Thanks for the comprehensive reply! I haven't played D&D since 3.5. Played all versions before it so I've encountered beholders before. It was even on the cover of one of the core books in one of the versions I think. Or at least we had a much used book with it on. My friend group never played pre-made adventures/settings, only did home brew content so I never got to know much og the characters that appear in memes and such.