A golden pheasant and squirrels are seen in Lushan County of Pingdingshan City, central China's Henan Province, November 14, 2017. (Photo by Liu Xianguo/Xinhua/Barcroft Images)

A Ukrainian serviceman fires a 2S7 Pion self-propelled gun during military exercises near the village of Divychky in Kiev region, Ukraine, October 21, 2016. (Photo by Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)

Marie Joseph bathes her friend Jean Robert outside a shelter for the internally displaced where they live due to police violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday, September 16, 2021. Most of the population of Port-au-Prince has no access to basic public services, no drinking water, electricity or garbage collection. (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

Cao Ri and Xu Jiaqian have a wedding photograph taken in a pool at the Qianyishi Underwater Photography Studio in Beijing, China on September 7, 2017. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)

A hyena stands chained to its handler at a circus in Gabasawa, Kano State, Nigeria, July 27, 2021. Hyenas are often viewed as repulsive and sinister, partly due to their scavenging habits in the wild, but in northern Nigeria some men keep the creatures in their homes, display them at festivals and even use their dung to make remedies. (Photo by Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters)

A man sets himself on fire during protest rallies in front of the presidential office in Kiev, Ukraine on February 26, 2020. The man, who called himself Oleksandr Burlakov, said subsequently that his motive was to draw the attention of the authorities to his plight, related to the ownership of the land parcel. (Photo by Ihor Behus/Reuters)

An ethnic Kayan woman, also known as a long neck villager casts her vote for the general election in Mae Hong Son, Thailand, March 24, 2019. This is Thailand's first election since a military coup in 2014. Voters head to the polls to elect members of the lower house and Prime Minister. (Photo by Ann Wang/Reuters)

If we were to burn NH4Cr2O7 with HgSCN in the Dark Ages in Europe and show it to anyone, it is us who would be burning next on a fiery cross of Inquisition. And it’s no wonder, since this experiment produces a truly marvelous result. At first, as you ignite the mixture of NH4Cr2O7 and HgSCN, all you can see is that it is slowly burning with a reddish flame. After a while, however, a crater is formed in the middle of the burning pile, and then, suddenly, tentacle-like appendages start sprouting from the burning mixture. And you can almost hear the scream of the mad occultist – “Come forth, Kraken! Come forth!” But of course, this is simply a chemical reaction that is called the "Pharoah's Serpent". It was also often sold in firework stores until people realized that it was toxic.