strong: Stone Weak: Whip, Slash, Fire HP: 120 Exp: 60 Skill Pt: 2 |
Drop: Milk, Tasty Meat |
Great Stairway |
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Soul Data
| Item Data: Catoblepas | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name - Game Type - Users Description |
Attributes / Consume | Statistics / Sell | Found | Notes | |||
|
||||||||
| Breathes a petrifying cloud into the air. | Attrib: Stone Consume: 15 MP/sec |
10 ATK |
Drop: Catoblepas |
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Trivia
- While in other games Catoblepas is weaker than its counterpart, the Gorgon, in Circle of the Moon Catoblepas is the stronger one.
References
- Mr. P's Castlevania Realm
- Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin Bestiary by Darth Nemesis at GameFAQs.com
- Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin Walkthrough and FAQ by Zach "Darko" Long at GameFAQs.com