1 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:05,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of 2 00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:10,440 Speaker 1: My Heart Radio. Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and 3 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:13,640 Speaker 1: this is the Monster Fact, a short form series from 4 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: Stuff to Blow Your Mind focusing on mythical creatures, ideas 5 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:25,840 Speaker 1: and monsters. In time, the Skexies of Thraw saw nature 6 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 1: as a thing to be broken, reconstructed, and used as 7 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:33,320 Speaker 1: they saw fit. Their perverse outlook famously resulted in the 8 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:36,839 Speaker 1: creation of such horrors as the Ramba, aigeing Gartham and 9 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:40,960 Speaker 1: spying crystal bats, but unless obvious example can be found 10 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:44,880 Speaker 1: in the humble lock snake, as witnessed in the Dark 11 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,599 Speaker 1: Crystal Age of Resistance and related by Adam Caesar in 12 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 1: the Dark Crystal Bestiary. The lock snakes were a variety 13 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 1: of serpents noted for their mineral hardened scales and inclination 14 00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: to wrap around an object and tightly bind themselves on 15 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:03,720 Speaker 1: that object by latching under their own tail. Presumably, this 16 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:06,840 Speaker 1: tactic would protect the creature in the wild from predators 17 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:10,039 Speaker 1: that would otherwise snatch them away, much in the same 18 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:13,039 Speaker 1: manner that an eagle may take off with a terrestrial snake. 19 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:18,479 Speaker 1: The presumably arboreal lock snake would simply hunker down and 20 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 1: bind itself around a branch and trust its unbreakable rock 21 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 1: like exterior to protect it. The Skexies, of course, saw 22 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: only potential purpose in these creatures, and adapted them for 23 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:32,959 Speaker 1: use as an actual locking mechanism on cabinets and books 24 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:37,119 Speaker 1: to keep out unwanted individuals. And should that individual manage 25 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 1: to break the bond, well, then they have to deal 26 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:43,720 Speaker 1: with the snakes bite. The particulars of how authorized users 27 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: of the lock snakes unlocked the serpent remains something of 28 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 1: a mystery, but it seems as if they might be 29 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 1: trained to respond to a particular master. Likewise, their use 30 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 1: would seem to be time limited, useful only for temporary 31 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 1: absences from the vicinity of these rised chest tome or 32 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:05,080 Speaker 1: other possession. The concept of the lock snake is of 33 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 1: course linked to the terrestrial tradition of the araborous, the 34 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: symbol of a serpent biting onto or swallowing its own 35 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: tail forming a loop, as well as a potent paradox 36 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:19,080 Speaker 1: of self consumption. Nothing quite like this exists in the 37 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:22,919 Speaker 1: natural world, but the image the symbolism, as we've discussed before, 38 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:26,959 Speaker 1: is potent. Now, as for the detail that Caesar shares 39 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 1: regarding the diet of the lock snakes that they consume 40 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:33,200 Speaker 1: minerals to strengthen their scales. This does have some parallels 41 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 1: in our natural world. Beavers, for instance, consume an iron 42 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:40,040 Speaker 1: rich diet which helps fuel the iron rich enamel of 43 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 1: their powerful teeth. Various animals may consume minerals from time 44 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:47,120 Speaker 1: to time to offset dietary deficiencies, and the use of 45 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:50,959 Speaker 1: swallowed stones or gastroliths to aid in digestion has been 46 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 1: documented in various reptile, bird, and mammal species. Given the 47 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:59,800 Speaker 1: avian characteristics of the Skexies themselves, it's not unthinkable that 48 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: masters of the Dark Crystal might have consumed stones to 49 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 1: aid them in the digestion of their many strange meals 50 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: in their grotesque banquets. Tune in for additional episodes of 51 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 1: The Monster Fact each week. As always, you can email 52 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 1: us at contact at stuff to Blow your Mind dot com. 53 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:35,120 Speaker 1: Stuff to Blow Your Mind is a production of I 54 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:38,080 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. For more podcasts for my Heart Radio, visit 55 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 56 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.