A Brazen Head (or Brass Head or Bronze Head) was a legendary automaton that often appeared in literature, reputed to be able to answer any question. It was said to have been owned by medieval scholars who were believed to be wizards, or who were reputed to be able to answer any question. The device was always in the form of a man's head, and it could correctly answer any question asked of it. Mechanical variations appear in fictional literature: the head might be cast in brass or bronze, it could be mechanical or magical, and it could answer freely or it could be restricted to "yes" or "no" answers.
Read more about Brazen Head: Alleged Owners, Namesakes
Famous quotes containing the words brazen and/or head:
“Fergus rules the brazen cars,
And rules the shadows of the wood,
And the white breast of the dim sea
And all dishevelled wandering stars.”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“But it thought no bed too narrow—it stood with lips askew
And shook its great head sadly like the abstract Jew.”
—Robert Penn Warren (1905–1989)