The Monstrefact: Locksnakes of Thra

In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses the Locksnakes of “The Dark Crystal.”

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of
My Heart Radio. Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and
this is the Monster Fact, a short form series from
Stuff to Blow Your Mind focusing on mythical creatures, ideas
and monsters. In time, the Skexies of Thraw saw nature

(00:25):
as a thing to be broken, reconstructed, and used as
they saw fit. Their perverse outlook famously resulted in the
creation of such horrors as the Ramba, aigeing Gartham and
spying crystal bats, but unless obvious example can be found
in the humble lock snake, as witnessed in the Dark
Crystal Age of Resistance and related by Adam Caesar in

(00:48):
the Dark Crystal Bestiary. The lock snakes were a variety
of serpents noted for their mineral hardened scales and inclination
to wrap around an object and tightly bind themselves on
that object by latching under their own tail. Presumably, this
tactic would protect the creature in the wild from predators
that would otherwise snatch them away, much in the same

(01:10):
manner that an eagle may take off with a terrestrial snake.
The presumably arboreal lock snake would simply hunker down and
bind itself around a branch and trust its unbreakable rock
like exterior to protect it. The Skexies, of course, saw
only potential purpose in these creatures, and adapted them for
use as an actual locking mechanism on cabinets and books

(01:33):
to keep out unwanted individuals. And should that individual manage
to break the bond, well, then they have to deal
with the snakes bite. The particulars of how authorized users
of the lock snakes unlocked the serpent remains something of
a mystery, but it seems as if they might be
trained to respond to a particular master. Likewise, their use

(01:54):
would seem to be time limited, useful only for temporary
absences from the vicinity of these rised chest tome or
other possession. The concept of the lock snake is of
course linked to the terrestrial tradition of the araborous, the
symbol of a serpent biting onto or swallowing its own
tail forming a loop, as well as a potent paradox

(02:15):
of self consumption. Nothing quite like this exists in the
natural world, but the image the symbolism, as we've discussed before,
is potent. Now, as for the detail that Caesar shares
regarding the diet of the lock snakes that they consume
minerals to strengthen their scales. This does have some parallels
in our natural world. Beavers, for instance, consume an iron

(02:36):
rich diet which helps fuel the iron rich enamel of
their powerful teeth. Various animals may consume minerals from time
to time to offset dietary deficiencies, and the use of
swallowed stones or gastroliths to aid in digestion has been
documented in various reptile, bird, and mammal species. Given the
avian characteristics of the Skexies themselves, it's not unthinkable that

(03:00):
masters of the Dark Crystal might have consumed stones to
aid them in the digestion of their many strange meals
in their grotesque banquets. Tune in for additional episodes of
The Monster Fact each week. As always, you can email

(03:21):
us at contact at stuff to Blow your Mind dot com.
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