WEBVTT - The Monstrefact: Locksnakes of Thra

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of

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<v Speaker 1>My Heart Radio. Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and

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<v Speaker 1>this is the Monster Fact, a short form series from

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff to Blow Your Mind focusing on mythical creatures, ideas

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<v Speaker 1>and monsters. In time, the Skexies of Thraw saw nature

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<v Speaker 1>as a thing to be broken, reconstructed, and used as

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<v Speaker 1>they saw fit. Their perverse outlook famously resulted in the

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<v Speaker 1>creation of such horrors as the Ramba, aigeing Gartham and

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<v Speaker 1>spying crystal bats, but unless obvious example can be found

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<v Speaker 1>in the humble lock snake, as witnessed in the Dark

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<v Speaker 1>Crystal Age of Resistance and related by Adam Caesar in

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<v Speaker 1>the Dark Crystal Bestiary. The lock snakes were a variety

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<v Speaker 1>of serpents noted for their mineral hardened scales and inclination

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<v Speaker 1>to wrap around an object and tightly bind themselves on

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<v Speaker 1>that object by latching under their own tail. Presumably, this

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<v Speaker 1>tactic would protect the creature in the wild from predators

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<v Speaker 1>that would otherwise snatch them away, much in the same

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<v Speaker 1>manner that an eagle may take off with a terrestrial snake.

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<v Speaker 1>The presumably arboreal lock snake would simply hunker down and

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<v Speaker 1>bind itself around a branch and trust its unbreakable rock

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<v Speaker 1>like exterior to protect it. The Skexies, of course, saw

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<v Speaker 1>only potential purpose in these creatures, and adapted them for

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<v Speaker 1>use as an actual locking mechanism on cabinets and books

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<v Speaker 1>to keep out unwanted individuals. And should that individual manage

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<v Speaker 1>to break the bond, well, then they have to deal

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<v Speaker 1>with the snakes bite. The particulars of how authorized users

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<v Speaker 1>of the lock snakes unlocked the serpent remains something of

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<v Speaker 1>a mystery, but it seems as if they might be

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<v Speaker 1>trained to respond to a particular master. Likewise, their use

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<v Speaker 1>would seem to be time limited, useful only for temporary

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<v Speaker 1>absences from the vicinity of these rised chest tome or

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<v Speaker 1>other possession. The concept of the lock snake is of

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<v Speaker 1>course linked to the terrestrial tradition of the araborous, the

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<v Speaker 1>symbol of a serpent biting onto or swallowing its own

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<v Speaker 1>tail forming a loop, as well as a potent paradox

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<v Speaker 1>of self consumption. Nothing quite like this exists in the

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<v Speaker 1>natural world, but the image the symbolism, as we've discussed before,

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<v Speaker 1>is potent. Now, as for the detail that Caesar shares

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<v Speaker 1>regarding the diet of the lock snakes that they consume

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<v Speaker 1>minerals to strengthen their scales. This does have some parallels

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<v Speaker 1>in our natural world. Beavers, for instance, consume an iron

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<v Speaker 1>rich diet which helps fuel the iron rich enamel of

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<v Speaker 1>their powerful teeth. Various animals may consume minerals from time

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<v Speaker 1>to time to offset dietary deficiencies, and the use of

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<v Speaker 1>swallowed stones or gastroliths to aid in digestion has been

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<v Speaker 1>documented in various reptile, bird, and mammal species. Given the

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<v Speaker 1>avian characteristics of the Skexies themselves, it's not unthinkable that

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<v Speaker 1>masters of the Dark Crystal might have consumed stones to

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<v Speaker 1>aid them in the digestion of their many strange meals

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<v Speaker 1>in their grotesque banquets. Tune in for additional episodes of

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<v Speaker 1>The Monster Fact each week. As always, you can email

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<v Speaker 1>us at contact at stuff to Blow your Mind dot com.

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