Case file · Witch trials
The Basel egg-laying rooster
In August 1474, a rooster in Basel accused of laying an egg was tried and burned at the stake, since such an egg was thought to hatch a basilisk.
1474 CE · 47.56, 7.59 · status: account
The account
The case is a famous example of medieval animal trials, which treated unnatural events as the work of the Devil.
The sceptical view
The story comes from later chronicles; the 'egg' may have come from a hen with male features or a mix-up.