Libyan Asp

The myth

The Greeks told that the venomous snakes of Libya were born from the Gorgon's blood. As Perseus flew over the desert carrying Medusa's head, drops of blood fell on the sand and turned into serpents; Ovid tells this in the Metamorphoses, and Apollonius of Rhodes uses it to explain the death of the seer Mopsus, bitten by a snake in Libya during the Argonauts' voyage. The Roman poet Lucan expanded the catalogue of these serpents, including the asp. For the ancients, Libya was the land of the world's deadliest snakes.

Why it has this power

A Common level-2 card with 700 ATK and 500 DEF: a small snake, weak in open combat, but perfect material for Serpent fusions such as the Chimera or Python. A Darkness Serpent for the venom born of Medusa, it bears the Moon and Leviathan constellations of shadowy crawling creatures.

Did you know

A little later, Ovid tells that Medusa's head, laid on seaweed, hardened it and so created coral.

Connections

• In Damon, Trireme Captain's deck

Where to get it

• Daily Offering: 0% per pack (Common 64% per card)
• Welcome Pack: 0.97% per pack (Common 70% per card)
• Traveler's Pack: 0.88% per pack · 5.2% in the themed pack (Common 64% per card)
• Bronze Reliquary: 0.86% per pack · 5.1% in the themed pack (Common 62% per card)
• Silver Reliquary: 0.67% per pack · 4% in the themed pack (Common 49% per card)
• Golden Reliquary: 0.46% per pack · 2.7% in the themed pack (Common 33% per card)
• Daily Showcase: Shows up on about 0.69% of days · 150 gold
• Craft with card dust: 40 dust
• Crossing of Myths: Can be offered as a reward during a crossing (the card stays in the crossing deck).

Sources

1. Metamorphoses, Book 4 — Ovid (trans. Brookes More), Theoi Classical Texts Library
2. Argonautica, Book 4 — Apollonius Rhodius (trans. R. C. Seaton), Theoi Classical Texts Library
3. MEDUSA & GORGONS (Medousa & Gorgones) - Snake-Haired Monsters of Greek Mythology — Aaron J. Atsma, Theoi Project